NFL’s most underrated QB, Matthew Stafford, comes out every day to prove himself

The year was 2011 and Matthew Stafford He was finishing his third season as a quarterback. Detroit Lions. He was on his way to a college bowl game at Ford Field when his phone rang. Team president Tom Lewand was on the other side.

Pro Bowl rosters were about to be announced, and Lewand wanted to let his young star know ahead of time that he wasn’t making the NFC team.

At first, Stafford thought he was being pranked. After all, he was on track to finish the year as one of only two players to pass for more than 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns that season, and the Lions were headed to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

But Lewand was serious.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

It was at that moment that Stafford realized that his best might never be good enough in the eyes of some. Thirteen years later, I’d argue nothing has changed, which is why I consider Stafford the most underappreciated and underappreciated quarterback in the last two-plus decades.

When people talk about the most active signal callers, rightfully so. Patrick Mahomes alone on a roost. The following platform usually includes: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson And Joe Burrow. Even if Stafford makes the cut, he often feels like an afterthought, which is as crazy as it is central to the narrative of his career.

Even though he ranks in the top 10 all-time in passing yards, touchdown passes and fourth-quarter returns and won the Super Bowl in his first season a few years ago Los Angeles RamsThe first pick of the 2009 draft, Stafford was never named an All-Pro and appeared in only two Pro Bowls.

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I bring this up now because I’m not sure people realize how significant his impact has been on the Rams this season, especially during their current three-game winning streak. It’s not what he does that matters, when he does it, he usually comes out ahead late in games after the offense has been disrupted for more than two quarters.

Opposite vikings He threw two goal passes in the second half two weeks ago Demarcus RobinsonOne at the end of the third quarter, the other with 6:17 left in regulation to keep Minnesota at bay. And last week in Seattle, his 39-yard scoring pass to Robinson became the walk-off winner in overtime.

MATTHEW STAFFORD TO DEMARCUS ROBINSON ONE-HANDED TD TO WIN THE GAME @RAMSNFL! pic.twitter.com/xqFG6xQ4eS

— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024

His relentless pursuit of improvement and fearlessness in key moments is contagious. He has the rare ability to make others believe situations they may doubt.

Admittedly, I was skeptical when the Rams traded for him in 2021. Is he really such an advanced player? Jared GoffI was curious. Goff is six years younger and helped Los Angeles reach the Super Bowl a few years ago. Stafford made three playoff appearances in 12 seasons with Detroit, each ending in a first-round loss.

My skepticism may have been misplaced, but it could be explained. Like others, I didn’t watch many Lions games while Stafford was there. After Barry Sanders’ retirement, there was nothing interesting about the series. The only memorable moment was in 2008 when they became the first team to finish the season 0-16.

Stafford’s arrival in Detroit the following year did little to move the needle. The Lions went 8-24 in their first two seasons, leaving them well beyond relevance. This partly explains why he was marginalized in the 2011 Pro Bowl voting despite having more touchdowns. Tom Brady and we pass more yards than we have Aaron Rodgers.

“I kind of got my head around it and said: ‘If I don’t make it, then this is how it’s going to be and that’s okay. I’m not going to do too many of these,’” Stafford reflected Friday afternoon. “At certain times I feel (unappreciated), and at other times I don’t. But I certainly don’t sit here every week thinking about it. My wife and family probably think more about this than I do. I’m here every day, trying to prove myself. You have to keep doing that in this league. Your past achievements do not matter. “If you’re not trying to improve yourself every time you step on the grass, you’re probably not in the right place.”

Atlanta Falcons Coach Raheem Morris spent the last three years as the Rams defensive coordinator, where he saw Stafford up close. He thought the former Georgia star was an elite talent before this, but after observing him day in and day out, he knew that.

“When we got him in the building in Los Angeles, I learned how smart he is, how smart he is, how much he cares about the game, how hard he works for the game and how well he communicates with everyone from the coaches to the players to the staff,” Morris told me last week. “I got to see how special he was around his guys. He was just different. He brings a certain comfort to the players he plays with, and he can play with almost anyone, rookie or veteran. It’s unique because there are point guards who need their guys, their guys. For Matthew, it doesn’t matter at all. “Whoever you put next to him will make them a better football player.”

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The ability to elevate the performance of others is the essence of athletic greatness, but meaning can be lost in translation if not accompanied by victories. That’s why it was so easy to underestimate Stafford in Detroit. But ask yourself this: What would Lions teams do? it seemed like without it?

According to Pro Football Reference, 32 of Stafford’s 74 wins with Detroit required a comeback in the fourth quarter or overtime. He twice led the league in this category; His eight post-game rallies in 2016 set a league record that was unmatched until two years ago. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings drew.

The strange thing is that Stafford’s specialness hasn’t been lost just because of casual fans or uneducated media (raised hands). The Lions needed a reality check in 2014, too, after his fifth season.

They had hired Jim Caldwell as head coach, and soon a top team official questioned whether it was time to trade Stafford. A source familiar with the discussion said the proposal did not sit well with Caldwell. Caldwell took the job partly because of Stafford; He saw in Stafford the traits needed for success at the position: intelligence, toughness, fearlessness, arm strength, touch, the ability to nail every throw from multiple platforms, and perhaps most importantly, unselfishness.

Caldwell thought the team could do more if Stafford did less — the Lions had made just one postseason appearance in the previous 14 years — so the veteran coach preached balance on offense.

The result: After Stafford attempted 634 or more passes in each of the three seasons before Caldwell, he fell below that mark in each of the next four years, finishing under 600 in three of them. He also averaged 17 interceptions in the three seasons before Caldwell, rising to 11 in the next four seasons.

The changes helped the Lions to three winning seasons and two playoff appearances in four years. The last consecutive winning seasons were 1993-95. When outsiders criticized Stafford in Detroit, Caldwell warned that Stafford wasn’t the problem. He needed a little help, which he got from friends in Los Angeles.

Matthew Stafford celebrates a third-quarter touchdown pass with Demarcus Robinson against Seattle. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

“When you watched him play — and you have to defend him, thinking back to his Detroit days — you were always afraid of the Lions because of him,” Morris said. “He gave his team a chance to win every game he played. He can make every shot, he’s mobile enough to get away from people, he keeps the play alive, he has a unique toughness that sets him apart from everyone else. In my opinion, he was closer to Aaron Rodgers than we give credit for every year because of all his off-the-platform throws.” “He did all the no-look shots and everything Aaron did, but he did it in Detroit and didn’t get a lot of wins.”

Rams (4-4) look set for a series in the next four games Miami, new england, Philadelphia And new orleans. More wins will bring more attention, which means more opportunities to witness Stafford’s speciality. It’s not that he’s worried about the opinions of outsiders. He demands the respect of those he plays with and against, as well as those who came before him and those who will come after him.

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Stafford will turn 37 in a few months, which means he’s closer to the finish line than the starting line. It is a matter of curiosity whether he will complete his career in Los Angeles. matter of conjecture, As Jourdan Rodrigue recently noted. I asked him how long he wanted to play.

“I don’t know,” he said timidly. “It depends on how long they keep me here. But I enjoy playing and I’m trying to lead this young group. “It’s a lot of fun.”

I can’t imagine Stafford playing for anyone else. I also never thought he would be left off the Pro Bowl roster in 2011.

(Top photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)