Detroit Lions fans: Matthew Stafford is not the problem
By Robert Jones
It takes a team effort to win
I was shooting some hoops with a couple of friends the other day when the subject of the Lions came up between games. This was when one of the guys went off on a tirade about how Stafford has never led the Lions to anything nor won in the playoffs. I agreed that was the case, although considering some of the putrid teams he’s played on that’s not necessarily all his fault, but as part of the team he has to share the blame for the lack of success in big games.
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When I asked him what that has to do with this season, he said, ‘He’s never turned the Lions into winners’. At this point, I asked him to tell us why Matthew was the reason the Lions are not winning, but without using the words ‘always’ or ‘never’, since they do not apply to this current season. As one might have been able to guess, he couldn’t.
I think Matthew Stafford is possibly the most talented quarterback in franchise history and I also think he hasn’t ever truly lived up to his full potential. This is due in part to two reasons; the first would be that he has had very few talented or playoff-caliber teams in Detroit to help him win the big games and the second would be that there have also been times he hasn’t played to his own talent level either.
Yet all of what has happened in years past means nothing this season because each season is its own entity. In 1995 Scott Mitchell re-wrote the Lions single-season record books with 4,338 yards, 32 touchdown passes, and 12 interceptions. Meanwhile, he had Barry Sanders rushing for 1500 yards and 11 touchdowns while continuing to embarrass defenders left and right with his moves. Tell me that didn’t help out Mitchell.
But where is that backfield weapon to compliment Matthew? If you want to use the words ‘always’ or ‘never’ when discussing Matthew, then don’t forget that somehow or another winning or losing for the Lions always comes down to his right arm because he never gets a consistent rushing attack or good defense to win the game for him.
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These Lions have issues that Matt Patricia needs to find answers to, but at this moment right now in this season, Matthew Stafford is one of the very few bright spots on this team. He may not be perfect and may have underachieved at times in the past, but right now he is absolutely not the reason the Lions are struggling.