Twelve months ago, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (elbow) unfairly carried the label of someone that couldn’t get it done in big moments after playing a dozen seasons with the Detroit Lions and never winning a playoff game. Now, he’s the leader of the defending Super Bowl champions. Without questions to be asked about his ability to play his best in the biggest spots, the focus has now turned to his physical well-being.
It’s been about a week now since reports started surfacing that Stafford was dealing with a case of “bad tendinitis” in his throwing elbow, one that has caused the team to back off the veteran’s reps in camp and take some additional time to rest the injury. In the aftermath, Stafford has downplayed the severity of the issue, referring to it as “irritating” or “soreness,” and he said recently that he believed he could still “make any throw [he] wanted.”
As we sit here in early August, there doesn’t seem to be huge cause for concern. Stafford played in all 21 games last year, including playoffs, on a run that stretched into February. At 34 and with 13 NFL seasons under his belt, there’s zero reason for the team or player to prioritize preparation over rest — his former NFC North running mate, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, just this week called playing a series in preseason games a “waste.”
