NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will be walking through a tunnel to start an NFL season for the 16th time Sunday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
During Matthew Stafford’s preparation for his 16th NFL season, the Rams quarterback demonstrated a knack for improvisation.
A short pass he tossed in a joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys was twice tipped into the air. Stafford, much to the chagrin of coach Sean McVay, grabbed the ball, stumbled and dived across the goal line.
Asked later what he was thinking, Stafford chuckled.
“How just absolutely old I looked,” he said.
But Stafford, 36, has not shown signs of decline.
Read more: Rams’ Matthew Stafford on another return to vocal Detroit: ‘I want to hear all of it’
Last season he overcame a right thumb injury in leading the Rams to the playoffs and making the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2014. When the Rams open the season Sunday night against the Detroit Lions, Stafford will rank as the second-oldest starting quarterback in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets is 40. Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons, who turned 36 last month, is six months younger than Stafford.
The Rams are returning to Detroit’s Ford Field, where Stafford played for 12 seasons and the Lions defeated the Rams, 24-23, in an NFC wild-card game last January. Stafford rebooted for this season by following his customary offseason plan.
“Every year for me now is just how I can get myself back to as close to zero as I can physically as quickly as I can,” he said this week. “That takes more time every single year and then also emotionally letting myself refill the tank.
Read more: Rams lose starting cornerback for at least a month
“It takes a lot out of me to play this position and do it for a bunch of years now, so I just try to make sure I step away, get away, and when I did come back, make sure that I was all in, ready to go.”
Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, has passed for 56,047 yards and 357 touchdowns, with…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/sweet-16-rams-matthew-stafford-100014561.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-09-06 10:00:14
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
