Stafford feeling the pressure?

[FarNorth]

Yeah he's very good under pressure. Calm when things are falling apart. Makes crazy throws too I mean throws that if Mahomes had made them would be all over the airwaves and this is why so many of us overlooked some of his strengths. The guy has quietly matured into a very good QB who has a strong grasp of the important things.

Also I think this offense with its layups and ground game marriage will be a windfall for Matthew. And he'll be a big impact for us too. IMO people are going to be surprised by how good this dude is. I had totally overlooked this guy my take on him was who he was five years ago. He's a wily vet now with a full bag of tricks to include shit like no-look passes.

This last weekend I happened to see a replay of Detroit vs Green Bay 2020 week 2. It's the only Stafford game I've seen recently, and a small sample size. On the other hand it was Detroit's first game against their main division rival. Stafford led Detroit to two early td's with basically short passing/running drives, and had a late td on an excellent longer throw on the move. Overall Stafford was 20-33 for 244 yards, two tds and one interception. But in between he made what I thought were some questionable plays under pressure.

Detroit was up 14-10 when with 1:45 left in the second quarter they received a punt on their own 7 yard line. First down was a run for four yards. But on second down, Stafford dropped back looking downfield and took a 10 yard sack on the 1 yard line that was very close to a safety. Another run and a punt gave Green Bay the ball back at their own 38 with 1:00 left and Rodgers drove them down field for a td. This gave GB the lead going into the half. Hard to fathom why Detroit was trying to go downfield in this situation and not trying to run the clock.

On Detroit's second possession of the second half, after an earlier punt and another GB td, on a first down from his 5 yard line Stafford threw a pick six on a short out route to the left. This basically put Detroit out of the game for good.

Stafford was also sacked 4 times, but on two other plays threw the ball away under questionable circumstances. In the second quarter on the Detroit side of the field he pulled back at the last instant on what would have been a long throw and instead flopped the ball forward at the instant he was being hit. It was initially called a fumble, then on review an incompletion. A play familiar to Rams' fans where the QB is hit as he is throwing but the ball somehow comes out going forward. In the 4th quarter at his own 23 and under pressure Stafford flipped the ball backhanded/sideways down field to no one in particular and was called for intentional grounding. On the next play Stafford is sacked for a another 10 yard loss at the Detroit 3. Yes, he was avoiding sacks but these improvised passes were not safe plays.

Just one game, the only one I saw, I'm not making any broader claims. Green Bay won 42-21 because they were a better team both running and passing, and because Detroit's D couldn't stop them. But these were the kind of plays that had Rams fans howling at our qb last year. Really what it shows is that, like Mahomes in the Super Bowl, no qb can be expected to look good when under constant pressure.

 

[Merlin]

Just one game, the only one I saw, I'm not making any broader claims. Green Bay won 42-21 because they were a better team both running and passing, and because Detroit's D couldn't stop them. But these were the kind of plays that had Rams fans howling at our qb last year. Really what it shows is that, like Mahomes in the Super Bowl, no qb can be expected to look good when under constant pressure.

What I try to focus on when watching those games (think I watched four or five it was tough I don't like the Lions at all to include watching their games lol) is his eye movement to ensure he's getting through reads and then how is he making his decisions. Also his anticipation of the rush which goes back to his grasp of scheme and experience. In the basic QB mechanics he is very, very good.

No QB gets through a game with all good decisions. It's rare at least last game a Rams QB did that was Goff vs Minnesota in LA. I don't want to get too crazy though until I see what they do with the OL. I think they have the QB now question is whether that OL is playoff ready. As you say no QB is gonna look good without enough protection. Difference is how much protection a QB requires. The best ones give you some room for error because they won't break down as much in their mechanics and reads as a guy who is still cutting his teeth or who is too nervous.