Robert Woods: 'We gotta see' if Matthew Stafford is upgrade over Jared Goff
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
After the Los Angeles Rams acquired Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions, Michael Brockers said he was a “level up” from Jared Goff. It wasn’t a hot take by any means, and is exactly how just about every Rams fan and NFL analyst felt.
Robert Woods was asked on the “Dan Patrick Show” if he views Stafford as an upgrade over Goff and he tapped the brakes a bit on that idea. He says Stafford still has to prove himself in Los Angeles, having never won a playoff game despite putting up big numbers.
Woods prefers to wait and see how Stafford plays before anointing him the Rams’ savior at quarterback.
“We gotta see. I would say you gotta see,” he said. “It’s different, a whole new environment for Stafford to leave Detroit, he’s been in one place his whole career. I would love for it to be an upgrade because of the things we accomplished with Jared Goff and I think if we do have an upgrade at quarterback, I think that’s huge for our team. Been in the playoffs, I think this will get us over the hump. If so, get us into that Super Bowl and finally win it. We got there with Jared, but let’s see what Matthew Stafford can bring to this offense. He does have some stuff to prove. Like you said, he hasn’t won any playoff games, he has the individual stats, but we’re his teammates now and we’re the guys who are going to help him accomplish these things.”
Stafford’s 0-3 playoff record in 12 seasons with the Lions is undoubtedly the biggest blemish on his career resume. His lack of postseason success is surprising, given the stats he put up in the regular season throughout his tenure in Detroit.
The Rams haven’t had a losing season since 2016 and have made the playoffs three of the last four years, winning three postseason games since Sean McVay took over in 2017. With their track record of success and Stafford’s individual numbers, Woods sees this as an ideal match for both player and team.
“Yeah, I would say that’s why it’s a perfect combination for our team,” he said. “You see with our offense – actually, our whole team – the stuff we have, being able to make the playoffs three out of four years, had a Super Bowl run, and then to get a guy like Stafford who has all the personal stats, who did have Nate Burleson on his other side, he had Calvin Johnson, also with Golden Tate. He’s always had good receivers, so I really think just to get him a part of our winning culture on our team will be really good for him and his career to finally put it together. Let’s bring our winning culture with his winning personality together and let’s accomplish some great things.”
Goff had a ton of team success with the Rams, but individually, his play fell off in 2019 and 2020, thus leading to his departure. Stafford looks like a player who will get the Rams over the hump and lead them deep into the playoffs, but until they take the field, we won’t fully know how this quarterback change will go.
