Turf Show Times
Matthew Stafford has a back injury and that’s the only thing that Rams fans can be confident in right now when it comes to the quarterback’s health. Fans can’t be sure if the injury will go away tomorrow, linger throughout the season, or turn into the worse case scenario, which is surgery. Because regardless of whether or not the situation is worse than the team is letting on, or better than the pessimistic aura of speculations about a Stafford-less training camp, you’d be a fool to believe the next update you hear on the matter.
Quite literally, the only possible report that would give fans any clarity on Stafford’s 2025 outlook would be the one update that nobody wants to hear and Sean McVay doesn’t want to entertain. That would be injured reserve.
Anything other than season-ending news is merely speculation of what might happen tomorrow. Don’t believe me?
All reports coming directly from the head coach. All followed up by new updates a day later or a week later of soreness, setbacks, and reports that McVay either didn’t know, didn’t want to share with the fans, or didn’t want to believe. But make no mistake:
The Los Angeles Rams have known more about the severity of Matthew Stafford’s back injury than they’ve admitted in the past (that is on the record, as you’ll see) and McVay has moved back Stafford’s return-to-practice date multiple times in training camp, claimed to have “misspoken” when plans have changed, and claimed that Stafford could play in a game right now prior to then later saying that he actually doesn’t know if Stafford could have played in a game at the time that the coach said he could have.
The team has sent their 37-year-old quarterback to the California back specialist who perhaps only deals with severe situations, and they did it at least twice, while at this exact same time telling the media over and over again that Stafford “feels good”, “is in good shape”, and “looked good” as of just a couple of days ago. McVay says that Stafford could do everything on Saturday in a closed throwing session, had no setbacks the next morning on Sunday, and would practice on Monday.
Instead, Stafford’s soreness apparently waited 48 hours because he did not feel good on Monday morning and has now missed another two practices with no return in sight.
As of the latest news on Tuesday at the close of practice, passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant relieved McVay of the “giving false hope” updates by telling the media that there were no updates on Stafford. If anything, this is perhaps the least encouraging report we’ve had on Stafford all year:
“No, no update on Matthew,”...
