LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford ultimate SB media day birthday bash

LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford participated in his first Super Bowl Media Day on his birthday on Monday, February 7th. He hit it out of the park just like everything else during his Rams tenure. Media day host, former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, opened the event by letting kid reporter Panini America ask the first question.

Her question asked him to share his first thoughts that he pondered when he heard he was getting traded.  After that, she asked him to elaborate over what were some things he had to get used to moving from Detroit to Los Angeles.

"“I was excited about the opportunity to play for this great organization, teammates and coaching staff”, Stafford said. “I am thankful for his teammates and coaches in Detroit and wanted to thank the Ford family for his opportunity in the league”, he added."

For the second part of the question, he was a bit more pensive and thoughtful. In terms of the move itself? He had to get used to everything and adjust to a completely different lifestyle on and off the field. He looked back on his time in Detroit as being instrumental in becoming the player he is now. He feels like all of his experiences have helped him prepare for this moment on Sunday.

His tough times with the Lions helped to prepare him to weather the storm during his rough November stretch this season. He knows that the city of Detroit is behind him from his former teammates to the fanbase. He is playing for them and wants to reward those that helped him get here. With Detroit’s very own Eminem performing at halftime,  this might be the closest Detroit will get to a Super Bowl without their team being in it.

My question to Stafford the biggest challenge of staying in the moment?

Ramblin Fans’ very own Julian Guilarte participated in the event, and was able to pose this question to the LA Rams Super Bowl quarterback:

“This is obviously what you came here for this game is a dream come true, so what’s your biggest challenge of staying in the moment and making sure you get it done on Sunday” was the question posed by Ramblin Fan’s Julian Guilarte said.

How did he respond?

“I came here for a new beginning and a new opportunity, to go out there and play football with a great team. Just because I came here doesn’t mean we would going to get to this point. So many guys have sacrificed so many things along the way to help us get here. Guys who are either playing with us still or are injured and are not able to play. I think about (WR) Robert Woods. I think about (TE) Johnny Mundt. I think about (DT) Sebastian Joseph-Day. There are so many guys that have helped us get to this point, and we just needed every single one of those guys and I appreciate every single one of those guys so very much for helping us get to this point”, Stafford said.

“But as far as staying in the moment? I flip the tape on and watch the Bengals and that will keep you in-the-moment really quick. They are a really talented football team. They do a great job on defense, the side of the ball that I’m looking at. Mixing the looks and giving me different things to look at and they are doing all of that with big-time players. It’s easy for me in-the-moment to just kind of stay in it, lock in at what the task is at hand and go about my business. I’m sure on Sunday I’m gonna be as excited as I’ve ever been playing a football game, there’s no question about that. understanding the magnitude and all that. But at the same time, once the balls snapped it’s a football game. So go out there, have fun and enjoy the moment with my teammates”, added Stafford.

How will Stafford deal with the pressure of the game?

The interview continued on, with plenty of other questions posed to Stafford. Through it all, he remained calm, collected, and quite poised for a player who had never been to the Super Bowl in his NFL career.

Stafford was asked about how much pressure he feels this week “These opportunities are what you play for and that pressure is a privilege”, said Stafford. He talked about the huge role that the entire team has played in getting them to the Super Bowl. Yesterday was also his birthday and he said that he was celebrating it by talking to the nice members of the media.

Just a Dad going home to his four daughters 

Adam Schefter’s daughter kid reporter Dylan said being in the Super Bowl is a good birthday present and asked about Stafford’s four daughters and if he ever described the Super Bowl to them?  “My wife Kelly has done a decent job of trying to catch up to speed… The teacher told them they know he’s in the Super Bowl and caught them off guard“,  Stafford said.

Stafford’s daughters are very clearly everything to him and he loves going home to them every day. They bring him unbelievable joy. They don’t understand the magnitude of the Super Bowl, but he’s pumped they can watch him one more day. He will have fun playing in front of them as always.

Stafford showed tremendous gratitude during this interview. He’s not taking the moment for granted. And now we’ll see if he can complete his mission and win the Super Bowl.