Stetson Bennett IV seems to be ready to serve as Matthew Stafford's understudy
· Yahoo Sports
Two years ago, with Rams backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo due to miss the first two games of the regular season because of a PED suspension, the Rams weren’t sure Stetson Bennett IV was ready to serve as the understudy to Matthew Stafford.
With Garoppolo gone and rookie first-rounder Ty Simpson still learning the ropes, Bennett seems to be ready to be one play away from playing for the Rams.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
Bennett had a solid outing in the Rams' 34-0 preseason win over the Saints, completing 19 of 31 passes for 181 yards and scoring two rushing touchdowns.
"I think he’s getting better and better," Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters after the game. "I think part of it is the overall command. I thought he made some really good decisions. I thought he got through some progressions. Then I love the fact that he used his legs. . . . [H]e did a great job. I thought he got an opportunity to be able to really showcase a lot of his skills. Huge credit to [quarterbacks coach] Dave Ragone too. I think those two guys were really in sync and it was fun to watch.”
The only caveat is that, in three prior seasons, Bennett hasn't taken a single snap in a game that counts. He's had to develop exclusively in preseason games.
"We talk about it all the time, and you guys have heard me say it, repetition is the mother of learning," McVay said. "[Bennett] has been intentional about applying those reps and you can feel like his teammates, they enjoy him. He's an easy guy to be able to root for. He's just got a nice swag and a nice presence and especially like what we asked earlier, you feel his game really comes to life in game day settings. The gamer thing, he's just got a good feel and it's not too big. He loves competing and it's fun to watch him do it.”
The lone caveat came when Bennett held the ball out for the pylon and risked fumbling through the end zone. The ruling on the field that Bennett hadn't scored was reversed to a touchdown.
"We'll learn from reaching the ball out on the end zone even though I challenged that and it worked out for us," McVay said. "We want to make sure that we don't leave ourselves susceptible to getting a fumble in those types of situations where it goes to a touchback."
It's a small point, one that won't take anything away from the fact that, even though the Rams have no quarterback other than Stafford with regular-season playing experience, Bennett is ready to fulfill the obligation of replacing Stafford, if the need should arise this season.