During 12 campaigns, Matt Sttaford he carried the label of the dream quarterback … on a nightmare team.
A first-round draft pick in 2009 in hopes of rescuing a NFL: 10 stories to watch in the first round of the playoffs”>Detroit Lions that went winless the year before, Stafford carried a heavy responsibility.
One city dreamed it would put an end to the woes of a traditional but consistent team in its misery, which has finished last or next to last in its division in 20 of the last 30 seasons in the NFL.
college star in the Bulldogs de Georgia, the player seemed to have the quality to be the redeemer that the cradle of soul expected. Tall, with a powerful arm and a winning record, was the option taken by Jim Schwartz, one of the young men with a reputation for genius formed by Bill Belichickthe most titled coach in modern professional football history.
The team did their part to help him. He featured renowned players like Reggie Bush, the best collegiate player in 2005; with Calvin Johnson, “Megatron”, one of the best receivers in history, to accompany him. There were flashes of greatness in his numbers, for example, in 2012 Johnson reached the record for advanced passing yards by adding 1,964, although that did not prevent them from finishing the year with 14 losses and only two wins.
A year later, the duo achieved another mark: the most yards achieved in a game, 329 against the Cowboys.
But all those pearls didn’t add up to a solid gem: In his 12 seasons with Detroit, he won 61 games and lost 112. He only played three playoff games without winning one, and year after year he saw his championship hopes fade.
In January 2021, with little mobility, several major injuries (three shoulder separations, fractured ribs, three finger fractures, several ankle sprains) he announced he was saying goodbye to the Lions. Several teams raised their hands, but the Rams offered him the best opportunity to win a title, since his financial stability had been assured since 2013, when he signed a five-year, $135 million contract, 92 of which was guaranteed.
With Sean McVayAn attacking genius who obsessively studies his opponents’ films and devises plays to outplay his opponents one-on-one, Stafford was reborn. He matched his best scoring mark with 41 without as many interceptions as previous years.
But that tendency to force passes and suffer interceptions still makes Rams fans uneasy. In the meeting for the ticket to the Super Bowl He threw a bad pass in the end zone that kept the Angels from scoring. Then, in the fourth period, with the game on the line and his team down 14-17, he put a chocolate in the hands of the defender Jaquanski Tartwho wasted the gift and gave him the opportunity to tie and then settle the match.
A quarterback reborn and the Rams are slight favorites to win the NFL title, but there is a question-phrase that haunts the game: Matthew Stafford He left the Detroit Lions, but has the losing spirit left the Stafford Lions?
