Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford adopted up his Tremendous Bowl championship with an injury-riddled marketing campaign that solely noticed him play 9 video games and have simply 10 touchdowns in contrast with eight interceptions. A lot of the blame for his struggles went to the offensive line, who had misplaced Andrew Whitworth to retirement within the offseason prior.
However now, because the Rams put together for the 2023 season, it appears that evidently Stafford is able to return because the full-time starter and try and deliver a younger however intriguing Rams staff to the postseason after a disappointing Tremendous Bowl protection.
To today, there haven’t been many particulars concerning Stafford’s elbow harm that had him hampered from Day 1 final season. Nonetheless, Whitworth dove into a few of the specifics in addition to a few of the causes Stafford opted to maintain issues quiet.
He spoke about Stafford’s harm and his preparation for 2023 on the Wealthy Eisen Present:
“I feel folks actually don’t perceive as a result of he’s such a non-public man and someone that will by no means complain and even ever let you realize when he’s going by one thing. Final yr was a very, actually powerful yr. It’s unlucky he wasn’t on the ‘Quarterback’ sequence that simply got here out as a result of it could’ve loopy for folks to see simply how intense his arm points and issues that have been bothering him.”
Whitworth continued and spoke about how Stafford’s coaching camp was affected final season by not having the ability to throw together with his guys:
“He’s a non-public man however I imply, to not throw a soccer together with your guys your complete offseason principally. After which to get into camp and be like, ‘Hey, you’ll be able to solely throw so many balls a day and solely so many instances per week. To actually have zero alternatives as a quarterback to throw passes to receivers after which stroll into an NFL sport and say, ‘All proper, I’m gonna exit right here and carry out.’ One, you realize that your arm is clearly not in an ideal place in the way it’s feeling. And two, simply having that skill to throw passes in observe and work at your craft. And that’s what each quarterback does. You see them after observe always engaged on sure issues. To not have the power to try this, man, simply the psychological state he needed to be in of struggling. Like, ‘Hey, I need to exit right here and carry out. I need to stay as much as the expectations, however proper now, I’m in a state of affairs I can’t.’”
Stafford has fought by a lot of vital accidents over the course of his profession, so there was little doubt he was going to attempt to play regardless of his elbow not being 100%. Previous to final season, Stafford had missed a sport in simply three of 13 campaigns.
Stafford is wholesome now although and seeking to get again on observe throughout coaching camp to assist the 2023 Rams get again to the place they’d wish to be.
Cooper Kupp discusses chemistry constructing with Stafford
Regardless that Rams vast receiver Cooper Kupp is at the moment shelved with an harm and his relationship with Stafford is established, the 2 have continued to work on their chemistry throughout 2023 coaching camp.
“So for us it’s like, hey, we all know that we’ve received this pure chemistry about how we do issues, however man, how a lot better can we be if we actually are honing this factor in, if we’re seeing the sphere the identical manner? It’s one factor to run routes on air, it’s one other factor to see the sphere and go see it from his perspective, my perspective, put these issues collectively and be in the fitting spots on the proper time. As we will get that stuff going, maintain constructing on that, that’s when issues get actually harmful.”