Mike Florio makes startling claim regarding Matthew Stafford's injury status
Matthew Stafford is four games into his defending season as a Super Bowl Champion, and it hasn't gone exactly according to plan. Some claim the Rams are experiencing a Super Bowl hangover. One NFL analyst thinks the quarterback's health is secretly the reason.
Speaking on Pro Football Talk Live, NFL analyst Mike Florio claimed the quarterback is secretly experiencing pain with every snap.
Here's how he put it:
"My take on Matthew Stafford [is that] I think he's probably got five or six injuries he's just not telling anybody about because that's the way he's always been. You're not hiding it from the league or the opponent. If the player just doesn't say [anything] about it to the team, you're not even getting treatment."
The All-Bust Team (through 4 weeks)
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Alvin Kamara
RB: Cam Akers
WR: Allen Robinson II
WR: DJ Moore
TE: Kyle Pitts
FLEX: Darnell Mooney
💩🚽
He went on, claiming the injuries are affecting his ability to play:
"'I'm fine.' You know he's banged up. 'I'm fine.' And he just keeps going, and I got a ton of respect for that, and I'm not making an excuse for him, and he wouldn't make this excuse, but I think that's the only explanation for the performance we saw on Monday night. He's just quietly and secretly banged up, and it's affecting the way that he plays."
I like how Matthew Stafford doesn’t even pretend to look to Allen Robinson’s side.
Matthew Stafford's injury history
Long-time viewers remember several years in which Matthew Stafford played hurt with the Detroit Lions. One of the highlights of his career with the team was when he threw a game-winning touchdown pass with a broken arm. In a game against the Browns early in his career, the quarterback took a hit late that left him down on the turf.
However, he returned to the game to throw one more pass near the goalline to win the game. A video of the event can be viewed here.
More recently, the quarterback ended his 2019 season early due to an injury to his back. However, since the start of the 2020 season, the quarterback has experienced nine different injuries, according to Draft Sharks. He never missed a game due to those injuries.
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Pro Football Talk and H/T Sportskeeda.