Lions Fans, PLEASE Move On From Matthew Stafford

I thought Stafford winning a Super Bowl in Los Angeles would end it. This weekend, the Lions go up against the Rams in the first home playoff game ever at Ford Field. It's guaranteed to be an electric atmosphere, and it's also a pretty great story. The Lions kicked off their rebuild when they decided to trade Matthew Stafford, and the Rams went all in to acquire him. It worked out for both sides. Even though this is the biggest Lions game in, shit, ever, I still see social media posts holding off on Matthew Stafford and treating them with kid gloves. That shit's got to end. We have a ball game to win. 

I'm not saying you don't have to appreciate what Matthew Stafford did in Detroit. I'm appreciative of what he did. I want people to read those last few sentences over because I don't want to repeat the fucking Pistons block. I like Matthew Stafford. I appreciate the fact that the guy was a remarkable talent who wasted some prime years of his career taking a beating. He never complained; he always went to work. But there is a fine line between appreciation and downright hero worship. He doesn't play here anymore. He didn't win anything here. Was that his fault? No, it wasn't. I could understand the nostalgia before this season, but this current Lions team is better than any team Matthew Stafford played for. If Brad Holmes was the GM when Stafford was the quarterback, I'm sure things would've been different, but he wasn't. If my aunt had a dick, she'd be my uncle. I'm not going to deal with hypotheticals. Yeah, he was given the short end of the stick many times. I'm all for showing love to a former player. They would be stupid to boo him. I am not in favor of that. But I hope he throws three picks on Sunday.

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What just confuses me about the Stafford and Calvin Johnson era is that I feel like fans are nostalgic for an error. That never existed. Yes, these guys were elite talents. Matthew Stafford will be inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. But they were the best of a bad situation. I've seen people on social media struggle with whether or not they have to root against Stafford on Sunday, which is insanity to me. What world are we living in?

Again, there's no reason to treat Stafford harshly. He presented himself with class while in Detroit, but he's not on the team anymore. I love Justin Verlander. He is my favorite baseball player of all time, but if the Tigers played him in the postseason, I'd want him to get rocked. I thought that people who rocked the Detroit Rams gear a few years back were doing so ironically, but they really were having trouble moving on from their quarterback. It makes me question some people's mental stability, and that's coming from somebody whose mental stability deserves to be questioned on a daily basis. 

I don't even want to see a standing ovation when he steps on the field. The guy has gotten his flowers and won a Super Bowl. The Lions aren't bad anymore. They aren't even rebuilding. They are in the postseason, going up against Matthew Stafford. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. Ultimately, smarter heads will prevail. Ford Field is going to be insanely loud on Sunday. Don't let Stafford off the hook. He's a good egg, but this weekend, he's the enemy.