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Let’s just say Matthew Stafford is still a Detroit Lion at age 40…

By Payne Schanski

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 11: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions leaves the field after the Lions defeated the Chicago Bears 20-17. Stafford scored the game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on December 11, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 11: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions leaves the field after the Lions defeated the Chicago Bears 20-17. Stafford scored the game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on December 11, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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Tom Brady turned 40 last week. Could the star quarterback of the Detroit Lions achieve a similar career longevity as the ageless Super Bowl champion?

DETROIT, MI – JANUARY 1: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions calls out a play for his team against the Green Bay Packers during first half action at Ford Field on January 1, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – JANUARY 1: Quarterback Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions calls out a play for his team against the Green Bay Packers during first half action at Ford Field on January 1, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Out here in Boston, the biggest story of last week’s sports talk radio circuit was that Tom Brady was turning 40. It might as well have been a city-wide celebration. I happened to be in London a few years ago when the queen turned 90. I’ll admit that the queen’s birthday was a bigger deal, but not by as much as you might think.

What does any of this have to do with Detroit Lions‘ quarterback Matthew Stafford?

After eight years in Detroit, there are really only two valid criticisms left to make about Stafford:

1) He isn’t Tom Brady.

2) He isn’t Aaron Rodgers either.

That’s pretty much it.

What Stafford is… 

  • A guy who has lived up to the hype of being the #1 overall pick, and is doing his part and more to restore the franchise.
  • Currently the best pro athlete in the city of Detroit, as christened by the Free Press in July.
  • So far at least, dedicated to becoming great, and dedicated to staying in Detroit to do it.

When Stafford joined the Lions in 2009, the hope was that the club had finally found their quarterback for the next decade. Time flies, but after the injury-riddled beginning, this is getting closer and closer to being true. But what if what they really found was their quarterback for the next two decades?

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