Aaron Donald knows the Los Angeles Rams are starting unproven quarterback John Wolford on Sunday in a pivotal Week 17 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams (9-6) need to defeat the Cardinals (8-7) to clinch a postseason berth, or hope the Chicago Bears (8-7) fall to the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.
After QB Jared Goff underwent thumb surgery earlier this week, the Rams were forced to turn to Wolford, a 25-year old with zero career starts. Wolford went undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2018 and signed with L.A.’s practice squad a year later after he led the defunct Alliance of American Football League in touchdown passes.
Despite his QB's inexperience, the Rams' best player, defensive tackle Aaron Donald, has faith in Wolford after watching him prepare and practice throughout the week.
“I’ve been a fan of his, honestly. Just his preparation, just watching him work, the routines he goes through every single day — you would think he was the starting quarterback already, honestly,” Donald said, via Rams reporter Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. “I believe in hard work pays off, and I’ve seen him work. I’ve seen him during the bye week, when I’m walking to my car about to leave, he’s walking out with a helmet and shoulder pads, holding a football spinning it on his hands saying, ‘Alright AD, see you later.’”
"I've seen him during the bye week when I'm walking to my car about to leave, he's walking out with a helmet and a shoulder pad holding a football spinning it on his hand saying, 'Alright AD, see you later'" — Aaron Donald on John Wolford pic.twitter.com/QY0MOOmdSv
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) December 31, 2020
Wolford, too, is confident in his ability ahead of Sunday's contest for the Rams. In fact, he believes he brings a degree of mobility to the quarterback position that Goff lacks.
“I don’t want to knock Jared’s athleticism — he’s a great athlete, he’s an NFL quarterback,” Wolford said, via Thiry. “But I think I’m a little bit faster than him and can make a few more plays with my legs. … I know I can spin it, I know I can make the throws, and then mentally, it’s about making the right decisions to give us the best chance to win. I’m confident going into this week.”
The Rams and Cardinals kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium.
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