Matthew Stafford is happy to be guru-free.
Asked this week if he'd be willing to work with a passing coach this offseason, the Detroit Lions quarterback shot the idea to the floor.
"Probably not," Stafford said, per Justin Rogers of MLive.com. "It's not something that I feel would be my style or beneficial to me."
Legions of NFL passers have toiled with coaches-for-hire like Steve Clarkson and George Whitfield to improve their play in between campaigns. Stafford, to the naked eye, appears ripe for tutoring after another season sideswiped by questionable mechanics and a 52.5 completion rate over his past seven starts.
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Stafford heads into Sunday's regular-season finale against the Minnesota Vikings with 19 interceptions, one short from the career-worst 20 he tossed during his 2009 rookie campaign. Lions coach Jim Schwartz has repeatedly -- and maddeningly -- come to his quarterback's defense, insisting that Stafford's mechanics are clean. Too much game film suggests otherwise.
Stafford has piled up passing yardage again this season, but his recent starts have been hampered by sloppy throws. Multiple picks in four of his last five games have contributed to the Lions tumbling out of the NFC playoff picture.
With immense physical talents, Stafford looms as a player who could take the next step with proper coaching. He's not in a prime position to be turning down help from the masters.
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