Former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been working hard to get ready for what could be his final NFL season, but won’t say for certain whether he’ll be on the field in Week 1.
Stafford missed a long stretch of practices and training camp with the Los Angeles Rams as he’s been rehabbing a nagging back injury. Though he was able to return to practice and looked sharp in his first action in months, Stafford refused to give a solid answer when asked if he would be ready to play in the season opener.
“I’m not going to answer questions like that,” Stafford said, via the Los Angeles Times.
Stafford’s answer has sparked some concern about whether he will be ready to start the season or if the Rams will be forced to turn to journeyman Jimmy Garoppolo to play in Stafford’s place.
Matthew Stafford ‘Probably’ Day-to-Day
Rams head coach Sean McVay has been equally vague in speaking about Stafford’s status, saying near the start of training camp in July that the veteran quarterback was “week-to-week.” Stafford improved on that status this week, telling reporters that he is now taking it one day at a time rather than one week.
“It’s probably a day-to-day thing,” Stafford said. “I’m just doing everything I can to try and be out there for the next practice.”
As NFL.com’s Kevin Patra added, the Rams have taken some unusual measures to get the veteran quarterback ready.
“Returning likely includes using a ‘restorative and rejuvenation’ mobile vehicle parked at the Rams’ facility, which Stafford entered during a practice he missed,” Patra wrote.
Stafford gave some optimistic remarks as the season nears, saying his back has felt better and he was surprised at how much he could do at practice.
“The good thing is I feel pretty good,” he said. “The last couple days out there practicing, I was able to do even more than I thought I was going to be able to do the first day, and then I’ve just been trying to stack days. … Backs are sometimes interesting things. It’s not cut and dry, what’s what and how you’re going to feel.”
Lions Nearing Their Own Quarterback Decision
Stafford came to Los Angeles in one of the biggest quarterback trades in recent memory, with the Lions getting a haul of draft picks along with quarterback Jared Goff. The Lions used the picks as part of a plan to build a contender around Goff, who pushed aside any lingering doubts from his time with the Rams and has grown into a franchise quarterback.
The only drama in Detroit’s quarterback room is below Goff, where veteran Kyle Allen and former third-round pick Hendon Hooker have been competing for the No. 2 spot. Allen has pulled ahead in the race with a strong preseason, leaving the Lions with a tough choice on what to do with Hooker.
While some have suggested the team will keep three quarterbacks, other analysts have suggested the Lions could use Hooker as trade bait.
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