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ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The ball looked it like it could have been intercepted easily. Jeff Okudah was in perfect position in the end zone. He read everything right. He was where he was supposed to be. It didn’t matter. Not even close. Matthew Stafford put the ball where only his receiver, Marvin Hall, could catch it. It was a window so small realistically only the football could have fit through for the play to work. You could say this is only one play in a training camp and might not be indicative of how Stafford played in practice throughout August.
Except this wasn’t a singularity. It happened to Amani Oruwariye against Kenny Golladay. It happened to Jahlani Tavai and ended up in the hands of Marvin Jones. Combine that with Stafford’s arm strength -- which remains among the best in the league -- and there’s reason to think the 12-year veteran might be on the cusp of a season in which he fulfills the potential that’s surrounded him since he was drafted, both in his physical abilities and his knowledge of exactly where to throw the ball and when.
“He’s a wizard, man,” said backup quarterback Chase Daniel, who has known Stafford since high school. “It’s impressive. His recall of plays, a photographic memory, all that stuff you want in a quarterback. It’s impressive and makes you want to work harder and it’s why he’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the league going on 12 years now.” It isn’t a practice thing, either. He’s done it during games, too -- either with the help of Calvin Johnson earlier in his career or throws that make you wonder how he pulled it off the past few seasons, including a pass through three Kansas City defenders for a touchdown to Golladay in Week 4 last season. “I wish more people could appreciate it,” backup quarterback David Blough said. At the time, Blough still was learning about his new teammate. A rookie out of Purdue who was traded to Detroit from Cleveland at the roster cuts deadline, Blough only watched Stafford from afar on television and what he remembered of him growing up just outside Dallas himself when Stafford was in high school. The next day, in the quarterback meeting room, Blough got to see a small bit of Stafford’s personality. He almost shrugged it off as he’s just doing his job – although Blough said “you might get a wink from him” as he’s saying it.
This always has been who Stafford is -- from top-rated high school recruit to top-rated college quarterback and then the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft. He’s thrown a 5,000-yard season and holds a bevy of fastest-to NFL records. He’s led 28 fourth-quarter comebacks, tied with Brett Favre for No. 11 in history. He’s No. 18 in all-time passing yards, with 41,025, and if he has at least a 4,000-yard season he’ll pass Dan Fouts and Drew Bledsoe to be No. 16 all-time. His 256 touchdowns are No. 19 all-time and he’s 35 touchdown passes away from moving into the top 15. He is also, at age 32, perhaps playing better than he ever has. Before he suffered broken bones in his back last season, sending him to injured reserve, he was playing at a Pro Bowl level in the first year in Darrell Bevell’s offense, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions. Had he played a full season, he might have reached 5,000 yards for the second time. While he’s played in other offenses before -- becoming prolific in Scott Linehan’s Air Raid offense early in his career and then more efficient in the Jim Caldwell/Jim Bob Cooter system for five years after that -- it’s possible Bevell’s offense fits him better than the others.
It meshes a mix of play-action and focus on the run game with enough attempts at bigger, explosive plays that take advantage of Stafford’s arm and the skills of Golladay and Jones to win contested catches. “When we’re out there at quarterback, we’re empowered to throw,” Blough said. “Take shots, take shots, take shots. [Bevell] keeps calling them and I think Matthew feels encouraged by that and confident.” While it appears he has mastery over Bevell’s system, and Stafford is reaching a point in his career where almost any offense is going to be something he picks up quick, Bevell has noticed some small, subtle changes entering another season with Stafford, something that could make a great quarterback even better. “He might be even a little bit quicker on some of the decisions he’s making,” Bevell said. “We really have put an emphasis on his speed. Starting with last year when we got here and how your feet correspond to the plays, I think he’s done a nice job with that. “I mean, he’s just a special talent in terms of throwing the football. It just looks so effortless. He can just flick it, and the ball’s flying out of his hands. He’s always been impressive that way.”
It’s something his teammates have known and his coaches have learned as they’ve worked with him. It’s something the public has understood in fits and starts, but if Stafford can stay healthy in 2020 and manage his team through an abnormal season in a global pandemic, it’s possible he might be able to do one thing that could get him more recognition. Win the Lions’ first since division title sine 1993, when Stafford was 5 years old.
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