Matthew Stafford sits to avoid injury this time and Jimmy Garoppolo shows command
Story by Gary Klein
With his age and the mileage on his throwing arm, Matthew Stafford was held out of the Rams' first practice in pads Monday to keep team's most valuable commodity safe.
www.latimes.com
No elbow problem. No money-related hold-in.
Just a scheduled day off.
“This was part of the plan all along,” McVay said, adding, “There’s nothing wrong with him. He’s good.”
Jimmy Garoppolo took Stafford’s place with the first-team offense and
Stetson Bennett worked with the second team.
Although both excelled at times, there is no replacing Stafford. The 16th-year pro is the key player for a team that will enter the season with far greater expectations than the 2023 version that finished with a better-than-anticipated 10-7 record and made the playoffs.
Garoppolo, 32, has his own history of injuries, but the 11th-year pro — who signed a one-year contract with
the Rams — got through offseason workouts unscathed and passed well during the first week of camp.
On Monday, his experience and increasing comfort in the offense showed.
A touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Long in the back of the end zone harked to throws Garoppolo made with the San Francisco 49ers against the Rams while forging an 8-0 record in regular-season games.
“He’s got great command,” McVay said. “You can see he’s played a lot.”
Garoppolo must sit out the first two regular-season games against the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals because of a suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders.
So if Stafford were to be sidelined before or during those games, Bennett would be in line to replace him.
Bennett, a second-year pro, spent all of last season on the non-football injury/illness list. Monday marked his first extended work in team drills since the summer of 2023.
Bennett made several outstanding passes, one on a sideline route to receiver Xavier Smith and another on a touchdown pass to receiver Tyler Johnson. He also made some mistakes.
“He had some really good reps; some things where we can be a little bit cleaner,” McVay said, “But what you do see from Stetson is the athleticism. The ability ... if we lose contain up front, he can break it and make plays with his legs.”
Bennett enjoyed his first opportunity in full-team drills.
“It went pretty well,” he said. “There were some mistakes, but made some good plays too.
“Just learn from it.”
Etc.
Left tackle Alaric Jackson was sidelined after he sustained an ankle injury early in practice. “I think he’s going to be fine,” McVay said. ... Rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske stood out on a day that featured an emphasis on the rushing attack. “He showed up in a big way,” McVay said. “We had some things in that were in alignment that fit his skillset to allow him to really thrive and he took advantage of it.” ... Nacua made a spectacular one-handed catch. ... The Rams will practice in pads again Tuesday.
This story originally appeared in
Los Angeles Times.
