No word on LA Rams QB John Wolford should be puzzling, but it’s not

The LA Rams’ backup quarterback situation has been somewhat of a concern these past two or three seasons. Concern out of incompatibility, not out of talent or team decisions. The LA Rams have started a traditional pocket passer quarterback since hiring Head Coach Sean McVay to run the team in 2017. The Rams have been led by former quarterback Jared Goff from 2017 through 2020, and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2021.|

But for the past two seasons, the primary backup quarterback for the team has been the undrafted dual-threat quarterback John Wolford. Wolford was untested, and therefore somewhat unreliable when any scenario developed around taking over for the starting quarterback for any length of time should the need arise in an important NFL game situation.

All’s well, for now

Of course, everything was fine when he was the backup to Goff, or at least seemed to be. Goff relied upon scripted plays to make the offense go. Wolford offered the LA Rams offense an ability to ‘make things happen out there.’  It was not a perfect situation, but the Rams were so deep in debt from dead cap monies that it was fiscally necessary. It was the best that the team could afford.

That is not to say that the offense was in incapable hands. Not at all. Wolford, much like Coach McVay, loves to study, diagnose, and improvise. While he was a bit limited by his 6-foot-1 200-pound size, he more than made up for it by having quick answers for what defenses threw at him.  At his size, the answer was often the same. Run for it!

But it was improvisation, a quality that was comforting and electrifying to the Rams offense. That was enough to ensure that Wolford would get his looks in practice. And if the situation warranted it, he would get his opportunities to play. McVay is a meticulously prepared coach, but he respects players who try to make something out of nothing when the play breaks down. But things would soon change for the Rams and for John Wolford…