Matthew Stafford on Lions Fans: 'Everything You Want Fans to Be'
Matthew Stafford is the starting quarterback of a team playing in the Super Bowl. It’s something that Detroit Lions fans would have loved to have been able to say about Stafford while he was in Detroit.
But, such never came to fruition during Stafford’s time in the Motor City, as he experienced much more losing than winning during his 12 seasons in Detroit.
Stafford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, went 74-90-1 in 165 games as the Lions’ starting signal-caller. And, during that time, he played on just four winning teams.
Despite the lack of success during his stint in Motown, he revealed to reporters Monday in Los Angeles, Calif., the site of Super Bowl LVI, that those rough times with the Lions helped mold him into the quarterback that he is today. Specifically, it taught him how to overcome adverse circumstances, something he experienced plenty of in Detroit.
“There was plenty of time in Detroit where we were having a tough stretch of games or I was having a tough quarter or tough half or tough whatever it was, and being able to just trust yourself, trust your preparation and go to work and trust your teammates and all that kind of stuff, it really … I still feel and think that way today,” Stafford said.
Stafford mentioned how his experiences in Detroit also helped him deal with the rough patch he and the L.A. Rams endured this past regular season.
They lost three games in a row during the latter half of the 2021 campaign, falling to the Tennessee Titans in Week 9, the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 and the Green Bay Packers in Week 12 (the team had a bye in Week 11).
“We had a tough stretch in our season this year in the month of November, where we didn’t win a football game and lost three in a row there. I didn’t play particularly good football,” Stafford said. “But, we continued to work. We continued to trust each other, continued to understand that the process of us going to work every single day is what’s going to get us out of that. And, I’m hoping if I bring that attitude and guys, I can help turn one guy’s attitude on this team, maybe it helped us get to this point. But, that’s things you don’t really learn unless you go through some tough times, some tough adversity. And, there were some times in Detroit that taught me that and I’ve carried it with me.”
During his talk with the media, Stafford also touched upon the fans of Detroit.
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© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The 34-year-old quarterback expressed that supporters of the Lions were "extremely loyal, passionate" and "everything you want fans to be."
He reiterated Detroiters were great to his family and cared about his wife and children beyond the game of football.
When asked if the blockbuster trade from the Rams to the Lions was inspired by Tom Brady winning a Lombardi Trophy last season, Stafford indicated he wanted what was best for him and what was best for the Lions organization.
Briefly
If there ever is a Hollywood movie about Stafford, he has an idea of who he wants to play him.
Leonardo DiCaprio would be cast as the leading man, if it were up to the first-year Rams signal-caller.
Stafford and the Rams will square off with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 Sunday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. from SoFi Stadium.
