If you’re a Rams fan, you’ve heard two things all summer. First, don’t expect quarterback Matthew Stafford to play small-ball just because his back flared up again. Second, don’t overlook the reality that a 37-year-old veteran with a long injury history can’t keep taking clean shots forever. Now, former Rams defensive tackle and current analyst D’Marco Farr has urged head coach Sean McVay to mix things up.

Farr says that to have any shot at postseason, Stafford has to stay himself, and Sean McVay’s job is to keep him clean while he lets it rip. “You have to be you. You can’t be anyone else. You can’t shy away from throwing the ball. You have to play your game, that’s why you’re Matthew Stafford.”

But for Stafford to be himself (and keep him in place), the play-calling must protect him. Farr went extreme, saying, make it a seven-man wall with backs and tight ends chipping off the edge before releasing. “We’re gonna make sure we have lineman after lineman and then back chip help, tight end chip help. I need you to be Mathew Stafford, but as the play caller though, I have to make sure that when we do want to take the shots, there’s seven guys blocking,” he remarked.

To get the best out of Matthew Stafford, protection is essential. His peak form has always been the fearless version. Think back to the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl run, he lit it up with 8.1 yards per attempt, 41 touchdowns, and a relentless downfield attack. That version of No. 9 was bold, decisive, and downright dangerous. It felt a little different last season.

He dipped to 7.3 Y/A with just 20 touchdowns, more controlled than cutthroat. But this season? He’s got all the protection he needs.

The Rams doubled down on the O-line this offseason, bringing back Alaric Jackson and snagging ex-Cardinals vet D.J. Humphries. That’s some real flexibility at tackle. And don’t forget the tight ends: Higbee, Parkinson, and Davis Allen, plus backs like Kyren Williams and rookie Blake Corum. That’s a whole lot of chip-and-release firepower they can mix in depending on the situation.

Now tie all that back to the guy under center. Stafford’s set to be a full go for Week 1 after sitting out most of camp with that disk flare-up. And McVay’s already pointed to those late-camp sessions. There’s only one thing that can put an end to the Stafford show: his back.

Stafford’s concerning injury history

Since the last few seasons, Rams’ performance has been entirely contingent upon Matthew Stafford’s back. And that back just keeps giving up on him. In 2019, Stafford’s run in Detroit ended with fractured bones in his back. With 8 games gone, and a brutal reminder that even his ironman streak had a breaking point.

Fast forward to 2022 in L.A., and it was deja vu—not the good type. A spinal cord contusion that shut down his season and forced the Rams to rethink how they handle every snap and hit he takes. And of course, the aggravated disc this year, which almost kept him out the entire offseason.

And it’s not just the back, either. Injuries haven’t really been kind to him. In 2023, Stafford banged up his right thumb with a UCL sprain. He sat out a bit, then came back slinging with a splint. Classic Stafford: tough enough to play through it, but for how long can he play through the pain?

And don’t forget the year before, when he was battling that weird right-elbow issue. He even had an offseason procedure, and the Rams had to manage his reps all camp. All of that plays into how much protection you give the edges and how often you move the pocket for him.

He’s got the ability, there’s no question about it. But it’s about how you keep him safe. Because the better you protect him, the more you allow him to be what he really is.