Why Matthew Stafford is cementing himself as an all-time great
Bob McGinn speaks to Mike McCarthy, Dom Capers, Mark Richt, Peter King and many others to figure out the Rams quarterback's place in NFL history. “The thing that I found out was you can’t ever relax."
This is the continuation of a 2023 series looking at active players and their current situation vis a vis what it was entering the NFL draft. The comments from personnel men were made in the months leading up to the draft for my NFL Draft series, which dates to 1985. Scouting football prospects is an inexact science, especially when it comes to off-the-field considerations. It has been said that no two evaluators view a player exactly the same way.
Hall of Fame sports writer Bob McGinn joined Go Long in September 2021.
Subscribers can also access the weekly “Ty & Bob Pod,” breaking down the NFC North. Here’s Episode 2.
By Bob McGinn
John Elway, Dan Marino, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers represent the elite of the elite when it came to throwing a football with breathtaking velocity and almost effortless style for a long time.
Elway graced NFL playing fields for 16 seasons, Marino for 17 and Favre for 20. Rodgers, now a Steeler, is in Year 21 and counting.
The busts of Elway, Marino and Favre reside in Canton, and one of Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP, will no doubt be joining them.
The name of Matthew Stafford isn’t often associated with NFL all-time quarterbacking greats. But 17 seasons into a prolific career, Stafford’s might deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned Big Four on the basis of his ability as a pure passer.
“I think that he does,” said Dom Capers, the one-time defensive coordinator in Green Bay who plotted to stop Stafford in 15 games from 2009-’17 when the Packers were playing the Detroit Lions. “Those guys are rare. I’ve coached against every one of those guys. Those guys make some unbelievable throws to win games. Stafford falls into that category. He really had the whole package in terms of arm strength, arm talent, accuracy.”
Capers’ boss in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy, agreed that Stafford should be mentioned with such company.