As a QB you try to hit guys in stride when there is good separation. That is not something we have much in Detroit. Stafford hits many receivers in perfect stride. What fans do is whine thinking a “perfect pass” here or there would make us win. Fans look for someone to blame when we don’t win, nothing more. What fans watch are highlights where on many of those the guy was hit perfectly in stride, just like Marvin and Hockenson twice in the end zone. Many times the QB is not trying to hit the guy in stride. He is trying to throw a pass to safely move the chains. Windows close quickly in the NFL and throwing safe balls is what top QB’s do in many situations.
Calvin never got hurt because of bad passes. He got hurt because a bad organization was throwing underneath stuff on 3rd and 3 so the DB’s could come up and hit him in the legs while he was exposed. A good organization would have kept him in situations where he wasn’t exposed to those kinds of hits being a tall WR.
While I agree that Matt could have put a little more on it … but I think that play could be designed to be thrown that way for ball protection. On another note I thought Jones was slow to adjust to the ball as well.
One thing we as fans have to recognize is that the WR’s have responsibilities too. Timing is both on the QB and WR. Plays that hit receivers in stride are often plays where the QB got it close and the WR adjusted. I personally think MJ does a below average job of adjusting to the ball. He has good hands, is a average route runner (at best). He’s above average at fighting for contested balls. But he’s below average at adjusting to the ball. Some of that falls back to both his speed and the speed that Matt throws the ball at too. So I’m not just saying it’s him but it’s not all Matt either on a lot of what fans complain about.
Personally I think Stafford has a solid game. Maybe one really bad throw. A few throws that weren’t perfect but we’re terrible either. If you watch Mahomes this week he had a lot of questionable throws. Far more than Stafford had. Personally I think Mahomes forces the ball a lot (and he gets away with it) but a good secondary may just make him pay for that. I really hope Slay is healthy for next week.
He had a solid game. Made some really nice throws. That one, if better, was a TD. A worse one was the third down that he skipped in the turf
I think it’s reasonable for us to acknowledge that Stafford misses some throws he should make while also making some throws other QBs can’t. That’s who he has always been. That can be pointed out without trashing on the rest of the team
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Agreed.
He hurried that 3rd down pass and threw across his body unnecessarily. He had the time to stop and step into that pass. However he didn’t know that and felt pressure that wasn’t really there. Mainly because he was flushed out of the pocket. I recall when the Lions brought in Dave Krieg back in 1994. He was extremely good at turning, stepping into the pass and completing passes against the grain. We often see Stafford roll right and throw left across his body with success. Usually he doesn’t have time to set up and step in to that pass. That’s why his arm strength is so amazing. So I can’t really blame the guy when he miss judges pressure and forces a pass that he often makes off his arm alone.
Calvin could have Drew Brees throwing to him and there still aren’t going to be very many passes he would get in stride. He had too much attention around him and he was never a receiver who could make sharp cuts and get separation.
Not sure which Calvin you watched but I remember him getting great separation on slants and deep post routes when he was healthy. His go routes usually got run into cover-two, so there was almost always safety help too; but he could bring down a ball in a crowd. Despite his drop issues he was an awesome safety net for Stafford
If you believe certain posters here, Matt has never thrown a bad pass or had a reason when he did. When it gets to the point where you can’t even discuss a single play where there was a lost opportunity w/o being told how wrong you are, well, there is little point to any further discussion.
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Casanova I haven’t seen any posters who feel Stafford is perfect. (Well maybe one) Most are pretty objective on Stafford. But I do think many posters feel that people complain about Stafford when he really shouldn’t be the focus of blame. If anything there are far more posters who want to bitch about Matt than those who feel he’s a solid QB. For example several people blamed the ARZ tie on Matt. When Matt had an incredible game and blame should have been on that defense that was gassed. Or even on the conservative 4th quarter play calling.
Vs LAC Stafford had a really badly thrown INT. He was partly to blame for why the game was so close. However he was also the one who lead that final scoring drive to take the lead. Not his best game but still good enough to win. Definitely room for improvement for the entire team following that game. Not just Stafford. But we did beat a playoff caliber team.
After Philly more of the same. A lot of posters pointing towards Stafford. Yet Stafford had another solid game. In fact he’s statistically been the best QB in the NFCN so far this year. Sure there’s things you can point to that he could have done better on. If you want to tear a player down you can any player any week. Even the league MVP front runner Mahomes. But when a player is playing well and people are complaining about the smallest mistakes he’s made than they seem petty or at the least silly. I mean the Lions are undefeated and in second place in the division. Stafford has statistically been the best QB in the toughest division in football so far. If some posters want to defend him or even praise him for that than the complainers should be able to at least be objective and understand why?
I swear some posters just want to rip on Stafford. They can’t recognize a good game or good play. Kinda reminds me of Farve. I couldn’t believe how much Packers fans complained about every mistake Farve made. He had a lot of INT’s because he was an aggressive QB who made throws that few could or would. But the more he won the less they complained. But to win it takes a team not just a player. Just a few years ago NE fans were complaining Brady was done. He had a down year then bounced back and put two more SB rings on. My point is Stafford is playing well enough to get us to a division crown. If the rest of the teams play can improve their play and Stafford keeps it up then we may just win it.
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If Stafford wins us a division I think people would be way less critical. If he heroically wins us a Super Bowl I think everyone here will create a Stafford shrine in their house and never whisper a bad word again
lol … I doubt it… I mean he would have only won one!
Ahh if only to be a spoiled fan 
Hard to fault him on that. That’s a commodity he’s rarely had in his career.
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He botched an important play and knew it.
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Re-read my post carefully. " He had too much attention around him and he was never a receiver who could make sharp cuts and get separation." Calvin was not a guy who could put his foot in the ground and explode out of a cut, creating a bunch of separation for a QB to hit him in stride. And because of the amount of attention Calvin had, he wasn’t a guy you could simply drag across the middle and whatnot and hit in stride very often. As you alluded to in your post, he had a ton of times he had to catch a ball in traffic.
Were there times where it worked out to hit him in stride? Absolutely. But it wasn’t very often. That’s what I meant.
I read your post carefully enough. I’d recommend watching some old CJ Lions highlights then come back tell me he wasnt good at getting separation. Solid route running and quick feet were a very underrated part of his game.
What comes to mind right away is the video from 2013 someone posted earlier today of the TB game. Check out the ‘Revis vs CJ’ part. CJ is being CJ and getting lots of room from his speed and quickness. He does have a bad drop though. And there’s one overthrown open TD by Stafford
This was about a single play, a single pass. Isn’t it equally as “silly” to have certain posters go to the mat and argue that he was right to not make a better pass or that he couldn’t based in your case on pure conjecture esp when you say, “However he didn’t know that and felt pressure that wasn’t really there”? I’m done, I am neither a Stafford hater nor a Stafford “lover”, I’m here to discuss the Lions and give my opinion just like everyone else. If you think my opinion is “silly”, no problem, we’re all entitled to our opinions.
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Some posters here seem like they are bigger fans of Stafford than the Lions. They will trash the receivers, the Oline, the organization, the coaches, the running backs…anyone or anything rather than admit Stafford struggles with consistency and sometimes simply throws a bad pass
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All people are different, and there are lots of guys that are trying to make valid points, but make no mistake about it, there are a couple of guys that are looking for attention. They contradict their own argument sometimes. They are using the tactic of wetting their own pants to get attention. Some of the pro-Stafforders give them too much credibility and address them from a serious position. If you are taking someone seriously that doesn’t take themselves seriously, you will get nothing but frustration, as they are playing by a completely different set of rules.
True but I also think some posters have a harsher standard for Stafford than they do the rest of the team. Most fans don’t have an issue pointing the finger at Matt when it’s deserved. I mean here we are debating our QB when the team is undefeated and Stafford been the best QB in his division so far. It’s kinda silly isn’t it?
I think most fans view Stafford for what he is. He’s not perfect but he’s good enough. He’s part of the solution and not part of the problem. They understand he needs a team around him. Most QB’s do. Look at Indy or NO for example. They are winning without their star QB… why? … because they have a solid team and solid coaching. If we lost Stafford our seasons over. Most fans recognize we’re not winning much without him.
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