Rich Gannon: Matthew Stafford big reason for Detroit Lions losing

Many people in The Den have made the same observation about Stafford. Not saying I agree, but it’s creeping up on me …

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At some point your QB has to make those around him better. Stafford doesn’t elevate no name players like the other greats do. It’s the sad reality that he needs a strong supporting cast for us to be contenders.

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So, I’ve got to know …

Kelly Stafford was ranting at fans and media as they’d “never played the game.”

Well, chica – you’ve got an NFL MVP and Super Bowl winner doing it now …

Have anything else to say? :thinking: :roll_eyes:

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Why is this a sad reality and what do you mean by “other greats”?

The reality is that EVERY QB needs a good supporting cast to win, Look at Green Bay this season. They finally shed enough talent that even Rodgers can’t make up for it.

Stafford is what he is and always has been. A solid QB with some minor limitations that hold him back from reaching the next level. Just like Rivers, Palmer, Newton, Vick, Ryan etc…

Rich Gannon should know this better than anyone, He was a terrible QB before signing with the Raiders and he played excellent for them with a very good supporting cast.

On this topic in the past, 3RDRGR has posted some pretty compelling data showing that as long as Stafford has a defense and running game that isn’t among the worst in the league, the team wins very regularly. Neither needs to be great, just not terrible.

This last week was clearly not one of Stafford’s best. However, if you list the reasons why the Lions aren’t winning more overall, Stafford is pretty far down on that list.

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Spot on. They had some stat about Stafford’s record with a 100 yard rusher, and I think he has only 1 loss in those games.

Stafford is good enough to help his team win. But he is also human. He does need some pieces around him, doing their part. He is far from the reason the Lions are losers.

I am not saying he gets out of any blame. As I think he looked really bad in the Jets game, and hurt us on the last 2 drives against the Seahawks, with the poor fumble and really bad INT. But those aren’t issues he has every game. He’s far from the reason we aren’t winning. Our D played ok this past week. Really did their part. The O line didn’t hold up, and Stafford was in trouble every time he snapped the ball. It’s like we can’t have all units show up to the same game

Agreed. If that defense shows up every week, the team ought to look a lot better down the stretch. Assuming, of course, that this was an outlier for the offense.

If the Quarterback position was the only position of importance in this sport, it wouldn’t be as relevant as what it is. Or nearly as popular for that matter.
This is the most irritating response to any argument in football IMO. It’s a terrible excuse to try and deflate the level of talent a QB has.

We had a similar conversation at work the other day in the cafeteria. Green Bay is by far the most over-hyped team in the NFL during the off-season. Why? Aaron Rodgers. Yet every year they turn out to be as close to mediocre as you can get.

I can’t wait until Stafford is gone, that way when we STILL suck (or worse even) I can hear what everyone’s excuse will be then.

Then it’ll just be the next QB’s fault. We tend to assume that 31 teams all draft Tom Brady’s and we just don’t know how to pick them.

Stafford is A reason why the Lions are losing, but only one reason among many. The OL was terrible, it wasn’t like they were outnumbered, 4 guys consistently kicked their asses against both Seattle and Minnesota. Decker, Lang, and Wagner all sucked, and so did Wiggins when he was in there. The WRs couldn’t get open, which might be on them or on the play designs and calling. We don’t seem to have a TE threat, I hoped that Roberts and/or Willson could offer something there but apparently not. And somebody’s gotta give Stafford a safety valve to throw it in his direction before he gets sacked. I’m sure that sometimes he held onto the ball too long, credit the Vikings for their overage, but he’s gotta get rid of it sooner. Plus, he’s made some really dumb decisions that a guy with his experience shouldn’t be making.

I don’t think it’s a revelation that any QB can win regularly when they have a solid defense and a 100 yard rusher

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Everyone ripping on Stafford
Why THIS week?
10 sacks / 7 hits / hurries ??
The guy totally gets a pass for the Viking game

The piling on THIS week, is absurd.

There’s always next week. Maybe he can do better Sunday. I’ll be watching