THOUSAND OAKS, CA — Days away from quarterback Matthew Stafford making his start for the Los Angeles Rams against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, Stafford has made an impression not only on his teammates, but fans across the city.
“I feel like I’m excited every time – every time the season starts,” Stafford said. “We put a ton of work into this. You guys see us out here, practicing in the summer and leading up to it, but there’s so much work that goes into this starting months ago. We’ve had a great camp and a nice little start to the week here. We get to go against a great defense every single day.“
Stafford was traded over the summer by an organization that was dysfunctional to an organization that is first class throughout thanks to owner Stan Kroenke. Kroenke along with COO Kevin Demoff, GM Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have worked diligently to put a quality, competitive product on the field since the team’s return to Los Angeles in 2016. The team has won games and developed a number one drafted quarterback in Jared Goff, who also won a shootout against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in an electric atmosphere in the L.A. Coliseum. Goff helped the team get into the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots and defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a Monday night game on the road.
Goff’s time had ran it’s course in Los Angeles, and the team seemed to be a bit limited in the schemes, and couldn’t maximize the offensive potential on the field in McVay’s system. It was time for a change, and that came in the form a trade to the Lions that saw Goff leave the sunny confines of Southern California for the snowy winters of Detroit in exchange for Stafford.
Stafford hadn’t had much success with the Lions during his tenure despite posting insane numbers. In 2019, he finished with a QBR of 106 and threw for 19 touchdowns with only five interceptions. In his 11-year career with the Lions along with having a Hall Of Fame weapon in Calvin Johnson aka “Megatron“, Stafford finished with 45,109 total yards, 282 touchdowns, and a QBR of 89.9 with the Lions. The biggest stain on his resume is his 0-3 playoff losing record that he looks to change with the Rams.
Stafford has made an impact and set a tone early with teammates and coaches early in voluntary workouts.
“He has such a great poise about himself that I think it has reflected in the other 10 around him,” McVay said. “But, it’s just getting comfortable with, okay, ‘what have you called this in the past? This is what we’re calling it.’ He has done a great job and really pleased with him.”
With weapons as Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Desean Jackson, Tyler Higbee, Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson, Stafford should have no problems spreading the ball around and connecting with his teammates on Sundays. A solid offensive line should allow that strong arm of his to keep the chains moving on drives and rack up yards along with touchdowns this season. Stafford’s work ethic is not to be questioned, yet the chemistry with his fellow teammates is remarkable and will only improve with time.
“I want to go play some football and do it with a group of guys that I’ve, in a short period of time, grown to just absolutely love and respect,” he said.
“Both those guys (Woods and Kupp) are so dialed in on what we’re trying to do –whether we’re asking them to block, run routes, block for their other receivers. Whatever it is, they’re always just down to execute for our offense. That’s an awesome thing to have as a quarterback when you have receivers that are willing to do whatever it takes. DeSean (Jackson) is new in this offense. His role is evolving. He has been as good a deep threat as anybody in the NFL for a long time. He still looks like he can run to me and I’m having a bunch of fun working with him,” Stafford said.
Vegas odds have the Rams with Stafford winning 10.5 games this season in comparison with Goff who won 10 games last season. It may not look like much on paper; but on the field, Stafford is an upgrade in many areas on this Rams team. Stafford gets a chance to face a familiar foe in the Bears. He even recalled a memory against the Bears that he’ll never forget.
“One of the games comes to mind. I wasn’t even playing in. I got hurt in the 2010 opener. I got hurt at halftime. Julius Peppers got me and knocked me out. That was the game that Calvin (Johnson) caught the touchdown at the end of the game and stood up without the ball and they called it a ‘no catch.’ That was the ‘Calvin Johnson Catch Rule.’ Big thing in Detroit. You guys probably weren’t paying attention. But, that was one,” Stafford said.
This season he looks to not only create more memories, but ultimately hoist up the Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium at Super Bowl 56.
The Rams host the Bears at 5:20PM PT on NBC at SoFi Stadium.
