New England Patriots

Morning sports update: Tedy Bruschi thinks Matthew Stafford is a star, but ‘not a winner’

"There are a lot of guys out there with a lot of stats that have no playoff wins, and I think Stafford doesn't have playoff wins for a reason."

Matthew Stafford playing against the Colts in 2020. AP Photo/Tony Ding

By Hayden Bird

January 29, 2021

3 minutes to read

The Bruins scored a convincing 4-1 win over the Penguins on Thursday night, extending the win streak to four in a row.

Boston, having scored 18 goals in the four-game run, face Zdeno Chara and the Capitals on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Also on Saturday, the Celtics face the Lakers at 8:30 p.m.

Tedy Bruschi’s take on Matthew Stafford: The Patriots will have a major offseason decision to make at the quarterback position. With Cam Newton’s contract up, New England is expected to go in another direction.

One possible option is Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who recently reached a mutual agreement with his longtime team to part ways. Detroit will listen to trade offers for the former No. 1 overall pick.

The 32-year-old quarterback was identified as a perfect target for the Patriots by former New England safety Rodney Harrison in a recent podcast.

“I would say New England is a perfect choice for him,” Harrison said on an episode of “Safety Blitz” with Jac Collinsworth. “He can go in there, they have a good defense, they’re gonna add a couple more guys. They can build on the offense and go draft an offensive player, pick up some guys in free agency.”

But not every former Patriots player agrees on the team’s best course of action.

One of Harrison’s former teammates, Tedy Bruschi, disagreed.

Speaking on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni, & Fauria” Thursday, Bruschi was skeptical of Stafford’s value to the Patriots.

“No, I don’t agree with Hot Rod, there,” Bruschi explained. “I mean I’m a fan of Matthew Stafford, the player. I’m just not a fan of his teams. So what does that say? It says watching him play is fun, sling it all over the place, the arm angles, taking chances, all of that stuff, that’s great. But it never equals into anything substantial, anything meaningful for the victory.”

When asked by WEEI host Glenn Ordway if Stafford was “not a winner,” the former linebacker elaborated.

“He is a star but, yes, he is not a winner,” Bruschi asserted. “There are a lot of guys out there with a lot of stats that have no playoff wins, and I think Stafford doesn’t have playoff wins for a reason.”

Bruschi also noted that Stafford’s former coach, Matt Patricia, is already in New England (having reportedly been brought back recently to be an assistant).

“Now [if] he comes to New England, you’re going to have to drop in pay, you’re going to have to learn to play a different way,” Bruschi noted. “And if there’s anyone that knows what kind of player you are, he’s on the staff now who’s just been hired and that’s Matt Patricia.

“So you have to anticipate what that relationship was like, and what the information they’re getting from Matt Patricia in terms of that relationship. Is it positive?” asked Bruschi. “But I would say this: Winning football is something that I don’t really recognize when I watch him play. I just recognize the highlight plays that he has, and that really is not going to work with this type of team in my opinion.”

Trivia: Who is the only wide receiver to catch touchdown passes against the Patriots in multiple Super Bowls for different teams?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He began his NFL career with the Phoenix Cardinals in 1990.

More from Boston.com:

Chris Wagner on A.J. Quetta

: The Bruins also gave him the game puck.

“We’re all praying for A.J. Way bigger than hockey…our team is really thinking of him, his family, anyone affected.” – Chris Wagner pic.twitter.com/1sroCKiV13

— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 29, 2021