The Los Angeles Rams have one of the most durable starting quarterbacks in the National Football League in veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. Not only does Stafford rarely miss games for any reason, he also plays well enough to never get benched for poor play.
This makes Stafford a valuable asset for the Rams coaching staff and their group of quarterbacks. However, it leaves little room for the quarterbacks behind him to get much playing time.
Still, veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has plenty of high-level experience around the NFL. His career has spanned many years as a starting quarterback that has reached a Super Bowl and a backup quarterback to Tom Brady for many years before that.
In Los Angeles, though, he has yet to play a down this season while sitting behind Stafford. Rams head coach Sean McVay believes Garoppolo has handled his backup role well and has learned from it.
“I think what I've seen is just a guy that's approached it like a pro and has been a great teammate," McVay said. "You can see just the respect, the reverence that he has for Matthew and really for each other that they have for one another. It's a really cool quarterback room. [Quarterbacks Coach] Dave Ragone does such a great job. It’s been cool to watch both those guys pour into Stetson [Bennett] as he's continuing to learn. Cooper [Kupp] and Puka [Nacua] end up in there a lot. I've just seen a guy that has been so consistent.
"He’s got a great way about himself. He has used all the practice reps he has accumulated to get better. I think he’s really been a big part of the growth that you've seen from our defense throughout the course of the year. It's hard to be able to get some of the looks that he's able to mimic and emulate when he's simulating the opposing quarterback. He really challenges our guys on the back end. He has a good rapport with the guys that he's playing with on the look team. I think those guys have gotten better as a result of his leadership.”
Garoppolo echoed the same sentiment, as he has spent ample time as both a starter and a backup in the league. He plans to be ready when his number is called on Sunday.
“I think just a different role,” Garoppolo said. “I haven't been in this role since my [New England] Patriots days so it was definitely a little different. Doing scout team... there’s a part of the scout team that I really enjoy. You get to study the other quarterback, what he does. You get to see how he uses cadences, how he uses motions and different things like that. I always think that you could find something in everyone's game and apply it to your own. That's really what I've tried to do this year running the scout team and it's done some good for me. Just have to go out there on Sunday and show it."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as How Time in a Different Role Has Benefitted Rams' Jimmy Garoppolo.