Bomani Jones' Uninformed Matt Stafford Take Should Kill His Schtick For Good

Earlier this week, we discussed how identity politics has poisoned discourse in sports and how the usual suspects have turned athletes like Josh Allen and Caitlin Clark into the latest Great White Villains.

While dolts like Ryan Clark and Cam Newton attract the most attention, no one in sports media has offered lower-IQ talking points than former ESPN host Bomani Jones.

After spending weeks falsely accusing the media of favoring Josh Allen and discriminating against Lamar Jackson, his favorite quarterback, Jones pivoted this week to a new White Villain: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

According to Jones, we must eliminate Stafford from Hall of Fame consideration if he does not lead the Rams to a Super Bowl win this season.

"He's the new Josh Allen," Jones said about Stafford. "He's the least scrutinized No. 1 pick in the history of No. 1 overall picks.

"If the Rams don't win the Super Bowl, shut this Hall of Fame thing up."

Uh, come again?

Jones may have forgotten because Super Bowl LVI didn't feature a race angle at the quarterback position (Stafford vs. Joe Burrow), but Stafford won a Super Bowl just a few seasons ago.  To say he must win a second Super Bowl just to merit Hall of Fame discussion is baffling. Only 13 quarterbacks in NFL history have won more than one Super Bowl.

Notice how Jones also frames his argument. He claims, without evidence, that the media does not scrutinize Stafford, a not-so-subtle way of implying a white quarterback receives soft treatment. In reality, there is not much to scrutinize.

Stafford has been one of the better quarterbacks of his generation. He carried the loathsome Lions for a decade, then won a Super Bowl in his first season in Los Angeles. The Rams have been contenders in all but one season since. Historically, Stafford ranks sixth in passing yards, seventh in passing touchdowns and sixth in completions.

He is also the betting favorite to win NFL MVP this season after throwing for 46 touchdowns, 12 more than anyone else.

And what exactly does Bomani want people to scrutinize Stafford for again?

If anything, Stafford avoids constant hot takes because he is rarely overpraised. Shows spend most of their time tearing down players whom someone has claimed are better than an all-time great. No one does that with Stafford. No one says he is better than Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes. As a result, there is less incentive for Cam Newton types to call him a bum. 

If anything, Stafford is the least celebrated great quarterback of this era. He is underrated.

Jones, however, sees a white quarterback and throws a tantrum because Stafford is not subjected to the same scrutiny as Bryce Young, a former first overall pick whose case for an extension is questionable at best.

The demand that Stafford must win the Super Bowl this season is also strange, given that the Rams are not even the favorites. They are road underdogs against Seattle this weekend in the NFC Championship, and for good reason. Over the past month, the Seahawks have been the better and more balanced team.

See, the race idolaters have struggled this postseason with the concept of good teams winning with superior rosters rather than superior quarterbacks. Jones and others shamed Josh Allen for losing to the Broncos despite Denver having an elite defense and roster. They questioned Drake Maye for struggling against Houston, ignoring that the Texans fielded one of the best defenses of this decade.

If Matt Stafford costs the Rams a Super Bowl with poor play, he will warrant criticism. However, it would hardly be worth eliminating him from Hall of Fame consideration if he plays well but loses to a superior Seattle team.

Put bluntly, there is a constant tension between identity politics and logic. And for someone who built a career on trying to convince audiences of his intellectual superiority, Bomani Jones seems perfectly willing to abandon logic and look like a buffoon as long as it keeps the anti-white crowd satisfied.

We suggest he find a new schtick.