How different would people look at Matthew Stafford had he been drafted by a competent NFL franchise, rather than being drafted by the Detroit Lions.
That is a question many have asked themselves and every single time they ask me for my opinion, I tell them that had Stafford been selected by a team other than the Lions, he would have a Super Bowl by now.
One person who seems to be in lockstep with my view of Stafford is former Super Bowl quarterback turned NFL analyst, Phil Simms.
Simms recently spoke to the Detroit Free Press, and he believes Stafford is a Super Bowl QB playing with an inept franchise that has failed to build a contending team around him. In fact, Simms said Stafford’s talent is some of the best of all time.
“Matt Stafford’s talent is up there with almost anybody that’s ever played quarterback,” Simms told the Free Press recently. “That’s it, period.”
“Hey, he worked,” he said. “That’s the thing now. He worked. He’s been a Super Bowl quarterback. He’s just not playing with a Super Bowl team.
“Did you ever go into a year and say, ‘Man, Detroit can win it all this year?’ Have you ever even mentioned that? No.”
Simms went on to say that he hopes the Lions trade Stafford to a good team and that he proceeds to win a Super Bowl with that team.
“I’m just going to be honest,” Simms said. “I hope they get rid of him and I hope he lands with a really good team and he’s going to lead them to the Super Bowl. That’s what I hope. I really do for him.
“I think he’s been so tremendous through the years down the stretch. He is the comeback quarterback of games like I’ve never seen. My God, it’s one miracle after another.”
“And if HE goes somewhere, he’s going somewhere that’s going to be really good. The Jacksonville Jaguars are not going to trade for him or want him. Or the New York Jets or whatever. All these bad teams, they’re going to go young and all that. But there’s a handful of teams out there that might change their quarterbacks that are really good teams.”
Nation, do you agree with Phil Simms? Do you believe that if Matthew Stafford is traded to a good team that he will push them over the hump to a Super Bowl?
it could very well be possible he would get a good team over the hump. He is excellent and has really been the only bright spot on our team year after year. It bothers me that so many blame him for the Lions failures – NOT his fault people.