National Football League

Matthew Stafford confident Rams can repeat

Published Jul. 9, 2022 6:49 p.m. ET

Matthew Stafford accomplished exactly what he set out to when he hooked up with the Los Angeles Rams ahead of the 2021 season.

And for a lot of people around the NFL, he reached the mountaintop much quicker than they foresaw, while others didn't believe he had the ability to capture a Lombardi Trophy at all.

But Stafford proved all of his doubters wrong, seizing the NFL's crowning jewel just 12 months after arriving in Tinseltown. And in his eyes, he and the Rams can be even better this upcoming season.

"I'm excited about it," Stafford said on Behind The Grind, an in-depth docuseries focused on the team. "When you get a taste of that success, it only makes you want it more."

For Stafford, his confidence stems from his experience, and acquired knowledge that being the best team in football is the hardest thing to accomplish as a professional.

"[Success comes with] being a little bit uncomfortable," Stafford reflected on his first campaign with Los Angeles. "Biggest lesson I learned from last season, I think, is it's never easy. People see the end product, they see us hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, but it was a struggle.

"At this point in the year last season, I think to myself what I knew about this team and this offense, and it's just so small in comparison to what I know and understand now. So that gives me great comfort in the fact that we can go above and beyond what we did last year."

Stafford has recently begun increasing his physical activity, as the league year ramps up its own schedule. When he first arrived at voluntary camps, his squad had him focused on a more above-the-neck approach — one that didn't involve throwing at all.

The 34-year-old still practiced at game speed during minicamp, progressing through his reads before making mental decisions. But he doesn't recall there being a comparable stretch in his career that he abstained from passing. Stafford and the team believe this approach will help preserve his arm for the long haul.

"I've definitely dealt with injuries throughout my career that have kind of limited me in certain ways," he said. "But we do as good a job here as anywhere I've ever been of being able to practice and make that practice feel — stress people above the neck, get the tempo, get the communication, force all that stuff without really tearing people's bodies down.

"So I do think we get a lot out of it. I think that's been the best part of it for us so far, is being able to stress guys who are new to the system or in a new spot in the offense, and we're trying out new stuff as well, we're trying out new tempos, new plays, all that kind of stuff. There's plenty to be gained, it's just less fun for me when I don't get to do the one thing that I liked doing, which is throwing the ball."