Turf Show Times
The re-tooling of Stafford’s contract was an educated gamble that the Los Angeles Rams took when they re-negotiated with the quarterback to guarantee that he would be suiting up for them in 2025, the Rams knew what they were signing up for, and by all accounts they are still banking on Matthew Stafford being healthy enough to play (and play well) this year.
The closer we get to the official start of the NFL season without Stafford being declared healthy, the more fans will worry, the more the talking heads will talk, and the more sports writers will write, and much of the content will feed into the idea that if Stafford isn’t healthy now, how will Stafford be healthy over the course of the season?
I am not writing this to say that you should or shouldn’t worry, I am not writing this to say that anyone who has written or talked about this topic is right or wrong, but I will say that Stafford and the Rams best hope they know more about what Stafford and the Rams are dealing with than anyone else, but here are a couple fair questions:
The only ones who can answer questions and say what’s going on, really aren’t saying anything, (whenever something is said by Sean McVay and the Rams, take it with a grain of salt), and whatever is occurring, the team shouldn’t be blind-sided by Stafford’s questionable back.
Stafford has had a history of injuries, and the Rams knew this when they re-negotiated with him.
So, the Stafford news or lack thereof shouldn’t be shocking, if anything, it would’ve been more surprising if Stafford had a clean bill of health going into his 17th NFL season.
For now, the plan (and hope) seems to be that Stafford will suit up Week 1, and when the Rams do finally decide to fold on Stafford, we may not know right away, but in time, we will know because despite how tough Stafford is, a team can only hide a serious injury for so long, a team can only hide ineffective play for so long, a team can only hide its plan at their quarterback position for so long.
As it stands, we have more questions than answers, what we don’t know for sure, do the Rams have more questions than answers?
The Rams took a calculated risk on Stafford being healthy for the 2025 season, and by all reports, they are still counting on that gamble, and though that bet looks a bit shaky in August, we, the Rams and everyone else will have to wait and see how the bet pays out, starting with the Houston Texans in September.
