For the last four years, Trent McDuffie went up against Patrick Mahomes every day in practice. He saw the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback throw no-lookers and sidearm bullets, much like his new quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
Though Mahomes has been viewed as arguably the best quarterback of his era, Stafford was unquestionably the NFL’s top signal caller last season. He won league MVP and led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, putting together the best season of his career.
Having faced Stafford in practice every other day, McDuffie has gotten a taste of what makes him great. And in a recent interview with Rich Eisen, he gushed about the Rams quarterback.
“He’s the best. He’s the best,” McDuffie said when asked how good Stafford is up close. “I mean, you talk about technique, you talk about eye progression, you talk about somebody who can no-look you, who knows every defense. I mean, every coverage you play, he’s seen, he’s gone against it, he’s attacked it, he’s broken it down. You can just tell that he’s somebody who knows what he’s doing. You know, it’s one, two, three, ball out. One, two, three, ball out. Like, he’s looking you off to throw the other way.”
Stafford doesn’t have the mobility of this current generation of quarterbacks, but he more than makes up for that with his arm talent. He can make throws off-balance, under pressure, inside the pocket, outside the pocket, off play-action or on a straight drop-back.
He has no real limitations when it comes to airing it out, which is what makes him special.
“He’s just one of those quarterbacks that you know why he’s successful and he does it each and every day, which for me is a blessing because I get to go against obviously one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” McDuffie said. “I did it last year against Pat Mahomes, who’s making all the right throws, but, yeah, there’s just that veteran, I’d say just, swag. Like he’s confident, he knows what to do, and he’s going to go out there and show you.”
Stafford showed everyone last year that age is just a number, winning MVP at 37 years old. And with essentially the same supporting cast, as well as a much-improved defense, he could very well repeat as the league’s most valuable player.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Trent McDuffie raves about Matthew Stafford: ‘He’s the best’
Reporting by Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cameron DaSilva, Rams Wire | USA TODAY Network
