Jim Caldwell gives thoughts about Matthew Stafford as a leader

During Matthew Stafford‘s 12 seasons as starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions, many haters were quick to jump to the conclusion that he was not a good leader, most pointing out that he was not a rah-rah type player.

Well, one person who most certainly disagrees with that is former Lions head coach, Jim Caldwell.

In a recent interview with Deadspin, Caldwell talked about Stafford’s ability to lead.

“Matthew is a great leader with an insatiable desire to win,” says Caldwell. “Insatiable” is a strong word. Caldwell added: “The Rams are getting a great father, husband and extraordinarily unselfish teammate who serves the community in which he lives and works.”

Caldwell also praised Stafford’s mental and physical toughness and added that the Los Angeles Rams will love him.

When asked by Deadspin to share his thoughts on Stafford, Caldwell praised Stafford’s “mental and physical toughness,” “intellectual prowess,” and described Stafford’s character and leadership as much as his abilities.

“Matthew is accountable in every way and displays extreme ownership, accepting responsibility for his mistakes and deflects credit to his teammates and coaches in victory. He has an extremely strong arm, underestimated mobility and he can deliver the ball accurately with velocity or touch from various platforms and angles,” said Caldwell.

“Matthew is extremely bright and he can adapt to any system or style of offense,” says Caldwell. “He has demonstrated [that] while in Detroit under multiple offensive coordinators and head coaches.

“He will be able to do whatever Coach McVay requires. But Matthew is very self-aware and not shy about expressing the various concepts that fit his eye or accentuates his skill set. They will love him in L.A.”

Nation, it will definitely be odd to see Matthew Stafford playing in a different uniform for the first time in his career, will you be rooting for him to win big with the Rams?