DETROIT – Matthew Stafford played at Ford Field for 12 seasons and never hosted a playoff game or won one outside the city. But 365 days after he’s traded, he accomplished both, plus he won a Super Bowl.
Stafford is the talk of the town Monday, Feb. 14.
“Matthew Stafford was always a great quarterback,” said Detroit Lions fan Robert Quick. “It just goes to show you that you have to put a team around a great quarterback.”
A great quarterback is what Stafford was throughout his tenure in Detroit, even if he was questioned constantly. Jim Costa, host at 97.1 The Ticket, says Stafford’s Super Bowl win and overall performance in the playoffs this year is vindication for the future hall of fame quarterback.
“For years, he was scapegoated as the problem in Detroit,” Costa said. “You can’t win with him, and in the very first season, he leaves, and 12 months later, he’s a Super Bowl champ. The way he does it with touchdown drives to win three straight playoff games. He was not just an accessory but a driving force.”
Read: Matthew Stafford and his Los Angeles Rams tame Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI
Where does Stafford’s Super Bowl victory leave fans of the Lions and the organization and ownership?
“Well, first there’s a lot of self-reflection because teams trip over themselves to find a franchise guy, and the Lions had a dozen years to win with someone like that, and they failed,” Costa said. “So introspective, learning from one’s mistakes as they stare at future of the team right now. Not Dan Campbell’s fault or Brad Holmes fault that Stafford didn’t win in Detroit. They have to learn from the Stafford mistakes.”
Check out social media, and Stafford’s win has a lot of people going after the Ford family. Quick isn’t quite there yet, but he does want to see some improvement.
“I’m not mad at them, Quick said. “If you have a great quarterback, you have to build around him with a running game and defense, and it can happen.”
Here are some optimistic news lions fans. Brad Holmes was an evaluator of talent when he was with the Los Angeles Rams when they found Cooper Kupp in the third round and drafted Aaron Donald. Here’s to hoping Holmes finds game-changers like those accompanied by a franchise quarterback in April.
