Usually when a new head coach is hired, they want to do their own thing. I can respect that. I’ll elaborate a little bit more. When a coach comes in, he wants to develop a quarterback or go get his own guy in free agency if anyone is available. Dan Campbell was hired to be the new head coach of the Detroit Lions a few weeks ago. Just last weekend, the news was reported that the Lions were going to part ways with long-time quarterback Matthew Stafford. For the last few days, many have been predicting where he’d be playing football next season. I originally predicted he would be an Indianapolis Colt in 2021. The move would make sense because Philip Rivers decided to retire. Tonight, the Lions have traded number nine. He’s been dealt to the Los Angeles Rams for quarterback Jared Goff.
I won’t put him in the elite quarterback category because that would be a reach. There’s no way he’s in the Rodgers, Mahomes, Brady and Wilson conversation. However, I’d say he’s a tier three quarterback at best. One thing I’ve always admired about him is his moxie on the field. Matt plays with a lot of swagger and it shows. He can make every pass and then some. Matt has what I call a “live arm”. He spreads the wealth around to each of his receivers. I’ve always noticed he plays with a gunslinger mentality. When he’s given time in the pocket, he has the confidence that he will complete each pass when the ball leaves his hand. Matt just isn’t your pocket quarterback. I’ve seen him play with a moving pocket and make those unorthodox passes. After Calvin Johnson retired, he became more of a leader. That Lions team rallied around him.
I don’t think any of us saw this coming. Something was up when Sean McVay was asked about Jared Goff, he sounded hesitant, yet very non-committal to Jared. I like this move a lot for the Rams. Matt has better weapons around him in Los Angeles than he did with the Lions in the past couple of seasons. He comes into a situation where he has Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Gerald Everett and Josh Reynolds. Also, he will have a consistent running game to lean upon, something he never had while he was in Detroit.
