Sean McVay has been asked questions about Matthew Stafford’s arm every time he’s taken the podium for a press conference in the last week. It all started when Stafford got a day off from throwing, which McVay then proceeded to say was because the quarterback was experiencing some pain in his arm.
The Rams have put Stafford on a workload management plan to ensure he’s healthy for Week 1, which has only heightened the level of panic and concern among fans – especially after McVay called it an injury that’s “abnormal for a quarterback” and compared it to a pitcher injury.
On Saturday, Stafford made McVay and everyone else feel a little bit better by ripping throws in practice and looking like his usual self.
“He threw it all over the yard today, looked really good, felt good,” McVay said of Stafford. “We’re very much on track with what we had hoped and I think you could really see. The ball was jumping out of his hand, making all types of throws, and so I think he was trying to show you guys that there’s probably not many questions you can ask him either based on how he felt in the way he was throwing it around today.”
What makes McVay feel comfortable with the whole situation is the fact that you would never know anything was wrong with Stafford based on the way he looked Saturday. That in itself will have McVay sleeping better at night.
“I do know this: The way that he looked today, I don’t think you would know that anything was going on and he felt good. So, I know that I’m going to sleep better tonight.”
We can get used to this! 🎯
Stafford ➡️ @AllenRobinson pic.twitter.com/6OglhzYbKs
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 6, 2022
Stafford isn’t being limited with the types of throws he’s making in practice, which is a good sign. The Rams aren’t preventing him from making downfield throws out of fear for his arm. It’s just that he’s getting some days off from throwing to manage the injury.
“It wasn’t where you’re just short and intermediate,” McVay continued. “He’s pushing the ball (to) all types of spots so that’s what we want to be able to do. But we’re going to stay committed to this plan and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
McVay has never been overly concerned about his quarterback’s injury, and he’s even less so now after seeing him throw on Saturday. As long as he’s good to go by Week 1 and can remain healthy all season, the Rams have no real reason to be worried.
