The Constantly Changing Narrative Surrounding Matthew Stafford

If it were written today, the audio book on Matthew Stafford would sound like two criminals trying to get their story straight during an interrogation.

Better yet, it'd be like watching a tennis match as it toggles back and forth between storylines at a pace faster than your eyes could follow.

Or maybe the best analogy would be a cat watching fish in an aquarium. The brightly colored narratives can dart in any direction in a nanosecond, sometimes disappearing behind a castle, waiting to re-emerge should the damn thing stop tapping on the glass.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

There are so many places we could start, yet the injury-prone slant seems a great place to ramp up to the discussion.

Remember the nicknames? The sophomoric and creatively challenged "Glass-ford" was popular among opposing fans while Bill Simmons (formerly of ESPN) semi-jokingly listed his full name as "Matthew Stafford If He Stays Healthy."

Even his own teammate, linebacker Zack Follett, called his quarterback a "china doll" on the radio, per the Detroit Free Press. 

The story had legs, however, because Stafford wasn't able to stay on his for his first two seasons, playing in only 13 of the first 26 games of his career, although one of those featured him throwing a game-winning touchdown with a separated shoulder.

Those legs have since been cut off at the knee:

"

Matthew Stafford's a case study in being careful with the "injury prone" tag. The guy has 2,206 drop backs since 2011.

— Scott Kacsmar (@FO_ScottKacsmar) March 31, 2014"

Stafford has now started 73 straight games, despite being sacked 45 times in 2014 and suffering so many hits against the Minnesota Vikings this year that he required x-rays after the game.

With health came production and a playoff appearance. Stafford was on the rise after putting together a season in 2011 that would qualify as a career year for all but a handful of quarterbacks.

Year	Comp. %	Yards	TDs	INTs	Rating
2009	53.3	2,267	13	20	61.0
2010	59.4	535	6	1	91.3
2011	63.5	5,038	41	16	97.2

But this story is anything but static. The narrative changed multiple times over the next couple of years, much like his numbers.

Year	Comp. %	Yards	TDs	INTs	Rating
2012	59.8	4,967	20	17	79.8
2013	58.5	4,650	29	19	84.2
2014	60.3	4,257	22	12	85.7
2015	64.4	2,325	15	12	84.5

Stafford would string together a series of games that would garner MVP support (21 TDs and 8 INTs in the first 10 games of 2013) and follow it up with an inverted TD-to-INT ratio (8-11 the rest of the way). That inconsistency was a key factor in the dismissal of head coach Jim Schwartz and his staff, including offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

The Lions then turned to a coaching staff specifically assembled to focus him on limiting mistakes and taking the next step in his development. Stafford responded with just 12 picks while leading three improbable and consecutive comebacks in the middle of season to produce a second postseason appearance.

After that improvement, 2015 was supposed to be the year that Stafford took that turnover-limiting mindset and matched it with his natural playmaking ability, putting up points in bushels and leading multiple fantasy teams to titles. But in a twist that nobody—or everybody—could see coming, Stafford has matched his 2014 interception output in nine games, leading to questions about his future in Detroit.

"

The future beyond 2015 for #Lions QB Matthew Stafford is very much in doubt, as I understand it.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 5, 2015"

Yet even this season's performance has revealed a muddled storyline. The Lions easily boast one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and the running game has produced 154 fewer yards than the Cleveland Browns. And if the Browns are doing something better than you, it's time to reevaluate everything.

Some media members, though, aren't buying these or any other excuses:

"

Stafford fans have all the excuses. It's really amazing. https://t.co/xUZR7uM1sp

— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) November 15, 2015"

Josh Katzenstein is referring there to the most recent interception against the Packers when Stafford made what looked to be a terrible decision and throw. Yet it turns out, as some had theorized at the time, that wide receiver Lance Moore didn't make the right read, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

"I caused that pick, for sure. I'm seeing something a little differently than he's seeing it," the wide receiver told Birkett. "I was a little aggressive on my move instead of taking exactly what the defense gave us. That one's definitely on me, for sure."

This wasn't the first instance of miscommunication between Stafford and his receivers this season. There have been numerous throws to Golden Tate where the receiver zigs when Stafford reads a zag. And then there's the infamous interception that caused the quarterback to get benched for the first time in his career:

"

Calvin Johnson on Stafford's last INT: "It should have been back shoulder." ... So Stafford benched for a mistake CJ made

— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) October 14, 2015"

So what's the truth regarding Matthew Stafford? Is he a capable quarterback stuck in an untenable situation? Or is he the one dragging down the ship instead of captaining it to victory?

In short: it's complicated. But there's another tired narrative to remember: He's still only 27 years old. There are quite a few chapters left to tell in this story, whether they are with the Lions or not.

And one last note of caution before declaring any absolutes: Stafford has an incredible ability to make plays.

It's easy to look at Golden Tate's 43-yard catch and run or Ameer Abdullah's 104-yard kickoff as the reasons for Detroit's 18-16 win over the Packers on Sunday, but neither of those would mean much if Stafford hadn't danced around on a couple of pressure-laden third downs before firing off bullets to Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew.

"

Remember that 3rd down when you want to dump Stafford, #Lions fans.

— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) November 15, 2015"

Plus, he's only once enjoyed a complementary rushing attack that finished higher than 23rd (17th in 2013). Even Aaron Rodgers can be rendered mortal when he isn't supported properly as evinced last Sunday.

Stafford isn't the problem. He's a building block that can win when he's not asked to constantly dig his team out of a 3rd-and-long hole. Unfortunately for him, too many of his teammates—and even some of the fans—are too busy throwing dirt on his coffin to notice.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.