With the Los Angeles Rams set to acquire Matthew Stafford from the Lions, some fans have begun to question whether it’s a good move given the veteran quarterback’s 0-3 postseason record. Some don’t see him as a winner, wondering if he is truly the guy to take the Rams to the promised land.
What no one can question is his unbelievable toughness. Yes, he has missed 21 games in his career. But if Stafford wasn’t as tough as he is, that number would’ve been much larger.
Last season alone, Stafford played through a laundry list of injuries. Yet, he didn’t miss a single start and still played the vast majority of the team’s offensive snaps. In an interview with Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press, Stafford detailed the litany of injuries he suffered and fought through, some of which he didn’t speak about publicly.
“I mean, this past year was bad,” he admits. “I had the partially torn UCL in my right thumb, I tore my UCL on my left elbow on the second to last play of the Houston game that nobody knew about, trying to stiff arm a guy. That’s why I started wearing a sleeve on my left arm because I had all sorts of tape underneath it, just to hold it in place.
“I broke my cartilage on my eighth rib in Green Bay. I also tore something (in the back of) my left knee. And then I had a subtalar, right ankle sprain.”
Stafford only played four snaps against the Buccaneers in Week 16, but despite all these injuries, he still threw for 4,084 yards with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Lions were obviously aware of these injuries, but Stafford didn’t want fans and those in Detroit to know about them because of the hardships they were dealing with due to the pandemic.
“For them it’s not injuries on their hands and ankles and ribs, it’s ‘Where am I going to get the money to pay the mortgage? And how am I going to get my car from here to there?’” Stafford added.
Stafford is a consummate leader on the field and in the community. The Rams have no reason to be worried in that regard, and with his thirst for a championship, he’ll be more motivated than ever in Los Angeles.