Much has changed since veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford entered the league in 2009 — the locker room atmosphere, specifically.
When discussing the 35-year-old Rams quarterback on the latest installment of her “Morning After” podcast, Stafford’s wife Kelly remarked how the 15-year veteran has had difficulty connecting with his younger teammates as some seem to be more entranced by their mobile devices.
“It’s kind of crazy, so Matthew’s been in the league for a long time,” Kelly began. “He’s like, ‘The difference in the locker room has changed so significantly,’ and they have a lot of rookies on their team this year, they’re very young.
“… But, he’s like, ‘I feel like I can’t connect.’ Because in the old days, you’d come out of practice, you’d shower, people would be playing cards, people would be interacting. Who knows what they’re doing but they’re doing something together, they’re playing ping pong, they have a tournament going on, they’re at least talking. He said now, they get done with practice, get done meetings during training camp, and they go straight to their phones, like no one looks up from their phones.”
Amid the challenge, Stafford – who is entering his third year in Los Angeles — tasked a member of Rams personnel to print a book filled with intel on the younger guard.
“They say ‘sir’ to him and s–t, He’s like, ‘No, we’re on the same level here, we’re both playing in this league, let me get to know you,’” Kelly said. “But he said it’s so different and it’s so hard to get to know these guys. He had a book printed out … of all the guys’ faces and their names. He’s like, ‘I need to know their names.’”
Kelly added she believes Stafford “feels it the most because he’s so old and like a leader on the team.”
“But he’s like, ‘I don’t know how to lead people I have no connection with. I have to somehow find a way to connect with them,’” she said.
The Rams are hoping to recapture the magic of their 2021 Super Bowl run following last season’s 5-12 debacle.
Stafford sat out the conclusion of the 2022 season with a spinal cord contusion.
Kelly, who has been married to Stafford since 2015, has been a staple at Rams games throughout the quarterback’s tenure in Los Angeles.
The couple relocated to the West Coast with their four young daughters in 2021, when Stafford was traded to the Rams by the Detroit Lions.
The Rams open the 2023 season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 10.
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