Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Sean McVay, Raheem Morris, Mike LaFleur, QB Matthew Stafford, DT Aaron Donald - Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Head Coach
Sean McVay, Defensive Coordinator Raheem
Morris, Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur,
QB Matthew Stafford, DT Aaron Donald -
Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Head Coach Sean McVay

(Opening remarks)

“Okay guys injury wise, guys that will not participate today, (WR) Cooper Kupp,
(OL) Coleman Shelton, (D Quentin Lake, (DT) Larrell Murchison, and (OL)
Rob Havenstein. That is just for a veteran rest day. All the other guys we're
hoping that they end up turning over. Those are the guys that'll be off today.”

(On how Kupp is feeling)

“It's good. He's feeling good. We're going to hold him out today. We'll see what
tomorrow looks like.”

(On if RB Kyren Williams is practicing today)

“Yes, he'll be full. He looked like he was full speed in the walkthrough just now
so he's feeling good. He's excited to be back. We're glad to have him back.”

(On if he will ease Williams back in or if he's ready to go)

“I think you want to be smart about it. I think you want to be able to try to
simulate some drills without the risk of injury to be able to just get him back to
some of the things that are going to occur on Sunday. You can't ever truly
simulate those things, but it wasn't like it was too long ago. You certainly don't
take anything for granted. If he's feeling good, we want him to be able to have a
normal workload and I know he's excited to be back and his teammates are
excited to have him.”

(On the status of WR Puka Nacua)

“He's going to just be limited today.”

(On the severity of Nacua’s injury)

“He’ll be limited today. Yeah, he's doing good though.”

(On how RB Ronnie Rivers is progressing)

“Ronnie's doing good. I saw Ronnie, talked to him for a little bit in the training
room. He's making progress. Not quite ready to start his window yet, but it's
going to hopefully be here sooner than later.”

(On if the decision to release RB Darrell Henderson was due to numbers)

“That was really it. We'll try to get him back here on the practice squad.
Thought he did a nice job and it was great to be able to have him back in here.
(R Royce (Freeman) and (R Zach (Evans) have both contributed on
special teams and done some things in that arena and Kyren had been our
starting running back. He came in because of some of those injuries, did a
really good job and we still want to be able to have him around, but it was just
purely numbers.”

(On if he's surprised that Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is back playing after
having ACL surgery in January)

“Yeah, it's really impressive. I know just from afar, just seeing the work that he
put in and it’s a real credit to him, his rehab program, their trainers, everybody
that was involved in that. He's looked really good in the two games since he's
been back. He brings an element that you can't coach. You can see it ups the
level of a play around him. He certainly is a very dangerous player in a lot of
different facets. It's impressive for him to be out there and competing the way
that he is. I know just since his rookie year, he's always been a problem and it's
a great challenge for us.”

(On if he saw something from DB Derion Kendrick prior to the bye week
that indicated he was ready to take on more of a workload)

“I think just the response. I give a huge amount of credit to (Defensive Backs
Coach) Aubrey Pleasant. I think the way that he positively pushes guys,
keeping them accountable, still being able to put his arm around guys while
making sure, hey, let's learn from these things and let's come back better and
let's just take it a day at a time. That's exactly what he did. Love the way that he
prepared. He played minimal snaps against Green Bay, but the snaps that he
did play, he did a really good job. He's practiced the right way. He's been on the
screws in the meetings and then when he got his opportunity to be able to get
back out there, I thought he probably played his most complete game as a
Ram. Now let's see if we can continue to build on it, want to be consistent, but
really happy for him. I think a huge amount of credit to him first and foremost,
but also to Aubrey Pleasant and the leadership that he provides really for that
group as a whole and his ability to be able to positively push people and help
them work through things that are a natural part of this game.”

(On what Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris has done that has
allowed the defense to play at the level they’ve played)

“I think teach and develop and have flexibility. I think continue to really be able
to identify guys. You guys asked about it earlier in the week, just being able to
utilize everybody that has a jersey. I think Raheem's leadership, his ability to be
able to connect and collaborate with his coaches, with the players. They've
done a really good job and I think you're seeing a lot of guys get better. They're
accumulating experience. I thought some of these guys were able to do that
towards the latter part of last year because of all the injuries that we ended up
having. You talk about every single defensive assistant coach, everybody on
that side of the ball, you talk about Raheem's leadership, the players. It's really
been awesome to see and now let's continue to build on it. Let's continue to
grow. I think everybody's probably surprised except for people in this building
and these are the types of things that you see on a consistent basis. Like you
mentioned, Raheem and the coaches deserve a tremendous amount of credit,
but also those players and it's awesome to be able to work with them every day
and see them continue to take steps in the right direction.”

(On how Nacua has grown and matured since the start of the season)

“I just think the consistency that he's played with, the toughness, the play
energy, his ability to be able to just handle the ebbs and flows and all the
different things that we put on him, make crunch time plays when we have to be
able to have it. But his production both in the run and in the pass game is
incredible. Then just the body of work that he's had through a handful of
games. You see him just continuing to do things that continue to surprise you,
but I think that maturity is probably a pretty appropriate thing that we've seen.
He plays like a grown man, but he's got a great humility. You've seen the same
exact incredible person and somebody that just wants to continue to learn.
Whether it's asking Cooper Kupp, whether it's talking to (Q Matthew
(Stafford), whether it's talking to the coaches. Incredibly high football character.
You see a lot of ability, a lot of toughness, and I think he brings a physical
presence to our offense that is a tremendous asset and value.”

(On the challenge of letting Nacua be physical but also not exposing him
to unnecessary injuries)

“I think that's a good question man. I don't have the answer quite yet. I think
you want to continue to allow his greatest traits to come to life but be smart
about how that's reflected. He's a guy that's taking… now he's delivering a lot of
punishment himself, but that takes a toll on you. I've been really impressed with
just his ability to be a pro about getting his body turned over week in and week
out. But through a 17-game season and then if you're fortunate enough to be
able to earn opportunities to play after that, those are things that we talk about.
Then we've got some depth in that receiver group that I thought was reflected
last week where we can supplement all of those guys. Not just Coop and Puka
but getting some other guys on the grass and being able to keep them fresher
throughout the course of a game, but also a season are things that we've talked
about.”

(On what OL Kevin Dotson has done for this team and his overall
impressions of him)

“I think he's done a really good job. I think it starts with when he first gets an
opportunity earlier in the season. Obviously, a big physical presence, good
production in the run game. I think he's really improved in pass protection being
able to work in unison and in coordination with the tackles and the center
because there's a lot of different things that take place, whether it's in protection
in the run game, there's moving parts post snap. I think he's really endeared
himself to his teammates. He's got a nice way about himself. He has played
really productive. I thought he played his most complete game last week. The
goal is let's just continue to take steps. Let's keep getting better. But very
similar to Puka, I think there's a physicality, there's a toughness that he brings.
That was apparent when you watched his tape in Pittsburgh with all the work
that he got there playing really at both guard spots. We've been really pleased
with him.”

(On his Thanksgiving plans with his family)

“You always get a chance to be able to spend some quality time. My family…
it'll be me, (Head Coach Sean McVay’s wife) Veronika, and little man. He keeps
her busy, I'll tell you that much (laughter). I come home and he just kind of just
staring at you and then he is ready to go to bed. It'll be good just to be able to
have some time. Always enjoy watching some football, spending some time
with the coaches. It's always kind of a special holiday. Football and
Thanksgiving just always go together. That's kind of just been a part of my life.
We'll hopefully have good work tomorrow morning and then be able to enjoy
the day and see some good games as well.”

Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris

(On growth he has seen from the defense as a whole)

“Not to ride the emotional rollercoaster of like, you win, you feel good about it,
you lose, you feel bad about it? No, but it's just like the steadiness. I thought
the maturity to be able to stay in the game no matter what was going on around
us. I think that was a big part of it. I think those guys remaining steadfast
throughout the game and just playing the game and doing everything they
could to keep it a one possession game to keep us in it, to keep us right there, I
think is the biggest part for us. I love the maturity. I love the growth. I love the
people around that. I love how the leaders handle it. Having (L Ernest
(Jones) back was particularly good for that. The energy that we need and
provide each other to go out there and keep playing, having some of those
guys like (DT) Aaron (Donald) and Earnest and really our captains on defense
really be the forefront in the leadership of that whole movement of just playing a
game, not worrying about anything else which they don't do too much. But still,
it's human nature to be in the "oh woe is me" moment when everything's not
going your way, particularly when they go down in the first three possessions of
the game and get points.”

(On how happy he was with Kendrick’s interception)

“Kind of say happy on a personal level for him because like, I watched the
young man work every day, so it was really tough. And I was really just happy
more that you guys got a chance to see the fruits of his labor and some of the
stuff that he does behind the scenes and some of the stuff came to work
particularly in the two games versus Seattle his first game of the season. And
that game the other day, you got a chance to see some of the things that he
can do, is capable of doing if he remains consistent and he remains within the
framework of the defense and be able to play that way, hopefully for his
duration. But in in games, I kind of don't even see who the actual person is. I
just kind of know what position that is, what's supposed to happen, kind of gray
matter type mentality. But after the game, very excited for him and how he
played and how he responded to a little bit of adversity from this year, how he's
bounced back from adversity from the year prior, and really happy to see where
he's got the ability to take us into the next stages of what we got to do next
coming up.”

(On how Kendrick handled the weeks leading up to the game)

“Outstanding. It's never easy to get a reduced role, to get your role changed in
any matters, but I think it's always a grown man's conversation that you got to
have. And being able to have those conversations with him and let him know,
oh, we're going to need you at some point again and we need to stay locked in
and stay loaded. I love the response that he had in the Green Bay game. Came
in for three snaps, gave us great, live energy plays, almost got the fumble
recovery, picked it up, got a great block, he's out back to his role. And then for
him to respond that way, he's kind of been that way throughout and he's been
really taking a leadership role and anybody that's kind of had to take a step
back for a second to let him know how to deal with it. It's kind of been the motto
of consistency on how to deal with a little bit of adversity that comes with some
of his life's lessons that he probably wish (that) he could give back. But that's all
a part of it as well. We all got to go through something to go somewhere and I
think he's been through a little bit.”

(On in-game conversations he has with players)

“I think it's kind of done with the preparation of the game plan. We have a thing
we call 98-yard drive walk and talk, and I never make it where we just go out
there and dominate a team 50 something to nothing, right? I've always put
them through the ebbs and flows of how I believe the game's going to go and
what can happen if the game doesn't go as well. And it's why you walk the ball
down the field to kind of talk through each situation in the area of the field so
you can prepare those guys to be able to see those moments. And then you
come off the field sometimes, you can reflect on those moments and be able to
go back through that but it allows me not to have to teach those lessons in-
game. It allows them to be able to reflect on some of the things that we've
talked about during the week because of our preparation and the stuff that we
put into it. So it's also why I chew gum relentlessly on the sideline to keep me in
that calm space. And whatever it is that you do to keep you in that calm space,
and that they do, hopefully rely on some of the teaching points and the
coaching points that we had throughout the week to get them through whatever
we got to get through for whatever that game is and whatever that game
entails.”

(On how Arizona's offense is different with QB Kyler Murray back)

“You never want to discredit anything that anybody did. I thought (Vikings Q
Joshua Dobbs did a great job in how they played their game. They played a
little bit differently with how they're playing with Kyler. Kyler is an explosive,
great football player in this National Football League, has done some really
good things, MVP like year a couple years ago or was considered. Some of
those things I've seen Kyler play really well and I've seen him play really bad
against us. So Kyler brings a different element. He's fast, he's dynamic. He can
break your heart in one instance with a throw or his legs and that makes him
extremely dangerous. And they're definitely a better football team with him and
that's not a knock on anything that Dobbs did because I think he's still playing
outstanding where he is. But he's their franchise quarterback for a reason and
they paid him all the big bucks to go out there and do that because of who he
is. So they're definitely a different offense. They definitely do different things.
I'm trying to word this correctly without giving away anything of the game plan,
but he's a dynamic football player.”

(On Murray’s early return to play from injury)

“It really is amazing where doctors have come. We talk about it all the time with
(VP of Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and (Team Physician)
Dr. ElAttrache. We’re around Dr. ElAttrache every week and I get to see why
he's able to walk around like that. I want to be like Dr. ElAttrache when I grow
up. The miracle of the work they do and the stuff that they put into it, but to see
guys come back from Achilles, even talk about not to mention (Jets Q Aaron
Rodgers, but like it's just the most popular thought to even talk about Aaron
Rodgers coming back from Achilles in the same year and to watch what we did
here with (Vikings R Cam (Akers) a couple years ago and to watch some of
the miracles of what's going on with the medicine and the preparation and how
doctors go about their business and just even before you do an injury, how you
strengthen some of the areas around that the parts of the body in order to
bounce back quickly. Like us, we couldn't bounce back. We're old (reporter)
Gary. There’s nothing we can do about it. If Gary tears his ACL, he's done, he's
done. He's not writing another story this year and I'm going to be right there
with him. But it is truly amazing. It's a credit to just the brilliance of the human
mind and the stuff that we can do when we put our minds to it and looking for
different ways to advance.”

(On DB John Johnson’s expanded role)

“John Johnson really came on probably about two weeks ago. I feel like you're
attacking me right there with that question (laughs). He came in about two
weeks ago and you noticed him starting to move a little better. He is starting to
get in shape and get healthy, and it took him a little while. It took him a little
longer than I thought. I kind of mentioned this before. We threw him out there in
the San Fran game in a smaller role and in order to win football games, you got
to put guys in roles that you think they can help you win. They put him that role,
he wasn't ready yet. And then I watched him in practice and I watched him
attack and I watched him go after it and he really started to get better. He made
some plays on the ball and then putting him out there to get into his natural flow
and rhythm of the game with his communication and really his overall
experience and being in those games and being able to calm some of the
young players that he's around was really helpful for all of us. So having him
out there was really great for us. It settled down with the group, settled down a
bunch of stuff and he earned it. I didn't put him out there. John Johnson put
himself out there with his work and what he's been able to do since he's been
here. I laugh when I read the most disappointing players in the Rams in the first
half and all that type of stuff and they put John in there and he hadn't even
been out there. He's right where he needs to be. Picking him up in the
offseason was a blessing for us. Came in, got himself into the shape, really
picked up on the nuances and the new different things from when he left,
attacked his group and got a part of the glue, the great leaders uniting everyone
with (Defensive Backs Coach) Aubrey (Pleasant) and (Secondary Coach)
(Chris) Beake and where they've been. And getting the communication back
with (D Russ (Yeast) and getting it back with (D (Jordan) Fuller and also
(D (Jason Taylor) ‘JT’ and all these other young guys, being able to be
prominent in that role and watch him in the back of me be a sarcastic other
coach and now getting them to be on the field and really go out there and apply
some of the things that I've heard happen and I saw happen on scout team and
both on defensive snaps. Really long answer for he did a good job.”

(On using multiple safeties last Sunday)

“When you go out and you got to put people in position to win a football game,
you find out what they can do and what their role is. I love all of them, and I
truly do and I mean that. There’s not one guy in this building I don't have some
love for, really cheer for and like I want to put these guys out in roles that they
can have success in and play fast and play smart and play together. And it was
done last week in such a unified way that it made me proud because everybody
took their role, didn't have to like it, accepted that role, went out there and
absolutely executed that role and that was the best version of us. I don't know
how else to explain that. Really proud of those guys.

(On if growing as a coach is trying to figure how to best use players)

“If you feel like you're done growing as a coach, you probably shouldn't be
doing this anymore. I'm going to go hang out with Gary and write stories about
some other coaches or maybe go talk about it on game day. But I always want
to grow as a coach. I always want to develop. I always want to grow as part of
my self-evaluation. I want people to evaluate me at all times. Even when you
guys write bad articles, I like it. (Reporter) Sarah doesn't like what you're doing
on defense. Okay, Sarah, what do you got to say? I always want to grow. Like
I'm never above criticism and I don't think I'm ever above finding different
answers in order to go out there and try to keep victories. Like there's been
people doing this long before me and there will be people doing long after me
and like I just got so much respect for the game that I always want to grow and
learn and develop.”

Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur

(On how he’s seen Nacua grow from the beginning of the season up to
now)

“Similar to what I think I said I feel like four or five weeks ago, just how much
more comfortable he is just with the terminology, the speed of this game. He's a
football player in its truest form. He loves going out there and competing. He
loves having the ball in his hands obviously and scoring touchdowns But he
loves the physical contact aspect of what this game brings to him too, like he
needs that in his life you can tell. He's a joy to be around every single day. He
brings it every single day. He pours his body and heart out for his teammates
on the practice field and on Sunday. We're lucky to have him.”

(On if there is a moment during the games or during practice when Nacua
stood s out to him)

“Yeah, it could happen on any particular play with the ball in his hands or not,
but it's really when I go home at night, particularly on the home games, I like to
re-watch the TV copy just to see what I can pick up in terms of just kind of how
it looks from everyone else watching it at home. When they zoom in on him and
his face looks like he's in a certain zone that not a lot of people can get into.
You can feel that on game day, but t's cool to stamp that when you get home
on Sundays to see that that's where he's really at.”

(On if there is anything over the course of the season that Nacua has
been able to do that he did not anticipate)

“Yeah, I don't know. He showed us kind of a lot. Again, I say he showed his
teammates, he showed the coaches, he showed the organization that this
game wasn't going to be too big for him. But you never know until you get out to
Sundays, right? Because it's just different. When the lights are on, it seems like
that's when he performs his best. Again, there's a lot more out there for him.
He's going to continue to improve. He's going to continue to understand how to
get through a grueling 17-game season, plus pre-season, plus a training camp.
For him and his play style, let alone any rookie, it's a long year. That bye week
served him well at the time it did and he's ready for the stretch run.”

(On what RB Kyren Williams will add to the offense)

“You go back to his last game and it was arguably his best game in terms of
obviously statistically, but not only that, he got the stats of it but it was textbook
in terms of how to set up blocks within the run game. Not only was he breaking
tackles and stuff and say he was blocked for four and he was getting six, well, it
was blocked for six and he was finding a way to get 16, 18 and all that. A lot of
it was just how he was setting up those blocks and staying away from contact.
He brings an element of explosiveness that it'll be good to get him back there.
Then obviously just the juice he brings on top of that. His play style, it's
contagious. You can feel it on the sideline. I believe you probably can feel it
from the stands in terms of just the energy that guy plays with.”

(On losing a player like WR Cooper Kupp early in the game and if that
changes how he evaluates the game plan)

“No, not how you evaluate the game plan. You're always going to evaluate it.
Hey, what can we do better? What did we do good? What do we want to carry
moving forward? I wouldn't say necessarily how you evaluate, just evaluate
each play from a schematic standpoint. Did we put our players in the right
position? Whoever stepped in, in this case it was (WR) (Austin) Trammell a lot,
you evaluate how he did. I thought he stepped in and did as about as good of a
job as you could ask for. You can tell he's played a lot of ball and it's not too big
for him.”

(On reviewing the film from the fourth quarter against the Seahawks and if
the hit on Stafford caused the sense of urgency)

“Yeah, I don't know. (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) was pretty excited about his
little punch to the stomach comment or whatever. He was really excited about
that one after. I don't know. It's as long as (QB Matthew Stafford) number 9’s in
the fight you got a shot. He took a good shot right there and when we needed
him to play his best ball he did. The thing for Matthew is we all know how
talented he is. We all know he can make any throw. Hey, play each play as its
own no matter who's out there, when we're out there, what the score is,
whether we're up, whether we're down. Just continue to play each play as it is
and you know what, your special talents are going to come out and he had
some opportunities there in the fourth quarter to make some big time plays and
guys made some big time plays for him. It was cool. You're never going to
apologize for a win. Obviously, there's a lot of things that we need to get
corrected on an offensive perspective. Our defense kept us in that fight. 9
(Stafford) stayed in the fight and then everyone followed suit and luckily we
were able to come away with that W.”

(On if there is anything that surprises him about Stafford’s ability to
bounce back after taking hard hits)

“No, it's just an ultra-competitor. I know that's how he is. Obviously on the field
and even in practice, he's extremely… we had a really cool Thursday practice
last week. It wasn't our most perfect practice. You're getting guys back. You're
coming back from a bye week. It's not an excuse. It's just what happened. That
game was really very similar to how that practice went where guys were
battling. For Matthew, you're never surprised on the football field. I'm excited for
the offseason to get on a tennis court with him and see if he still has that same
kind of battle in there (laughter). I'm sure he does. He'll kick my butt, obviously.”

(On what it’s has been like having QB Carson Wentz in the quarterback
room)

“Yeah, he's been a joy to work with. He's a guy that obviously has played a lot
of good ball and a lot of high-level ball. You could tell he is all in. You could just
see kind of within the game, you watch the sideline a little bit too from our copy
on a Monday just to see how people's reactions are good and bad and all that.
You could tell how invested he was, not only just for the Rams, but for Matthew.
You could tell he has his back and that's just kind of the brotherhood that you
have within a locker room as players, you know? So that was real cool. I know
him and (Quarterbacks Coach) Zac, they're with each other 25 hours a day
right now making sure that he's ready to go if his number has to be called.”

(On if he has a unique Thanksgiving football related memory)

“Gosh, not like just one specific memory. I grew up in college football back
when they played 11 games and didn't have 4 million bowl games, right? My
dad was at Central Michigan it was different back then, it was the MAC but not
every game was on tv so those places were jammed on Saturdays. We didn't
know there was anything bigger than Central Michigan football or Michigan
State, you know? By then it was the last week of the season. There were some
good times then. Then as I kind of grew up, the high school state
championships were always over the Thanksgiving weekend in Michigan. That
was something that we always did. We were always going to be there for all
eight games down at the Silver Dome initially, then Ford Field after that.
Thanksgiving it's a special time obviously, but if you're a football fan, like I think
we all are, it's pretty cool for all ages.”

Quarterback Matthew Stafford

(On how he’s feeling after taking a big hit on Sunday)

“Pretty good. Was able to practice fully today, moving around okay. I think I'll be
good to go.”

(On if he feels where he got hit when he throws)

“Not too bad with the throwing motion. I've dealt with this a bunch of times
before. Not much different than those times. Just continue to go out there, get
treatment when I can and then go play.”

(On the status of his thumb and if he’ll wear a brace again on Sunday)

“Potentially, I'm not sure. Worked with it today. We'll kind of see. It's a little bit of
a work in progress trying to do what's best for me in the short and long term.
Then also what's best for my ability to go out there and perform the way I want
to. Just constantly working with those guys on that, but know we'll have a good
plan and go out there and be ready to go.”

(On if he misses playing in the Thanksgiving games)

“Oh yeah. Absolutely, I loved it. I love playing in that game. I love playing the
early game, especially always at home. It's a pretty good gig. Go play the game
and come home, have Thanksgiving dinner like everybody else pretty much at
5:30 or 6:00 and watch whatever game is on at that point. Then you got the rest
of the weekend off so you don't have to watch what you eat, kind of have a
good time with it. Last couple years, obviously little different stories so got to
kind of pace yourself on Thursday and make sure you don't go too crazy
knowing you got a game on Sunday. It's something I miss for sure and just that
tradition is a really cool one. It's something that the city of Detroit and in Dallas
obviously but grew up watching that game as a Cowboy fan, played in it in
Detroit for a bunch of years. It's cool how much the city and the fan base really
cares about it and obviously they got a great team going this year so it'll be fun.
I'm sure it'll be rocking.”

(On his time in Detroit and if he remembers sitting in meetings with
former NFL Head Coach and broadcaster John Madden)

“No, not too many. No, obviously an unbelievable influence on the game, not
only what he did as a coach and all that, but I feel like a bunch of the guys in
our locker room probably know him as the guy that is on the video game. He’s
done so much for our game in so many different aspects. It's really cool to
honor him in that way.”

(On what he remembers from his time with Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr.
in the Super Bowl)

“Yeah, he was a great teammate, loved getting to work with him. Obviously
hate how it ended for him in that game but was a huge part of our success in
the second half of the season, had a great playoff run as well. Fully believe he
would’ve had a huge game in the Super Bowl had he had not gotten hurt with
what they were doing coverage-wise with trying to take (WR) Cooper (Kupp)
out of the game. Obviously still had a big impact in the minutes that he played
in that game. But was a great teammate, a joy to be around, guy that came to
work, true professional, learned our system in a heartbeat and was able to go
out and operate Was a great communicator with me, with everybody on the
team. I still am in contact with him some and just wish him nothing but the best
as much as I possibly can. Disappointed I didn't get invited to his birthday party
(laughter), but I'll talk to him about that on another day. He was a great
teammate.”

(On Beckham Jr. being viewed more as a celebrity than a football player)

“Yeah, I think that happens to a lot of people these days. I feel like people can
form opinions and it can get spread however it wants to get spread and if you
don't want to sit there and defend it, then it's going to just run. And all I know is
what I can speak to and how he was around here, how he treated the people
around here, and it was nothing but class, a great guy. I'm not too caught up in
how other people see him. I don't think he is either and I think that's a great way
to be, especially with a guy with his following. I think he enjoys life. He loves life
and that rubs off on the people around him when you're around him. And other
than that, I think he just goes about his business and tries to perform on the
field and is who he is off the field, which is a fun person to be around.”

(On Beckham’s seamless transition to the team in 2021)

“Learning the offense and all that was a process, but he got here on a
Thursday. I think he played on a Sunday game or whatever it was so he was
able to grasp as much as humanly possible at that moment. He was also a
good communicator, right? Like there were going to be times where he'd be
unsure and he wasn't afraid to go, ‘Hey, Staff, what do I have?’ You know what
I mean? Whatever it is right there. And then we'd go and play and then that just
lets his ability kind of just come out and was a heck of a player for us. And then
in our locker room, he just brought great energy. If you're about football and
love to have fun and want to go out there and work hard, you're going to fit right
in this locker room and that's what he did.”

(On if Nacua needs to dial back his physicality to sustain his health in the
league)

“No I don’t. I think that's something that he'll learn and I think as he gets more
and more comfortable with the game…I mean for a rookie, he’s about as
comfortable as I've ever seen somebody. But as he gets more and more
comfortable in the game, he'll find his opportunities to try to stay up on his feet
or stay upright, whether that's blocking or getting out of bounds if the journey is
kind of over on a pass play or whatever it is that'll come. But he's a tone setter
for our offense as well and just kind of the way he plays, the physicality and the
tempo that he plays with. We have so many guys on the perimeter that
compete like that and he's just one of them and it's cool to have. As a
quarterback, I know as the running backs run and they watch him fight tooth
and nail on blocks and try to knock guys to the ground blocking defensive ends,
whatever it is, He competes like all of our guys do and that's something that we
ask of those guys and they go out there and perform and do it. I'm sure his
body feels not great on certain days, but he's been able to show up for us and
that's huge.

(On how Williams looked in practice today)

“Kyen looked great. Obviously, he's coming off an injury so you just want to
temper expectations and understand, hey man this guy's coming back from
something that sets people back for a while. And I love his play energy, love his
passion for the game, what he brings to our offense and our huddle. And just
try to support him as much as we can and when he touches the ball, let him go
do his thing. And when he doesn't, hopefully he's getting back in there as soon
as he can.”

(On what would Williams bring if he is able to play)

“Obviously a talented runner, talented receiver, tough guy in pass protection,
kind of a guy that can do it all. And like I mentioned earlier, just great play
energy. The way he competes with and without the football, it's kind of what we
want around here and he's done a great job of showing that”

Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald

(On the biggest challenge playing against Murray)

“He's elusive. He can do a lot with his feet, can extend plays and then he’s kind
of accurate when he throws off-schedule passes. So just trying to keep him
bottled up and make him feel uncomfortable. Like I say every week, same thing
every single week, but all he can do with his feet can hurt us in a lot of different
ways. He can get out the pocket and run for 60 yards or run backwards and run
out, then throw a Hail Mary for a touchdown or something like that. So we just
got to do a good job up front containing him and not letting those guys have to
worry about covering too long back there.”

(On if there’s anything on tape that shows Murray being hesitant since
coming back from injury)

“He just looks like the same guy. Out there moving around, making plays and
like I said, we just got to do a good job of containing him and making him feel
uncomfortable.”

(On Kendrick being prepared for his moment)

“Just working, just kept working. Wasn't down about it, just went to work and
grinding. Didn't change how he was in the locker room or nothing and then
when we needed him, he stepped up big for us and made some plays. So we
just got to continue to do that, continue to build off that, and I felt like the way
we performed last week as a defense, we got to continue to build off that as far
as staying stout making plays when we need to make plays affecting the game
when we need to affect the game and finding a way to help win the game. We
continue to do that week in and week out, we can be a successful team so we
just got to keep working.”

(On how the defensive has bonded throughout the season)

“Just growing, it's a brotherhood. You’re around a bunch of guys for so long,
you’re grinding together and then after a tough couple of games when we fell
short, to come away with a win, all that work you put in paid off. So a lot of
smiles, a lot of excitement and we just got to keep working like that, keep
building out that so we can keep feeling like that every week.”

(On what he saw from NT Bobby Brown III last game and what he’s seen
throughout the season)

“Well Bobby's a big guy that's explosive, that's quick, that's fast. When he
wants to turn it on and dominate, that's who he is. If he continues to have that
mindset to take over a game or take over a play, he can do that. It's up to him.
He's 300 plus pounds. He probably can run like a 4.8so he's different. He’s got
to know that about himself, continue to build, keep, continue to get better, just
continue to study himself. I think he can be a dominant nose tackle in this
league, but he’s just got to keep working. Obviously having him back out there
was good. He had a little bit of rust here and there, but he made plays and was
stout at times and looked good. So we just got to keep working. He just got to
keep working and continue to get better.”

(On what it’s like having Johnson III back on the defense and what
difference does he make)

“It's great. I played a lot of good football with him. We had a lot of success
when he was here so obviously having another veteran guy that you trust.
Know he's going to do what he needs to do. He's going to be around the ball
trying to make his plays. It feels good. The more players you can get out there
that can help you win, you're going to be excited about it. Definitely a guy that
played a lot of football with had a lot of success with. You trust that he is going
to do what he needs to do on the back end.”

(On what he likes about the defense and where he thinks they still need to
grow)

“We just got to be more consistent at times. Obviously, we had a good
performance last week. We just got to build off that. I feel like we had some
sparks where we looked like a dominant defense in a time where we let up and
don't look how we are supposed to look or how we should look. So just playing
consistent and doing what we need to do. I think Raheem did a good job of
putting us in positions to have success, trying to find matchups and do things
like that to help the players around us to have success. So we just got to go up
there as the players and capitalize and just fly around and make plays.”

(On memories of Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr.)

“Just another great piece to the puzzle to help us become world champions. He
helped us to get over the hump, made a lot of plays for us. In the Super Bowl,
made some plays, he got hurt. I felt like he could've even helped us a lot more
if we had the piece of the puzzle. But just a great football player. We came in
the same year, we trained together out in EXOS in Arizona so knew him before
the league. So just to see the growth, what he’s been through injury-wise and
continue to see him having success this season. That's my brother for life so
I'm just proud to see him doing what he's doing, continue to stay healthy and
continue to just ball and just enjoy the process. Man, this is a blessing to play
this game. Never take it for granted and I know he's just enjoying playing ball
the thing he loves to do. So hopefully go out there and do what he does, just
not against us though.”

(On if he has a particular Thanksgiving football memory)

“Not really. Probably as a kid just outside playing football or something like that
in the backyard with my brothers and friends. That’s all we did everyday
anyway, just stuff like that.”

--RAMS--

---

#HelmetHornsMatter

“Well, the color is good, I like the metallic blue,” Youngblood recently said while laughing, via NFL Journal. “The horn is terrible. It looks like a ‘C.’ When I first saw it on the logo I honestly thought it was a Charger logo.

“Now when I see it on the helmet, it just isn’t a ram horn. There is no distinct curl like a mature ram horn. I don’t know how the Rams could get that wrong. That is your symbol and it has been for what? Seventy years or more? Longer than I have been alive? It’s just not us, it’s not the Rams.”---Mr. Ram Jack Youngblood