Matthew Stafford is considered a favourite with his Los Angeles Rams in the “home” Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals. At the start of “Hot Week”, the quarterback talks, among other things, about his first Super Bowl appearance and which Hollywood star should play him in a possible film version of his life.

Munich/Los Angeles – Under normal circumstances, Matthew Stafford would never have had anything to do with a Super Bowl on his birthday. But this year, everything is different. The NFL season, unlike in the past, now lasts a week longer. And, most importantly, Stafford no longer plays in dreary Detroit, but for the Los Angeles Rams, in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills.

And so on this Monday (7 February), his 34th birthday, the quarterback sits in a virtual set to answer questions from journalists. For 35 minutes.

It’s hot week. And Stafford is in the thick of it. Every other reporter first greets him on his birthday before asking his question. And Stafford is smiling. No wonder. He enjoys being here. Because: Who would have expected this? Matthew Stafford in the Super Bowl.

From the Detroit Lions to the Super Bowl

“This is what you dream of when you’re a kid catching balls in the backyard with your dad: getting a chance to play in the Super Bowl.”

Matthew Stafford in the Super Bowl. It’s true. “On Sunday, I’m going to be more excited than I’ve ever been at a football game.”

Pretty much exactly a year ago, the quarterback summoned up all his courage and left the team he played for for twelve years: the Detroit Lions. Now, in his first year with the new team, the L.A. Rams, he is directly in the Super Bowl. And at home, in SoFi Stadium. Almost sounds a bit like Tom Brady’s story, doesn’t it?

This question makes Stafford laugh, well, smile at least. “Tom’s time and my time with the teams we were drafted by were a little different – he won a bunch of Super Bowls – and I didn’t win a playoff game. “

New start in Los Angeles

Stafford was always considered highly talented, predestined for the big time. But with the Lions, that never came to fruition to a sufficient degree. Also because the team around him was simply not strong enough at any time. Only four seasons with a positive balance, only three play-off games – not a single knockout round victory. Matthew Stafford – in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Still, he has nothing but good things to say about Detroit. He praises the teammates, the fans, the cohesion. The support, the loyalty, the passion. The Lions will always have a place in his heart, he says.

But Detroit is behind him now. Stafford has a team of superstars around him in LA. The Rams are favourites in Super Bowl 56. “I came here for a fresh start, for a new challenge, for a new opportunity.” And also to finally be really successful.

Oh, and then there was this question. You can’t miss this one in Los Angeles. Which Hollywood star would star in the film version of his life. Stafford doesn’t think twice. “Maybe Leonardo di Caprio. I like di Caprio.” A smile follows.

Stafford handles this first part of the Hot Week question marathon confidently, calmly, unexcitedly. He appreciates how things have turned out, how positive the trade has been for him. Now he is in the right place at the right time.

On Sunday, he can crown it all, create a happy ending, so to speak. Not in the film – but in real life.