Matt Stafford Ranked No. 7 QB In The NFL
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Athletic writer Mike Sando annually releases a quarterback tiers list, a conducive poll where fifty NFL personnel evaluators rank the starting quarterbacks around the NFL.
These NFL employees place each quarterback into one of five tiers, and Sando then averages out the results to create an ordered list. Here is how Sando himself defines the popular process:
The results reflect voting from 50 NFL coaches and executives, including six general managers, eight head coaches, 10 evaluators, 12 coordinators, six quarterback coaches and seven execs whose specialties include analytics, game management and the salary cap. The remaining ballot was put together by four members of one team’s personnel department. The panel placed 35 veteran quarterbacks into one of five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5). Quarterbacks were then ranked by average vote and placed into tiers based on vote distribution."
Former Georgia Bulldog Matthew Stafford came in at No. 7 on the list, headlining the tier two group. Sando says that a tier two quarterback can "carry his team sometimes but not as consistently. He can handle pure passing situations in doses and/or possesses other dimensions that are special enough to elevate him above Tier 3. He has a hole or two in his game."
The list has existed for nine seasons, and Stafford usually places fairly high. The critique of his game was his lack of team success in the first decade of his career with the Detroit Lions.
However, the talent was always evident with Stafford. During the 2021 offseason, he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and picks. A divorce between Stafford and the Lions felt imminent; Matthew deserved a chance to win, and the Lions were treading water when they wanted to undergo a complete rebuild.
In his first season with the Rams, Stafford battled injuries and mid-season inconsistencies before bursting onto the scene towards the end of the year. He elevated his play during the postseason and ultimately won his first Super Bowl.
Many around the league marveled at the difference a change of scenery made for Stafford. While everything wasn't perfect, he finally reached an ideal location that suited his football needs.
"'I think it’s fascinating,' an offensive coach said. 'The whole thing with Stafford, you just felt like here is a guy with all the talent in the world and you get him into a situation with a good staff, a good team, and there’s some consistency there. I certainly was not surprised with how he performed. Any time the head coach is the play caller and you get some chemistry and are on the same page, that’s a huge, huge advantage.'"
The 2021 season brought lucrative success for Stafford. Now he is equipped with a Lombardi Trophy and finally has gotten the monkey off his back; he can now just play football. That is a dangerous thing for the rest of the league, as Stafford is one of the most gifted throwers of his generation.
"'He still to this day has the best arm I’ve been around or seen,' a voter who was with Stafford in Detroit said. 'Whether it’s with a system that suits him and a good partnership with the head coach and all that, a Super Bowl ring gets you an upgrade in my book.'”
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