Stafford on his Lions future; Lombardi criticism
ALLEN PARK, Mich. - Days removed from front office firings that rocked Lions headquarters, Matthew Stafford weighed in.
General Manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand were fired Thursday, a week after three offensive coaches were let go. Now questions are swirling about everyone from the existing coaching staff to players on the field. Chiefly among them, the team's embattled franchise quarterback.
Stafford, who speaks exclusively to Dan Miller every Monday, was asked if he wants to stay in Detroit.
"That's not up to me," he said. "I love playing here, I've enjoyed it. We'll see what happens, hopefully I am here for a long time."
Comments attributed to former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi to the NFL Network criticized Stafford's handling of the playbook, citing its complexity. It was reported that it had to be scaled down for Stafford and questioned his intellect.
The comments set off a social media firestorm with backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky and punter Sam Martin coming to his defense, as well as his wife, Kelly Stafford.
"I don't pay too much attention to it honestly," he said. "I don't know where that came from or if it's true or if it's not. If it is, there is nothing I can do about it now. I know what I am all about, I know the kind of work and effort I put in.
"I know what my intelligence level is and I feel pretty confident about it."
Stafford also said that the front office firings were difficult and that he will miss them both.
"Both those guys were instrumental in bringing me here," he said. "I have a ton of respect for both of them."
Stafford also said that players can't "sit around and worry" when personnel changes happen and that the focus is on what can be controlled, like playing better on the field.