Article: Sean McVay calls Matthew Stafford’s elbow pain “a little bit abnormal” for a QB

[profootballtalk.nbcsports.com] Sean McVay calls Matthew Stafford’s elbow pain “a little bit abnormal” for a QB
Posted by Charean Williams on August 4, 2022, 8:48 PM EDT

NFL: AUG 01 Los Angeles Rams Training Camp
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Rams coach Sean McVay announced Wednesday Matthew Stafford wouldn’t participate in team drills for now. A report earlier Thursday provided more clarity, indicating Stafford is dealing with “bad tendinitis.”

McVay wouldn’t confirm Stafford has tendinitis, but his explanation of the injury likely won’t temper the concern of Rams fans.


“It’s a little bit abnormal for a quarterback, some of this stuff is things that MLB pitchers deal with, so it is something that we’re kind of learning about on the fly and his feedback,” McVay said Thursday, via a transcript from the team. “We’re really trying to just figure out, ‘OK, how do we get the best plan in place to try to minimize some of the things that he was having to push through,’ while also giving him the confidence that, ‘Hey, I can really just, let it go, not have to worry about it, play to the best of my ability.’

“The goal is to try to get him to feel as good as possible, especially when you’re talking about something with that throwing elbow, and this is the plan that we feel best about, but it is something that I’ve never navigated through as a coach with a quarterback. You’ve had little elbow things here and there, but this is something that we want to be as smart as possible, and it’s taken a big team to try to do that.”

Stafford had a procedure this offseason, which Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports was platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. The quarterback also wore a brace briefly to limit his range of motion while healing. He did not throw during the offseason workouts but obviously still is dealing with the issue into training camp.

McVay said Stafford “tried some things in the offseason” in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain. They now are being deliberate in not overtaxing his arm.

McVay reports that Stafford “feels good” and is making progress.

“It’s really just being able to have enough time to let this rehab program that we have implemented,” McVay said. “I think he feels stronger. He’s feeling better. But the one thing with Matthew is you’ve got to really pull it out of him because he’s such a competitor. I’ve seen things that are encouraging, but I think it’ll give us a better idea probably about a week, two weeks from now, to really just say, ‘OK, is this getting the results that we want? And then are we going to start going back to a normal workload or what does that really look like leading up to Sept. 8?’”

Stafford threw during individual 7-on-7 drills Thursday, but he is not expected to throw during team drills before the Rams leave Irvine on Aug. 10.