'First Ballot Hall of Famer!' Ex-Rams Coach Zac Robinson Heaps Praise on Matthew Stafford
Coming off of his 15th season, 36-year-old Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is one of the most well-respected quarterbacks in today's NFL.
The first 12 seasons of that were spent with the Detroit Lions, with the last three in Los Angeles with the Rams.
In both of those stops, Stafford had Zac Robinson in his corner.
And in a recent media session, Robinson, now the new Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, took some time to praise Stafford for the impact he had on him, and the immense generational talent he possesses.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
“I think first and foremost, how somebody throws the football, what that looks like... If you look at Matthew Stafford, that’s exactly what it’s supposed to look like," Robinson said. "I think if God himself came down here and said, ‘I want somebody to throw the football,’ it should look like Matthew Stafford. That’s certainly what you’re looking at first and foremost."
Since coming into the league in 2009, Stafford has been known as one of the most talented throwers of the football - from arm strength to accuracy, to mechanics and footwork - in the entire NFL.
That said, he has always been much more than just physical talent.
Stafford has also been known as a tremendous leader and tactician with excellent instincts, and according to Robinson, he is such a special all-round player, that he should be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
"Those guys just have the instincts, the feel for the game, and the stuff that you can’t really put into words sometimes they got it," Robinson said. "Matthew Stafford has been that guy since his time at Highland Park, at Georgia, No. 1 pick. He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Certainly been very fortunate to work with a guy like that. Just forever thankful for my time with him and knowing what a special player he is.”
To be fair, outside of Sean McVay, there might not be another coach or player in the NFL who knows Stafford better than Robinson.
Not only did Robinson serve as Stafford's QB coach for the last three years, but he also backed up Stafford in Detroit in 2010 as a player. In other words, the two have spent an ample amount of time together and became extremely close friends in the process.
And in his decade-plus in the NFL, Robinson has never seen a smarter football mind than Stafford's.
"Matthew and I were teammates in Detroit... We’re great friends," Robinson said. "He is the smartest guy I’ve ever been around. Knowing what you’ve got to be prepared for as a coach each and every day, knowing he’s going to come in on Wednesday and he’s going to have seen all the film. He’s got a great memory, so you’re going to have to recall every single play that you’ve seen on film that week."
Even as a coach, Robinson was still learning from Stafford.
So much so, in fact, that Robinson was able to follow Raheem Morris to the Falcons and become the team's new offensive coordinator.
"Just the collaborative effort that it was with Matthew over the past few years has been awesome. He certainly has taught me a ton about the position," Stafford said. "It’s a luxury to have somebody that has that experience. I’ve learned a ton of Matthew and like I said, forever grateful for the time I had with him.”
