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THOUSAND OAKS — The nighttime aft Matthew Stafford made his sensational debut with the Rams connected Sunday, helium went to the ballpark to ticker boyhood person Clayton Kershaw marque his instrumentality from an elbow wounded successful the vigor of a Dodgers pennant race.
“It was chill to spell spot Clayton bash his thing,” Stafford said arsenic the Rams began preparing for this Sunday’s roadworthy crippled against the Indianapolis Colts. “I cognize he’s been battling immoderate worldly to get backmost retired determination and play. Proud of him. He played great.”
Kershaw didn’t spell to SoFi Stadium for Stafford’s game, needing to remainder for his archetypal pitching duty successful 2 months, but told Dodgers writers he’d been excited to ticker the Rams bushed the Chicago Bears, 34-14, connected TV.
“He played awesome,” Kershaw said of Stafford, who caught him successful question shot earlier they got to Highland Park High successful the Dallas country and Stafford moved to shortstop (oh, and quarterback). “It’s ever amusive to person idiosyncratic to cheer for successful different sport, and Matthew is that feline for me. Now that we’re some successful L.A., it’s afloat ellipse and it’s beauteous cool.”
For Stafford, watching the three-time Cy Young Award victor pitching for the 2020 World Series champion Dodgers mightiness besides beryllium a reminder of the quality successful sports civilization helium faces successful moving from Detroit to Los Angeles.
In Detroit, the Tigers, Pistons and Red Wings person large history, but nary of them has precocious past circular 1 of the playoffs successful the past 7 years. The Lions themselves haven’t won a playoff crippled successful 30 years. Since Stafford was drafted No. 1 wide successful 2009, nary of the 4 teams won a championship.
Right now, Detroit teams aren’t expected to win.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers, Lakers and Kings person combined to triumph six titles implicit the aforesaid 12 years. The Rams are contenders to scope their 2nd Super Bowl successful 4 seasons. After the Dodgers and Lakers won the World Series and NBA titles successful 2020, then-Rams backmost Jared Goff said: “Now it’s our turn.”
Right now, and always, L.A. teams are expected to win.
Kershaw could archer him astir the scrutiny a prima faces if helium falls short.
No problem, Stafford said Wednesday.
“I mean, we were trying to triumph ’em excessively erstwhile I was successful Detroit,” Stafford said with a smile. “The Tigers were beauteous damn bully erstwhile I archetypal got there. The Red Wings were beauteous good. Pistons were rebuilding a small bit.
“It’s nary antithetic to me,” Stafford said of L.A. expectations. “I’m conscionable trying to spell retired determination and execute arsenic champion I can.”
The mode for Rams players to grip precocious expectations, helium said, is to bash their occupation consistently.
“I’m going to effort to bash that week successful and week out, time successful and time out,” Stafford said.
He did much than that Sunday, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors by passing for 321 yards, touchdowns covering 67, 56 and 2 yards, and nary interceptions.
Coach Sean McVay talks astir dealing with different people’s precocious expectations by pursuing an “inside-out” alternatively than “outside-in” narrative.
“You recognize that determination are outer expectations and things similar that, but that shouldn’t impact our quality to attack the mode we hole (during the week) to effort to play to the champion of our abilities connected Sunday,” McVay said.
He said Stafford has the quality to bash that.
Which didn’t halt him from getting extracurricular shot connected a Monday nighttime disconnected to ticker baseball, and astir apt representation himself connected the Dodger Stadium infield.
“Growing up, I would person told you that’s what I was going to do,” Stafford said. “But shot happened to beryllium thing I was a small spot amended at.”
What helium couldn’t representation was Kershaw making it arsenic an NFL quarterback.
“I don’t know,” Stafford said. “He throws a shot amended than helium threw a football.”
NOTES
Left tackle Andrew Whitworth volition donate $20,000 aft each location crippled this play to repair hurricane harm to homes successful his location authorities of Louisiana and assistance Los Angeles residents facing lodging insecurity, the squad announced. It’s called the “Big Whit Homes for LA Families” program. … Nose tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (knee) was held retired of the week’s archetypal signifier Wednesday. The wounded study listed Whitworth, antiaircraft tackle Aaron Donald and extracurricular linebacker Terrell Lewis arsenic taking the time disconnected for “rest,” though Donald took portion successful idiosyncratic drills. …
The Rams (1-0) are four-point favorites implicit the Colts (0-1). The enactment moved up from 3 aft the Rams’ rout of the Bears and the Colts’ 28-16 nonaccomplishment astatine location to the Seattle Seahawks successful Week 1 games. … McVay said rookie wide receiver Tutu Atwell will beryllium the Rams’ punt returner. Atwell’s debut successful that relation would person travel connected a Bears punt from midfield, but seasoned wide receiver Cooper Kupp was sent successful to marque a just drawback astatine the 11-yard line. “It was a harmless concern (to usage Kupp),” McVay said of the Bears’ lone punt. “There wasn’t a instrumentality anticipation for america there.”
It’s #KershawDay truthful you cognize Matthew Stafford’s successful the house. pic.twitter.com/Szgp3qcpeu
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 14, 2021
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