>> AND ERIC CRAMER HERE ON LOCAL
4.
>> Rhonda: MATTHEW STAFFORD IS
ONE OF MANY DETROIT LIONS THAT
WENT ONTO OTHER TEAMS AND WON A
SUPER BOWL WIN.
THE GREAT BARRY SANDER WAS AT
HIS PEAK IN THE NFL WHEN HE
RETIRED AFTER JUST 10 YEARS AND
HE NEVER GOT THAT CHANCE WHEN
HIS TEAMMATE, SEVEN TIME SUPER
BOWL TACKLE LOMAS BROWN WENT ON
TO WIN THAT COVETED SUPER BOWL
RING AND THEY SHARE MEMORIES AND
MATT STAFFORD’S SEASON.
>> IF YOU COULD PULL THAT OFF.
GO TO A TEAM AND LEAD THEM TO A
HOME SUPER BOWL.
YOU’RE RIGHT, THOSE ARE FAIRY
TALE STORIES THAT RIGHT NOW
MATTHEW IS LIVING THAT FAIRY
TALE.
>> THERE’S ONE MORE CHAPTER OF
THAT BOOK AND STORY THAT NEEDS
TO BE WRITTEN, BUT TO THIS
POINT, YES, IT’S WORKED
PERFECTLY.
>> HOW EXCITED ARE YOU FOR MATT
STAFFORD?
>> I’M EXCITED.
I REALLY AM.
THAT’S WHY YOU PLAY THE GAME.
>> WE’VE KNOWN, I MEAN, THE GUY
IS AN ABSOLUTE PHENOMENAL
PLAYER, HE JUST WASN’T ABLE TO
GET THE RESULTS WE WANTED IN
DETROIT AND NOW HE’S ON THE
VERGE OF WINNING THE BIGGEST
GAME THERE IS.
>> TALK ABOUT YOUR SUPER BOWL
EXPERIENCE.
>> OH, IT WAS AWESOME, IT WAS
AWESOME.
I WENT TO TWO, AND LOST WITH THE
GIANTS, BUT TAMPA BAY.
AND WE LOST TO THE RAVENS.
I JUST WANTED TO SLIT MY WRISTS
AND BLEED, AND IT WAS THE WORST
FEELING IN THE WORLD AND TWO
YEARS LATER, I WAS ABLE TO GET
BACK THERE AND WIN THE SUPER
BOWL AND IT WAS JUST, OH, MY
GOSH, IT WAS JUST THE BEST
FEELING, JUST THE BEST FEELING
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU WERE WORLD
CHAMPIONS.
NOBODY BETTER THAN YOU IN THAT
YEAR.
>> WISHING HIS FORMER LIONS
TEAMMATES SOME OF THE GREATEST
TO PLAY THE GAME COULD HAVE
EXPERIENCED IT WITH HIM.
>> LIKE BARRY SANDERS, AND
HERMAN MOORE AND KEVIN GLOVER,
JERRY BALL, GUYS LIKE THAT THAT
NEVER GOT THE OPPORTUNITY.
>> IT’S NOT SOMETHING I PUSHED
FOR, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK IT’S
NORMAL SOMETIMES JUST TO PLAY
THE WHAT-IF GAMES, BUT DOESN’T
ALWAYS WORK OUT PERFECT WHEN YOU
GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
YOU KNOW, AND IN MY CASE,
RHONDA, I REALLY CAN’T COMPLAIN.
I MEAN, I LOVED PLAYING IN
DETROIT.
SO JUST, YOU KNOW, REALLY A
FLOOD OF GREAT MEMORIES AND I
DON’T KNOW THAT I WOULD CHANGE A
THING ABOUT IT.
>> THERE’S THAT SCHOOL OF
THOUGHT IT’S LIKE A GUY LIKE
BARRY AND CALVIN JOHNSON, THAT
THE LIONS SHOULD HAVE LET THEM
GO, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THAT?
IT DIDN’T HAPPEN FOR THEM, BUT
IT DID HAPPEN FOR MATT STAFFORD.
A LOT OF FANS FEEL LIKE IT
WASN’T FAIR.
>> I AGREE, RHONDA.
BARRY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, I
MEAN, BARRY RETIRED IN YEAR 10.
BARRY STILL HAD THREE, FOUR,
FIVE GOOD YEARS LEFT TO HIM
WHERE HE COULD HAVE WENT TO
ANOTHER TEAM.
CALVIN IN YEAR NINE HE RETIRED.
SO WE KNOW HE HAD GOOD YEARS
LEFT IN HIM.
AND YOU’RE RIGHT.
FOR THE ORGANIZATION TO ME, I
WOULD HAVE LET THESE GUYS GO ON
AND TRY TO WIN A SUPER BOWL.
I THINK THE FOOTBALL WORLD WAS
SHORT-CHANGED NOT LETTING THESE
GUYS AND NOT GIVING THESE GUYS
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO OFF AND
REALLY SEE WHAT THEY COULD DO
WITH THE REST OF THEIR CAREERS.
>> LIKE MATT STAFFORD AND REACH
THE PINNACLE OF THE BASKETBALL
WORLD.
I PLAYED 18 YEARS AND WENT TO
SEVEN PRO BOWLS AND ALL THE OF
THESE OTHER THINGS I DID.
AND WHEN I TALK TO KIDS THEY ALL
WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THAT.
>> THEY JUST WANT TO SEE THE
SUPER BOWL RING.
>> AND THAT KIND OF VALIDATES
YOUR CAREER AND I JUST WISH
CALVIN, I WISH BARRY WOULD HAVE
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY JUST TO
PARTICIPATE IN ONE.
JUST TO SEE HOW IT IS, BECAUSE
IT’S AWESOME.
IT’S EVERYTHING IT’S CRACKED UP
TO BE.
ALL THE HYPE THAT IT GETS.
I’M TELLING YOU, IT’S WORTH IT,
IT’S WORTH EVERYTHING.
[LAUGHTER]
>> I JUST LOVE HIS ENERGY.
NOW, MATTHEW STAFFORD HAS HIS
CHANCE TO GET THAT VALIDATION
STAMP ON HIS CAREER AND THE
WORLD WILL FOREVER KNOW HE’S ONE
OF THE GREATEST AND BEST IF HE
CAN LEAD THE RAMS TO VICTORY
OVER THE BENGALS ON SUNDAY.
AND SPEAKING OF SUNDAY.
COMING UP ON SUNDAY MORNING, YOU’RE GOING TO HEAR MUCH MORE
YOU’RE GOING TO HEAR MUCH MORE
FROM BARRY SANDERS AND LOMAS.
>> MY LAST SEASON, WHEN I