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Sarah Barshop
LOS ANGELES — As Sean McVay stood at the podium outside Loyola Marymount University to answer questions at the start of training camp, the Los Angeles Rams head coach told reporters that quarterback Matthew Stafford was dealing with back soreness and would miss the first week of practice.
The Rams wanted to be smart with Stafford’s back even at the expense of some training camp reps, McVay said, because «ultimately, it’s about having him feel as good as possible mentally, physically, [and] emotionally going into Year 17.»
Now, six weeks later, Stafford and the Rams are hopeful they have gotten to that point — even if the path was longer than initially thought — as they prepare to host the Houston Texans to open the season Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
At age 37, Stafford is entering his fifth season in Los Angeles. This offseason, as McVay and Stafford planned for the year ahead, they found ways to keep him as fresh as possible by adjusting his schedule during the early phases of the offseason program.
Led by Reggie Scott, the Rams’ vice president of sports medicine and performance, the team planned a modified training camp schedule for Stafford and other veteran players to avoid «unnecessarily pushing the envelope from a sports performance perspective where guys feel worn down before you’ve even played one of these 17 [games] that you’re guaranteed,» McVay said.
Best-laid plans had to change after Stafford aggravated a disk in his back while training during the break between OTAs and training camp. Stafford said there wasn’t one incident but rather «something that crept up on me a little bit.»
In the three weeks of practice Stafford has participated in since his return, he has impressed his coaches with how quickly he got comfortable on the field.
«He looks like Matthew Stafford to me,» offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. «The coolest part is he’s just back out there with the guys doing stuff he loves, operating at a world-class level. If I didn’t know any better, he looks like Matthew Stafford. It’s been fun to have him back.»
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has more passing touchdowns (eight) without an interception over that span.
Stafford spent some of the offseason program doing his work at home, where he has a gym and access to the entire Rams’ film system. The approach allowed him to spend more time with his family and still get together with his teammates when he needed to throw.
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«There are some monotonous parts of the offseason program that are very necessary for a lot of guys, but I don’t think you pigeonhole yourself into a one-size-fits-all approach,» McVay said. «… With Matthew, I think that served him well. You get some time with your family and beautiful little girls, more than you would otherwise. I think just to keep him feeling like, ‘Hey man, it’s fun, it’s engaging.’
«He loves being out here practicing and competing and then does he need to hear some of our standard two-by-two formations at the beginning? No, he doesn’t need to be there for those kinds of things. Picking and choosing our spots — that was part of the plan.»
Right tackle Rob Havenstein said that while Stafford might not have been in the building at times during the offseason, there was no doubt he was putting the necessary work in.
«One thing you’re going to know is Matthew’s going to get himself ready to play and ready to go,» said Havenstein, who has played four seasons with Stafford.
In June during mandatory minicamp in Maui, Stafford said the approach to the offseason allowed him not only to enjoy his time at home, but really enjoy his time at the facility too.
«That’s the point, right?» Stafford said. «The point is to not walk into the facility one day and be like, ‘Oh, here we go. It’s May something, and I’m here doing this.’ And I was like, every time I stepped in there I was like, ‘Man, let’s go. This is great. It’s great to see the guys, happy to be around them. Let’s go get some work done.'»
It was a big change, Stafford said, but an effective one.
«At this point in my career, I’m trying to do everything I can to make sure that when the season comes around, I’m as fresh both physically and mentally as I possibly can be,» Stafford said. «I feel like [McVay] feels that way too. And so it’s been a great collaboration, being able to figure out what works for both of us, but also the team.
«And I’m a guy that has been at every single practice, every single year of my career in the offseasons. And it was definitely a change, but I think it was for the better.»
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Stafford did not practice that week, but he was scheduled for another workout before the Rams’ second preseason game on Aug. 16, similar to the one he had on Aug. 9. Before the game, a Rams spokesperson declined to say whether Stafford had completed that workout. McVay was not scheduled to speak after the game.
The next Monday, Stafford practiced for the first time during training camp, participating in the full practice and eventually the full week for the Rams.
Havenstein said he saw Stafford warming up and doing individual drills at the start of practice «and then all of a sudden, team [drills] happened.»
«I looked over and I was like ‘Oh, OK. Let’s do it,'» Havenstein said. «And then as soon as the play call came through the helmet — boom. It was like back riding a bike and he was just out there being his normal self.»
Stafford later said he wasn’t expecting to do as much as he did during practice, but he «felt pretty good, so I just kind of kept going.»
«[McVay] was cool enough to let me push myself,» Stafford said. «And he knows that I know myself and how I feel, so he let me kind of go.»
After watching Stafford participate in a full week of practice, McVay said the veteran quarterback had «gotten better and better»‘ as the week went on.
«He looks like the stud that we know,» McVay said.
60,000 for his career, on the cusp of joining a group of nine quarterbacks in NFL history to hit that milestone. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the only active quarterback on that list, entering the season with 62,952, which ranks seventh all time. Tom Brady is the career passing yards leader with 89,214.
But while Stafford is under contract for two more seasons, he said he doesn’t want to make any promises — to others or himself — about how much longer he wants to play.
«I’m trying to play at a high level as long as I possibly can,» Stafford said in June. «But that being said, I don’t want to set any expectations, and I don’t want to set any limitations. I don’t want to sit there and go, I’m only playing this year or next year or whatever. Or I don’t want to say I’m going to play 10 years more and then be disappointed if I only play a few.
«So I’m just living day by day trying to be the best version of myself for this team, and hopefully it works out.»
