Link to Article on The Red & Black
Olivia Sayer
Matthew Stafford stands behind the line of scrimmage against South Carolina on Sept. 8, 2007. (Courtesy/UGA Sports Comm)
Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has observed many collegiate pro days throughout his time in the NFL. However, out of all the routes Snead has seen a quarterback throw, Matthew Stafford still stands out.
“It was definitely the best pro day I had ever been to in terms of arm strength and just being able to see someone put a wrist in the ball,” Snead told The Red & Black. “I can remember probably a few pro days in my brain, if I had to recall it right now. And Matthew is up in the top tier.”
Snead was with the Falcons at the time, who were not in the market for a quarterback. However, the workout provided a preview for the player Snead would trade for about 12 years later.
Now in his 16th NFL season, Stafford became just the 20th quarterback to earn 100 career wins. A Week 7 victory put him alongside Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in the prestigious club. Stafford earned win No. 101 on Thursday night against the Vikings with a performance that placed him ninth on the NFL’s all-time completions list, surpassing Dan Marino.
A tenure as long as Stafford’s is rare in the NFL, as less than 20 quarterbacks since 1950 have started over 200 games, according to data from Pro Football Reference. Snead said that Stafford’s God-given ability paired with his diligence in working with the team’s athletic performance staff enables the 36-year-old quarterback to throw the ball with little drop off.
“He may tell you that it’s a little bit harder to play, a little bit tougher to wake up on Mondays, all of those things,” Snead said. “But at the end of the day, I think Mom, Dad, God, gave him a pretty unique gift.”
However, not every quarterback has that ability, according to Snead.
“I don’t think you can just take some normal QB and say, ‘We’re going to do these five drills, these five techniques, these five events, and, oh, by the way, you’re going to be able to do what Matthew does,’” Snead said.
Mark Richt first observed Stafford’s arm-talent during his scouting and recruitment process. He compared it to Broncos legend John Elway, who Richt spent a brief amount of time with in 1983 during their rookie training camps in Denver.
“Even in high school, you’d predict that [Stafford] could be the first pick of the draft,” he told The Red & Black.
Richt earned Stafford’s commitment to the Bulldogs in May 2005. The former Georgia coach said it was his connection to Florida State — where Stafford’s dad John coached the men’s swimming team — that convinced the Texas-native to begin his collegiate career in Athens.
“He looked up to some of the quarterbacks who were at Florida State,” Richt said. “And it just so happened I was the coach of those quarterbacks that he kind of admired, and so that kind of helped.”
Stafford quickly showcased why he was the top quarterback in his recruiting class, starting as a true freshman — something only five others have done at Georgia since the 1945 season (John Rauch, Eric Zeier, Quincy Carter, Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm).
With Stafford at the helm, the Bulldogs went 30-9, including three-straight bowl game victories. His success led to the Detroit Lions selecting him with the top-pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. Richt accredited current offensive coordinator Mike Bobo with his development, saying that Bobo was “much more hands on than I was.”
After 12 seasons in Detroit, the Lions traded Stafford to the Rams following a trade request from the former Bulldog. Snead said it was Stafford’s experience combined with the team’s open Super Bowl window that made him appealing to the organization.
“For us to get where we wanted to go, we needed someone who was already there,” Snead said of Stafford’s time in the league. “Versus trying to get someone there.”
“It takes time to have that experience. It takes time to see all the NFL defenses like he had. Some of the young quarterbacks, they’re just getting there. Well, Matthew was there. I think that was the main thing.”
Stafford’s mobility also stood out to the Rams, which Snead linked to his frequent tennis matches with his wife Kelly. The general manager said one can see some of the “short air tennis movements” in Stafford’s game.
Although Stafford was not known for his mobility in college — which was supported by Snead sharing the Rams would not try to attack the edge with a boot play anytime soon — the 6-foot-3, 214-pounder navigated the pocket well.
Richt recalled a play against Kentucky that stood out to him. The Bulldogs were in field goal range, and all Stafford had to do to send the game into overtime was not get sacked. Therefore, his coach told him to throw the ball away if the protection broke down.
“So sure enough, he drops back and the protection breaks down, and I’m waiting for him to throw the ball out of bounds or whatever,” Richt said. “Some guy grabs him and gets ready to tackle him, and he breaks out of the tackle and slings it to A.J. Green, and A.J. jumps up between two defenders and catches it.”
Richt’s reaction to the game-winning play?
“Two first-round draft picks just being first-round draft picks, I guess is the best way to say it,” the former Georgia coach said.
Stafford faced outside pressure at Georgia due to his 5-star status, but it turned up a notch when he arrived in Los Angeles. The Rams traded Jared Goff and three draft picks, including two first-rounders, for the star quarterback, so expectations were understandably high.
The former Bulldog could have caved, but Stafford instead rose to the occasion. Snead said Stafford’s time in the league allowed him to develop “a gift” for handling the outside noise and drew a parallel to the pressures fellow Ram Stetson Bennett faced in 2022 with the Bulldogs.
“As a player, you have to get back to it’s a game,” Snead said. “Let’s just go have fun. Let’s take it one play at a time, and the task becomes less daunting.”
Richt kept it simple, saying Stafford was just “built for it.”
Stafford led the Rams to a Super Bowl win in his first season with the team. The likely Hall of Famer threw for 283 yards with three touchdowns in the Rams’ 23-20 victory over the Bengals. At the start of the 2024 NFL season, Stafford was just one of four active starting quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson) to win a Super Bowl.
Part of the reason Stafford achieved success during first season in Los Angeles was due to his leadership ability. Snead said Stafford’s veteran status made it easier for him to quickly take charge, both with his actions and vocally.
“That’s when probably your best leadership years are primed and ready to happen,” Snead said. “Because guess what, you have this experience. You have this wisdom to give back, to help others who aren’t there yet get there, to inspire others to do things they didn’t think they could do. Because guess what, you’ve been there with them. You’ve been in that same, same state of mind, same state of psychology, frame of mind, same situation, and you’ve gotten to where you’ve gotten.”
Richt saw Stafford’s leadership abilities the minute the 17-year-old committed to Georgia and began recruiting others to do the same — something Richt said he had “never really seen anything like” before in high school. According to Richt, Stafford was “not a big talker” with the Bulldogs. However, his “special talent” made him well-respected by his teammates.
“Quarterback by nature is the leadership position on the football field by far,” Richt said. “And then you have a guy that can not only get the offensive team to believe in him, but the defense, special teams, coaches, fans and boosters. When you get up, you’re rallying around a guy because he’s that talented and that good of a representation of your program. All those things add up.”