Here’s some unsolicited advice for new Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell: if you want Matthew Stafford at his best, keep him under center more often.
Based on his 2018 performance, Stafford was at his best when taking the snap directly under center rather than in the shotgun. In fact, No. 9 did not throw a single INT when lining up under center Graham Glasgow.
The splits from 2018, courtesy of Pro Football Reference:
Look at the massive bump up in yards per attempt. Granted it is a smaller sample size, but this goes in hand with another area where Stafford excels: play action passing. It’s more natural for Stafford to fake the handoff coming from under center than bluffing the wraparound handoff from the gun.
Stafford’s success under center was no fleeting fancy for just 2018, either. His career splits also indicate just how much more effective he’s been at taking the snap at the line rather than in the shotgun.
Maybe Stafford should get more than 20 percent of his snaps on passing plays under center…
