Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is dealing with an elbow injury, and it sounds like a cause for concern because coach Sean McVay called the injury “abnormal” for a quarterback.
Stafford isn’t the first to have an elbow injury. Stafford had an elbow injection during the offseason. He did not throw in spring trainings because the team was being careful with his throwing arm. McVay compared Stafford’s injury to what baseball pitchers deal with.
McVay said that he didn’t participate in the individual drills or the 7-on-7 drills Thursday during camp. McVay indicated that the coach does not anticipate the quarterback participating in drills throughout camp. McVay stated that McVay’s training staff tried to relieve the pain by taking various steps in the offseason.
McVay said their goal was to have a “modified approach and a progressive build.”
“Could he do it? Yes … Is that the best thing? We didn’t think so. And I think I’ve got a responsibility to try to make decisions that are in the best alignment using medical experts and talking with Matthew. And so all of those things combined led to where we’re at right now. And it is an ever-evolving process, but we are really taking over these next couple weeks, seeing how they go.”
McVay tried to assure that Stafford’s pain was not a setback but “consistent with what’s been going on.”
“[You] want to try to have him operate in as little pain as possible … I think anytime that you’ve played as long and are as tough as he is, I don’t know if you’re ever truly pain-free, but the goal would be for Sept. 8 and really looking towards 17 games then hopefully some games after that if we earn that opportunity.”
“That’s kind of the perspective and the big-picture approach that we want to be able to take. I don’t know that I would feel as comfortable taking that approach if it wasn’t for the experience that he’s accumulated and knowing how intentional he is about staying up to speed with his mental and his physical work that he can do in the absence of some of the stuff in the team settings.”
Stafford should be available to play Week 1, but it is possible that the Rams will be more cautious as they expect him to return to the Super Bowl.
Bullseye 🎯
Matthew Stafford makes Cooper Kupp look like a fool! pic.twitter.com/xIqHVGfGXR
— LA Rams Nation (@RamsNationCP) August 1, 2022
Although he skipped the drills, McVay said Stafford “looked really good” during practice on Thursday.
“Even in routes on air, in the types of throws where you’re really seeing all parts of the field being activated, that’s a really good thing,” McVay said. “And so I’ve definitely seen improvement. He was making those types of throws before, but being able to just do it in a smart fashion is kind of what we’re really hunting out.”
John Wolford will replace Stafford if Stafford has to miss a few games. This week, the Rams take on Josh Allen and Buffalo Bills in Week 1.
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