Terry Bradshaw Has Already Forgotten About Matthew Stafford

Terry Bradshaw was a pretty good quarterback in his day -- NFL MVP, four-time Super Bowl winner, three-time Pro Bowler. So, when he gives his seal of approval to a young quarterback, one usually listens up and listens well.

That's a main reason why I distinctly remember Bradshaw raving about Matthew Stafford during halftime of a particular game, claiming Stafford was going to be a superstar in the NFL. In addition, I was able to use my google'ing powers to dig up a separate Bradshaw endorsement of Stafford, which was linked by our very own Sean Yuille:

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"I think (the Lions) are doing the right thing with (Stafford)," Bradshaw said. "He looks like the kind of guy who gets into it and shows he's mad. That's a guy (Stafford) whose leading them. I like him. I like him a lot. I like what he brings. (The Lions) still have a long way to go, but they're definitely on the right track."

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The quote above was in July 2010. It's now December 1, 2010 and Stafford looked like the blossoming superstar Bradshaw put him out to be in the three games he played in this season.

However, it seems that Bradshaw has already forgotten about Stafford after his latest shoulder injury -- on Bradshaw's list of Top 10 quarterbacks under the age of 30, Stafford is left in the dust and nowhere to be found.

I can admit, seven or eight of those names probably belong on the list in lieu of Stafford right now, but it might be a little early to write off the No. 1 overall draft pick from 2009 in favor of names like Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman and/or Mark Sanchez, despite the fact those three are having remarkable seasons.

Perhaps Bradshaw omitted Stafford from the list because he's played in only 13 of 27 games for Detroit in the past two years due to injuries. Bradshaw was so gung ho about Stafford beforehand, though, I don't think it's the right move for him to be jumping off the wagon just yet, especially for reasons that have little to do with how Stafford projects as an NFL quarterback. It amazes me how quickly fans, even Bradshaw here, seem to forget that, despite his injuries, Stafford is only 22 years old and younger than Bradford, Freeman and Sanchez.