LOS ANGELES — Matthew Stafford received no warm welcome when he walked into Ford Field in January for the first time as an opposing quarterback. Detroit Lions fans mercilessly booed their former quarterback as he led the Rams in an ill-fated attempt at a road playoff win.
When the Rams arrive back in Detroit on Sunday for their season opener, Stafford won’t try to tune out the noise.
“I’m one of the guys that walks into the opposing stadium, everyone has their headphones on, I don’t,” Stafford said. “I want to hear all of it, I want to smell it, I want to feel like it’s football. That’s part of football, especially going to an away game. So that stuff just motivates me.”
Stafford, entering his 16th season, doesn’t have much left to prove. Super Bowl winner, knocking on top-10 lists in NFL record books, picked up his second Pro Bowl nod last season.
But he still loves the competition that comes with being an NFL quarterback. Game planning, studying film, leading a huddle. So he spent the offseason getting his body healthy and his mind clear to prepare for the challenges of the season ahead.
“It takes a lot out of me to play this position,” Stafford said. “So just trying to step away, get away, and when I did come back, just to make sure I was all in, ready to go.”
Every season is different, and this one threw Stafford its own curveball two weeks ago as the Rams began to transition free agent acquisition Jonah Jackson to center and move Steve Avila back to left guard.
Jackson is a former teammate of Stafford’s, having played his rookie year alongside the veteran QB with the Lions in 2020. The two worked on snap chemistry that season, so they had a bit of a head start when Jackson returned to practice from a shoulder injury that kept him out for a chunk of August.
“His command of the offense is really impressive for a guy that hasn’t been here for a bunch of years and understanding what we’re trying to do from an offensive standpoint,” Stafford said. “I don’t know how many guys we played at center in 2022, I took snaps from all sorts of people. So I’m not too worried about it.”
Jackson describes center as his natural position; it was the first position he ever played in football, and he played there in college. He also prepared to play center during his four years in Detroit, though he ended up at left guard due to roster construction.
“Making the transition was really seamless,” Jackson said. “I’ve always played center and it just so happened that sometimes we needed a guard more than we needed a center, so I played guard. … You gotta be more vocal, you gotta be more commanding. You gotta make the call, you gotta direct guys where to go. So that’s probably the biggest transition. Physically, it’s not too much different.”
Right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) and cornerbacks Darious Williams (hamstring) and Decobie Durant (hamstring) were limited in practice on Wednesday. Head coach Sean McVay said he expects receiver Puka Nacua (knee) to play on Sunday.
