Stafford’s Back Issue

[RamDino]

For sure!
While his performance was encouraging, he's got a long way to go before being a legit option. 1 good pre-season game means very little. Now if Winn plays the majority of the next 2 games it says more about what the Rams think
Meaning, the less Bennett plays, the higher the Rams are on him

I would rather see Stetson Bennett play the next 3 games, so he can gain as much experience as possible. As you stated, he has a long ways to go before being a legit option.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Nope, at this point Stafford should not risk it.

1. I wonder what kind of mess this would have created if the Rams had gotten some team to give up a first or second round pick for Stafford this past winter.

2. It sure would be sweet if the Rams won a Super Bowl with Garapolo. That’s something Shanahan couldn’t do. Niners fans would be livid.

3. This likely means McVay and the staff are going to have to coach their butts off. They won’t have the luxury of having a genius level QB making no look passes. They will have to adjust the offense to Garapolo’s strengths and weaknesses. I hope the defense is as good as we think they are.

I don't love Jimmy as a QB AND I think people were really overrating his performance in week 18 due to the circumstances of what he was facing BUT I think you can squint at him in that game to see an offense that looks good and breathe easier if he needs to start for any bit of time.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I kinda think it's funny that people on here are either Stafford is gonna be fine for week 1 or basically he's done for the season when it's entirely reasonable to think he might miss say the 1st four games of the season.

 

[WestCoastRam]

For sure!
While his performance was encouraging, he's got a long way to go before being a legit option. 1 good pre-season game means very little. Now if Winn plays the majority of the next 2 games it says more about what the Rams think
Meaning, the less Bennett plays, the higher the Rams are on him

Wait, you're saying we're NOT gonna trade the QB who's played with the 1s throughout training camp (when we may need that person to start 1st four games of year) for Bennett who had one good game in preseason!!

 

[dieterbrock]

Wait, you're saying we're NOT gonna trade the QB who's played with the 1s throughout training camp (when we may need that person to start 1st four games of year) for Bennett who had one good game in preseason!!

I still think they could cut Bennett and put him on the PS, but we'll see

 

[Tumak61]

Stafford's back is going to be an ongoing thing the whole season. Garrapolo should be a good pickup in fantasy leagues. He's going to see action. You can't really do any training with a bad back. How much training does Stafford normally do? No clue.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I still think they could cut Bennett and put him on the PS, but we'll see

Definitely don't think this is out of the realm of possibility with a healthy Stafford to start the season, especially since his contract starts tolling at a higher number this year and next and he's only signed through next year so it's not like we have a longer runway of investment.

 

[Merlin]

I kinda think it's funny that people on here are either Stafford is gonna be fine for week 1 or basically he's done for the season when it's entirely reasonable to think he might miss say the 1st four games of the season.

Anyone who is concerned right now is behaving in a perfectly logical manner.

Also Stafford's status at this moment means even if some team called with top-end pick compensation for Jimmy the Rams would have to turn it down.

If Stafford were to spend a significant chunk of the season on IR, the Rams would be better off than most teams would be due to what looks like excellent QB depth. That said Jimmy definitely has dropoff from Stafford, and he puts the offense under more dependency on the underneath routes. So we'll be very run dependent.

Lastly run dependency may be a thing anyway, no matter who the QB is, due to Jackson's status. Because the bottom line here is Stafford will not survive the season with a turnstile at LT. And until I see one of the depth OT function at a reasonable level in that LT role vs a good draw, turnstile is precisely the expectation.

 

[dieterbrock]

Definitely don't think this is out of the realm of possibility with a healthy Stafford to start the season, especially since his contract starts tolling at a higher number this year and next and he's only signed through next year so it's not like we have a longer runway of investment.

Correct, it would require Stafford to be fully healthy, which at this point is certainly in doubt

 

[Psycho_X]

Anyone who is concerned right now is behaving in a perfectly logical manner.

Also Stafford's status at this moment means even if some team called with top-end pick compensation for Jimmy the Rams would have to turn it down.

If Stafford were to spend a significant chunk of the season on IR, the Rams would be better off than most teams would be due to what looks like excellent QB depth. That said Jimmy definitely has dropoff from Stafford, and he puts the offense under more dependency on the underneath routes. So we'll be very run dependent.

Lastly run dependency may be a thing anyway, no matter who the QB is, due to Jackson's status. Because the bottom line here is Stafford will not survive the season with a turnstile at LT. And until I see one of the depth OT function at a reasonable level in that LT role vs a good draw, turnstile is precisely the expectation.

Agreed there is drop off with Jimmy G... no one can beat Stafford's ability in crunch time especially in the playoffs. But with the defense I think we'll have Jimmy G will be enough to get us to the playoffs and possibly more. My hope is whatever Stafford's issue is they get it figured out long term. I have no problem riding with Jimmy G for the first half+ of the season if we have to if it means Stafford is 100% for a playoff run.

 

[dieterbrock]

Also Stafford's status at this moment means even if some team called with top-end pick compensation for Jimmy the Rams would have to turn it down.

Pretty implausible situation really, I mean the Vikings panicked nearly 10 years ago and coughed up a 1st rounder for Sam Bradford, but when has any team done anything similar? If anything, the failure of that trade would be a warning more than a green light. That even aside, who would look at JG as the answer? Dumped unceremoniously from his previous 2 teams, and has been an available FA the last 2 off seasons. Alas, even if Staff is fully 100% healthy, I wouldnt see the Rams trading him for a mid round pick

 

[WestCoastRam]

Pretty implausible situation really, I mean the Vikings panicked nearly 10 years ago and coughed up a 1st rounder for Sam Bradford, but when has any team done anything similar? If anything, the failure of that trade would be a warning more than a green light. That even aside, who would look at JG as the answer? Dumped unceremoniously from his previous 2 teams, and has been an available FA the last 2 off seasons. Alas, even if Staff is fully 100% healthy, I wouldnt see the Rams trading him for a mid round pick

Anyone remember when we got a third round pick from MIA for a middling RB in the STL days?

Teams still panic but the days of crazy panic trades are fewer and far between with much better run front offices league wide.

Maybe Seattle giving up all that treasure for Adams... but that seemed less a panic move than they legitimately wanted him for that version of their defense and it was a horrible decision.

 

[HX76]

Stafford’s back is the new Jackson’s blood clots.

 

[André]

Honestly, with the first four scheduled opponents and Jimmy G as starter for that limited run ... might it accidentally end up being the best chance of having a healthy Stafford for a deep playoff run?

Along those lines, will that be something that is more actively considered for older/fragile players as the season expands to 18 games?

 

[Varg6]

The only thing I’m (potentially) pissed off about is if he needs to get surgery, or there was a chance he’d need it, why didn’t they months ago? Contract negotiations?

At this point, I’m expecting Jimmy G to be our starter for at least the first month of the season.

Even if he can play, as we’ve mentioned, how sustainable is this situation for him? One bad hit and things could take a turn…

 

[WestCoastRam]

The only thing I’m (potentially) pissed off about is if he needs to get surgery, or there was a chance he’d need it, why didn’t they months ago? Contract negotiations?

At this point, I’m expecting Jimmy G to be our starter for at least the first month of the season.

Even if he can play, as we’ve mentioned, how sustainable is this situation for him? One bad hit and things could take a turn…

There's been nothing reported to believe that this was an issue till right before training camp. He was fine during OTAs.

It's a back. Shit happens.

 

[PhillyRam]

There's been nothing reported to believe that this was an issue till right before training camp. He was fine during OTAs.

It's a back. Shit happens.

Yep, he participated in the Maui mini camp and then played golf in a team event in Maui. Somewhere along the line he aggravated his back.