The Lions failed Matthew Stafford for most of his 12 seasons here. That’s based on history and logic and the franchise’s standing as the least-competitive, most-incompetent in NFL history.
Stafford also failed the Lions at times, trying to do too much, not always capable of doing more. That’s based on the record and late-season collapses.
Both things can be true. In fact, Stafford’s ride with the Rams to the Super Bowl exposed only one falsehood. If you believed he was the primary reason the Lions never won a playoff game under him, you were wrong. Ridiculously wrong. Did he play a role in the failures? Of course. Some of us pointed it out while acknowledging the Lions’ endless circus of coaches, coordinators and GMs deserved most of the blame. After watching every game Stafford played for 12 years, including 0-3 in the postseason, I was suspicious of his ability to win big games. Duh, who wouldn’t be? But I always put 75-80% of the blame on the Lions, trying to measure the immeasurable.
Stafford just scored an enormous personal victory, beating the 49ers 20-17 to win the NFC. So did Sean McVay, the coach who mortgaged the present and future on Stafford. Victory laps well deserved.
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Some Lions fans joined the celebration, perhaps cheering for Stafford as a way to express their disgust with the Lions, or to thank him for his effort here. For so long, he was the only hope, false or not. He’s genuinely likable, never complains and always boosted the city. Cathartic for Detroit fans? Sure. A little goofy considering the Rams’ success weakened the Lions’ draft capital, but fine.
Stafford got what he wanted. And while it’s tougher to see right now, so might the Lions.
Stafford needed to be free of the negativity and foolishness here, and the Lions needed to explicitly see how negativity and foolishness rot a team. They saw it during the disastrous Bob Quinn-Matt Patricia era, which is when Stafford began to check out. Veterans were treated like insolent kids. As key players departed — Darius Slay, Golden Tate, Quandre Diggs — and the losing continued, there was nowhere else to turn.
Owner Sheila Ford Hamp thankfully, belatedly, recognized it and fired the whole lot. She and new GM Brad Holmes also did something that was soft but honorable. They sent Stafford to the team of his choice, in the city of his choice, to the coach of his choice.
The Fords never did that for Barry Sanders or Calvin Johnson, who may not have expressed their trade desires as overtly as Stafford did. But the Stafford deal for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder reflected a level of self-awareness. They knew Stafford wasn’t going to win here, not necessarily because of him, but because of them. And Stafford’s performance with the Rams — brilliant at times, but don’t kid yourself, still specked with reckless mistakes — confirmed it.
Predictably, Stafford deflected the praise and talked about how proud he was of the Rams team. His coach wouldn’t let him slide away that humbly.
“We went out and got him because we thought it was a chance to be able to get a great player of his magnitude,” McVay said. “Those things don’t come around often. What he’s done, he’s elevated everybody around him. He’s made me a better coach. He’s made his teammates better. He’s such a great person. If you don’t root for this guy, something’s wrong with you.”
OK, before McVay goes full Dan Orlovsky with his unabashed love for the guy, a little perspective. As of today, the Rams won the trade. But that could change depending on what the Lions do with those draft picks, and what the Rams do in the Super Bowl and beyond, with salary-cap issues looming.
Would Holmes and Dan Campbell feel better if Stafford had kept his playoff winless streak alive? Probably. They are human. But this was never on them. Stafford was on his way out before they arrived, and on the new blank slate, the Lions have started putting some pieces together.
Holmes has drafted well, with all seven of his 2021 picks making the roster, including starters Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Alim McNeill. He has two first-rounders this year, including No. 2 overall. Goff was collateral damage through all this, but shook off the shock and was very good down the stretch, going 3-1 with nine touchdown passes and two interceptions.
The Lions’ 3-13-1 record did not reflect Goff. Some would say the Rams’ Super Bowl appearance in 2019 with Goff at quarterback didn’t accurately reflect him either.
Stafford’s Super Bowl arrival could be similarly dissected. He led the league in interceptions. He benefited from McVay’s well-honed scheme, and from Cooper Kupp’s remarkable rise to the top of the receiving ranks. Did Stafford play a major role in that? Of course. Just as he did in Johnson’s Hall of Fame career.
But the Rams also had a solid running game. They added — and Stafford helped revive — star Odell Beckham Jr. They had a defense loaded with impact-makers such as Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller. They weren’t dominant all year but made the important plays in the biggest games.
When the Rams and Bengals meet in a couple weeks, you don’t have to be haunted or humbled by Stafford. In fact, if you prefer to be heartened, look at Cincinnati, which was 2-14 three years ago and drafted Joe Burrow No. 1. He’s now the Next One, unless Patrick Mahomes’ bizarre collapse is a brief abdication.
Always, there are winners and losers, and you often take on the label of those around you. Stafford lugged his losing label for 12 years, and while that doesn’t magically vanish, he can start anew. The Lions have lugged theirs for 65 years, and while that’ll never be erased, they are trying (again) to start anew.
Lions fans should enjoy Stafford’s success, if they’re so inclined. But they should take more encouragement out of Burrow’s rise with a Bengals franchise that hadn’t won a playoff game in 31 years. With Cincinnati’s amazing run, the Lions now have the NFL’s longest drought at 30 years.
Yes, there actually are young quarterbacks who can lift lousy teams, as well as lousy teams that can wreck young quarterbacks. Stafford finally stood up and won big. Can the Lions someday do the same? Historical trends say no. But they have significant draft capital and further enlightenment, and as the Stafford-Burrow matchup shows, even unbreakable trends can be broken.
bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: bobwojnowski
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