Remember lions in same scenario few years back ,home game and everything in lions way to win division , Stanford couldn’t make any plays under pressure even in a home game . If he know how to make few plays under pressure , we should have won the division . Same thing with cousin too . Not sure why a business man waste money like this keeping Qb like this
Stanford is a great college though!
3 Likes
This is what Cousins always has been. He is not a difference maker. Decent QB, just kind of average.
Doesn’t remind me of Stafford though, the owner of the all time NFL record for 4th quarter comebacks in a season. Stafford does not have the players around him that Cousins does in Minny. The Lions would be 0-15 this year without Stafford, and likely are at least a 500 team with him this year. When Stafford has failed it is usually more about poor Oline play, no running game, and poor defense.
5 Likes
I’m not a big fan of Cousins but no QB is going to make plays with the amount of pressure GB got on him. Their OL was brutal and not having Cook or Mattinson (sp?) killed them.
1 Like
Stafford is much better than Cousins off schedule. If you can keep things clean in the pocket Cousins can be a surgeon. If there is chaos he blows.
1 Like
Yup. Cousins had some games where he turned out to be better than I wanted to give him credit for.
The Stafford comparison is hilarious. Literally made me laugh out loud.
If MN had Mathew, they’d win the SB this year.
1 Like
Maybe. Stafford isn’t really proven as a playoff performer. I also think that the Vikings have a lot of A- parr’s. Hunter and Cook are their only guys that I think of as true game changers.
1 Like
Beat the Cowboys. Oh, wait…the refs recaptured that one. 
I know what you mean, and get your point (still disagree w/it though). I think Matt’s 4th quarter comebacks matter, and count as pressure situations, though I concede it’s not exactly the same. I trust him, in that scenario.
Matt’s played with mostly horrific Ols and very poor overall talent around him. So hard to say, when you factor everything in. All I can really say is, I would trust him in that scenario.
1 Like
Cousins is the fourth rated QB in the league this year. He just suffered from protection breakdowns last night
2 Likes
He made some really bad reads, as well as took a couple of ridiculous sacks that didn’t need to happen, as well.
Dude has played out of his mind, this year (compared to past years). I feel like he’s got great run game, great receivers, and a good D to back him up. Under pressure, no QB is the same. He’s especially terrible at handling pressure though.
I do have to admit - the dude has improved, this year. He’s tucking some balls into some tight windows (THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID!)
IMO, he needs a whole lot to go right with protection to be good though. Last night, he was brutal to watch.
1 Like
I’d say Stafford is more like Goff. Both rate very high when in a clean pocket, but terrible when pressured
Stafford rates fourth from clean pocket and 22nd when under pressure according the PFF
Goff is right behind Stafford, ranking 6th and 20th respectively
1 Like
This. If you put a team around Stafford he’d have playoff wins.
This season is a perfect example - team would be winless without him all year, and a 7-9 win team with him all year. Cousins would struggle to win any games with this Lions team - poor run game, terrible defense, marginal Oline play.
Stafford doesn’t get the credit the other top QBs get because he makes a terrible team ok. If you make an ok or good team great then everyone recognizes that.
And I agree Stafford could take a team like the Vikes to the Super Bowl.
5 Likes
Stafford was #1 in TD’s and #2 in passing yards before the injury. The season when he broke his finger he was in the running for league MVP before the injury…No, he’s a class above Goff and Cousins. Both of those QB’s also have a better team & organization behind them.
Stafford has been brutalized his entire career behind shitty O-lines with non existent run games to take the pressure off of him as a target… It’s little wonder why he is a bit gun shy under pressure.
4 Likes
Every fan can make excuses. Goff was an MVP candidate and took his team to the super bowl
I’m not saying he is ‘better’ than Stafford. But I’m not saying Stafford is a ‘class above’ them either.
And neither of those guys are as consistently good under pressure as when not like QBs like Wilson or Rodgers Mahomes etx… Those guys are a class above
Honestly I think this is all a matter of perspective. Mine is that the Lions have consistently fielded poor teams that were only able to compete due to quality QB play. This is strongly supported by available statistics (those that clearly show poor defense, typically one of the worst running games, and poor Oline play).
I see Stafford get in the MVP discussion on a team that would otherwise be WINLESS without him. I see in Stafford a QB with arm talent that is as good as the league has seen, ever.
I see Cousins and Goff get in the MVP discussion when they have strong teams around them.
I don’t disagree with any of that. I see Stafford as about equal to Goff and Cousins. Good QBs that can or could win with a lot of talent around them.
None are in the upper echelon of QBs that can carry a team on their backs
I’m not so sure about that. Most QBs would crumble behind that offensive line. Cousins had no chance last night with Packers in the backfield all night long. Unless it’s a really mobile QB or a QB who gets rid of the ball quickly, I can’t see many QBs carrying that offense to a Super Bowl behind that line.
I do think Stafford is better than Cousins but it’s a pretty small gap. The numbers are fairly similar (TD passes are in heavily in Stafford’s favor because he was a starter for longer) and they both have struggled to win big games, both are very erratic as well. I can’t see an argument for there being a big gap between the two.
Love that PFF does what they do, and it is WAY better than nothing.
That said, not all pressure is created equally.
What does it look like, when Cousins (also good in a clean pocket) was under pressure, last night? Put Matt in the same situation, and he gives up 30 fewer yards in sacks, as well as a much higher completion percentage.
Also - Let’s use Brady as an example. While it’s true that Tom feels pressure well, he also trusts his line. If you know pre-snap that you are going to be running for your life, it makes a difference. If you’ve were sacked 16 times in 2 games, where are you going to be at the following week? It impacts everything. In other words, it’s totally different for a team that has a QB that gets pressured 6 times a game, and a guy that gets pressured nearly every passing play.
Now factor in safety valves like hot routes, TEs and RBs releasing, screen game, etc. Nobody cares about our screen game, because we don’t have a RB that can make them pay. Nobody cares about an underneath route to a TE, when there’s a 60% chance the dude is going to drop it (exaggerated for fun). Matt had Tate for a couple of years, and that was nice, but as for stats like that, it’s still dramatically impacted by talent you are surrounded with.
1 Like
Cousins is terrible in prime time situations. Staff tends to play well in front of a lot of viewers
2 Likes
Interesting… I was just thinking the Vikings would win the SB if they had Stafford.
2 Likes