Ex-Lions coach Jim Caldwell raves about Matthew Stafford: Rams will 'love him'
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
Sean McVay has spent the last four years coaching Jared Goff, the only quarterback he’s ever had as a head coach. But that will change next season after the Rams agreed to trade Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford, also packaging three draft picks to send to Detroit.
This will also be Stafford’s first time playing for a team other than the Lions, giving him a chance to prove he’s better than his 0-3 postseason record suggests. The Rams gave up a lot to land Stafford, showing a high level of confidence that he’ll be the player to put them over the top.
Jim Caldwell, who coached Stafford and the Lions from 2014-2017, feels strongly about the move for the Rams, too. In an interview with Deadspin, Caldwell raved about Stafford’s intelligence and scheme flexibility, which he showed by playing under three different head coaches and even more offensive coordinators.
“Matthew is extremely bright and he can adapt to any system or style of offense,” he said. “He has demonstrated [that] while in Detroit under multiple offensive coordinators and head coaches.
“He will be able to do whatever Coach McVay requires. But Matthew is very self-aware and not shy about expressing the various concepts that fit his eye or accentuates his skill set. They will love him in L.A.”
There are several areas where Stafford is seen as an upgrade over Goff, including his ability to quickly process things after the snap, his downfield aggressiveness and ability to elude pressure in the pocket. Those are all critical parts of playing quarterback in McVay’s offense, which is a cause for optimism in Los Angeles.
Caldwell praised his arm strength, mobility and accuracy throwing from all platforms, all things McVay will take advantage of as he begins to design a system for the new quarterback in Los Angeles.
“Matthew is accountable in every way and displays extreme ownership, accepting responsibility for his mistakes and deflects credit to his teammates and coaches in victory. He has an extremely strong arm, underestimated mobility and he can deliver the ball accurately with velocity or touch from various platforms and angles,” he said.
Not only does Stafford give the Rams a much better chance to win a Super Bowl, but the Rams also give him an excellent opportunity to make a deep playoff run – which would be the first of the quarterback’s career.
