Turf Show Times
Matthew Stafford’s back was never supposed to be a big deal, but the lack of positive updates since last weekend, and reversing course on that report from Sean McVay that the quarterback would return to practice before we found out that wasn’t really the case, has made this the biggest story in the NFL right now. A story that started to look even worse for the Rams on Saturday, when the team declined to answer if Stafford had gone through with a scheduled workout that day, then acting head coach Aubrey Pleasant referred the media to talk to McVay on Monday rather than ask him any questions about Stafford.
Some people have made it sound as though anything about the sky falling has come from the media, but in actuality the alarming nature of Stafford’s progress from a back injury that seemed to come out of nowhere in July is 100% related to the team’s inconsistent reporting on how serious this injury is and how long it would keep him out.
When it comes to the burden of updating the media on Stafford, nobody has has a harder time through this than McVay, and yet the head coach was nowhere to be found on Saturday despite his team PLAYING A PRESEASON FOOTBALL GAME that day. To have a Rams spokesperson and Pleasant both defer to McVay on Monday implies that a) there is an update and b) they don’t want you to know what it is right now.
This has only led to more speculation about the severity of Stafford’s back problem, something that the L.A. Rams will not quell or silence with some positive news.
Will Matthew Stafford have season-ending surgery?
Will the Rams trade for a QB?
Could Stafford consider retiring if he’s not in shape for football? It’s all being speculated.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio hopped on the bandwagon too, speculating that there’s no reason to hold a press conference on Monday that couldn’t have been just as normal on a Saturday or Sunday, unless the news is that bad.
There’s no magic to Monday. McVay can hold a conference call whenever he wants, if there’s something to say about Stafford. (And there apparently is.) Alternatively, a statement could be issued.
Whatever the situation may be, it’s a strange pivot from transparency to secrecy for the Rams. And it suggests that the situation is far from ideal.
Frankly, it invites speculation that the Rams may think they need to find a quarterback to compete with and/or supplant Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter, and that they plan to use Sunday to try to do a deal with someone else, before the world knows they may be desperate.
Without any clarity on the situation on Saturday, including Pleasant’s refusal to answer if Stafford was even present at the game, nobody knows where the signs are pointing. It’s not that they have to be pointing at the worst case scenario, but the longer that the team...
