Rams Ex Andrew Whitworth Praises Matthew Stafford Leadership Ability

Whitworth was recently on The Herd and discussed Stafford's ability to take accountability for his mistakes.

The quarterback position is arguably the position with the most amount of leadership responsibility in sports. Quarterbacks are responsible not only for themselves on any given offensive play but the other 10 offensive players on the field. Great leadership from your quarterback will often lead to success on the field.

This was clearly evident for the Rams during the 2021 season as Matthew Stafford came over from Detroit and in his first season with the organization, led them to a Super Bowl win. 

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams center Austin Corbett (63) blocks for quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Stafford

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) gestures downfield in the second quarter during Super Bowl 56 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Cincinnati Bengals lost, 23-30. Nfl Super Bowl 56 Los Angeles Rams Vs Cincinnati Bengals Feb 13 2022 1393

Matthew Stafford

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford celebrates with the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Stafford celebrates the Rams winning Super Bowl LVI. 

It isn't common for a quarterback to change teams and see immediate success, but much like Tom Brady the year before, Stafford's leadership saw an instant impact on the Rams. 

Recently retired left tackle Andrew Whitworth was recently on The Herd and discussed the fact that he knew practically from the first time working with Stafford that his leadership could lead the team to success due to his ability to take accountability. 

“One of the first times for me was our first three days of training camp,” Whitworth said. “We went out for a practice just in helmets, had like a two-minute drill and he was just on fire, hitting everything."

"Had a great day but there was probably a play somewhere early in practice where we messed up a cadence or didn’t get the right verbiage out on a huddle call. The next day, we’re sitting in meetings and Sean’s kind of going over and he almost stops and he’s like, ‘No, no, no. Coach, it’s my job to get that call out. That’s my bad."

USA Today Sports

Matthew Stafford

John McCoy-USA TODAY Sports

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford

Stafford is the consummate leader and was the perfect person to lead the Rams to a Super Bowl victory. Now whether the Rams are successfully able to defend their title and become the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls since the Patriots in 2004 and 2005 is yet to be seen. However, there are no doubts left to give about Stafford's leadership ability, as he is the ultimate leader and will to continue to be in the 2022 season. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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