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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
News Analysis: Matthew Stafford's injury raises serious concerns for Rams as season approaches
Rams coach Sean McVay was not talking. Aubrey Pleasant deferred to McVay. And Stetson Bennett was so busy leading a comeback victory, he said he did not notice. No one in the Rams' organization could answer these questions: How did Matthew Stafford's scheduled workout on Saturday play out? And was he at the Rams' 23-22 victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium? A team spokesman declined to comment, saying McVay would address the situation on Monday. Read more: Rams mum on whether Matthew Stafford worked out: Takeaways from preseason win So the Stafford saga plays on, incrementally worsening as the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans draws near. Stafford, 37, is preparing for his 17th NFL season. Check that: He would be if not for a back issue that has prevented him from taking a single snap or throwing a single pass during a team practice. In late July, when the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount and Stafford's back issue came to light, the situation was cause for concern. For everyone, it seemed, but McVay. The Rams had a plan, he said. He was not concerned. Stafford would not practice for the first week, but he would be out there with teammates in Week 2. It did not happen. Nearly a month later, it still hasn't. McVay said last week that the Rams were 'trying to get our hands around' the situation. But time is becoming shorter. The Rams are three weeks away from the season opener at SoFi Stadium. Read more: Whose house? Rams and Chargers fans debate which team is the 'alphas' of L.A. Jimmy Garoppolo has taken first-team snaps during team workouts and joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. Bennett has started preseason games against the Cowboys and the Chargers. Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl. Bennett is playing with the confidence he displayed while leading Georgia to two national titles. With a physically sound Stafford, the Rams would be regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. With Garoppolo or Bennett... How much time Stafford would need to be ready for the opener is an open question. Three weeks? Two? One? No one questions Stafford's toughness or grit. Or his desire to win another Super Bowl. But for now, his physical condition and availability — and the Rams' prospects this season and beyond — remain in doubt. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Chris Pratt celebrates rarely-seen son Jack's 13th birthday with heartfelt tribute
is officially a dad to a teenager! The Guardians of the Galaxy star, 46, marked a major milestone on social media this week as his son Jack turned 13. In a touching post, Pratt reflected on watching his eldest child grow up and shared a number of heartwarming photos of them together over the years. 'I have a teenager??? Jack, I can't believe you are 13 today,' Pratt wrote on his Instagram Story. 'I've watched you grow into such an incredible young man, and am truly proud of the person you are becoming. I love you! Jesus is King!' The collage featured images of them cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers, at SoFi Stadium and even feeding milk to a baby cow. Jack is Pratt's first child, whom he shares with ex-wife Anna Faris. The former couple, who divorced in 2018 after nearly nine years of marriage, have continued to amicably co-parent their son. Pratt has since remarried author Katherine Schwarzenegger, with whom he shares daughters, Lyla, 3, Eloise, 2, and son Ford, nine months. Meanwhile, Faris secretly married her husband, Michael Barrett, back in July 2021. In October, Pratt and his son made headlines after making it on the Jumbotron during the World Series Game 1. As they were featured on the screen, the father-son duo, who sported matching Dodgers jerseys and baseball caps, stood up and waved enthusiastically. In 2023, Pratt advised people to 'rush' into into having children to give you more time together. In the interview, he recommended that people 'don't wait' to have children and that having them was 'incredible'. Speaking to Men's Journal, he said: 'People say all the time, 'Don't rush to have kids.' I personally disagree. Rush. Have them. Of course, make sure you find a great partner, but don't wait.' He explained: 'I was talking to Adam Sandler a while back and he said, 'Every day you wait is a day they don't get to have you in their life.' 'The younger you have kids, the more time they get to have with you. 'It's wild. Having kids is incredible. The things you normally take for granted in life are new. As they grow up, it becomes more about connecting with them as individuals and what makes them unique. 'The softness of their hearts. How their minds work. How they're the same as you. How they're different.' Chris added that becoming a father had affected his career, as it impacted choosing what roles he goes for. He said: 'In the same way that being a father changes the kind of actor you are, it can definitely change the kinds of roles you want to be involved in. 'I've found myself wanting to do more PG movies. I see a lot because my kids want to watch them, and to be honest, some of them are bad. And I'm sitting there thinking, This is terrible. 'So at the same time as wanting to make movies that would entertain my kids, I'm also thinking about creating movies that are merciful on the parents.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
News Analysis: Matthew Stafford's injury raises serious concerns for Rams as season approaches
Rams coach Sean McVay was not talking. Aubrey Pleasant deferred to McVay. And Stetson Bennett was so busy leading a comeback victory, he said he did not notice. No one in the Rams organization could answer these questions: How did Matthew Stafford's scheduled workout on Saturday play out? And was he at the Rams' 23-22 victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium? A team spokesman declined to comment, saying McVay would address the situation on Monday. Read more: Rams mum on whether Matthew Stafford worked out: Takeaways from preseason win So the Stafford saga plays on, incrementally worsening as the Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans draws near. Stafford, 37, is preparing for his 17th NFL season. Check that: He would be if not for a back issue that has prevented him from taking a single snap or throwing a single pass during a team practice. In late July, when the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount and Stafford's back issue came to light, the situation was cause for concern. For everyone, it seemed, but McVay. The Rams had a plan, he said. He was not concerned. Stafford would not practice for the first week, but he would be out there with teammates in Week 2. It did not happen. Nearly a month later, it still hasn't. McVay said last week that the Rams were 'trying to get our hands around' the situation. But time is becoming shorter. The Rams are three weeks away from the season opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Read more: Whose house? Rams and Chargers fans debate which team is the 'alphas' of L.A. Jimmy Garoppolo has taken first-team snaps during team workouts and joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints. Bennett has started preseason games against the Cowboys and the Chargers. Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl. Bennett is playing with the confidence he displayed while leading Georgia to two national titles. With a physically sound Stafford, the Rams would be regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. With Garoppolo or Bennett... How much time Stafford would need to be ready for the opener is an open question. Three weeks? Two? One? No one questions Stafford's toughness or grit. Or his desire to win another Super Bowl. But for now, his physical condition and availability — and the Rams' prospects this season and beyond — remain in doubt. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Whose house? Rams and Chargers fans debate which team is the 'alphas' of L.A.
Tangled shades of blue flooded the SoFi Stadium concourse. Powder blue jerseys brushed past royal blue horns in burger lines. Bolt-painted faces mingled with fans in throwback Rams gold. 'Whose house?' blared the stadium announcer. 'Rams House!' much of the crowd replied. Though in pockets of powder blue, the response came with a shrug, or with nothing at all. That question — whose team truly owns the Los Angeles pro football market — lingers nearly a decade after the Rams and the Chargers settled into the city's football landscape. The Rams, who won a Super Bowl title in 2022, sport a polish that no argument over fan bases can scrub away. Meanwhile, the Chargers' growing base insists this is just as much their town. Read more: Rams mum on whether Matthew Stafford worked out: Takeaways from preseason win During the Rams' 23-22 victory Saturday, the score felt secondary to the fans staking out territory. Jerry Quinones, 59, is a four-year Chargers season ticket holder. A retired first responder, he rarely misses a home game. But even from his usual seat in section 330, he acknowledged the nuance between the teams. 'Rams got more of a family base,' Quinones said. 'I wish the Chargers [would] have it, but they don't. They got cheerleaders, we don't.' Three levels below, on the field-level patio behind the end zone, Rams fan Gill Marquez, 25, yanked proudly at his Britain Covey jersey and repeated, 'We run L.A.' 'It means a lot to be a Rams fan,' Marquez said. 'I feel it deep down in my soul. We brought a championship to L.A. and that made a great point that we're the real team here.' Not every Rams fan put it quite so forcefully. Bob Gerard said he moved to L.A. from Chicago and hitched onto the Rams when they returned in 2016. The 58-year-old, who donned a Puka Nacua jersey, joked that he's fine letting the Chargers crash at SoFi — so long as the arrangement isn't mistaken. 'It's actually the Rams' house,' Gerard said, 'we just kind of Airbnb it out to [the Chargers] every other weekend.'' Chase Hay, outfitted in a palm-patterned Hawaiian shirt splashed with Rams logos, cut a looser figure while chatting with Chargers and Rams fans at the field level bar. For Hay, 36, the Rams are a family tradition more than a rivalry — a team he stuck with because of his grandfather, and one he believes can share the city without losing its roots. Read more: With Chargers back in San Diego, players hope to win back their traditional fan base 'Being NFC and AFC, there's a lot of room to coexist with both of us here — until we're playing each other,' said Hay, a marketing professional. 'But I don't see the Chargers as a threat.' Eric Robles, 22, said his answer to 'Whose house?' comes from two hours south. The San Diego native, wearing a Justin Herbert jersey, stood as Rams fans cracked jokes around him, his lifelong allegiance rooted in the Chargers' past — and Herbert, who he said is the team's future. Herbert, the Chargers' star quarterback, is a resounding reason for Chargers fans to trust in the trajectory of their club. Read more: Quentin Johnston carted off after big hit: Takeaways from Chargers' preseason loss Ed Kim had a powder-blue flag wrapped around his shoulders, the Chargers' lightning bolt stretching across his back. 'We're the greatest organization in Los Angeles right now,' he said. 'The Rams are the Clippers of Los Angeles — they're second fiddle to us. Because we have the greatest quarterback in Justin Herbert. So basically, we're the alphas.' If Kim brought conviction, Angel Herrera brought theater: he was dressed in a gleaming blue-and-gold luchador mask, a flowing Chargers cape and a thick chain of metallic beads in Chargers colors. A heavy WWE championship belt hung over his No. 97 jersey. By halftime, he had posed for close to 30 photos with young Chargers fans. 'Honest truth, L.A. is more of a Rams town — only because they recently won,' Herrera said. 'It's gonna be a long route before more Chargers fans come around, but it's gonna happen. We got Herbert, so it's not gonna be that long.' As fans streamed out of the stadium, the debate continued. Some might point to Super Bowl banners and shout, 'Rams House!' Others might shake their heads, trusting San Diego roots and Herbert's promise. For now, it's a house divided, but one with room for all. Read more: Rams aren't just trying to win over L.A. They strive to be 'the world's team' Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rams mum on whether Matthew Stafford worked out: Takeaways from preseason win
The Rams defeated the Chargers 23-22 in a preseason game on Saturday at SoFi Stadium. Here are five takeaways from the game and the day: Rams won't comment on Matthew Stafford situation Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was scheduled to work out on Saturday, a chance for the 17th-year pro to test his injured back. But before the Rams played the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, when asked to confirm whether Stafford went through the workout, a Rams official declined to comment and said coach Sean McVay would address the situation Monday. It was the latest mysterious and potentially troublesome turn in a saga that began at the start of training camp and continues as the Rams prepare for their Sept. 7 opener against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Read more: How did the Rams become L.A.'s most valuable sports franchise, soaring past $10 billion? Stafford, 37, is working through an aggravated disc, according to McVay, a situation that has prevented him from practicing with the team. Last Saturday, before the Rams' preseason opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Stafford went through a workout in Woodland Hills that included more than 60 passes, McVay said after the Rams' 31-21 victory. The plan was for Stafford to participate in individual drills two days later. But Stafford did not practice last week. And after a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Thursday, McVay said Stafford would go through another workout in Woodland Hills on Saturday. Aubrey Pleasant, the Rams assistant head coach, served as head coach for the game against the Chargers and appeared for the postgame news conference. McVay was not made available to reporters. Stetson Bennett comes through With Stafford's situation apparently not heading in a positive direction, Bennett's ability to back up veteran Jimmy Garoppolo is becoming increasingly urgent. Bennett completed 28 of 40 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns, including the winning pass to receiver Tru Edwards with five seconds left. He had one pass intercepted. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team has been wracked by injuries, played mostly starters for the first series, and Bennett directed a nine-play, 60-yard scoring drive that he capped with a short touchdown pass to rookie receiver Konata Mumpfield. Bennett connected with receiver Mario Williams for a 38-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to take a 17-15 lead. With the Rams trailing, 22-17, in the fourth quarter, Chargers lineman TeRah Edwards intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards. But Bennett connected with receiver Brennan Presley for 40 yards before finding Edwards for the winning touchdown. Running back Jarquez Hunter played most of the first three quarters and rushed for 55 yards in 15 carries. Cody Schrader rushed for 48 yards in 13 carries, and caught two passes for 24 yards. Defense holds Justin Herbert-led offense to a field goal Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and other starters on offense played the opening series, providing the Rams' defense an opportunity to work against an elite passer. Herbert completed two of five passes for 46 yards during a nine-play drive that ended with Cameron Dicker's 32-year field goal. Rams outside linebacker Brennan Jackson sacked Herbert for a seven-yard loss. Linebacker Shaun Dolac finished with a team-best six tackles. Read more: How Rams rookie Jarquez Hunter forged his 'super power' on Mississippi's rolling greens Konata Mumpfield and Brennan Presley shine Mumpfield, a seventh-round draft choice from Pitt, was the talk of training camp. After a quiet performance against the Cowboys, he appeared to play with more confidence against the Chargers. Mumpfield caught a two-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and finished with two catches for 12 yards. Presley had six catches for 102 yards, including a 40-yard reception in the final minute. Brennan Jackson records two sacks Jackson, a second-year pro, sacked Herbert for a seven-yard loss in the first quarter and sacked Taylor Heinicke for an eight-yard loss in the second quarter. The sacks were a high point for a player who struggled through injury for much of his rookie season, and is competing for a spot in a position group that includes Jared Verse, Byron Young, rookie Josaiah Stewart and veteran Nick Hampton, among others. Lineman Desjuan Johnson brought pressure on both plays, enabling Jackson to finish with the sacks. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
