Rams Camp: Intel on QB Matthew Stafford From SI's Albert Breer

Rams Camp: Intel on QB Matthew Stafford From SI's Albert Breer

Rams training camp updates from SI's Senior NFL Reporter Albert Breer.

NICHOLAS COTHREL

[www.si.com]

The Los Angeles Rams hit the road this weekend to join the Dallas Cowboys for a joint practice, and Sports Illustrated's Senior NFL Reporter and Lead Content Strategist had boots on the ground in Oxnard, Calif. to observe the workout.

Breer dropped his MMQB column as he does the Monday of each week, and he provided intel on what he saw and heard from staffers at the practice.

Breer wrote the following:

"The Rams are pretty ecstatic with Matthew Stafford. I was with L.A. on Friday and Saturday, and the most common conversation-opener that staffers there used on me was simple: “This guy …” And they knew I knew who they were talking about before saying Stafford’s name. During the team’s scrimmage with the Cowboys on Saturday, Stafford made a throw that brought to life what they’re enamored with. On the play, Stafford took the snap, and rolled to his left. With a couple Dallas defenders bearing down, he flipped his hips—I could swear he didn’t have his feet all the way planted—and launched a rocket to DeSean Jackson, who was racing downfield towards the right pylon. I was standing near Jackson, and could hear the ball humming. So it’s that, plus the mental acuity Stafford brings, that has Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell and Co. believing pretty strongly that the quarterback is going to allow the coaches to swing some clubs they haven’t been able to pull from the bag in a while. And that’s not an indictment on Jared Goff, so much as it is an affirmation that Stafford’s high-end ability remains, as he heads into his 13th year as a pro, and first as a Ram."

The Rams acquiring Stafford this offseason always looked and felt like a move with one thing in mind: open up the playbook to let the offense loose. While that always sounds nice in theory, actually putting it to the test in another scenario.

According to Breer, it appears the Rams are pleased with how Stafford has uplifted the offense just as they had hoped when they finalized the trade.