Super Bowl 2022: Matthew Stafford reaping benefits from experiencing tough times in Detroit

LOS ANGELES — A piece of Detroit will always remain in Matthew Stafford’s heart.

The Rams’ quarterback is delighted to be playing in his first Super Bowl, especially after not winning a single playoff game in his 12 seasons with the Lions. But make no mistake: The lessons he learned, the relationships he forged, and the experiences he had in Detroit are a big part of his journey to get this far.

"I do appreciate so much just everybody’s support, and I know that when I’m out there playing, whether it’s this week in the Super Bowl or any other game, I’m a representation of those experiences that I’ve had with those people [in Detroit]," Stafford said as he prepared for Super Bowl LVI on Sunday against the Bengals at SoFi Stadium. "I feel like every time I step out there on the field, I’m playing for not really myself, but for everybody that’s helped get me there."

Stafford was the Lions’ No. 1 overall pick out of Georgia in 2009, but the team around him rarely matched his talents. He went 74-90-1 as the Lions’ starter and played for only four winning teams. The Lions made the playoffs three times, but never won a postseason game.

Yet there was value in the experience. Value that Stafford takes with him to this day, and that helped him through some of the more trying times during his first season in Los Angeles.

"There was plenty of time in Detroit where we were having a tough stretch of games or I was having a tough quarter or tough half or tough whatever it was, and being able to just trust yourself, trust your preparation and go to work and trust your teammates and all that kind of stuff, it really . . . I still feel and think that way today," Stafford said.

And when the Rams lost three straight games during the regular season, Stafford used the resilience he developed in Detroit to find a path forward.

"We had a tough stretch in our season this year in the month of November, and I didn’t play particularly good football," Stafford said. "But we continued to work. We continued to trust each other, continued to understand that the process of us going to work every single day is what’s going to get us out of that. You don’t really learn those things unless you go through some tough times, some tough adversity. And there were some times in Detroit that taught me that and I’ve carried it with me."

And now, here he is, with a chance to win a Super Bowl. Not just for him, but for those who have been with him along the way.

By Bob Glauber

Special to NewsdayBobGlauber

Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”