“What if he wins another Super Bowl or two?” - Colin Cowherd believes Matthew Stafford’s legacy has a chance to be greater than Aaron Rodgers'
For years, stafford-net-worth-and-salary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Matthew Stafford was compared to Aaron Rodgers in the NFC North. Stafford was always seen as the little brother to the superstar quarterback. However, with the quarterback now standing atop the NFL with a Super Bowl ring, that narrative has been hit with a destabilizing punch. That is, at least, what one sports talk show host is saying.
Speaking on his podcast, Colin Cowherd laid out the opportunity in front of Stafford:
"What if he wins another Super Bowl or two? Who's going to be better? We also know that Stafford has more come-from-behind wins than Aaron Rodgers already. Already, come from behind wins. Had several with the Rams, a great team, many with the Lions, a bad team. We also know he was the highest-rated fourth-quarter quarterback in the NFL."
He continued, outlining why it is important not to automatically and immediately pan opinions in sports that sound insane:
"14 TDs, no picks. Highest second-half passer rating. Sometimes, this is why I hold back on criticizing people with big strong opinions in sports. If you'd have said five years ago ‘Stafford's better than Aaron Rodgers,’ people would have said, ‘That's ludicrous.’ What if they repeat? What if Aaron doesn't win the division this year?"
He wrapped up with his own opinion that many would call laughable:
"Which I'll say this second, I would take Minnesota over the Packers to win that division now that Kirk Cousins has an offensive coach. But things that sound ridiculous, if you let them breathe? Aren't necessarily ridiculous. It's not a hot take.”
At first, Cowherd's assertion that the Vikings could supplant the Packers seems wrong. However, if this were to happen, it would be the result of the Packers falling to the level of the Vikings. The team lost Davante Adams, and Aaron Rodgers is getting one year older. In Cowherd's mind, that might be enough.
Well done, Matthew Stafford. Well done.
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Why Matthew Stafford proves that hot takes need more life
In Cowherd's mind, sports are inherently ridiculous and full of twists and turns that throw out even the longest-held beliefs. Stafford's Super Bowl victory was one such twist. Another example proving his point would be Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl in his mid-40s. Almost 15 years ago, Brett Favre went 5-8 in his final season in the NFL at age 41.
At the time, many saw career touchdown record-setter Favre as one of the greatest to play the sport. Tom Brady won the Super Bowl at age 43 and eclipsed his touchdown totals by more than 100 touchdowns and counting. When Favre retired, a quarterback winning the Super Bowl with their second team at age 43 seemed insane.
Even for Tom Brady, saying the quarterback was going to do something like that would have left others scratching their heads at best and calling for their jobs at worst. Such a take would immediately have been panned. Now that it has happened, the ceiling has risen and a take like this with a future quarterback has extra legs.
An incredible part of this is how the Packers repaired a broken relationship with Aaron Rodgers while simultaneously burning the bridge with Davante Adams.
In the 1960s, if someone had said a quarterback will be able to throw 50 touchdowns in one season, it would have seemed insane. It has happened multiple times since. Put simply, Cowherd's lesson is to have a more open mind in sports and expect the unexpected. If it was predictable, it would quickly become boring for many.