LOS ANGELES (AP) — When Matthew Stafford stepped onto the field for his first training camp practice Monday, he was greeted by a lineup that included the NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the league’s highest-paid cornerback. And when he dropped back to throw, his targets included the player who led the entire NFL in receiving yards last season and another who topped the league in touchdown catches.
Stafford enters his 18th NFL season as the reigning league MVP and a Super Bowl champion, but having spent years on struggling rosters earlier in his career, he knows better than most just how fortunate his current situation is.
“It was a blast to be out here today,” Stafford said. “I’m surrounded by so many great players, and I don’t take that for granted, both on our side of the football and on the defensive side. It’s a blessing to come out here every single day and compete against these guys and play with the guys on the offensive side. Just an exciting time.”
Stafford had sat out Sunday’s opening practice as part of the team’s deliberate plan to protect their franchise quarterback heading into the season. But when he did take the field Monday, he looked sharp, repeatedly connecting with All-Pro Puka Nacua and Davante Adams on long, accurate throws despite tight coverage — much to the delight of fans watching at Loyola Marymount.
Over the past four months, the Rams made several aggressive roster moves aimed at making the most of their championship window with their 38-year-old signal-caller. Even so, coach Sean McVay said on opening day that he refuses to define the team’s success or failure “by whether or not we win a Super Bowl.”
“That’s not what I believe,” McVay continued. “I’m not living that way. I’ve gotten caught up in things like that before and those are things that are way beyond our control.”
Stafford echoes his coach’s philosophy, understanding that the process matters more than the final prize — though he’s still clearly energized by the opportunity to sharpen his game daily against pass-rushing standout Myles Garrett and elite cornerback Trent McDuffie in practice.
“We can’t help but make each other better, (but) pieces of paper and names on a roster, those don’t win football games,” Stafford said. “Teams and players and groups do. … Sean said it the other night, we’ve got potentially a high ceiling, right? We’ve got great players that have done a lot in this league. What can we do to continue to raise our floor, so if I’m off a little bit, we can still go find a way to win a football game? If our defense is off a little bit, we can still find a way to go win a football game. Continuing to raise that floor is something that’s going to be a huge part of our journey this season.”
Last season was arguably the finest of Stafford’s lengthy career. He threw for 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions while powering the league’s most productive offense. He guided the Rams to 12 victories and all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where he threw for 374 yards and three touchdowns without an interception — but it wasn’t enough, as the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks advanced largely because Los Angeles’ defense couldn’t make stops when it counted.
The Rams moved aggressively to fix that defensive shortcoming this offseason, picking up cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from the Chiefs before completing a blockbuster trade last month to land Myles Garrett.
The team looks formidable on paper, but it’s also one Stafford injury away from turning the offense over to rookie Ty Simpson or backup Stetson Bennett.
That reality is why McVay and Stafford are being especially careful with the quarterback’s sometimes-troublesome back and overall physical health. The Rams’ approach to managing Stafford’s reps is part of McVay’s broader philosophy of limiting wear and tear on veteran players before the regular season begins.
“That’s part of the plan, to be able to keep him on a pitch count,” McVay said, noting that cutting Stafford’s camp practices in half is the result of six years of learning and preparation. “Hey, whether it was a weird way or not, we learned a lot about how to try to be able to maximize him.”
