Matthew Stafford has no illusions. Much as he loved Detroit during his 12 years as quarterback of the Lions, much as he'll always love Detroit, he knows that he's currently public enemy No. 1. "It’s an amazing city," he said, and "an amazing group of fans," who will be rooting for his demise when the Rams come to Ford Field Sunday night for the Lions' first home playoff game in 30 years.
Asked Wednesday what kind of reception he expects upon his return, Stafford said, "I’m not expecting anything, to be honest with you. I was asked this question a couple times just by friends and family, and I think the biggest thing for me is just experience whatever that experience is going to be."
"I understand what the people of Detroit and what the city of Detroit meant to me and my time and my career and what they meant to my family. I hope they feel that back," Stafford said. "But at the same time, I’m not a stranger to the situation in understanding that I’m the bad guy coming to town. I’m on the other team and they don’t want success for me."
Stafford arrived in Detroit as a 21-year-old, the first overall pick in the 2009 draft. He left as a married father of four at the age of 32, with scars from fighting a losing battle as the quarterback of the Lions, some of them self-inflicted. Stafford did good off the field, putting his heart into the community and backing it up with his time and money. He cared especially about the youth. On the field, he never did as well as anyone would have liked.
He requested a trade as the Lions entered yet another rebuild after the 2020 season, landed with an organization of his choosing and immediately won the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Three years removed from his tenure with the Lions, Stafford said he still has a "close" relationship with the city that raised him in the NFL. He will always appreciate the way the fanbase rallied around his family when his wife Kelly underwent successful surgery on a brain tumor in 2019.
"I had a lot of experiences there over 12 years. All my daughters were born there, my wife and I went through things there that the team, the city, the town everybody supported, so I have nothing but great memories there," said Stafford. "Obviously didn’t get it done on the field as much as I wish we could’ve, but the people that I was lucky enough to know and grow with are people that I’m still close with today and mean a lot to me. It’s a special place for me and my family and have a lot of great memories there."
But Sunday night is about a game, a do-or-die game, and Stafford knows it. Some fans have gone so far as to suggest banning Stafford's old jersey from Ford Field. (At least one Detroit bar has listened.) Stafford laughed about it when asked and said, "I'm not looking into the stands. I’ll find my family, give them a wave. Other than that, I imagine there’s going to be a lot of bodies in there. What they’re wearing, I don’t know, but I bet they’ll be having fun."
"I know that they’re going to be excited. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, probably one of the best we’ve played in in a long time," said Stafford. "It’s a group of people that from my experience loved the Lions and wanted what was best for them. Now they’re playing really good football and have an opportunity to host a playoff game, and they’ve earned that opportunity.
"It’s going to be a cool experience for those people and really everybody involved in the game. It’ll be a tough place to play, it’ll be loud, it’ll be really tough for us to communicate as an offense and we understand that. But those are the kind of fun experiences you want as a player in the NFL and I’m sure Sunday will be that way."
But again, don't expect Stafford to get wrapped up in the emotions of his return. Asked if it will be bittersweet to finally play a playoff game in Detroit, but for the opposition, he said, "No, I’m excited to go play anybody anywhere in the playoffs at this point. We were a team that at the start of the season nobody gave us a chance to be in the position that we’re in. I’m proud of the work we’ve put into it to get this thing right … We have an opportunity to go play a game on Sunday, and just going to embrace that opportunity."
Two years ago, the Lions were 3-13-1. Two months ago, the Rams were 3-6. The teams have turned things around on different timelines, the Lions led by the former quarterback of the Rams, the Rams led by the former quarterback of the Lions. Perhaps their paths were always bound to cross. How fitting that they'll collide with everything on the line.
"Whatever happens, happens," said Stafford. "I’m gonna go experience it, play the game and once the ball is snapped, man, let’s go."