Most of you think I hate Matt Stafford. I don’t. I just can’t celebrate a Lions QB that was making 30 million a year who asked to be traded. He never won a playoff game in 12 years as a Lion. Stafford never fought through a season in Detroit to get his team their first ever home playoff game. I get the big numbers for Stafford. What I can’t get over was his lack of success against quality teams as the Lions QB. Sure, we can blame some of his teammates, ownership, the front office, and the coaches for the team bottoming out time and time again with Stafford as their QB. Number 9 wasn’t the problem, he was part of the same old Lions who never could get out of their own way long enough to build a winning franchise. If you celebrate Stafford’s stats in Detroit but not his win/loss record you are missing the point of my opinion on number 9. He was a great teammate, talent, husband, and father but while in a Lions uniform he wasn’t a great QB, he was good. How can you have Calvin Johnson as your main target for almost a decade and not get a home playoff game or just one playoff win? Again, not all on Stafford as he was a good but not great QB while in Detroit.
I never understood the Lions fan love fest after Stafford said he wanted out of Detroit. I still don’t get it today. That triggered my on air battle on how good number 9 really was.
I will always feel some pain for that Stafford/ Calvin/ Suh era that produced not a single playoff win. I really thought the Lions were close to doing great things we’ve all hoped for our entire life.
It’s obvious a better Rams team elevated Stafford’s game. He handled the pressure to win it all like a champ. I didn’t think he could do it. He proved me and many others in the media wrong. I think Stafford is now a Hall of Fame QB. Winning a Super Bowl he had to win while playing in the second biggest market in America will trump other QB’s who aren’t in Canton. Barring injury number 9 will have more than enough numbers to go along with that Lombardi trophy to get enshrined for eternity for a great NFL career.
What Lions fans will always have to live with is Barry retired early, Calvin walked away at a young age, and Stafford wanted out of Detroit.
I think my targeted anger on Stafford the last year wasn’t as much about him as it was connected to what my life has been like as a Lions fan. It’s always about losing super star players, firing coaches, and things never going our way.
We are Lions fans for life:
Stafford got out of Detroit, the rest of us are still here in Michigan hoping that a Super Bowl Sunday one day will feature the Lions playing for it all.
Never give up hope. It’s all we have to hold on until they show us they’re not the same old Lions.
Congrats to Matt Stafford. He earned that ring.
Photos Courtesy of: CBS Sports
