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Lindsey ThiryESPN
THUUSAND OAKS, California – If all goes according to plan against the Arizona Cardinals, rugby quarterback John Wolford will lead the Los Angeles Rams to a playoff spot.
As an added bonus, Wolford probably won’t have to listen to head coach Sean McVay and his teammates to mispronounce his name, and he could remove the LinkedIn account that described his previous career in finance.
“I know I can turn it around, I know I can make the throw, and mentally it’s about making the right decisions to give us the best chance of winning,” Wolford said on Wednesday. “I am confident that I will start this week.”
Wolford will make his NFL debut in the absence of quarterback Jared Goff, who underwent surgery on his thumbs-up on Monday and will be sidelined for at least a week.
To get a playoff spot, the Rams (9-6) must win against the Cardinals (8-7) at SoFi Stadium, or the Chicago Bears (8-7) must lose at home to the Green Bay Packers (12- 3), who plays for the NFC’s top overall team.
“This is something you’ve been dreaming about all your life,” Wolford said of his first NFL start with a playoff spot at stake. “But I’m not going to get stuck right now.”
During a 15-minute video conference with reporters Wednesday, Wolford appeared calm and answered questions candidly. He admitted that he slept less than normal the night he found out he was going to start, but said he has been in his routine ever since.
He raised some confusion about how to pronounce his surname – it’s ‘Wole-ford’, though he said he’s not bothered if it’s pronounced incorrectly, something McVay did during Wolford’s two years. period with the team. As for a LinkedIn account he created as a freshman at Wake Forest when an NFL career was unlikely and he was planning to enter finance, his profession was updated this week to read: ‘Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams ‘.
“If this Sunday goes well,” Wolford said, “I might just delete it.”
McVay, receiver Robert Woods and defense coordinator Brandon Staley – whose unit faces Wolford as he leads the scout team – expressed their confidence that the inexperienced QB could lead them to a victory on Sunday.
“John Wolford has the full respect of our entire team, coaches and players, because he excels on the practice field, in the meetings and in the weight room,” Staley said. “I think it’s a rare thing if you can have the respect of your teammates without actually acting in an NFL game.”
Asked what skills he possesses that could be different from those of Goff, Wolford, who is listed at 1 meter and 200 pounds, pointed to his speed and agility.
“I do not want to beat Jared’s athletics, he’s a great athlete, he’s an NFL quarterback,” Wolford said, “but I think I’m a little faster than him and can do it a few more times. playing with my legs. “
“I do think John has a set of skills that would be nice to see how he executes our offense and how things come to life differently,” McVay said. “Every man has a creativity in his game, but I think he will do a good job of spreading good decisions and making good ones.”
The Rams did not practice on Wednesday, but rather took a walk.
“Good communication, good command of what we’re trying to do,” McVay said of Wolford’s presence during the training session. “Great understanding and ownership of the initial parts of the game plan.”
Exercises are scheduled to resume Thursday and Friday as the Rams prepare to continue Sunday’s game without both leading rookie Darrell Henderson placed in the injured reserve and receiver Cooper Kupp heading to the reserve this week / COVID -19 list has been moved.
Woods said Wolford, who turned 25 in October, did not lack confidence and that he was known to be one of the last players to leave the practice field daily after he received requests from receivers who wanted that a few extra balls want to go to their side, fulfilled. But even Woods is not so sure what to expect in a game from Wolford, who became uncivilized in 2018 and signed with the Rams’ training group last season after hitting a league-high 14 times in the Alliance of America did not throw. Soccer League.
“I have not seen him in an NFL or in a live game yet, I have seen him a few preseason a few times and watched his highlight band on YouTube,” Woods said. “Go look at him to see what he can do, but actually come out here and expect John to make plays.”