came out and hit a lot of 3s in the second half and got the

Who is the best quarterback in the NFL right now? The list of names is pretty familiar, even if each player has some flaws. Cam Newton?is the defending MVP, although his play has dropped off dramatically in 2016. Russell Wilson was phenomenal during the second half of 2015, but likewise, he has suffered a bit this year with a coalescing offensive line and a knee injury. Ben Roethlisberger is injured. Tom Brady is, you know, Tom Brady, but he was suspended for four games after the Deflategate scandal. Aaron Rodgers is struggling.I named Matt Ryan as my quarter-season MVP, and think you can make a case for Ryan, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck?or Derek Carr as being worthy of consideration, if not necessarily the honor itself. I am going to throw another name out there, though: What Matthew Stafford has done over the past season of football deserves to put him in the discussion.The phrase under the radar is always silly when it comes to the NFL because nothing about football is underreported, but Stafford has hit a new level over the past 16 games, a stretch that coincides with the promotion of Lions quarterback coach Jim Bob Cooter to offensive coordinator after Joe Lombardi was fired. Staffords previous offensive coordinators, in awe of his prototypical arm strength, had built offenses designed to stretch teams downfield with throws to Calvin Johnson. With Megatron taking a step backward thanks to injuries and the Detroit offensive line undergoing construction, Lombardi began to build a scheme designed to get the ball out quicker and create throws that utilized Staffords arm strength for short-distance accuracy. Cooter has taken those concepts to another level.You can see the difference between what Stafford has done under Lombardi and Cooter in two GIFs. Thanks to TruMedia, here are the plots of every Stafford pass under Lombardi (from 2014 until his firing in 2015) and Cooter (in the 16 games since). They look reasonably similar:Now, lets look at those same plots again in terms of efficiency with a pass grid showing his passer rating in various quadrants of the field. Red means Stafford was better than league average (hot) in the respective zone, while blue means Stafford was worse. This one makes Staffords improvements under Cooter quite obvious:The difference is staggering. And the results have been noticeable. Stafford has put together an All-Pro caliber season over his past 16 games. He has completed nearly 69 percent of his passes, while throwing for 4,310 yards, with 35 touchdowns against just eight picks. The shorter passes have crucially cut into Staffords interception rate, which had been his biggest problem. Through the end of the 2014 season, Staffords career interception rate was 2.7 percent. Since Cooters promotion, Staffords INT rate has been nearly halved, dropping to 1.4 percent.In terms of rate statistics, Staffords résumé is as good as anybody elses in football. Comparing him to the other qualifying passers (224 attempts or more) since Week 8 of last season, Stafford ranks near the league leaders in most categories:QBR rewards passers who throw passes farther downfield, but likely underestimates just how hyper-efficient Stafford has been throwing a steady diet of shorter throws. The only quarterback throwing shorter passes than Stafford over the past year has been Teddy Bridgewater, and the only quarterback who has put a higher percentage of his passes on target has been Sam Bradford. Other quarterbacks have similar passing profiles, but Stafford has been more accurate than just about anybody else in the league.Check out that drop percentage, too. Despite throwing a ton of short passes on target, Stafford hasnt gotten a lot of help from his receivers. Theyre dropping 5.6 percent of his passes, which is absurd; the only passer with a higher drop percentage over the same time frame is Blaine Gabbert. The league-average drop rate is 3.9 percent. Give Stafford a league-average drop rate, turn those drops into his typical completed pass (which generates a little over 11 yards), and hes completing 70.3 percent of his throws and averaging 7.7 yards per attempt. His passer rating hops up to 107.6, leapfrogging Brees and trailing only Wilson, both of whom have drop rates below the league average.Its important to bring up his teammates, of course, because Staffords career has often been defined or analyzed through the lens of his best teammate, Johnson. Even when Stafford played well, there was a perception (and at times a reality) that he was being bailed out by one of the greatest receivers ever. Golden Tates success on arrival helped matters, but the specter of Megatron still loomed over everything Stafford accomplished.Now, though, Johnson is gone. Stafford is doing this with Tate, Marvin Jones, the 36-year-old Anquan Boldin, and Theo Riddick. Hell get Eric Ebron back eventually, and the tight end the Lions famously chose over Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Donald may be a useful weapon, but nobody in this group is a Hall of Famer. Riddick was a sixth-round pick. Tate, Jones and Boldin all arrived in town and have been more productive and impactful than they were in their previous stops. The Lions havent skipped a beat despite losing Johnson to retirement and seeing both Ebron and their top two running backs (Riddick and Ameer Abdullah) go down with injuries. Stafford is making the guys around him better.Hes also not getting much help from his defense. The Lions D was dead last in DVOA heading into this week. Theyve allowed only 23.2 points per game since Lombardi left, but that has been in part because Staffords offense has been super-efficient. The offense has scored on a higher percentage of its drives than any team outside of the Panthers, turned the ball over less frequently than anyone besides the Bills and Patriots, and has handed the defense the leagues ninth-best average starting field position.The defense has responded with the NFLs eighth-worst three-and-out percentage, the fifth-worst takeaway rate, and the worst touchdown rate in the red zone by far. Detroit has allowed opponents to score touchdowns on 77.1 percent of their red zone drives over the past 16 games, with the league average at 56.4 percent and the 31st-ranked Saints at 70.5 percent. When youre worse than the Saints at something on defense, something has gone horribly wrong.The same unit that cost the Lions a win by failing to properly defend an Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary last season has been dangerously ineffective in the fourth quarter this year. The Lions defense has blown five fourth-quarter leads this season, including three double-digit leads and two separate leads against the Colts in Week 1. Consequently, each of Detroits victories this year has required Stafford to score a touchdown to either reclaim the lead or break a tie in the fourth quarter.On Sunday, Detroit led 13-3 with 13 minutes to go and had a win expectancy of nearly 94 percent, only for the defense to allow consecutive touchdown drives of 75 and 76 yards to Kirk Cousins, who kept the ball on a read-option play for the first time this year and sprinted past Kerry Hyder for a 19-yard score to put Washington up 17-13 with 1:13 left. Washingtons win expectancy there is 99.5 percent, but Stafford promptly drove the Lions 75 yards in 43 seconds for a miraculous victory.The other historic knock on Stafford has been his salary. Stafford entered the league as a first overall pick in the era of the old collective bargaining agreement, which yielded a seven-year, $72 million deal with $41.7 million in guarantees in an era where that was top quarterback money. Thanks to subpar cap management and repeated restructures, Staffords rookie deal accelerated such that the Lions had to offer the former Georgia star a three-year, $53 million extension before 2013 to create more cap room. In part, Staffords salary (and the cap mismanagement, the larger culprit of the two) helped push Ndamukong Suh out of Detroits price range when the defensive tackle left for Miami in free agency.The rest of the league has caught up, and the Lions have done a better job managing their cap in recent years, but Staffords 2016 cap hit is $22.5 million, the fifth-highest figure in football. In years past, it was fair to wonder whether Stafford was actually a net positive for the Lions, given that he was being paid like a top quarterback and performing closer to a league-average starter. Now, though, Stafford is providing return on investment for Detroit. Hes likely to negotiate a new extension this offseason with the final year of his deal coming due in 2018, and on this form, Stafford will deserve the mammoth extension he is sure to receive.Theres a lesson to be learned here: We are almost definitely too confident in how we assess players and their level of play. This is really the third version of Stafford. There was the guy who couldnt stay healthy his first two seasons behind a terrible offensive line. Then there was the Stafford we knew between 2011 and the middle of 2015, the guy who would throw a ton of passes and mix highlight-reel throws with backbreaking interceptions and ill-fated decisions in the fourth quarter, delivering roughly league-average play on the whole. (Never mind that he led the league with five fourth-quarter comeback wins in 2014.)The Stafford weve seen over the past 16 games has been another quarterback entirely. And hes not the first player to take a sudden leap after previously establishing a distinct level of play. Think about Andy Dalton, who was just good enough to be disappointing in Cincinnati before putting together one of the best seasons in football in 2015 and building on it by being just as good in 2016. Or consider Bradford, who might have struggled Sunday against the Eagles but has otherwise excelled during Minnesotas 5-1 start after years of mediocrity.Bradford could go bad -- it has been only four impressive games for him -- and both Dalton and Stafford could regress to their prior selves. At the same time, though, the fact that each has been able to pull this for full seasons is telling in itself. Context and situation is everything in the NFL. Brady can look like a fool for a night in Kansas City behind a terrible offensive line and win a Super Bowl four months later. Rodgers can look unbeatable for a year and turn ordinary overnight. We dont think of Stafford as a superstar because of his past, but with each passing week, the evidence continues to suggest that Cooters promotion has him playing like one. Air Jordan 11 Cheapest . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Jordan 11 Wholesale Shoes . JOHNS, N. http://www.airjordan11ireland.com/ . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Air Jordan 11 Retro Ie . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Air Jordan 11 Ireland . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. DENVER -- Foul trouble kept Nikola Jokic from playing more minutes the past two games. He showed what he can do when he stays on the floor.Jokic had 27 points and 15 rebounds, Gary Harris scored a career-high 24 points and the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-107 on Monday night.Jokic finished an assist shy of his first career triple-double and tied his career high in points to help the Nuggets win their third straight game. Emmanuel Mudiay scored 18 points.Jokic averaged only 20 minutes in the first two games of the homestand after committing five fouls each game. It derailed potential big nights, but he had just one foul against the Mavericks and dominated.Mike told me he was going to beat me if I made more stupid fouls, Jokic said of coach Michael Malone. I listened.Deron Williams led Dallas with 23 points and eight assists.Denvers recent offensive surge started after its 20-point loss in Dallas on Dec. 12. Malone shook up his starting lineup and the Nuggets have responded by scoring 30 or more points in eight of the last 12 quarters and are averaging 125.3 points since the change.Theyve gotten it done with contributions from different players and Harris was a big contributor Monday. The third-year guard out of Michigan State is averaging 19.3 points since returning from a foot injury.He has three games back and I dont think its a coincidence that we have won three games in a row, Malone said.Harris got the Nuggets started early, scoring 16 in the first half as Denver overcame a 16-point deficit to lead by two at the break. The lead grew to 12 in the third but Dallas made a run to get within six late in the fourth. Jokic hit a 3-pointer, a short jumper and fed Wilson Chandler for a layup for his ninth assist.When you have a guy playing that well you want hhim to get it, teammate Jameer Nelson said of the triple-double.dddddddddddd Thats a heck of an accomplishment for an individual. It means hes playing the game the right way.Jokic had a chance for his 10th assist but Mudiay missed his only 3-pointer off a pass. Jokic wasnt concerned about missing out on the feat.It doesnt really matter, he said. The game is more important than your name.The Mavericks ran out of gas after playing Sunday afternoon.They wore us down as the game went on, Williams said. They came out and hit a lot of 3s in the second half and got the lead. We battled but we couldnt outlast them.TIP-INSMavericks: G J.J. Barea returned to the lineup after missing a month with a strained right calf. He had 11 points in 13 minutes. ... Andrew Bogut (right knee) and Dirk Nowitzki (right Achilles) are hoping to return for the start of 2017.Nuggets: G Jamal Murray played despite a sore right foot. He had three points in 14 minutes. ... C Jusuf Nurkic didnt play a game after logging just eight minutes.TALL TALEMavericks coach Rick Carlisle joked before Mondays game that Jokic was taller than his listed 6-foot-11.Thats (ridiculous). He is probably like 7-4, Carlisle said. His arms are crazy long. Hes a guy thats plays an on-the-floor game but he is some player. Some of his passing is ridiculously creative and he can make shots. We know he can grab it and put in the basket because he did it about six times last game.He was equally impressed after Mondays performance.He kicked our (butt) last game too, he said. Its not a surprise; hes good.UP NEXTMavericks: At Portland on Wednesday night.Nuggets: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. ' ' '