Rams QB Matthew Stafford 'Ready to Go' For Training Camp
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford played through a good portion of last season with an elbow injury, and this offseason, he underwent a procedure to repair the issue.
So with training camp officially beginning on Friday, it was no surprise that one of the first questions on the minds of the media was the health of Stafford going into camp.
And according to Rams coach Sean McVay, Stafford is going to be ready to throw... with some stipulations.
“He’s feeling good," McVay said. "He’s been able to do a lot of things over the last handful of weeks, even since we’ve been off. I think with a veteran player, anyone of his magnitude or really with the amount of experience, you want to be smart with following some pitch counts and different things like that. He is going to be ready to go, but we will be smart with what that workload looks like within our four- and three-day work week increments.”
Ever the competitor, it is no surprise that Stafford did everything he could to be ready for the start of camp.
After all, as one of the NFL's toughest players, Stafford is known for playing through injuries, and he was very upset about his limited availability during OTAs.
"Pleasantly irritated? No, he was freaking irritated," McVay said of Stafford. "In a lot of instances with somebody that has accumulated his much experience, you really rely heavily on the feedback he’s giving. He’s so tough and he pushed through so much in terms of that thing nagging him throughout the year, but he will never use that as a crutch or an excuse."
But that toughness is just one thing that makes Stafford so special in McVay's eyes.
He is also a fierce competitor, who pursues perfection in each and every rep throughout training camp, practice, and the regular season.
"I think that’s just who he is and how he’s wired as a competitor. He wants it to feel better, but he is going to be able to work through it," McVay said. "You have to be able to get that work in and no matter how great you are, like Matthew is, those reps do matter and you want to be able to accumulate them the right way."
The Rams will take the field for the first time in training camp on Sunday.
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