Before Super Bowl week kicks off in earnest on Monday, I’d like to take a quiet little moment of reflection for a guy that I think is one of the most perennially underrated guys in the NFL: Matthew Stafford. If you’ve been paying attention to SoBros Network for the last nearly nine years, you know I’m as big of a Stafford apologist as they come. That man stayed loyal to the Detroit Lions for so long – he played on some bad teams, hardly went to the playoffs, and when he did, he was bounced in the first round. For all the talent he possesses, they were never able to put it all together around him.
That’s why when he finally made the call to seek greener pastures with the Los Angeles Rams and join a legitimate Super Bowl contender, I was all for it. Watching this guy run for his life all those years in Detroit and seeing what he was able to do with that franchise made me a fan of his, and I was happy to see him go to a good team and chase his ring. Last week, the NFL shared a throwback clip to the time Stafford busted his shoulder and then went on to throw the game-winning touchdown to beat the Cleveland Browns.
When Matthew Stafford played through a hurt shoulder to score a game-winning touchdown.
— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2022
Legendary moment. (via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/MTRdHYwicg
That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about with Stafford – he is the type to go out there and lay it all on the line to win. That’s something I think people who just tout the interceptions fail to recognize, and quite honestly, fail to appreciate altogether about this guy. He is a tough sumbitch, and it endears him to the people playing around him. That is just unbelievable grit – you can’t even stand up straight…you’re lying on the back and then when you realize the Browns, for some reason, called timeout, you start clamoring to get back into the game. Not only that, but to actually throw that touchdown takes some real stones. Just phenomenal stuff, and a great example of just what it is that makes Stafford so likable.
I know the Rams cooled off down the stretch, but at one point, Stafford was a bona fide MVP candidate. And, really – the bottom line is that they’re here now. What a storybook ending to this season it would be for Stafford to finally hoist that Lombardi Trophy inside Los Angeles’ own stadium.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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