Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

Brian wolf wrote:Thats my position. QBs are judged by throwing the football and executing the offense to score enough points to win ballgames. If a QB is inspiring or elevating the play of all of his teammates, usually the team will find a way to win. Stafford has never done that ... he is strictly a talented passer, though he has battled through injury as well. Some people believe he is a HOF QB. I dont but leading a team to a championship could at least alter his career more upward.

I recall 2016 when the Lions won all of 9 games---and 8 of them were 4Q comebacks led by Stafford. Team seemed to react to his leadership. Still the single-season record btw. Overall he has 31 4Q comebacks, which ties him with John Elway for 7th best all-time.

In fact, I often think of Elway when talk gets around to Stafford and what he has and hasn't done. For the first 12 or 15 years of Elway's career, I never really thought of him as a future HOFer. My impression of him was he was the guy who was QBing the Broncos in their latest Super Bowl blowout loss. I believe Denver lost 3 SB in a 4-year stretch. I remember those Super Bowl parties with my brothers and friends in the late '80s.....seems like by the 3Q we were already seated around the poker table and ignoring whatever was happening on the tube because Denver was so far out of it. It wasn't until Elway's last two seasons---when he was approaching 40---that he got those 2 SB rings. At that point I could see him pretty much as a slam-dunk HOFer.

Maybe that'll happen with Stafford. He's only 32. Again, I'm really interested in seeing how he reacts to having a whole new crew around him, a whole new environment (literally, moving from MI to CA).

Stafford has had good seasons, winning seasons and is tough battling injuries but also has never had a proper, consistent running game which can be blamed on the coaches as well - why run and slow down the game when Matt can sling it - that could have aided his team. We will see if the Rams can-will run the ball 30-35 times a game and let Matt try to win them with clutch throws at the right time. A John Elway-type finish to his career would thrill Lions fans.

RichardBak wrote:

Brian wolf wrote:I never really thought of him as a future HOFer. My impression of him was he was the guy who was QBing the Broncos in their latest Super Bowl blowout loss. I believe Denver lost 3 SB in a 4-year stretch.

The Broncos didn't have a running game to speak of for the majority of Elway's time in Denver. I laugh every time I think of what Denver considered to be "starting RB material" in that era. It wasn't until they got one that he was able to win a couple of S.B.s.

I wanted to post this before the games today but nothing that happened today would have changed my picks. I have boring picks this year.


NFC East- 4 Washington, 7 Dallas, New York, Philadelphia
NFC North- 3 Green Bay, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit
NFC South- 2 Tampa Bay, 6 New Orleans, Carolina, Atlanta
NFC West- 1 Los Angeles, 5 San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona

AFC East- 3 Buffalo, 5 Miami, New England. New York
AFC North- 4 Cleveland, 6 Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati
AFC South- 2 Tennessee, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Houston
AFC West- 1 Kansas City, 7 Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas


Wild Card Playoffs
Tampa Bay over Dallas
Green Bay over New Orleans
San Francisco over Washington
Tennessee over Denver
Baltimore over Buffalo
Cleveland over Miami

Divisional Round
Los Angeles over San Francisco
Green Bay over Tampa Bay
Kansas City over Baltimore
Cleveland over Tennessee


Championship Games
Los Angeles over Green Bay
Kansas City over Cleveland


Super Bowl 56
Kansas City over Los Angeles

After yesterdays' games, fans still have to wonder how in shape and ready to play most of these players can stay. Injuries are and will be part of the game but with the last three to four years, it seems players are in and out of the lineups for gamedays at an alarming rate. Can and will players stay consistently healthy for an entire 17 game schedule to help their teams meet betting and fan expectations ? Though with gambling, everything is up in the air ...

Reading through, thought I posted mine and didn't see it? So copy/pasting from other board:

3 days ago

AFC Division Winners
Bills
Ravens
Titans
Chiefs

AFC Wild Cards
Steelers
Raiders
Browns

NFC Division Winners
WFT
Packers
Buccaneers
Seahawks

NFC Wild Cards
Vikings
Rams
Cowboys

Super Bowl
Buccaneers over Chiefs

rhickok1109 wrote:Wow, it never occurred to me to use "Matthew Stafford" and "HOF" in the same sentence.

Me, neither. And it never will. I see M.S. as being a competent N.F.L. QB, nothing more, nothing less. (though, admittedly, he probably has more of a chance to "shine" in L.A. than he ever did in Detroit)

RichardBak wrote:

Brian wolf wrote:Thats my position. QBs are judged by throwing the football and executing the offense to score enough points to win ballgames. If a QB is inspiring or elevating the play of all of his teammates, usually the team will find a way to win. Stafford has never done that ... he is strictly a talented passer, though he has battled through injury as well. Some people believe he is a HOF QB. I dont but leading a team to a championship could at least alter his career more upward.

I recall 2016 when the Lions won all of 9 games---and 8 of them were 4Q comebacks led by Stafford. Team seemed to react to his leadership. Still the single-season record btw. Overall he has 31 4Q comebacks, which ties him with John Elway for 7th best all-time.

In fact, I often think of Elway when talk gets around to Stafford and what he has and hasn't done. For the first 12 or 15 years of Elway's career, I never really thought of him as a future HOFer. My impression of him was he was the guy who was QBing the Broncos in their latest Super Bowl blowout loss. I believe Denver lost 3 SB in a 4-year stretch. I remember those Super Bowl parties with my brothers and friends in the late '80s.....seems like by the 3Q we were already seated around the poker table and ignoring whatever was happening on the tube because Denver was so far out of it. It wasn't until Elway's last two seasons---when he was approaching 40---that he got those 2 SB rings. At that point I could see him pretty much as a slam-dunk HOFer.

Maybe that'll happen with Stafford. He's only 32. Again, I'm really interested in seeing how he reacts to having a whole new crew around him, a whole new environment (literally, moving from MI to CA).

Still don't understand what the rush was to get rid of Jim Caldwell

11-5
7-9
9-7
9-7

He was a good coach in Detroit. They can him for Patricia and the bottom falls out.

Brian wolf wrote:After yesterdays' games, fans still have to wonder how in shape and ready to play most of these players can stay. Injuries are and will be part of the game but with the last three to four years, it seems players are in and out of the lineups for gamedays at an alarming rate. Can and will players stay consistently healthy for an entire 17 game schedule to help their teams meet betting and fan expectations ? Though with gambling, everything is up in the air ...

Yes. The amount of injuries in the NFL nowadays is absolutely staggering. Yes they always happened and yes perhaps back then guys were playing when they shouldn't have been...but the sheer volume of guys missing time...guys getting put on the shelf for the entire season is astronomical. They've tried everything to make the game safer but things just get worse

Maybe it's time to spend less time in the weight room...and put on actual football equipment. These guys run around the field like gazelles in spandex. Micro pads. That doesn't help matters. Suit everyone up like Bo Jackson, like Herschel Walker.

Many of the injuries are non-contact or players just not in good enough shape. Lots of muscle pulls or stingers from lack of contact during training camp and weekly practices. Since the CBA of 2011, the quality and intensity of play has been going down ever since and in my opinion due to gambling on fantasy football and overrall point spreads, alot of injuries are suspicious ...