What has happened to Matthew Stafford? Is he even worth a roster spot? (1 Viewer)

[Saboo]

How could Stafford go from being so dominant in 2011 with a stat line of 5,038 yards passing and 41 td's to a guy who at best is a weak #2 option and at worst not worth a roster spot at all?

Is it Stafford himself? is it his coaches not using him properly? Is it his surrounding cast no being god enough? I don't think I can remember a fantasy qb fall off such a cliff before. I just don't get this guys poor performance.

Any thoughts?

 

[Meatwad Reloaded]

I personally think a string of poor coaches have shot his confidence. Detroit has been a clown car show for the last three or four years, even as they have been contending for playoff spots, they have been busy pissing it away. If he somehow landed on a different team like the Jets he would be dominant.

 

[Meatwad Reloaded]

As far as owning him, it would infuriate me to have to watch somebody that talented poop out 10 - 12 points each week. I would rather have almost anyone else as my qb than Stafford this year.

 

[Soulfly3]

Putting up those numbers w tron, tate and Abdullah is inexcusable

 

[Saboo]

I agree that he could use a change of scenery. There is something wrong with the Lions. It seems that they are always the team that makes the mental mistake or gets the penalty that blows the game for them. They have a long history of being undisciplined.

That said, why doesn't the Detroit staff let Stafford loose? He has two excellent wr's in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate and and really interesting looking rookie rb. On paper he seems to have enough weapons to be a legit fantasy qb, but in my eyes the coaching staff is holding him back.

 

[Blackshirt]

Coaching is a big part of it. The guy was an elite QB not too long ago, and he's never had a running game to support him.

As long as Caldwell is the head coach, I'd roster Stafford only as a backup. And even then, I'd have to be pretty desperate because Stafford's ceiling is so low compared to other mid-level backups.

 

[EBF]

He was always more of a volume guy than an efficiency guy. Never sniffed 8 YPA and has been below 7 at times. He is not a great QB. Just a younger Cutler. That said, I don't think Detroit has done him many favors. Considering all of the weapons they've assembled, they're still toothless.

 

[Yenrub]

2011 was merely an aberration for him

 

[Truebluey]

They do have a pretty good schedule the rest of the way.

Whether he can make something of it?

I didn't think he looked bad last night. Decent accuracy. His O line is terrible.

 

[cstu]

Check out where he ranks here since 2012.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

It's not any one thing--it's a combinaton of things. Bad O line. Aging Megatron. Pretty much no run game. Inconsistent mechanics on his throws. Inconsistent and questionable coaching. Lastly bad luck--heck--he easily could have had another td last night had megatron not fumbled at the goal line. I personally have no shares of him this season--but if I was desperate at qb--I do think he could be a mild "buy low" target as I could see his numbers improving as the year goes by.

 

[Blackshirt]

Check out where he ranks here since 2012.

Wow. Those numbers are sobering.

I tend to still think of Stafford as the best Lions QB I've seen in my lifetime. But then I suddenly remember: the not-so distant 2nd best was Erik Kramer. When you set incredibly low expectations for a franchise's success, it's hard to be disappointed (and yet, the Lions still somehow manage to do it anyway).

 

[omally]

How could Stafford go from being so dominant in 2011 with a stat line of 5,038 yards passing and 41 td's to a guy who at best is a weak #2 option and at worst not worth a roster spot at all?

Is it Stafford himself? is it his coaches not using him properly? Is it his surrounding cast no being god enough? I don't think I can remember a fantasy qb fall off such a cliff before. I just don't get this guys poor performance.

Any thoughts?

I think Caldwell and the OC have hindered Stafford. I think he is at his best slinging it around, but they don't let him do that until it's a two minute drill. Their OL doesn't protect well either.

 

[Tool]

It's not any one thing--it's a combinaton of things. Bad O line. Aging Megatron. Pretty much no run game. Inconsistent mechanics on his throws. Inconsistent and questionable coaching. Lastly bad luck--heck--he easily could have had another td last night had megatron not fumbled at the goal line. I personally have no shares of him this season--but if I was desperate at qb--I do think he could be a mild "buy low" target as I could see his numbers improving as the year goes by.

Agree. A few years ago he had everything going for him. Best Wr in the league, and a bad D that led to shootouts.

 

[Shutout]

Short answer: Jim Caldwell. Until that changes, it's like drinking a milkshake through a coffee stirrer. The product is there and good but getting anything out of it is like trying to roam the Internet on Sprint's network.

Re: the list posted above. I believe the overall message but it is too small a window to get an accurate read. After all, RG 3 and Kaapernick are top 10 on that list.

 

[Hybrid]

1. Bad O-line

2. Bad coaching

3. He was never that good to begin with. Was just a volume guy.

 

[fantasy stud]

I cut him for Daulton 2 weeks ago. I agree with the previous post that he was more a volume guy. I owned him and megatron that magical season and even when he was putting up those numbers he still never looked like a polished qb. Never seemed to hit guys in stride, and never seemed to do the little things that good pro qbs do. At this point, he is what he is. This coaching staff seems to have no desire to let him throw it 40-50 times a game either.

 

[Mr. Irrelevant]

Coaching is a big part of it. The guy was an elite QB not too long ago, and he's never had a running game to support him.

As long as Caldwell is the head coach, I'd roster Stafford only as a backup. And even then, I'd have to be pretty desperate because Stafford's ceiling is so low compared to other mid-level backups.

Scratch the surface of every "what's happening to Stafford" thread and you'll find this assumption.

The problem is that it's faulty. Stafford has never been an "elite" QB. In his best fantasy season (2011) he finished just 7th in AY/A. He had three seasons where he finished as a QB1 ... but had to throw over 2,000 passes across those three seasons just to reach that not-exactly-lofty threshold. If a truly elite QB such as Rodgers or Brady were ever allowed to chuck 2,000 passes in a 3-year span, he'd put up numbers they'd be talking about 50 years from now.

As others have said, he's purely a volume guy who IMO has underwhelmed over his career given the weapons he's had to work with. Yes, his coaching has done him no favors, but it's not as though guys like Newton, Rivers, or Ryan (all of whom consistently outperform Stafford) have had Vince Lombardi on their sidelines, either.

(Pro tip: If you want to identify the next Matt Stafford as a pre-emptive avoid, look at the guy who's second-to-last on cstu's list.)

 

[Da Guru]

I have watched every game of his career and Stafford does not even look like the same QB. In reality Stafford best years came when the Lions had the NFLs worst defense and were usually losing by 2-3 scores early. Stafford set the NFL record for attempts and was always good for garbage yards and TDs in those type of games. Calvin is 4 years older and has been banged up the last couple of years and is not getting open deep as much. The O-Line stinks and even when Stafford has time he get happy feet due to all the big hits he has taken. Add on the fact that he under and over throws wide open receivers and I am not sure what the answer is.

 

[lod01]

I have watched every game of his career and Stafford does not even look like the same QB. In reality Stafford best years came when the Lions had the NFLs worst defense and were usually losing by 2-3 scores early. Stafford set the NFL record for attempts and was always good for garbage yards and TDs in those type of games. Calvin is 4 years older and has been banged up the last couple of years and is not getting open deep as much. The O-Line stinks and even when Stafford has time he get happy feet due to all the big hits he has taken. Add on the fact that he under and over throws wide open receivers and I am not sure what the answer is.

Ah, the good old days. I remember that.

 

[Blackshirt]

Coaching is a big part of it. The guy was an elite QB not too long ago, and he's never had a running game to support him.

As long as Caldwell is the head coach, I'd roster Stafford only as a backup. And even then, I'd have to be pretty desperate because Stafford's ceiling is so low compared to other mid-level backups.

Scratch the surface of every "what's happening to Stafford" thread and you'll find this assumption.

The problem is that it's faulty. Stafford has never been an "elite" QB. In his best fantasy season (2011) he finished just 7th in AY/A. He had three seasons where he finished as a QB1 ... but had to throw over 2,000 passes across those three seasons just to reach that not-exactly-lofty threshold. If a truly elite QB such as Rodgers or Brady were ever allowed to chuck 2,000 passes in a 3-year span, he'd put up numbers they'd be talking about 50 years from now.

As others have said, he's purely a volume guy who IMO has underwhelmed over his career given the weapons he's had to work with. Yes, his coaching has done him no favors, but it's not as though guys like Newton, Rivers, or Ryan (all of whom consistently outperform Stafford) have had Vince Lombardi on their sidelines, either.

(Pro tip: If you want to identify the next Matt Stafford as a pre-emptive avoid, look at the guy who's second-to-last on cstu's list.)

Really good post, with many valid points. I think my Honolulu Blue colored glasses were blinding me to some of the realities about Stafford's numbers earlier in his career.

 

[werdnoynek]

Dropped him for a bye week defense... He looks defeated.

ETA: Rolling with Tyrod this rest of the way. Will likely pick up Winston or Foles next week as a backup.

 

[thatguythere]

Looked pretty freaking good in the two minute offense. What do they have to lose, go up tempo and see what he can do.