By: Jake Rajala

The mega-arm quarterback under the wiz Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford, is undoubtedly coming off his best single season in 2021. The former Detroit Lions first-overall pick in 2009 registered 4,886 passing yards, 41 passing touchdowns, a 67.2 completion percentage, and an impressive 12-5 record. Most importantly, Stafford was a madman in the recent playoff gauntlet by unleashing 1,188 passing yards, an 70% completion percentage, 9 passing touchdowns to three interceptions, and securing the victory in Super Bowl LVI. It’s safe to say that emperor McVay’s plan of bringing in the highly gifted QB that was underperforming in Detroit to flourish in his scheme went as expected.

It’s clear that Stafford was a magical (and somewhat turnover-prone) QB and it’s widely known that he’s found success in previous chapters of his career. With that said, there is a fascinating, grand question surrounding the Rams QB: Is Stafford a future Hall of Famer?

The answer to my prior question is honestly a yes. It may seem bright in a contradictive way to slam the door on Stafford’s HOF chances after he finally won a Super Bowl ring, but I believe the combination of his 2022 overall campaign & his past career-high moments should eventually cement him to garner a gold jacket if he retired today. Of course, I fully expect Stafford to have many more unearhtly moments with the Rams and be a slam-dunk HOFer.

I anticipate that the former UDFA QB Tony Romo (who is a beloved NFL Analyst for CBS) will land in football paradise. I really like how Stafford compares to Romo. The former Boys QB and current Rams signal-caller have both had six seasons of 26+ passing touchdowns. They both have had a couple of unusually productive seasons. Romo ousted 34 passing TDs to 9 ints with a 69.9 completion percentage in 2014. Of course, Stafford was on another level with Megatron in 2011 by throwing 5,038 passing yards and 41 touchdowns (although, he did toss 16 ints).

I believe it’s safe to acknowledge that Romo has been slightly more impressive than Stafford in the regular season. He sits at ninth all-time in passer rating, while Stafford is 22nd in that category. Nonetheless, Romo doesn’t have a Lombardi trophy in his closet (while Stafford does have an SB ring). Hence, Stafford’s playoff success and regular season stats should place him with similar respect as the trustworthy “regular-season Joe Montana” at this point.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts made a beautiful, unexpected move in acquiring Matt Ryan this off-season. Matty Ice has been a stat machine and a clutch performer throughout his 14 seasons in the NFL. Ryan has accumulated 59,735 passing yards and 367 passing touchdowns in his career. His best season unequivocally arrived in 2016 when he unleashed 4,944 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and won regular-season MVP. Let’s not forget that Ryan led his squad to the Super Bowl in the 2016-2017 season, as well (despite the Falcons having a heart-breaking loss).

As Ryan enters a new chapter in his career with the Indianapolis Colts, there is already a fascinating question that many NFL (and Atlanta) fans have regarding Ryan: Is Matt Ryan a future Hall of Famer?

I honestly do believe that Ryan is already a future Hall of Famer. Of course, Ryan and the NFL world would give him a lot more props for picking up his first Super Bowl ring. However, I believe his consistent high-end success & authentic triumphs (even stacked with unusual losses) should place him in Canton if he retired today. Although, I don’t believe he would be a first-ballot HOFer if he hung up his cleats today.

Ryan stacks up well to the former Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo (and current NFL analyst) and I believe the former Boys QB is headed to Canton. Here is an in-depth look at Ryan’s resume and Romo’s resume:

Ryan

• 59,735 passing yards
• 367 passing touchdowns
• 65.5% completion percentage
• 120 victories to 102 losses
• MVP in 2016
• Four-time Pro Bowl selection
• First-Team All-Pro in 2016

Romo

• 34,183 passing yards
• 248 passing touchdowns
• 65.3% completion percentage
• 78 victories to 49 losses
• Four-time Pro Bowl selection

Ryan and Romo also differ in other ways, as well. Ryan stands as the seventh-best QB in comebacks of all time (33 comebacks), while Romo has 24 comebacks in his career (which rank at 18th of all time). Meanwhile, Romo has a career passer rating of 97.1 & Ryan carries a passer rating of 94.2.

All in all, I believe that Ryan has a slightly more impressive career output than the former Boys gunslinger. Hence, I do conclude that Ryan already deserves to be in football heaven and he could perhaps be a first-ballot HOFer if he wins his elusive Super Bowl ring.

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By: Jake Rajala

The former Dallas Cowboys mythical tight end Jason Witten famously broke a door in the draft process because he slid to the third round. It would be an understatement to say Witten was motivated to begin work with the Boys. Witten made his first of many Pro Bowls in his second season. He would not only unleash a legendary Cowboys career, but he would have one of the best TE journies of all time. Tony Romo’s best friend officially retired from a 17-season career in the 2021 off-season.

With that enunciated, there is a fascinating, pivotal question that surrounds the Cowboys play-maker: Is Witten a future Hall of Famer? Well, I’m going to untwine his production and compare his career to a fellow HOF-bound TE.

Jason Witten’s career marks

• 13,046 career receiving yards
• 74 career receiving touchdowns
• 11-time Pro Bowl selection
• Two-time All-Pro selection

It’s clear that Witten was an unstoppable weapon for the Cowboys on 11 different occasions. He wasn’t able to garner his elusive Super Bowl ring, but he did still go down as the Boys all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. He’s also the Boys second-time leader in receiving touchdowns.

Here is a sharp look at how Witten’s career production compares to the output of Antonio Gates, Shannon Sharpe, and Kellen Winslow.

Antonio Gates’s career marks

• Eight Pro Bowl-selection
• Three-time All-Pro selection
• 11,841 career receiving yards
• 116 career receiving touchdowns
• Three-time All-Pro selection

Gates and Witten clearly have similar career production. Witten has a bit more yardage than Gates, but the former Chargers freak TE noticeably has more TDs than Witten. Both TEs have at least two All-Pro nods (of course, Gates has one more AP spot than Witten). I believe that Gates’s career accomplishments should make Witten feel confident about his chances of getting into Canton. It should be noted that both TEs have dominated in their football lives, but neither has won an SB ring.

I have no doubt that Witten will make it into the HOF. However, I believe his empty SB closet means he won’t be a first-ballot HOFer. I still foresee him getting into football heaven shortly after he is eligible.

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