Matthew Stafford Admits He Lives to Hurt Bears Fans (Me) — The Original Interview

TAPE #004 FROM THE I-80 SPORTS BLOG ARCHIVE

Recorded July 14, 2015 | Los Angeles, California

The Man Who Kept Breaking My Bears-Fan Heart

I witnessed Brett Favre’s recording breaking 421st career touchdown pass.

I’ve watched some of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history sling the pigskin.

But when I saw Matthew Stafford throw an absolute laser against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an exhibition game, I witnessed something I had never seen another human being do with a football.

Naturally, I told him that.

On July 14, 2015, I bumped gums with the then-Detroit Lions quarterback at the 13th annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year ceremony in Los Angeles. Joe Kinsey joined me for the interview.

I opened by telling Stafford about that ridiculous throw against Jacksonville. He remembered the play immediately: Golden Tate ran underneath it, made the catch, and took it into the end zone.

That led to a conversation about how much Stafford still loved playing football, how he remembered individual plays, and what it was like competing in the NFC North.

Then I fully exposed myself – I was a Chicago Bears fan.

For years, I’d watched the Bears hang around against Detroit, occasionally lead for three quarters, and then watch Stafford engineer another late-game drive that ruined my afternoon.

I wanted an explanation.

Stafford gave me one.

“It’s because I know you’re a Bears fan. I’m just trying to rip your heart out every time.”

Well, that clears that up.

What follows is the original I-80 Sports Blog interview with Matthew Stafford, preserved as part of THE TAPE ROOM.

No retrospective recreation. No modern interview assembled from old quotes.

Here’s the tape.

Watch the Original Matthew Stafford Interview

Matthew Stafford Interview — July 14, 2015

ORIGINAL I-80 SPORTS BLOG VIDEO

Runtime: Approximately 3:02
Interview subject: Matthew Stafford Interviewers: Paul Eide and Joe Kinsey Recorded: July 14, 2015
Location: Los Angeles, California Event: 13th Annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards
Archive designation: Tape #004
Collection: THE TAPE ROOM

Archival note: This interview is preserved through its surviving YouTube video. The transcript below has been edited from the supplied captions for punctuation, readability, and obvious transcription errors. Some overlapping dialogue and speaker assignments have not been independently verified against the recording.

What Matthew Stafford Discusses

This interview captures Stafford during his Detroit Lions years, discussing football from the perspective of a quarterback still in the middle of his career.

We talk about his extraordinary arm strength, a memorable touchdown against Jacksonville, and the importance of enjoying the game even through difficult stretches.

Stafford also offers a fascinating description of his football memory. He remembers individual plays as snapshots, almost as though he’s looking at them again through his facemask.

Then there’s the NFC North.

After I disclose my Bears allegiance and ask why Detroit keeps breaking my heart, Stafford admits that he’s apparently doing it just to torture me.

He also discusses the competitiveness of the division and names Charles Woodson as a defender he particularly enjoyed beating—not because Woodson was easy to beat, but because he was so damn difficult.

Key Moments

• 00:00 — I tell Stafford about the most incredible throw I’ve ever seen.
• 00:24 — Stafford remembers his touchdown against Jacksonville and talks about loving football.
• 00:54 — I ask him to compare our interview with his interview with Sage Steele.
• 01:09 — Stafford explains how he remembers individual football plays.
• 01:41 — I disclose that I’m a Chicago Bears fan.
• 01:56 — Stafford admits he’s trying to rip my heart out.
• 02:13 — Stafford discusses the competitiveness of the NFC North.
• 02:30 — Joe Kinsey enters the conversation.
• 02:36 — Stafford explains why winning divisional games matters so much.
• 02:44 — Stafford names Charles Woodson as a defender he particularly enjoyed beating.

Matthew Stafford Interview Transcript

The following is an edited transcript based on the supplied video captions. Punctuation and obvious caption errors have been corrected for readability. Dialogue with uncertain speaker attribution is identified accordingly.

Throwing Lasers and Loving Football

[00:00] PAUL EIDE: I saw you guys play the Jacksonville Jaguars in an exhibition game last year. I saw you throw an absolute laser. It was like a 70-yard tud.

I’d never seen a human being throw a ball like that. Never. And I saw Brett Favre throw his 420th touchdown pass. No BS.

How does it even feel to be able to sling the pigskin like that? Clichés in there. What did I forget?

[00:24] MATTHEW STAFFORD: It’s fun. It’s fun. I have a blast.

I remember the play. Golden ran underneath it, had a great catch and run there, scored, jumped into the end zone. It was a bunch of fun.

It’s a blast. I love playing the game.

That’s what I told these kids when I got interviewed out there by Sage Steele. It was just, have fun.

I still have so much fun playing the game, and I know these kids at a high school are having a blast.

Just continue to have fun. You’re going to have ups and downs, but even through the tough times, man, you’ve got to realize you’re doing what you love, playing a game, and enjoy it.

How Does This Interview Compare to the one with Sage Steele?

[00:54] PAUL EIDE: How would you compare the Sage Steele interview to the one you’re doing right now?

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Oh, you guys are killing it. I’m not gonna lie. You guys are killing it.

[01:02] JOE KINSEY: Are we even offering him a Gatorade?

MATTHEW STAFFORD: No, I’m good. I brought my own. I brought my own.

PAUL EIDE: Yeah, it was good. Get that product, man. Right there. Hold that right there for that guy. That’s right. Awesome.

Remembering Football Plays as Snapshots

[01:09] JOE KINSEY: No, I was going to say, about remembering plays. You remember—does it go way back?

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

JOE KINSEY: How’s that possible?

[01:17] MATTHEW STAFFORD: I don’t know. My brain’s been beat up too many times.

JOE KINSEY: Yeah, I mean, I can’t remember that kind of stuff either.

[01:24] MATTHEW STAFFORD: I don’t know why, but football plays, for some reason, are just always stuck in my head.

Maybe it’s just seeing them through the lens of the facemask. I just take little snapshots of them and remember them.

But yeah, I’ve got a big photo library. Mostly good plays.

Matthew Stafford vs. My Chicago Bears

[01:41] PAUL EIDE: I am a Bears fan. I’m just going to say that. Full disclosure.

It seems like the Bears lead for about three quarters, the last three years or so, and you guys always end it and win in, like, a two-minute drive.

What is that?

[01:56] MATTHEW STAFFORD: It’s because I know you’re a Bears fan. I’m just trying to rip your heart out every time.

PAUL EIDE: Oh, that’s what you’re doing?

MATTHEW STAFFORD: Just tease you along for three quarters.

PAUL EIDE: I don’t even get excited anymore.

[02:05] JOE KINSEY: That’s the NFL, though.

PAUL EIDE: No, you don’t even need to watch till the final five minutes. Every time, the final five minutes. This is great.

You’ve swept US in the last two years, at least.

[02:13] MATTHEW STAFFORD: Yeah, but, I mean, what’s impressive is our division has gotten so tough.

The NFC North is unbelievable now, with Minnesota, Green Bay, Chicago, and us. I mean, it’s as competitive as any division in the NFL.

Every time we play Chicago, it’s a huge, huge test.

Charles Woodson: The Defender Stafford Loved to Beat

[02:30] PAUL EIDE: Joe, you got something?

JOE KINSEY: Not really.

PAUL EIDE: Looked like you had something.

JOE KINSEY: No, not really. Sorry.

[02:34] PAUL EIDE: Who’s your favorite team to beat, or defender to just torch?

[02:36] MATTHEW STAFFORD: Team to beat? I’d pick anybody in our division.

It’s great winning division games. It’s like winning two. You win one and give them a loss. That’s big.

And as far as favorite defender to torch, I would probably say Charles Woodson.

[02:53] MATTHEW STAFFORD: Because I didn’t do it very much.

He was so good, and playing against him in Green Bay, I just had a ton of respect for him.

But when we did get him, it felt good because you knew how good he was.

[03:02 — END OF SUPPLIED TRANSCRIPT]

Why This Tape Matters

There’s something revealing about watching an athlete discuss his career before we know how the rest of the story turns out.

In this interview, Stafford is still the Detroit Lions quarterback with the extraordinary arm, playing in an NFC North where every divisional game feels like a fight. And the Lions just can’t quite get over the hump.

He’s not discussing his career from a distance. He’s living it.

He remembers a touchdown throw against Jacksonville as though he’s watching the play unfold again. He describes football memories as snapshots taken through the lens of his facemask.

And when asked which defender he most enjoyed beating, he chooses Charles Woodson—not because Woodson was easy to beat, but because he was so difficult.

Then there’s the Bears conversation.

As a lifelong Chicago fan, I’d watched Stafford make a habit of turning promising afternoons into miserable ones.

I finally had an opportunity to ask him about it.

And the son of a bitch told me he was doing it on purpose.

That’s why we keep the tapes.

Not just for the statistics, the career milestones, or the eventual retrospectives.

For the conversations that happened along the way.

Related Exhibits and Stories

Matthew Stafford LIVES To Hurt Bears Fans (Me)

This interview originally became the basis for my 2015 I-80 Sports Blog story about Stafford, the Bears, and the quarterback who apparently took personal pleasure in ruining my Sundays.

Read the original Matthew Stafford story → 

Artifact Record

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