For better or worse, Sean McVay's "grumpy" press conference is forever part of Ty Simpson's NFL career story. Shine when he eventually takes over for Matthew Stafford, and it will go down with the green-room shots of Aaron Rodgers. Crash, and it will be used as fodder for his failures.
While McVay has brushed aside any perceived issues he had with using the No. 13 overall pick on a backup QB, the questions will persist at least until real games start. For his part, Simpson insisted he didn't notice McVay's reaction during the post-pick presser.
"I didn't really see it," Simpson said Saturday at a fundraising event via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times.
"I know one thing, though," he said. "I know coach McVay has been in contact and he's super fired up. And I'm super excited. I know that I couldn't have asked for a better situation, not only with the best player in the league in front of me but the best coach in the league at the helm."
Simpson revealed last month that he'd "secretly" met with McVay for hours before the draft, talking pigskin.
Since surprising the football world, the Rams have been on PR duty, defending the selection and rebuffing any and all questions about whether the team's brass was in lock-step about using a prime pick on the future rather than bolstering a Super Bowl contender in 2026.
The next step in the offseason storyline will be how Stafford reacts publicly to the pick. Will he embrace the rookie, or be audibly miffed that the Rams used a first-rounder on his eventual replacement rather than someone who could help him win now?
Simpson relayed that after the draft, he received a test from Stafford's wife, Kelly, welcoming him to the club and offering aid to him and his family. Stafford also sent the rookie a message he initially missed.
"It was really cool too," Simpson said, "because they didn't have to do that."
Stafford's willingness to be a tutor for the young Simpson, who doesn't enter the NFL with a wealth of starting experience, will be pivotal for the eventual baton handoff to go smoothly in L.A.