Matthew Stafford’s Impact on the Detroit Lions
Before
In 2008, the Detroit Lions made history. To people who are not Detroit Lions fans, this may seem like a good thing. This was a terrible thing. They were the first 0-16 team in NFL history. Detroit Lions fans would wear bags on their heads as they thought about how bad their team was. There was no pride whatsoever. The team needed change. The biggest weakness seemed to come from the offense. They needed a quarterback that could move the ball down the field. They eventually found one.
During
When the draft came around, the terrible season seemed to pay off. Matthew Stafford was drafted in 2009 by the Detroit Lions with the first overall pick. Stafford played 12 seasons on the Detroit Lions. He took them from 0-16 to the playoffs in 2011, 2014, and 2016. The best word that could be used to describe Matthew Stafford would be tough. A video where Matthew Stafford was recorded with a microphone during a game shows that. It was Week 11, in 2009, and the Detroit Lions were playing the Cleveland Browns. There were eight seconds left and the Detroit Lions were down by six points. They had one play left, maybe two. Matthew Stafford threw a long bomb to his teammate and got the Detroit Lions down to the 10-yard line. However, after Matthew Stafford let the ball go, he yelled as he got hit late on the play. He was taken to the sideline where it appeared that his shoulder was dislocated. However, the Cleveland Browns called a timeout and he used that opportunity to get back in the game. With one last play to score, he threw a touchdown and won the game. Matthew Stafford truly had the heart of a lion.
What This Means
In recent years, it has seemed that as soon as Matthew Stafford left, the Detroit Lions finally had success. This is not at all correct. Matthew Stafford was not the reason that the Detroit Lions started losing, he is the reason that they started winning in the first place. Matthew Stafford gave the Detroit Lions a new hope. Now the Detroit Lions will be playing the Los Angeles Rams for the second time this year. Last time Matthew Stafford came to Ford Field he was booed. However, Matthew Stafford should not be known as the enemy’s quarterback, he should be known as the quarterback that changed the Detroit Lions.
