Argument 1: Stafford has a losing record. He has a terrible record against good teams. He has never won a playoff game much less made a Super Bowl.
Counter 1: When a team wins the Super Bowl, the entire team, all 53 players and some will receive a ring. Not just the QB. That is because it is a team sport and it is the "team" that wins or loses a game. Not one single player. This is also why most reputable sites do not show wins and losses in a players stats.
There is not a QB that has ever played who can win without help from his teammates. To complete a single pass, he needs the line to protect him long enough to find an open receiver and he needs a receiver to get open as well as catch the ball. Both of those can be effected by the plays design and route pattern. Succeeding at a consistent level can be affected by how good the run game is. Yet even if all of these do well enough to score points, they still will not win unless the defense stops the opponent from scoring more points than they do. In the end, only a team can win or lose. A quarterback can only do what every other player on that team can do. His job. Whichever team has the most players (and coaches) who do their job right the most, will win the game.
If we are talking about who plays on the better team, wins and losses can be a good strong argument. When comparing a player to another or just grading a player on his own merits, wins and losses of any kind simply cannot be considered a logical argument.
Argument 2: Stafford throws a lot of picks.
Counter 2: In his first 3 seasons as a healthy full season starter (2011-2013) Stafford had 16, 17 & 19 picks. Since then he has had 12, 13, 10, & 10 picks. Those are not considered to be a lot of interceptions at all. Especially when every defense has known that they cannot run the ball and to move it the Lions had to air it out. A lot! He already has 10 picks in 11 games of 2018 and that is a lot, and that can be attributed to a few different things. After several seasons of being sacked as much as he has, he may be getting happy feet and making bad throws. Or it could be the routes are so bad that receivers simply don't get any separation and he is forced to throw into tighter places far more often than other QBs are. It could also be the plays are so basic that defenders are recognizing them and jumping routes as he is releasing the ball.
Considering he has a recent history of not turning it over much, it is much more likelier that the problem lies somewhere in the last two reasons than the first. When you add in the fact that he is taking a ton of sacks again, and the Lions receivers are ranked as the very worst in the NFL in getting separation, its easy to see where the truth lies on this argument.
Argument 3: Ex quarterbacks like Gannon are saying he should be winning more by this point in his career.
Counter 3: First, Gannon did not start putting up good numbers until his 13th season I think it was. Not his 10th. Second, I will refer you back to Argument and Analysis 1 and add that the simple fact Gannon and any other analyst is using wins and losses as a point against him is proof that they simply don't understand the logic of the game and played their positions only. They did not go on to win games as coaches or GMs. They have never proven they know what it takes for a "Team" to win. They simply played their own position and from the sound of it, have the ridiculous egos to believe they did it all and not their teams.
Argument 4: Stafford gets all of his yards in garbage time against prevent defenses. His nickname of Stat Padford is a good one.
Counter 4: As of a couple weeks ago, Stafford had more yards in the 2nd quarter for his career, than he did in the 4th quarter for his career. Teams usually don't play prevent defense in the 2nd quarter. In the last few years it is likely more heavily to the 4th quarter but that is not because he doesn't complete passes in the other quarters. It is due to the schemes being a dink and dunk for the first half or more until they are two scores down and playing from behind in the 4th quarter. In 2018 so far, currently Stafford has 1,615 yards in the second half compared to 1,226 yards in the first half with only 24 attempts fewer in the first half. Yet he is completing 69.1% of his first half passes compared to 65.1% of the second half passes. In fact, he has only 8 fewer completions in the first half than the second half. That means Cooter is running the ball more in the first half, and calling short passes in the first half. When a QBs lowest total yards per quarter is in the first quarter and his completion % is much better in the first quarter than any other quarter, the problem is the scheme. Stafford's 1st quarter % is currently 72.5%. His 4th quarter is second highest at 66.9%.
Arguments so far: For every argument that is used against Stafford, they are either unfair arguments to begin with (win loss records) or they can be debunked very easily with good logic and stats. To this day I have never heard one good QB stat that can be used to show Stafford is not a good QB. Now I will look at some other stats that stand up for Stafford being better than good.
Pro Argument 1: Stafford holds several NFL Passing records. Something you cannot do for bad or average QBs and usually not for good QBs.
- Youngest QB to throw for 5 TDs in one game.
- Only three other QBs have thrown for 5,000 yards in a season.
- Most come from behind 4th quarter wins in a season.
- First player in NFL history to complete 60% of his passes in each game of the season.
- Most consecutive 350+ passing yard games.
- Most pass attempts in a season.
- Fastest player to 15,000 yards, 20,000 yards, 25,000 yards, & 30,000 yards.
If those are so easy to do by padding stats in garbage time, why aren't there other QBs on bad teams that do it? Because none have been good enough to do it. That's why.
Pro Argument 2: When a player does something that only the elite have done, it is possible its just an anomaly. However, if a player does multiple things that only elite players have matched, you need to consider that player in the conversation for elite. It simply does not make any sense to think a player can do what only the elite players have done, and still think he isn't very good.
Stafford has thrown for over 5,000 yards in one season. (Almost did it twice). Only elite have done it.
Stafford has thrown for 40+ TDs in a season. Only elite QBs have done that.
Stafford has thrown for 4,000 yards, 7 consecutive seasons. Only elite QBs have done that.
Look at the list of NFL records I previously mentioned. Nobody has done better than him in those.
Every argument for why he is not very good can be countered with simple logic or stats. Every one of them! On the other hand there are stats that show he can do what only elite QBs have done. There is no argument to counter that. The only possible way a QB can put up numbers that only elite have matched and still not be elite himself, is if he is the only QB who has ever been on a team that could not run the ball and they had to count on his arm to move the ball. The problem is there have been many, many QBs on teams that could not run the ball. So why didn't they put up the stats? Because they were not good enough for a team to rely solely on their arm to move the ball, and then actually do it.
The fact that the Lions have never had a good run game and are forced to rely solely on Stafford's arm to move the ball, and defenses know he is passing, and he still puts up those yards every year? That is evidence to him being an elite QB who has been stuck on a bad team. Because he has been good enough to do what only the elite have done, even though the defense doesn't even worry about stopping the run.
What fans fail to understand is how much even the elite QBs need help in order to be successful. They don't realize how important a good run game is. How much it helps a QB if the opposing defense has to pay attention to the run game and react to what the play is rather than fully expect a pass every play. That slight hesitation can create room for receivers to run. It can spring WRs and give them better separation.
Aaron Rodgers in his first ten years as a full time starter, his teams run game (TD scored) has ranked 24, 5, 18, 16, 25, 5, 11, 21, 20, 11. Only twice was it ranked in the bottom ten of the NFL. Twice it was ranked in the top ten.
In Tom Brady's 17 years as a full time starter, his offensive run game (TDs scored) has only been ranked in the bottom ten, two times. It has ranked in the top ten, twelve times.
In Brees' 16 seasons, his offensive run game ranked in the bottom ten, twice. It ranked in the top ten, twelve times.
In Stafford's 9 year career, his offensive run game was ranked in the bottom ten four times, and ranked in the top ten only once. Just for added measure to show how bad the run game support has been for Stafford? When it comes to yards per game, the Lions have ranked in the bottom ten, eight times. Only once did they not fall in the bottom ten. In five seasons they ranked in the bottom five. Over his career, their best ranking has been 17th.
Still, most fans biggest complaint on Stafford is that he doesn't win enough. As if that was a QB stat and not a team stat. In Stafford's career, the Lions run game has ranked in the bottom ten in every season but one. The Lions defense has ranked (Pts given up) in the top 10 only once. They have ranked in the bottom ten, 4 times.
If the Lions defense is not stopping teams from scoring, and the run game isnt keeping opposing defenses honest, how do you expect Stafford to win? For any team to win, they need to do it in three areas of the game. Offensive run game, offensive pass game, and defense stopping the other team from scoring. The Lions have consistently had a good passing team with Stafford and have consistently failed in the run game and the defense. It doesnt matter who you have as the QB, if they dont stop the other team from scoring and the run game isnt helping keeping the defense honest, they will not win. To expect Stafford to do what no other QB in the history of the NFL has consistently done, is nothing short than hating him for not performing miracles.
If you expect Stafford to do what even Brady, Rodgers and Brees isnt expected to do, you must believe Stafford is the greatest QB to ever play the game. If you don't think he is, then don't expect more out of him than the best QBs to ever play the game are expected to do.
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