Matthew Stafford’s no look pass defines his first season with the LA Rams

It was a year ago that the first hint of how good veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford appeared for the LA Rams team. Since that time, he led the team to a 12-5 record in the regular season, and to a 4-0 run in the NFL playoffs.  That’s quite a maiden voyage for a veteran quarterback in the first season in a new offense for a new NFL team.

By all accounts, Stafford shredded the stigma he was labeled as throughout his NFL career up to that point. He was a very good quarterback who couldn’t win the big one. He was the guy whose statistics were meaningless because he played on so many bad teams in so many blowout losses that the defense surrendered huge chunks of real estate as they went into prevent mode to preserve the win.

There was a myriad of reasons to discount Stafford’s statistics, dispute his quality, and deride his tremendous accomplishments. But nobody has been able to explain how Matthew Stafford can throw that no-look pass without praising him. He dropped jaws the first time his teammates witnessed it in training camp.

No look pass gets them, every time

He dropped jaws when fans saw him throw one in Super Bowl LVI.

Perhaps that no-look pass defines his first season with the LA Rams? After all, he knew where he wanted to go in his career. He felt stymied by the repeated rebuilds with the Detroit Lions that promised far more than they ever delivered. So when he requested to be traded, he knew where h wanted to go with his career.

When he was traded to the LA Rams, he never looked twice. He closed his eyes, went with it, and hoped for the best. By the end of the season, he had won Super Bowl LVI. He returns to the team once more, hoping to persuade lightning to strike twice in the same place.

His eyes are open wide for the 2022 season. He knows his teammates. He knows his coaches. He even knows his locker room and the city of Los Angeles. Will the no-look pass be as effective this season?  Probably yes.

But now that the NFL is used to seeing it, fewer jaws will drop.