Field Gulls
When training camps opened up across the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams had one notable player missing from practice: Matthew Stafford.
What was initially considered to be a short hiatus, quickly turned into a longer than expected absence. This absence for Stafford is due to an aggravated disc in his back. It has caused Stafford to miss all Rams practices up to this point, and even caused the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl champion quarterback to need an epidural last week.
It was expected that Stafford would be able to return to practice today (Monday, August 11) after missing the week one preseason game. However, after throwing 68 passes at a workout last Saturday, coach Sean McVay noted that Stafford’s back did not recover well enough for him to practice Monday, as was initially expected. Stafford notably showed up to practice today “in street clothes.”
An additional twist was added to the Stafford back-saga on Monday. It was reported that Stafford walked into an “Ammortal Chamber”, which is a “wellness device that aims to optimize human performance and promote holistic health through a combination of non-invasive technologies.”
Coach McVay said this chamber is a “red-light therapy chamber” that is available to all players, not just Stafford.
Altogether, none of this news looks promising for Stafford and the NFC-West favorite, Los Angeles Rams. When asked if surgery was an option for Stafford, coach McVay said that the club has not had that conversation yet. The team has insisted that Stafford will be ready for opening day against the Houston Texans.
Many of these coy answers from the Rams have a lot of similar vibes to when the San Francisco 49ers were similarly shy in their answers about Christian McCaffrey’s calf injury during last year’s preseason. McCaffrey went on to play in only four games that season. However, these answers are even more notable this year with Stafford. Having an ongoing back injury with no return date in sight could be potentially catastrophic news for the reigning NFC West champions.
The Seahawks don’t play the Rams until Week 11. However, if Stafford’s back injury keeps lingering, and he has to miss parts of the regular season (with Jimmy Garoppolo presumably to deputize for him), that would be a significant blow to the Rams’ NFC West chances. And with the Rams’ chances to win the division going down, that opens the door for another team to take the division, like your Seahawks.
