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Lindsey ThiryESPN
THOUSAND OAKS, California – If everything goes as planned against the Arizona Cardinals, reserve quarterback John Wolford will take the Los Angeles Rams into a playoff spot.
As an added bonus, Wolford is unlikely to have to hear coach Sean McVay and his teammates say his name incorrectly any longer, and he will be able to delete the LinkedIn account that recorded his previous finance career.
“I know I can spin, I know I can shoot and mentally it’s about making the right decisions to give us the best chance of winning,” said Wolford on Wednesday. “I am confident for this week.”
Wolford will make his NFL debut in the absence of quarterback Jared Goff, who had surgery on the thumb of his throwing hand on Monday and will be out of action for at least a week.
To secure a playoff spot, Rams (9-6) must win at SoFi Stadium against Cardinals (8-7), or Chicago Bears (8-7) must lose at home to the Green Bay Packers (12-3) ), who are playing for the general seed of NFC.
“It’s something you’ve dreamed of all your life,” said Wolford of making his first NFL debut with a playoff spot in play. “But I’m not going to be too stuck at the moment.”
During a 15-and-a-half-minute video conference with reporters on Wednesday, Wolford seemed calm and answered questions frankly. He admitted that he slept less than normal the night he found out he was going to start, but said he has since returned to routine.
He cleared up some confusion about how to pronounce his surname – it’s “Wole-ford”, although he said he doesn’t mind when it is pronounced wrong, something McVay did during Wolford’s two years of work with the team. As for the LinkedIn account he created as a freshman in Wake Forest, when an NFL career seemed unlikely and he planned to enter the financial sector, his occupation was updated this week to “Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams.”
“If this Sunday goes well,” said Wolford, “perhaps I will simply exclude.”
McVay, receiver Robert Woods and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley – whose unit faces Wolford when he leads the scouting team – expressed confidence that the inexperienced QB will be able to lead them to victory on Sunday.
“John Wolford has the full respect of our entire team, coaches and players, because of how he performs in the field of practice, at meetings and in the weight room,” said Staley. “I think it’s a rare thing when you can have the respect of your teammates without actually playing in an NFL game.”
When asked what skill sets he had that could be different from Goff’s, Wolford – who is six feet tall and sixty pounds – pointed out his speed and agility.
“I don’t want to destroy Jared’s athletic build, he’s a great athlete, he’s an NFL quarterback,” said Wolford, “but I think I’m a little faster than him and I can make a few more moves with my legs.”
“I think John has a skill set that will be fun to see him execute our attack and how things come to life differently,” said McVay. “Each guy has creativity in his game, but I think he will do a good job of distributing and making good decisions.”
The Rams did not train on Wednesday, but took a walk.
“Great communication, great mastery of what we’re trying to do,” said McVay of Wolford’s presence in training. “Great understanding and mastery of the early parts of the game plan.”
Practice is scheduled to resume Thursday and Friday, as the Rams prepare for Sunday’s game without rusher Darrell Henderson, who was placed on the reserve through injury, and receiver Cooper Kupp, who was transferred to the reserve list. / COVID-19 this week.
Woods said Wolford, who turned 25 in October, has no lack of confidence and is known to be one of the last players to leave the training ground daily, after he has responded to requests from recipients who want some extra balls in his direction. . But even Woods is not so sure what to expect in a Wolford game, which was not cast in 2018 and signed with the Rams training team last season after hitting 14 league record touchdowns in the dropout Alliance of American Football League.
“I didn’t see him in the NFL, or at a live game, I saw him some preseason, watched his highlights tape on YouTube,” said Woods. “I checked to see what he could do, but really just coming here and waiting for John to make plays.”