Could Matthew Stafford’s success be devastating for the Lions?

Matthew Stafford is a bad man

This past week on the Pat McAfee Show, the subject of Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay’s enthusiasm for Matthew Stafford came up. To summarize McVay’s quote for all audiences, he said that Stafford is a bad man. Just not in those words.

For those of us who have watched Matthew for the last 12 seasons, this isn’t anything we don’t know. Stafford’s physical gifts are exceptional. Few passers have had an arm even close to what Matthew possesses. However, it wasn’t enough to carry a franchise that constantly had holes everywhere else.

When you combine poor drafting, overspending in free agency, and mostly lackluster coaching, is it any wonder that Matthew Stafford was unable to lead the Lions to the promised land?

Now Matthew is on a team that is stacked with talent, has had success, and has an innovative head coach. When all that is combined it gives him the chance to not only have multiple trips to the playoffs but to actually win there.

There is no question that Matthew is now in the best position of his career to really showcase his abilities and more importantly, win. 

Given the state of the Rams defense which was number one in the NFL last season, Sean McVay’s offensive system, and the talent that will surround Matthew on that side of the ball, there is no question this is Matthew’s chance to shine.

There will be plenty of pressure on Matthew to produce and lead the Rams to a championship, but in Detroit, the pressure was constantly on him already. If Stafford didn’t literally carry the Lions to victory, they didn’t win. The pressure will be greater nationally now, but it’s not like he hasn’t been under great pressure.

The other point that was brought up on the Pat McAfee Show was that should Matthew handle that pressure and over the next five or six years lead the Rams to the conference title game maybe three times and to a Super Bowl or two and actually win one, that it would be devastating for Detroit.

I understand the point of view and find it to be a fascinating subject. However, I also think it is a concept quickly resolved.