Did Tom Brady hand the baton off to Matthew Stafford?

Stafford Legacy

Now, no one is trying to place the cart in front of the horse here. Rather, it is simply a matter of reading the tea leaves. After all, the NFL, like nature, abhors a vacuum. With the exodus of Brady, the NFL will be looking for the next quarterback to feature in the offseason, to follow like paparazzi, and to feature in segments about where he dines, who is he wearing to red carpet events, and how are his children doing.

The most logical quarterback right now is Matthew Stafford. Not only does he have a body of work that is very impressive on its own, with the exception of wins-losses and postseason success. But he is a veteran who has been hidden in the shadows for much of his NFL career. Now factor in the fact that he is poised to represent the NFC In Super Bowl LVI as the quarterback of the LA Rams, and you can see where this is heading.

This is the chance for Matthew Stafford to step into the spotlight. He simply needs one more win, this time against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Back to football

Of course, the Cincinnati Bengals are a very worthy opponent, and they have gotten past a number of very talented teams. But the LA Rams feel as though they match up well against them. And right now, the determination of the LA Rams defense, led by the intensity of Aaron Donald and the passion of Von Miller.

If Matthew Stafford can lead the LA Rams to a victory in Super Bowl LVI, the city of Los Angeles will elevate him to super-stardom. The city is ready to embrace the Rams. Stafford can give the reason to do exactly that.

But after that? NFL hot take shows pervade the airways will run amok. Skip Bayless will take aim with a salvo of why Dak Prescott is better than Matthew Stafford, just for clicks. So of course, other shows with the same format will come out pro-Stafford as well. In the end, the NFL will get an NFL quarterback who shakes hands, who accepts defeat, and relishes victories.  The NFL will have a quarterback who gets cold-cocked from behind with no flags, but who gets back up to win the game.

Ding dong, the witch is dead? Maybe. But it will be nice to have the NFL getting back to having quarterbacks whose focus is on playing the game of football, and not solely about winning at all costs.