(02-02-2021 12:47 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote: (02-02-2021 01:08 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote: No. There is not more to the story. The Rams gave him a huge contract extension after his 3rd season. It was a mistake. Goff was terrible in his first season under Jeff Fisher and much better with McVay and Todd Gurley the next two seasons. Gurley started struggling with an arthritic knee and Goff regressed. Against the 49ers the past two seasons, he was 0-4, with four touchdowns and four interceptions, and two lost fumbles. Two of the four interceptions were returned for touchdowns. He averaged 202 yards passing in the four games.
The offense the past two seasons has lacked explosive plays. The Rams have had to grind out long drives and they have struggled offensively when they cannot run the ball. Stafford will help give them the explosiveness they lack. Stafford is not injury prone, he still has a gun for an arm and the 0-3 playoff record means absolutely nothing. If you have no running game and no defense, you end up throwing a lot and you take a lot of hits. You are lucky to just make the playoffs. The 2020 Rams would have been the best team he ever played on. The 2021 Rams will likely be that as well.
I don't know if you are a Rams fan but there's a lot of assumptions there. Stafford may in fact be an upgrade but if he takes them farther in the playoffs remains to be seen. Again, I'm skeptical. The other part of it is what they gave up in draft capital. Could the Rams have not used one of their #1 picks to get Goff a weapon on offense to help? What about a trade for a player? To me, it was more than just stats or performance as Wedge indicated upstream.
The Rams made a mistake when they gave Goff the huge extension at the beginning of his fourth season. They had him under contract for a fourth and fifth season and could have franchised tagged him to keep him longer. Goff's 4th & 5th season's did not go well. Over the past two seasons, Goff had 42 touchdown passes and 38 turnovers (29 interceptions, 9 fumbles lost) in 31 games. Goff is second in the NFL in turnovers over the past two seasons with 38.
I disagree with Wedge's theory that McVay "overreacted to Goff not playing well." I think that had been building for months. He was critical of Goff after the Rams fourth consecutive loss to the 49ers in late November. He decided to start John Wolford in the playoff game against the Seahawks. As for getting together in Cabo the night the trade was announced, McVay is friends with Bills receivers coach Chad Hall, who is Kelly Stafford's brother. The connection led to a friendly relationship between the Staffords and McVay in recent years, and upon the trade's completion, Stafford and his wife met for dinner with McVay and his fiancée to celebrate.
I think it was a good trade for both teams. Detroit gets a starting quarterback and three draft picks. Goff has shown he can be a good NFL QB. Stafford gets a chance to win. The Lions have made the playoffs three times in the past 22 years, all three with Stafford, and have not won a division title since 1993. Statistically, Stafford is a great QB except for the win column. He is 16th in all-time passing yardage, 16th in all-time touchdown passes, 4th in passing yardage per game and 7th in 4th quarter comebacks, tied with John Elway at 31. This will be the most talented team Stafford has ever played on in the NFL.
As for draft picks, it is better to keep your first round picks, but the Rams have done a good job of acquiring additional picks after the first round. In 2020, the Rams had two 2nd round picks and two 3rd round picks. In 2019, the Rams had a 2nd round pick and three 3rd round picks.
As for being a Rams fan, I am not, but I watch a lot of NFL football and I live in Southern California, so you hear more about the Rams and the Chargers. Speaking of the Chargers, the Rams had to be aware that the best QB in LA was playing on the Chargers and that had to bother them. It will be more entertaining for LA fans with Herbert and Stafford.