Matthew Stafford’s Thanksgiving Shows the Folly of the “Statement Game”

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for NFLSportChannel.com

Published: November 28, 2009

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... depicted Stafford as a child of the football gods, a immortal savior delivered unto the wretch of the Detroit Lions.

After setting an NFL rookie record with five touchdown passes, including a game-winner after a play in which he separated his non-throwing shoulder, the consensus was to declare him a wildly successful draft choice, destined for the Hall of Fame.

Then Thanksgiving came along, and the legend began a new chapter, as Stafford started the game injured after not practicing during the short week.

At the conclusion of that chapter, the legend reads quite differently.

Matthew Stafford is human.

More than that, he's a rookie, and any attempts to anoint him after one good game are fallacious at best.

Why? Because for rookies, the "statement game" doesn't exist.

Rookies don't need a statement game. It means nothing. What it means is that they have enough talent on a given day to perform well in the National Football League.

W...

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Article Source: BleacherReport.com


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