Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford Named one of NFL’s Most Improved
By Zac Snyder
Pro Football Focus has released their list of the most improved players from 2015 to 2016 and Matthew Stafford ranked third for quarterbacks.
With his late-game heroics, Matthew Stafford helped lead the Detroit Lions to some wins that otherwise might not have been. It was hard not to talk about Stafford without mentioning his ability to perform in the clutch, but that might come at the expense of realizing how good he was outside of those specific situations.
Stafford earned a grade of 85.4 from Pro Football Focus for the 2016 season; good enough to rank him as a top ten quarterback last season (he ranked ninth). The 85.4 was also enough to earn him the distinction of one of the most improved quarterbacks from 2015.
Pro Football Focus released their most improved list based on the difference in grade from 2015 to 2016. Going from a 76.8 grade in 2015 to 85.4 in 2016 made Stafford the third-most improved quarterback. Only Andrew Luck and Colin Kaepernick saw bigger gains.
PFF analyst John Gatta had the following to say about Stafford:
"Shortly following WR Calvin Johnson’s retirement, Matthew Stafford earned the highest PFF grade of his career. Who would’ve thought? He vastly improved in two vital stats that measure QB success—deep-ball accuracy (34.0 percent in 2015 compared to 42.4 percent in 2016) and accuracy under pressure (61.5 percent compared to 65.7 percent). In stepping up his game in these areas, Stafford led the Lions’ charge to the playoffs. Get this man some more weapons and missing O-line pieces (Detroit has signed RT Ricky Wagner and G T.J. Lang this offseason), and his improvement should continue."
While getting weapons for Stafford came in the form of highly drafted offensive skill positions by the previous front office regime, Bob Quinn has taken a different approach. The Lions offensive line is better today than it was last season with Rick Wagner and T.J. Lang replacing Riley Reiff and Larry Warford.
But what’s notable isn’t just that the Lions improved the offensive line with their free agent signings, it’s that the strength of both Wanger and Lang is in pass protection.
Next: Lions Twitter Account Shuts Down New Uniform Rumor
The surrounding cast of skill position players may be largely the same next season, but Stafford should benefit from an offensive line more adept as pass blockers. With that being the case, we should expect Stafford to see his improvement continue in 2017.