Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke to the media Monday afternoon following the dismissal of Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia.

Matthew Stafford might as well have said “Just Win Baby” like the late great Al Davis. 

That was his tone as he spoke with the media on a Monday afternoon Zoom call to discuss the Lions’ immediate future. On Saturday, the Lions relieved general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, ending a dark period of losing games and confusion for the franchise. 

Stafford acknowledged while it was hard to see “QuinnTricia” lose their jobs, noting that he did not expect it.

“We never expect it to happen…you hate the way it happened for those guys. They put so much time and effort into trying to get this team to where it needs to be, and it didn’t happen”, said Stafford. 

Over the past 48 hours, former Lions players such as Darius Slay, A’Shawn Robinson, Eric Ebron, and several others voiced their “celebratory” opinions via Twitter on Quinn and Patricia’s firings. Stafford chose not to acknowledge their comments. It’s no secret that his former teammates did not favor Patricia’s style of coaching. A question came up about the importance of having a coach you like.

That’s when Stafford gave arguably his most memorable comment of the presser, one that encapsulates everything.

“I think it’s important that you win“, said Stafford. 

Ending his tenure in Detroit with a 13-29-1 record, Patricia did not do enough of it. 

However, he is happy for interim head coach Darrell Bevell to have an opportunity to lead the team. And he did not hesitate to back his appointment. 

 “Winning is a lot of fun. Losing makes it less fun, that’s for sure…this is an opportunity for him to put his stamp on it”, said Stafford.

“I’m excited to see him stand up in front of the team…I think it will be a fun experience for him.”

The Stafford Era in Detroit May Come To An End.

On Saturday press conference to confirm Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia’s firings, Lions owner Sheila Ford-Hamp discussed the future of Matthew Stafford. She stated that he’s a tough young man, but his future in Detroit is not her decision. Instead, she offered that it will be the new head coach’s decision, whoever that may be.

When the question arose of Stafford’s thoughts on her comments, he said he was unaware of the remarks.

“I’ll figure that out and talk about that later on,” said Stafford.

“There’s a lot to be done for the rest of this season.”

Stafford has been the face of the Lions franchise since 2009. And there has been much speculation on how much longer that will last. Before this season, Stafford was emphatic in stating his desire to remain in Detroit until today.

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