LOS ANGELE — Day 8, and the final day of the second practice block at Rams Training Camp presented by CommunityAmerica Credit Union at LMU, was the most high-flying practice thus far. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was in constant competition with the first-team defensive backs as they went back and forth with the first-team wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and cornerback Trent McDuffie recapped the practice filled with "good quality play," as McVay always looks for. The saying that keeps coming up this training camp is "iron sharpens iron," and Stafford and McDuffie both spent their time with the media complementing the other side and how helpful it is to have such high-quality players on both sides.
"I thought there was especially some really good back-and-forth with the ones, some really good plays on both sides. But that's what we're looking for is good quality play where you can really see guys playing through the cycle of the snap. I thought there were some great opportunities for some big plays down the field where our DBs played all the way through the echo of the whistle. (McDuffie and cornerback Jaylen Watson) made some big breakups down the field, but guys made plays on both sides. It felt like it was a quality operation. Long, long way to go, but I thought we took a step in the right direction today." - McVay
Monday's practice was back and forth. McDuffie had a great pass breakup on wide receiver Puka Nacua. Cornerback Jaylen Watson had another pass breakup on wide receiver Davante Adams. Adams then had a touchdown grab on a different deep ball from Stafford against Watson. Nacua caught a pass over safety Quentin Lake for a touchdown. And safety Kam Curl had an interception as the pocket collapsed on Stafford.
The final practice of the second block served as a testing ground for everything build on the foundation of the first three days. McVay explained that progression as "the first two days represent opportunities to be able to walk through then practice. Then you're more mentally in that third day, and then the last day is a little bit bigger practice but we're not doing some of the other mental stuff."
The fourth day in block two didn't disappoint as the wide receivers and defensive backs constantly made each other better by producing highlight-reel play after highlight-reel play.
"All those things are going to happen. You're going to have turnovers. You're going to have incompletions and bad series, bad plays. Just how do you reset and continue to move forward? And I think that's something that you continue to build out here." - Stafford
Stafford was quick to acknowledge the proficiency of the defensive back room in Monday's practice. Stafford also explained, though, that mistakes and good plays on the defense are part of football and the offense needs to be able to move forward from them. "There was a a lot of high quality plays out there, plays that in the books will go down as good for the offense, and in the books it'll go down as good for the defense. Sometimes you just tip your cap," Stafford said.
With the exact same sentiment as his head coach, Stafford recognizes that high-quality football is a win for both sides of the ball. And to Stafford, Monday's practice was, "as high quality of practice football as I've been around, and so that part of it is really fun."
"Each and every day you step on this grass, you got to be at your 100, because they're the type of guys that even if you have a little off day, they'll expose you. They're just that good, that elite. It just makes you, one, hone your craft because you know you got to be disciplined. Two, you're gonna learn how to make mistakes. Even if you have the best technique, Stafford might no-look and make a perfect throw. Davante might make a great catch, and you gotta line up the next play. And three, it's just a confidence thing. Especially when you come out here, we're competing, but we're competing to get better and to make each other better. When I line up against Davante, when I line up against Puka, my mindset is: I gotta beat you this rep. Not just because I got to beat you, but if I don't give you my best technique, if I don't give you the best on this field, I'm not gonna make you better this play, and vice versa." - McDuffie
McDuffie's checklist of three things — the desire to hone in your craft, learn how to make mistakes and build confidence — is perfectly emblematic of the "iron sharpens iron" mentality that comes from the high-level talent competing against each another on both sides of the ball. On any individual play, the offense or the defense can have a "good" rep, as Stafford mentioned, but the most important note for the players and coaches is simply learning from it, especially during training camp.
And practice after practice, McDuffie notices just how much he's getting better by lining up against two of the best wide receivers in the NFL. "They have genuinely made me better every time I step on this grass," McDuffie said.
