Matthew Stafford: Out as a Lion, in as a Ram

Goff is not broken, Stafford is no savior

But do not expect Matthew Stafford to be the Rams ‘salvation’. He’s only human, and he will need a lot of help to win games. And don’t be swept up in the ‘Rams are favorites to win the Super Bowl’ hype that will accompany Stafford’s arrival to this offense. The Rams face tough competition.

The LA Rams did very well under the combination of head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Jared Goff.  They finished the regular season at 11-5, 13-3, 9-7, and 10-6 respectively. And yet, there are reports today that suggest that Jared Goff’s NFL career is no in peril of being over and that the Detroit Lions must somehow resurrect his career. Well, it does make for a splashy headline.

This all came down to synchronization. The LA Rams have a three-four year window to win it all. Jared Goff will be ready to win it all in about three or four years. That places the Rams and Goff out-of-synch, and after all of the meaningless narratives, disagreements, blame, and hurt feelings, it simply comes down to the fact that the LA Rams cannot hold the core together long enough to ensure Goff has enough to win with when he matures to that point.

Stafford is ready to go now. He is in the prime of his NFL career. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions at the tender age of 21 years, stands 6-foot-3, and weighs in at 220-pounds.  He has a very quick release. He can throw the short pass, the intermediate pass, and the long pass. He is not a mobile quarterback, but he can move the pocket to slow down the pass rush.  He is the savvy veteran who the Rams need right here, right now.