The Los Angeles Rams made headlines during the offseason with their blockbuster acquisition of former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.
The Rams made quite the investment in order to bring Stafford after parting ways with two first-round picks, a third-round pick and quarterback Jared Goff. They have since started the 2021 NFL season 5-1 while the Lions remain winless heading into Week 7.
Although this is clearly a favorable matchup for L.A., the trade has resulted in some intriguing storylines regarding Stafford facing his old team. However, it appears the veteran is not buying into any of the hype.
When asked about his preparation for the Lions, Stafford gave the typical response most players give when squaring off against a former team for the first time, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry:
“Just like every other game,” Stafford said. “It’s an NFL opponent coming into our building.”
While Stafford may be downplaying the connection, he admits that he will be making more pregame greetings than usual.
“In pregame, am I going to be saying hey to some old teammates and friends, the Ford family, hopefully, if they make the trip? Absolutely,” Stafford said. “I’ve got nothing but great relationships with people over there, so have a lot of respect for the organization, the team, the ownership.”
Even if Stafford is in the midst of fine-tuning the Rams offense, it is safe to say that the date with the Lions stuck out on the schedule.
The 33-year-old was selected with the No. 1 overall pick by Detroit in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent the next 12 seasons becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in every passing category but failed to register a single playoff win.
The move to L.A. is expected to remedy this drought and their performance thus far indicates a good reason to be optimistic. However, it is evident that this offense is still a work in progress under Stafford and head coach Sean McVay.
This group once again got off to a slow start against a vulnerable New York Giants defense. It was only until their own defense forced key turnovers that they were finally able to establish some kind of rhythm.
Since the combined records of their next two opponents is 1-11, this is an ideal time for the offense to explore making the necessary adjustments before their slow starts start to haunt them against better competition. For now, Stafford can relish in the fact that the mover has gone according to plan so far.
