Rams coach Sean McVay shrugged off the notion that 35-year-old starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is having trouble “connecting” with his younger teammates.
The question to McVay came after Stafford’s wife, Kelly, made a comment about her husband and the relationships he has with younger teammates on her podcast The Morning After With Kelly Stafford.
When asked if he was concerned about his quarterback’s relationships with younger teammates, McVay said he isn’t worried.
“No I’m not concerned because I think if you know Kelly, I took that as more of a joke at the old man,” McVay said. “And I’ll be honest, there’s a couple throws that he made during training camp where I wanted to say ‘Yes sir’ to him as well. He’s done a great job being able to … I mean, if you watch and if you come out to camp, this guy’s done a phenomenal job of leading, connecting with his teammates. I think it’s one of those deals that becomes a fun narrative in a dead period.”
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On the podcast, Kelly described how her husband was struggling to relate to the younger guys as a veteran in the locker room.
“It’s kind of crazy. So Matthew’s been in the league a long time. He’s like, ‘The difference in the locker room has changed so significantly.’ They have a lot of rookies on their team, they’re very young. But he’s like, ‘I feel like I can’t connect. In the old days you’d come out of practice, you’d shower, and people would be playing cards, interacting. … But now they get out of practice, and meetings during training camp, and they go straight to their phones,” said Kelly.
“They say ‘Sir’ to him and s---. He’s like, ’No, we’re on the same level here, we’re both playing in the league. Let me get to know you.’”
Whether this is a real storyline or not heading into the season remains to be seen, but with Stafford finally healthy, he’s looking to get his team back to the Super Bowl as he seeks his second ring as a starting quarterback.
