This year, Stafford's alma mater, the University of Georgia, won the championship,
Will Stafford follow in the footsteps of his alma mater to win the championship?
Matthew Stafford, the veteran quarterback who was drafted by the Detroit Lions as a champion in the 2009 draft, joined the Los Angeles Rams this season after a dismal 12 seasons with the Lions. With the help of the stars of the Cosmic Sheep, he led the team into the Super Bowl in his first season in the blue and yellow jersey. Some say he never won a playoff game with the Lions, while others say he just needs a reliable team. Does he deserve the status of a champion? Today, I will talk to you about the story of Stafford.
Young to fame
Stafford was born on February 7, 1988 in Tampa, Florida. Because his father studied at the University of Georgia, he spent his childhood with his father in Georgia, and then the family moved to Texas, where football is very popular. Stafford showed great talent from high school, and he was regarded as the best high school quarterback in the Country at the time, ranking even above the popular Tim Tebow.
During the 2005 high school season, he led his team to a 15-game victory over the state championship and an individual MVP trophy. He also won various awards such as the best player in the country and the best quarterback, and at that time, some experts predicted that the 5-star high school athlete would become the leader of the NFL draft in the future.
A highly anticipated college career
Stafford chose the University of Georgia after graduating from high school. In the third game of the freshman season, the team's starting quarterback was injured and Stafford was ordered to play. Although he was in average form in that game, with only 8 of 19 passes and 3 interceptions for 171 yards, the team still won 18-0. Stafford started the following matches and helped the team to a record of 9 wins and 4 losses at the end of the season.
After the start of the sophomore season, Stafford's performance got better and better, leading the team to defeat many strong opponents such as the University of Alabama, the University of Florida, and Auburn University, ending the season with a record of 11 wins and 2 losses. Before the start of the junior season, the media predicted that Stafford would lift the Heisman Award trophy, and the University of Georgia was at the top of the college football strength list at that time. However, the predictions did not come true, and although Stafford's personal data was excellent, with 3459 yards and 25 touchdowns passed at the end of the season, the team ended up with only a 9-3 record. Stafford did not win the Heisman Award, and he decided to give up his senior season to advance to the NFL.
The helplessness of the yuan
In the 2009 draft, Stafford was selected by the Detroit Lions with the first pick, as predicted by many experts. The Lions signed him to a six-year contract totaling $78 million, including $41.7 million in guarantees, the highest in league history at the time.
In the lions' first two seasons, Stafford was plagued by injuries and played only 13 games and won three. By season 3, Stafford exploded, passing 5,000 yards in a single season, becoming the fourth quarterback in league history to achieve this feat. In the playoffs wild card against the New Orleans Saints, he delivered 380 yards and 3 touchdowns, as well as 1 running touchdown, but in the fourth quarter he delivered 2 intercepts and ruined the game.
Looking at Stafford's 12 seasons with the Lions, he has only made three playoffs and hasn't won the next game, far less than 50 percent of the winning percentage. Finally, in March 2021, the Lions and Rams completed the deal, and Stafford and Gough swapped owners and later moved to Los Angeles.
Make a name for yourself
In the first game that came to the Rams, Stafford led the team to an easy victory over the Chicago Bears, and he passed 321 yards and three touchdowns, and the quarterback score of 156.1 was the highest in his career. The Rams then beat indianapolis colts and Tampa Bay pirates in succession, with Stafford winning the National League Player of the Week for his personal performance. At the end of the regular season, Stafford broke the team's single-season quarterback pass completions, passes and pass codes, and the Rams entered the playoffs with a record of 12 wins and 5 losses.
In the wild card game, the Rams beat the Cardinals without a bloody blade, and Stafford also won his first playoff win of his career. In the division semifinals, he passed 366 yards and 2 touchdowns to help the team beat the Pirates for the second time of the season. In the divisional finals, facing the 49ers who had beaten themselves this season, although they were at one point behind 7-17 in the game, Stafford once again gave a wonderful performance in the fourth quarter to help the Rams reverse the victory into the Super Bowl!
Some say Stafford dropped the chain at key moments, but he repeatedly staged reversals in the fourth quarter. Some say Stafford hasn't seen the big scenes, but he led the team into the Super Bowl in his first season with the Rams. A failed season for the Lions didn't destroy the veteran's heart to win the Super Bowl, and the veteran is only 34 years old, maybe his peak has just begun.