Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys held a joint practice on Tuesday, and the results have been heavily disputed.
Stafford spoke after practice, but his counterpart, Dak Prescott, took part in the war of words beforehand that continued after the contested session concluded. It also included Cowboys star George Pickens and Rams Pro Bowler Byron Young.
The Rams got the last laugh, but not without some pushback from the Cowboys.
Rams, Cowboys Talk Trash Before, During & After Joint Practice
GettyByron Young and the Rams were jawing back and forth with the Cowboys.
“Putting that extra work in? S***, we ain’t doing it with ya’ll,” Young told Cowboys players on August 11 as the Rams left the practice field.
Before that, Pickens told Rams players to “keep walking and mind their own business. Don’t even look over here,” per DLLS Cowboys’ Clarence Hill Jr., who shared a video in which someone from Dallas asked if LA was going to partake in the conditioning.
A Rams player responded by saying, “Ya’ll need that s***!”
Before the session began, Prescott told his teammates, “Tell ‘em bet the clocks on today. Winner takes the f****** clocks. We’ll steal their shit. They ain’t ready for that bet.”
During practice, Prescott and Pickens connected several times, earning the latter a feature in a highlight reel from the Cowboys’ social media team. The Rams responded in kind, showing safety Quentin Lake covering Pickens, underscoring neither side wanted to concede the day.
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that effort was player-led.
Prescott credited linebacker Demarvion Overshown, who noted this practice was different than last year’s encounter, for bringing up the idea of doing the sprints, which they do after practice.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris noted Cowboys players told the Rams, “Go ahead and walk back in” as they passed them on their way to a shaded bench area, and that they would “see y’all down the road.”
Matthew Stafford Gets Honest About Rams’ Joint Practice
GettyMatthew Stafford saw the good and bad in the Rams’ joint practice against the Cowboys.
Stafford did not take part in the trash talk, but he was candid about the Rams’ performance in the session and the value of such practices.
“We don’t game plan for any of this. We just go out there and play, play our rules, see how they hold up. There’s going to be things to learn, things to correct, but it’s a good chance to go compete to see what else is out there. Dallas is a really talented football team. Over the last 12 months, have really accumulated a lot of really good defensive players as well. So, it’s been fun for us to go out there and work against those guys, see something new, and just kind of turn your brain on to something a little bit different. Go out there and compete,” Stafford said.
“I love doing these. I enjoyed the work with these guys. Feel like we practiced against Dallas, maybe, every year I’ve been here. Always good work with those guys. So, appreciate it.”
As for the Rams’ offensive performance, Stafford knows there remains room for growth.
“I thought we did some good things, and there’s going to be things to clean up. That’s every practice. I thought our guys up front played really well. The run game, we’ll go look at it on tape. Obviously, we’re two minutes off the field right now, but felt like our guys inside played really well against a really stout defensive front that they have over there,” Stafford said.
“Proud of those guys playing the way they did. We did some nice things in the pass game, too. Made some explosive plays. And there’s always plays you want back and things to clean up. But u for the most part, I was happy with our operation, the way we competed.”
Stafford Young and the Rams will indeed see Prescott, Pickens, and Overshown again this season, with a home date against the Cowboys in Week 15.
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