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Rams Coach Sean McVay: Matthew Stafford's Elbow Injury 'Abnormal For A QB'

Rams coach Sean McVay reveals peculiar nature of Matthew Stafford's elbow injury

Matt Galatzan

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was held out of team activities this week due to a lingering elbow issue that reports originally called 'bad tendonitis.'

However, on Thursday, Rams coach Sean McVay clarified Stafford's situation, describing it as an injury that is more in line with a Major League Baseball pitcher rather than an NFL quarterback.

“It’s a little bit abnormal for a quarterback, some of this stuff is things that MLB pitchers deal with, so it is something that we’re kind of learning about on the fly and his feedback,” McVay said Thursday. “We’re really trying to just figure out, ‘OK, how do we get the best plan in place to try to minimize some of the things that he was having to push through,’ while also giving him the confidence that, ‘Hey, I can really just, let it go, not have to worry about it, play to the best of my ability.’

Stafford underwent a procedure to relieve that pain following the Rams' 23-20 Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals in February that held him out of OTAs and minicamp this spring. 

And while the idea of learning about the injury 'on the fly' might sound less than ideal, the Rams are confident that their conservative approach will pay dividends in Stafford's recovery.

“The goal is to try to get him to feel as good as possible, especially when you’re talking about something with that throwing elbow, and this is the plan that we feel best about, but it is something that I’ve never navigated through as a coach with a quarterback. You’ve had little elbow things here and there, but this is something that we want to be as smart as possible, and it’s taken a big team to try to do that.”

The Rams will begin preseason play on August 13 in Los Angeles against the Chargers. 

Until then, Stafford will likely remain limited, with his status to be updated before the preseason kicks off.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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