Wolford … Rams pre-season vids from 2019 & a vid-heavy draft report

Who is John Wolford? A look at the quarterback Rams are pinning their playoff hopes on in Week 17
L.A. fans are hoping to witness the birth of a star this Sunday

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/who-is-john-wolford-a-look-at-the-quarterback-rams-are-pinning-their-playoff-hopes-on-in-week-17/

The Los Angeles Rams are on the brink of clinching a playoff spot, but there’s one problem: starting quarterback Jared Goff is unlikely to play in the regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals due to a thumb injury. The former No. 1 overall pick reportedly suffered a broken and dislocated right thumb, and underwent surgery on Monday. All the Rams have to do on Sunday is beat the Cardinals and they officially clinch a postseason spot. So who is Sean McVay pinning his playoff hopes to? The answer is John Wolford.

Wolford is an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest who has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game, but there is plenty to like about this kid. From a famous coach who showed early interest in him to future NFL MVPs he once defeated, Rams fans are hoping they witness the birth of a star this weekend. If you’re unfamiliar with John Wolford, let’s get you caught up.

Recruited by Lincoln Riley

Wolford attended Bishop Kenny high school in Jacksonville, Florida. According to his 247Sports Composite Rating, he was a three-star recruit but did have a famous suitor. Former East Carolina offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley saw something in Wolford, and unsuccessfully tried to recruit him to ECU. That’s right, the four-time Big 12 champion and the 2018 Big 12 Coach of the Year was interested in Wolford. He did end up heading north to the state of North Carolina, but attended Wake Forest instead.

He once out-dueled Lamar Jackson

Wolford had a pretty successful college career. He set school records as a senior with a 157.98 efficiency rating, 3,192 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes, 3,875 total offense yards, 39 touchdowns responsible for in a season and 78 total in his career, according to Wake Forest’s official website. Wolford also set Wake Forest bowl game records with 49 passing attempts, 32 completions, 400 yards and four touchdown passes in a win over Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl. One of the more notable performances he registered in his career was leading the Demon Deacons to a 42-32 win over Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals. Wolford completed 28 of 34 passes for 461 yards and five touchdowns in the statement win, and he will potentially have another chance to down a Heisman Trophy winner in Kyler Murray this Sunday.

All eyes will be on former @WakeFB QB, John Wolford as he makes the start for the Rams on Sunday! 👀🎩

We've got some highlights for you @RamsNFL fans!#ACCFootball | #GoDeacs pic.twitter.com/X4XdDbjEBB

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) December 29, 2020

A “Hotshot” from the start

After Wolford went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, he got a shot with the New York Jets, but they ended up parting ways with him prior to the regular season. Wolford then decided to go another route, and signed up to play in the brand new Alliance of American Football. He was selected by the Arizona Hotshots with their second-round pick and eventually won the starting job over Trevor Knight. Wolford’s four-touchdown performance in the Hotshots’ first regular-season game earned him the Week 1 AAF Offensive Player of the Week, and it appeared early on that he was going to be one of the more notable names in this new football league.

John Wolford is the early frontrunner for AAF QB1

275 yards (No. 1 among QBs)
9.5 Y/A (No. 1)
4 TDs (No. 1)
8 rush attempts (No. 1) pic.twitter.com/mS1WmV021N

— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 12, 2019

A preseason highlight reel

Wolford has created some incredible highlights during his short time with the Rams. After the AAF folded, he signed with Los Angeles and ended up securing a spot on the Rams practice squad. He did enough to earn a reserve/future contract, and found his way to the active roster. Wolford hasn’t thrown a pass during a regular-season game, but check out some of these highlights from the preseason:

🎯🎯🎯

John Wolford delivers a PERFECT throw on the run to TE Kendall Blanton for a @RamsNFL TD #LARvsHOU pic.twitter.com/t3Sq3bOBCe

— NFL (@NFL) August 30, 2019

Wolford out here droppin’ DIMES. pic.twitter.com/749v6wZ2iY

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 30, 2019

🗣 @VanJefferson12 for SIX‼️ pic.twitter.com/qpVCaWOU5M

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 18, 2020

It would be quite the story if Wolford was able to lead the Rams to the playoffs in his first career start. It speaks volumes that McVay has confidence in this former undrafted free agent to step up and play well when the team desperately needs a win.

Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams WR Robert Woods laughs — he hasn’t seen John Wolford in a regular-season live-action NFL game but says he’s pulled up Wolford’s highlights on YouTube.

“John is not a guy lacking confidence,” — Rams WR Robert Woods on John Wolford, who will start Sunday vs. the Cardina

“John [Wolford] is prepared. He has been waiting on this day.” Robert Woods continues… “It’s exciting for us. He’s an exciting player.”

“John Wolford has the respect of our entire team and that’s rare when you’ve never performed in an NFL game,” — Rams DC Brandon Staley, adding that it’s Wolford’s prep and practice routine that has earned him respect of teammates

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
“If you don’t like him, something is probably wrong with you.” Sean McVay, commenting on the way Rams teammates have not been able to contain their smiles to this point as they have talked about John Wolford. My sense is they love this moment for him, and want to step up.

Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Rams HC Sean McVay on QB John Wolford in today’s walkthrough: “I thought he did a nice job. Great communication, great command of what we’re trying to get done.”

Advice to Cardinals: Don’t Sleep on John Wolford
The Arizona Cardinals must win Sunday to be in the playoffs and they are facing John Wolford, a quarterback making his first NFL start.

HOWARD BALZER

https://www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/news/cardinals-can-not-underestimate-john-wolford

It was the middle of January, 2019, and The Alliance of American Football was holding training camp for all eight of its teams in San Antonio, Tex.

At the time, I was doing contract work for the AAF website, and one of the first visits I made was to an Arizona Hotshots practice where Trevor Knight was believed to be the favorite to be the team’s starting quarterback.

I learned differently during a conversation with Hotshots general manager Phil Savage, a longtime NFL personnel executive who had been the executive director of the Senior Bowl for six years before leaving for the AAF. He is currently a senior football advisor for the New York Jets.

It didn’t take long for Savage to tell me privately, even though it was early in camp, that the team’s likely starter would end up being John Wolford.

“There’s just something about him that’s special,” Savage said. In the league’s quarterbacks draft the previous fall, Knight was selected seventh overall and Wolford 11th, mainly because Savage and head coach Rick Neuheisel believed Wolford would be available in the second round.

My attention for the rest of practice that day and in the one preseason game each team played was on Wolford. What Savage said was easily noticeable.

Wolford won the job and when the league suspended operations on April 2, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams nine days later.

Rams head coach Sean McVay recalled the decision to add Wolford to the roster.

McVay said Wednesday, “We had brought him in with a couple other guys that had NFL experience, or guys that were high priority college free agents. You could just see the way the ball jumps out of his hand. Just the upper and lower half movement. He’s a twitchy athlete.

“I thought he did a really nice job in his workout and you’re out there and you’re thinking, ‘Man, I don’t care what the size (6-foot-1) says, this looks like it’s supposed to in terms of the base, the balance, the body position and being able to speed it up at the top.’ I was at that workout and he definitely earned his spot based on how he performed.”

Wolford spent the 2019 season on the practice squad and this year earned a spot on the 53-man roster as the backup to Jared Goff. Now, in Week 17, with Goff out because of a broken thumb, Wolford will try and lead to the Rams to a playoff spot, one they would achieve with a win or a Chicago Bears loss to the Green Bay Packers. A loss to the Cardinals coupled with a Bears win would end the Rams’ season.

When McVay was asked earlier this week about the decision to eschew a veteran backup quarterback and ride with Wolford, he said simply it was “the confidence in John. What he had shown with the opportunities – whether it be preseason, competitive reps in practice, all the stuff that you’re just evaluating every single thing that he does. We felt good about that. So, really it was a reflection of the confidence in John. Looking forward to the opportunity that he’ll have this weekend.”

The reality is that Wolford has a chorus of supporters wherever he’s played. When it was noted to McVay that former coaches have described Wolford as “uncanny,” McVay said he has seen that.

“He loves it,” McVay said. “I mean, he eats it up. He does a great job. He’s got a great feel. I think uncanny is a good way to describe it, in terms of just being able to recognize things, understand, based on only being able to play with 11 (players on defense), if these guys are there, then what’s the potential of a certain blitz coming from this side and what are the tools that you can activate to get it picked up? Or what are the ways that you can do different things that make people pay?

“So, I think he’s got great wide-field vision. I think he’s got a great feel for the game and all those things that his coaches have said, we definitely feel that here as well.”

Neuheisel is a one-man admiration society.

“I just have immense confidence in John Wolford,” Neuheisel told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “The guy is a diligent learner, he is very perceptive as to what’s going on within a defense. I guarantee you, he’s partially an assistant coach right now for Jared Goff in his role as the backup for the Rams, and now that he’s getting to play, I just know the stage won’t be too big for him. He rose to the occasion more often than not in my time with him with the Hotshots. I think the world of him and I think he’s very capable.”

As for Wolford’s mental approach, Neuheisel said, “He’s the kind of guy that comes up to you and says, ‘OK, coach, here’s what they’re doing. Here’s what we should do. Here, we can just tweak this.’ Whether it was a blocking scheme that he saw in run game, whether it was a corner’s eyes that he thought were jumping on something that he noticed when he passed up on one choice to move to another. And he could come over and say, ‘Hey, we need to double-move this.’

“And I can’t tell you how often he was right. I mean, the guy just sees the game in slow motion. And because of it, while he doesn’t look anywhere NFL-ish in physical stature, his arm strength and his accuracy coupled with his mental acuity for the game makes him very dangerous. And I think that underestimating him would be a very big mistake.”

To a man, the Rams appear to have confidence in Wolford. Said McVay, “Anybody that’s been around John; he’s got a nice way about him, he’s got a great charisma, a great presence, he’s a fiery personality, but I think the way that he goes about his business week-in and week-out, day-in and day-out has earned the respect of his teammates.

“He’s done a great job giving great looks for our defense all year. Then when he’s had his opportunities to run our offense, I think he’s done a really nice job. A lot of those things kind of have been behind the scenes just based on the COVID restrictions and without the preseason. I think all those things have led to why he is revered by his teammates without a doubt.”

Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has noticed.

“I think that it’s very difficult in the NFL to earn respect of your teammates when you have never gone in a game,” Staley said. “But John Wolford has the full respect of our entire team – coaches, and players because of how he performs on the practice field, in the meetings, in the weight room. I think that that’s a rare thing when you can have full respect of your teammates without actually having performed in an NFL game. I think that should tell you about his character and about what he’s capable of. I think we’re all excited for him and his opportunity this weekend.”

Anything specific? Said Staley, “I think the way he goes out on the field. I think our guys enjoy watching him. I think in the pro game, you’d be surprised. There’s so many good guys out there at one time, it’s hard to stand out, but I think that John, when he gets on the field, he’s a guy that people enjoy watching because I think he’s a competitor. I think you can tell real competitors when they take the field with how they play, how they perform. He’s got a spirit about how he plays, and he’s got a play-style that I think stands out.

“I think that he’s also a professional. He may be a young player, but he doesn’t conduct himself like one. He conducts himself like someone that’s been doing this a very long time. Someone that expects to be successful and that has been successful, you know? I think that you can’t minimize what he’s accomplished as a player before coming to the NFL and how he accomplished it. I think that those are all good things for him.”

For Wolford, he understands the many challenges he will face, but knows “the most important thing is you can’t make the critical errors. I have got to put us in a position to win. We have a good defense and we can rely on them in some aspect. Then I start getting heated up, we can start moving the ball and score some points to win the game. So, every single play is a challenge in the NFL and it’s about making the right decision and giving us the best chance to win.”

The Cardinals surely realize that thanks to some of the critical mistakes they have made has put them in the position they’re in, approaching a truly must-win game against a team without its starting quarterback, one of its best receivers and a compromised running back situation.

That could be an asset for Wolford with players he’s practiced with like rookie wide receiver Van Jefferson and undrafted rookie running back Xavier Jones.

But Wolford doesn’t appear to be sweating things while knowing this is the biggest game he’s played.

He said, “Your first NFL start; it’s something you kind of dreamed about your entire life. So, it would be fair to say that, but I’m not going to get too caught up in the moment. I’m not going to be on social media. I’m not going to read all the headlines, whatever it may be. I’m just going to go about doing my job. If I put my head down and work to the best of my ability, at the end of the day whatever happens, I’ll be able to sleep at night. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity and have a calm, level-headed mindset going into the game.”

Speaking of sleep, he even had some advice for the media after being asked if he’s been able to get any sleep this week.

“I feel good. I’ve been sleeping fine,” he said. “The first night I found out, I slept a little bit less than normal, but I think sleep is super important. I read a book called “Why We Sleep” (by Matthew Walker). You guys should read it if you haven’t read it and if you’re not avid sleepers. So, I’m always trying to get my sleep.”

Along those lines, the Cardinals are advised not to sleep on John Wolford. If they do, they’ll have plenty of time to rest starting Monday.

Billy_T wrote:

I don’t know anything about Wolford. But I’m almost to the point of giving up on Goff.

Not me. He had bad games this year but rarely (if ever) was it just him. He also had far more solid to good games. I think they can straighten that out.

Old 2018 draft report on Wolford. Full of gifs but I can’t make them appear here, just click each gif link or follow the main link to the article & see them all there.

==

2018 Scout Camp: John Wolford

Jan 26, 2018

* https://theriotreport.com/2018-scout-camp-john-wolford/

Each week this offseason, we’ll be focusing on one position and how the Panthers may choose to address their needs; whether they’re in the market for an upgrade at starter or just a reliable backup, every player on the 53-man roster is going to be important in 2018.

This is Quarterback Week.

While the Panthers almost certainly won’t draft a quarterback in the early or middle rounds, they could well take a chance on a quarterback either late in the draft or as a priority UDFA. While such players generally have very low success rates, there are numerous examples of undrafted quarterbacks having success in the NFL; eight undrafted quarterbacks threw a pass last season, four started games and since the merger, two undrafted quarterbacks have made the Hall of Fame, with Tony Romo having a chance to join them in the coming years. With that in mind, who might the Panthers be able to get as an undrafted free agent or late-round pick who might be able to stick around in the NFL?

Enter John Wolford.

Arm Talent

A major factor in most undrafted quarterbacks not being taken earlier is their lack of arm talent. While NFL quarterbacks don’t necessarily need to have huge arms to be successful, they do need to have sufficient arm strength to prevent defenses compacting the field. While Wolford’s arm would be nothing exceptional at the NFL level, he does have enough power to make most throws. While the long deep ball is always nice to see from a quarterback, the more consistently relevant use of arm strength is on the velocity a quarterback uses on short and intermediate throws, especially to the outsides of the field; the windows for completing such throws gets a lot smaller in the NFL.

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oFzlWJInjVuUWQcjS?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

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On both of these throws to the sidelines, Wolford shows a good level of velocity while maintaining a reasonable degree of accuracy. Throws such as these are some of the most vulnerable to being intercepted at the NFL level due to the length of time they can spend in the air; the speed with which Wolford gets the ball out there should do a lot to cut down on the potential risk. Wolford also shows good velocity on some longer outside throws, such as the following:

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oFzm5Wa9Ae06wO25i?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

While the deep ball wasn’t a huge part of Wake Forest’s offense, Wolford does at times show the required arm strength to push the ball down the field, such as on the following throw:

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oFzmlcq4QTIht5riM?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

On this throw, Wolford shows not just the arm strength to make a forty-five yard pass, but also the touch to weight it perfectly, allowing only the receiver to make the catch. This touch is also a significant issue for many late-round quarterbacks; while this is a skill that can be taught to a certain degree, far more throws in NFL offenses require placing the ball at a certain depth rather than simply hitting an open target with a line-drive. On the following throws, Wolford demonstrates his ability to weight passes well in order to allow for effective completions.

https://giphy.com/gifs/l49JZkYgRP0e6efcI?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

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While Wolford doesn’t posses elite arm talent, his combination of good velocity and touch with an ability to hit the deep ball when needed is more than adequate for an NFL quarterback. This creates a high ceiling for Wolford as a late-round prospect, as many other quarterbacks who fall beyond the middle rounds will likely be unable to ever progress beyond mediocre backups due to their limited arm talent. For a late-round quarterback, Wolford actually shows a lot of potential.

The Details

Although some prospects who fall to later rounds, like Russell Wilson, do so due to sheer incompetence of NFL executives, most of them spur reasonable doubts about their ability to perform at the pro level. For quarterbacks this is either due to a lack of arm talent, as discussed earlier, or because teams doubt their ability to adjust to an NFL offense, either because of the increased requirement for accuracy or because of their need to adapt to a pro-style offense.

In terms of accuracy, Wolford is good but not great. He very rarely actively missed receivers in his collegiate career; but his ball placement, while generally quite good, is sometimes inconsistent. On both of the following throws he shows an ability to lead his receivers, thereby allowing for yards after the catch.

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oFzmio0BDwSIuY5Ne?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

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However, there are also examples on tape where, although not completely inaccuracte, a throw behind the receiver makes the catch harder than it hard to be, which does sometimes lead to incompletions to at least partially open receivers.

https://giphy.com/gifs/26gN1HYsA9deEd7QQ?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

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On balance, Wolford is accurate on throws like this more often than not, and is generally an accurate passer. That being said, his accuracy will be something that any prospective employer will want to work on to some degree, as he doesn’t quite reach the level that would be described as good by NFL standards. What is promising though, is the awareness Wolford shows for where the ball needs to go in order for it to be completed. On the following throw, he places the ball high and away from the defender, allowing only the receiver to get the ball, while not over-leading the receiver, which might have allowed for the safety to make a play.

https://giphy.com/gifs/l49K16iWsfUas9MmQ?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

He shows that same awareness on both of the following throws, throwing the pass slightly short of usual in order to allow the receiver to catch the ball without the defender over the top being able to make a play on it:

https://giphy.com/gifs/3oFzmnEiCamsK3Br1e?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

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Of course, these plays are only a small number of those that Wolford attempted during his senior season; based on the tape available, it does seem as though this is more than just a few anomolous plays, but rather a wider understanding of where the pass needs to be in order to lead to a completion.

The major concern with Wolford, as with almost all quarterbacks, is their ability to learn and eventually master an NFL offense. Wake Forest ran a fairly simple passing offense, with a number of the reads being made pre-snap. Because of this, the Panthers would likely need to spend some time with Wolford in order to determine his understanding of scheme and reads. On tape, he does show some ability to make basic progressions, such as on the following two plays, but it is hard to make any form of strong statement based off of these.

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What is promising to see is his ability to anticipate where the open man will be, and his knowledge of where the receivers are meant to be. On the next play, he recognizes the blitz and quickly gets the ball to the open man for a first down.

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What is more interesting is that even when the play breaks down, he shows an ability to continue to look to pass, recognizing where the open man should be. This allows him to make plays such as the following:

https://giphy.com/gifs/3o7528zFYkD2MwpXIQ?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Ftheriotreport.com%2F

These plays are merely indications that Wolford might stand a chance of being successful in an NFL offense, but for many quarterbacks coming out of college this has been the case. For Wolford to have success in the NFL, he will need to develop the mental side of his game; given what he has shown on tape, he has about as good a chance of learning an NFL offense as any other player coming out of such an offense.

The Added Extra

While Wolford isn’t the most obviously athletic player, he is surprisingly shifty and can pick up yards with his feet if needed. While Wake Forest possible over-used his running ability at times, it is certainly a useful feature of his game for any team that involves quarterback runs in their offensive scheme. This is clearly a part of the Panthers scheme with Cam Newton and while Wolford is unlikely to be running QB power anytime soon, his mobility would certainly allow for some read-option plays to be part of the offense.

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As a late round pick or potential UDFA, Wolford is certainly not a polished pro-ready quarterback. However, he has a decent arm for an NFL quarterback with good touch and shows some promise when it comes to mastering the finer aspects of being an NFL quarterback. Should the Panthers look to add some quarterback depth late in the draft, then Wolford could certainly be one of the players they consider.

Scout team and staying late: How Rams QB John Wolford earned teammates’ respect

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/2291953/2021/01/01/john-wolford-rams-jared-goff/

Just before the Rams’ bye week in November, All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald was leaving the team’s practice facility to get some well-deserved rest when he heard a familiar voice saying, “All right, A.D.! See you later.”

Donald turned to see backup quarterback John Wolford with pads on, helmet in one hand and spinning a football with the other, on his way out to the field.

Wolford, the former Wake Forest and AAF quarterback, will make his first NFL start on Sunday against Arizona, but as Donald and several other Rams teammates earnestly noted this week, the “Wolford experience” — showing up early, staying late, working extra reps with receivers and smoothly running the scout team against the league’s top defense — is nothing new.

“John is literally one of the last guys leaving the practice field ever since he got here, getting the reps and getting the training in,” said veteran receiver Robert Woods, breaking into a smile.

Wolford runs the second-team and the scout-team offense but has sought ways to get time with the first-team receivers and tight ends, too.

Because quarterback Jared Goff, like every starting quarterback, is held to a specific “pitch count” during the week to help preserve his arm through the season, the Rams’ starting receivers sometimes need to get more catches in and don’t want to do so on the JUGS machine. Wolford is always ready.

“Whatever ball we want, he’s there for us delivering it,” Woods said. “Really, just as a quarterback, wherever you ask him to place the ball, he’s going to put it there for you.”

“Being able to get on the same page with your receivers, that’s a big challenge,” defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said, “because all the reps usually go to the starter. You have to prepare really hard to get those same throws in and that same timing to stay sharp, because so much of quarterback is rhythm and timing.

“To be able to have that same timing as a starter requires a lot of extra work. I mean, like a lot of intentional extra work. That’s something that is a real strength of John’s.”

All week, as the Rams have prepared Wolford to start in place of Goff — who had thumb surgery on Monday but is expected to return next week if the team earns a playoff spot — teammates have grinned, giggled and, frankly, gushed about Wolford’s attitude, mental dexterity, competitiveness and quarterback ability.

Wolford, 25, went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2018, then signed with the New York Jets that year and was cut at the end of the preseason. After a season in the now-defunct AAF, Wolford signed with the Rams in April 2019 and spent last season on their practice squad.

“If you don’t like him, there’s probably something wrong with you,” head coach Sean McVay said. “Guys respect the way that he’s gone about his business, what he stands for and what he’s about, day in and day out. I tell the guys all the time, ‘Those who know, know.’”

“It’s not just coach-speak,” offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell said.

But it is rare to hear such an outpouring of support for a backup quarterback thrown into a high-stakes situation as Wolford is. The Rams, who need a win on Sunday or a Chicago loss to Green Bay in order to earn a playoff spot, will be without Goff, left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee injury) and receiver Cooper Kupp, who was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list on Tuesday (followed by defensive lineman Michael Brockers on Thursday).

The depth of respect displayed by Wolford’s teammates this week is in part due to Wolford’s practice habits, but it’s also because they — particularly the first-team defense — understand the difficult task of running the scout team as the Rams install their defensive scheme each week.

It’s a unique job. A scout-team quarterback must get the necessary time with his own team’s playbook, but also learn core concepts from the opponent’s playbook each week so he can run them against his defense and help prepare them for the real thing. While sometimes a practice-squad quarterback or third-stringer doubles as the scout-team quarterback, Wolford goes a step further. First, he takes all the scout-team reps. Also, and especially in a season of COVID-19 concerns, in which the backup quarterback must be prepared to step in at any moment, he has to be able to effectively run the Rams’ offense — essentially working from two starting-quarterback playbooks per week.

Wolford sees this as a benefit.

“I just think those reps, they accumulate, and they help you to process things faster,” Wolford said. “I think in the NFL, you see (that) the best guys are doing those things. They’re processing quickly. They understand where the ball should go, when it’s cover-six, cover-four or cover-one (coverage). And so that tenth of a second is the difference between success and failure, so I’m grateful for those reps.”

The Rams also have faced a wide range of quarterback skill sets this season, from the tough-to-tackle, mobile Cam Newton and Josh Allen, to veteran pocket presence Tom Brady, to quick, difficult-to-contain Kyler Murray. (Wolford’s teammates, by the way, think he’s most reminiscent of Murray.) Wolford is a smaller, mobile quarterback, so the Rams especially have found his looks to be helpful against the NFC West opponents they face at least twice per year: The Seahawks (Russell Wilson) and the Cardinals (Murray).

In their playing days as quarterbacks, McVay, Staley and O’Connell each ran a scout-team offense at some point, so they understand just how much Wolford has to absorb, process and execute each week.

But it’s not just the act of doing so that, in their minds, sets Wolford apart. It’s how he does it.

“I think it says so much about how you approach the week from a mental standpoint,” Staley said, “knowing that you’re responsible for your own game plan because you’re one play away from being in the game and having to face whatever defense that you’re going to be facing. But, then it’s another thing to have command over the game plan of the other team and be able to perform as that quarterback is going to perform.

“You’re almost getting two different educations in a week. I think that that can be a big contributing factor to a quarterback’s development.”

Even the smaller details of mimicking an opposing quarterback can turn into hugely important factors in a live game. This season, in empty stadiums, quarterbacks have been using their cadence and hard counts effectively to get defensive linemen to jump offsides.

In scout-team situations, Wolford parrots the opposing cadence so that when the Rams’ defensive players hear it live, they’re more likely to recognize it and stay disciplined. This season, the Rams have been called for only two neutral-zone infraction penalties, which are the third-lowest in the NFL and well under the league average of 4.59.

The Rams’ defense ranks among the top units in the NFL in nearly every category, and of course, that’s who Wolford practices against every week: Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd, John Johnson, etc. — and they don’t take reps off.

O’Connell thinks this unenviable task also makes Wolford more prepared and respected by his teammates.

“I think about John on a daily basis, playing and trying to get Jalen Ramsey a great look with Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers pushing the pocket, John Johnson reading his eyes on the back end,” said O’Connell, who sometimes ran the New York Jets’ scout team from 2009 to 2011.

“I always look at it as that’s where my greatest development happened.”

O’Connell said that, unlike some scout-team setups on other teams, Staley isn’t trying to set up positive plays for his defense in their drill periods. While Wolford and the Rams’ receivers are working off a script sheet, Wolford is asked to place stress on the defense in the same manner as a live opposing offense would. So in simulating Wilson, Murray, Newton or Brady, he is asked to try to extend plays or be as unpredictable as one of those quarterbacks would in an actual game.

The Rams’ defense loves it, just as the starting wideouts love Wolford making the extra time to work them out when they need it.

“I think that it’s very difficult in the NFL to earn (the) respect of your teammates when you have never gone in a game,” Staley said. “But John Wolford has the full respect of our entire team — coaches and players — because of how he performs on the practice field, in the meetings, in the weight room.

“I think that that’s a rare thing, when you can have full respect of your teammates without actually having performed in an NFL game. I think that should tell you about his character and about what he’s capable of.”