Thanks to Axe, I had the opportunity to speak with Detroit Lions quarterback Mattew Stafford. I have to say they went above and beyond, as we had to reschedule a a few times thanks to my being waylaid by health problems this week. (The lack of clear vision in my left eye is driving me nuts, thank you very much!)
But we finally connected late Friday afternoon. I was able to chat with the Lions QB for about 10 minutes, until my internet connection crapped out. I was talking to Matthew via Skype, so I could record the conversation. My original plan was to upload an MP3 of the interview, but Comcast's sudden lack of bandwidth shot those plans to Hell. (I guess having $100 a month TV/internet bill guarantees you jack. Thanks for nothing, Comcast.)
The Lions' main man in Miami seems to be enjoying himself...
Anyway, enough of my bitching. Lets see what the Lions wunderkind QB had to say...
Big Al: Thank you for taking the time! First off Matthew, how are your shoulder and knee? How has the rehab been going?
Matthew Stafford: It’s doing good! I had surgery on the knee about a month and a half ago, it’s a lot better. The shoulder just needed some rehab and rest, I’m doing good.
(Coming up, the plug for Axe. I’m such a sellout!)
BA: Nice to hear! But going by the Axe ad I’ve seen, you must be doing really well!
MS: (Laughs) Yeah!
BA: Since you brought up Axe, and as they are the reason you’re hanging in Miami and talking to me, why don’t you tell my readers about your involvement with the Axe Hair Action Challenge, and just what the promotion entails?
MS: I’ve actually been working with Axe for a while now, ever since I’ve been using their products. I’ve been getting a ton of hair action, when girls are getting their fingers all up in your hair, smelling it, having a good time with it…
BA: Of course…
MS: I put a challenge out there, 4 videos of me getting hair action; I’m challenging all the guys out there to get their videos and their pictures to the Axe hair website. If they can beat me getting hair action, or get it better than I do, Axe is giving away a bunch of great free prizes. Every day they are giving away some product from Axe, and every 2 weeks the winner of every contest is going to get 2 tickets to a sporting event in 2010. You can check it Facebook.com/Axe or search “Axe hair” in any search engine. I’m encouraging guys out there to submit their videos, see what they got!
BA: Let me ask you about your acting, does it come natural to you? Do you enjoy doing commercials?
MS: (Laughs) Yeah, it’s a fun thing! We work really hard during the season, and are really serious about football. But it’s great to get out there, have a little bit of fun, get in front of the camera, and see what we have.
BA: How did your girlfriend take your getting manhandled by models in the ads?
MS: Well, she was a little skeptical at first, but she’s grown to understand its part of the business.
BA: But you’re a star getting star treatment, correct?!
MS: (Laughs) I guess…
BA: With the plug out the way, let’s get back to football. Now that you’ve finished your first season in the NFL, looking back, was there a big difference in the physicality between playing in the SEC and in the NFL? Is there that big a difference between college and pro ball?
MS: I think there’s some. These guys get to work out all day, they’re a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, and they hit harder, that’s for sure.
BA: What other differences did you see, football-wise, between playing at Georgia and playing with the Lions?
MS: The defenses are so much more complex in the pros. They have all day, all week, to prepare for you, and they do a great job of it. As a quarterback, there’s watching tons of film and making sure you take care of your business, in order to keep pace with defensive coordinators these days. It’s gotten the Saints into the Super Bowl with Greg Williams of the Saints. He’s doing a great job calling plays for his defense, really attacking.
BA: Anything truly surprise you while playing other NFC North teams?
MS: Competition-wise, the NFC North is similar to the SEC, but obviously the NFL is ratcheted up a notch. The NFC North has a group of really great defenses, and explosive offenses. The Green Bay Packers have an unbelievable defense, with the defensive player of the year (Charles Woodson), and Aaron Rodgers slinging the ball around on the other side, playing great. Then you have the Vikings, with Favre and his offense, and we all know about their defense with that great defensive line and secondary. Chicago is always going to be there, they have an up and coming QB in Jay Cutler and a defense which traditionally has been very good. The North is very competitive, that’s for sure.
BA: To say the very least. In regard to your rookie season, looking back, is there anything you’d do differently?
MS: Stay healthy!
BA: (Laughs) No kidding!
MS: That was something which frustrated me throughout the year. I feel like I played only 3 games healthy this year. I hurt the knee in the 4th game. That kind of set me back, then the shoulder in week 11 pretty much ended the season for me. I wish I could have played in all 16 instead of 10, but I had a great time while I was out there!
BA: You’re a Detroiter now, but did you know much about the city or the Detroit Lions beforehand?
MS: I knew about the Lions, but not much about the city. I grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan, and always watch Detroit and Dallas play on Thanksgiving. I loved watching those 2 teams play, and I was a big fan of Barry Sanders. So I did know a little about the Lions, but I’m still learning the city of Detroit. This off season will give me the opportunity to get out and get into the city. I’d like to get to know the area better.
BA: Speaking of Thanksgiving, I want to ask you about that game and the shoulder separation you tried to play through. You looked to be in an awful lot of pain.
MS: It was tough. I was in a sling till Tuesday or Wednesday, and didn’t throw a ball all week. I felt like I could get out there and play. I took a shot in the shoulder before the game. It wore off late in the game, so it was tough. I hurt more after the game than during the game, but it was rough!
We had hit the 10 minute mark, and I had more questions (I wanted to know what he's learned from Scott Linehan, his thoughts on Jim Schwartz, amongst other things). But as I was asking Matthew about the dynamic between Daunte Culpepper, Drew Stanton and him, if Culpepper was of any help learning the league during the year, my connection fell off a cliff and went to total crap.
The next couple of minutes were full of “I can’t hear you”, and “Can you hear me?” As he was working off a tight schedule, we just didn’t have time to work through the issues. So I had to call it an interview at this point...
MS: I’m sorry, but the connection isn’t working. I really hope you got enough to work with. I appreciate it and I hope we can talk again soon.
BA: I did, and thank you. (Of course, he still had trouble hearing me)
I'd like to thank Matthew Stafford for taking the time to talk to this piss any blogger, and Axe for setting up the interview and the prize packages they sent me. Comcast? They can go to Hell.
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