Transcripts - Head Coach Sean McVay, QB Matthew Stafford - Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Head Coach
Sean McVay, QB Matthew Stafford -
Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Head Coach Sean McVay

(Opening remarks)

“Guys that did not participate today, (TE) Tyler Higbee with his neck, (OL
Michael Hoecht with his knee, (OL Byron Young came away with some knee
soreness after the game, (OL) Rob Havenstein was resting, (D Quentin Lake
with his hamstring, and then everybody else was good.”

(On WR Puka Nacua’s participation status)

“Puka was limited in the walkthrough but I don't know what the hell that means
because he just did everything.”

(On signing K Mason Crosby)

“It's kind of a unique opportunity where you still end up having (K) Lucas
(Havrisik), feel like he's a guy that we want to be able to continue to work with.
But to have a veteran that has his experience, some of the success, some of
the crunch time moments that he's had and the unique opportunity to be able to
bring somebody in on the practice squad and potentially flex them up. Those
are things that we felt like we wanted to be able to explore when you have 16
spots on the practice squad and so that's what we're doing.”

(On if he will be activated for this week’s game)

“There’s a possibility of that.”

(On if he anticipates releasing Havrisik)

“Do not. Do not anticipate doing that.”

(On the last time he faced Ravens QB Lamar Jackson)

“He was awesome. He's a great player. He's been a great player, explosive
playmaker. He is doing a lot of really good things this year. That was not a fond
memory for the Rams in 2019, but he did his thing when you look at it. It was
like clockwork and it was his MVP year, but he's consistently played great
throughout the course of his career. They're a great team. They're as complete
a team as there is in this league and when you've got the right guy at the
switch, which they certainly do, it's that much more difficult to try to come away
with the result that you're hunting up, but it's what you love about the NFL,
great challenge.”

(On how Jackson has evolved)

“He's still a great player. I think a lot of it too is when you're asking a
quarterback what types of concepts are you activating? What does the
surrounding 10 players look like? I think (Ravens Offensive Coordinator) Coach
Monken has done a great job. They're doing some different things in the pass
game where you can see him exhausting and getting through progressions. He
does a great job of getting a bunch of different playmakers involved from the
receiver position. Obviously losing (Ravens TE) (Mark) Andrews is a unique
thing, but they've got depth at that position and some guys that can play in that
role make it challenging. And then they got three backs that they're rotating
through, but he's a stud. He can make you pay with his legs. He can make you
pay with his arms. He can make you pay with his mind. And so you're seeing all
of that stuff show up and that's what makes him one of the best and one of the
most difficult to defend without a doubt.”

(On the challenge facing Ravens’ running back depth)

“I think it's that they've got a great scheme. It's versatile and even though those
three backs have some different skill sets, they're still running a lot of the
similar types of concepts. They might play them differently situationally but look
at all three of those guys, they've done a great job. And then obviously Lamar is
extremely dangerous and you're able to change the math in a positive way for
yourself offensively and they've got some receivers that they can get the ball in
their hands and those guys are basically like extensions of the run game and
they're dangerous. And so like I said, I think Lamar does a great job leading the
way, does a great job of being able to make a lot of different things in terms of
stressing the defense. And then I think Coach Monken has done a great job of
being able to utilize a variety of backs.”

(On facing Ravens WR Odell Beckham Jr.)

“Yeah, I keep in touch. I love Odell. He sure means a lot to me. It was a
blessing to be able to coach him and he's as fun a guy as there is. He's so
talented. He works hard. He's a great teammate. The ways that he elevated our
program and what he meant to our team. And then because you appreciate the
person so much, I always root for him except for this week. I have a lot of good
memories, a lot of good memories that he made some huge plays when we
went back here in 2021 on a fourth down catch and then obviously being able
to make the game-winning touchdown. But he’s on the bad guys this week so
we’ll root for him after that.”

(On Nacua’s toughness)

“He'd be able to tell you, but I think just the overall athleticism and just body
control where you look at it, he's running a corner route. He's got weird
leverage. (Q Matthew (Stafford) throws it inside and for him to be able to kind
of just torque his body 360 to elevate and then be able to twist, get himself
inbounds… he's got great body control. I think for such a tough player, I think
sometimes the athleticism, the overall speed and ability to create can be
minimized. I think certainly any of those narratives are out the window with what
he did the other day, whether it was on the two jet sweeps that he got or the 70-
yard touchdown and then that big play that he ended up making and then laying
there for a little bit. But it was an impressive play for sure.”

(On Odell Beckham Jr. and his toughness after two major surgeries)

“Well, I think when you just look at his story and you know what he's overcome
to be able to play at the level that he's playing at and the way that he's able to
still be able to get parallel, set routes up, have the body control whether it's in
his lower half or being able to play with great catch radius. You see that stuff
show up and I think it's a real credit to his resilience, his mental and physical
toughness. It took a lot for him to be able to get back to where he was at in
terms of the work ethic and not a lot of people can do that. I think that's what
separates the great ones and he certainly is in that category.”

(On how last year’s frustrations has led the team to a 6-6 record)

“It's hard for me to say other than the people that I'm around. I think perspective
is everything. Being in the seventh year, there have been a lot of different
experiences that you've accumulated in a short amount of time, but I'm not
going to sit here and pretend like I've had all the answers and that it's been a
perfect road even though we've had a lot of good success. I think it's being able
to measure those things, have the values and principles that you want to
operate with, kind of guide the way that you move while also still being a human
being. I do believe that it is very difficult to develop grit and resilience without
setbacks. You can read about it, you can talk about it, but until you go through
it, it's a lot of just coach speaking words. While I've mentioned it before, I didn't
love a lot of the things that we went through. I think it was really necessary for
me personally. I think that a lot of the things that we've gone through this
year… it hasn't been all smooth sailing in terms of getting the results, but what I
do think that guys would tell you is there has been a consistent energy with the
way they've approached every single day. I think that consistent approach and
that mental and physical toughness, that grit that's been established by our
team has served us well, especially coming off of the bye, get some guys back
healthy. I think it's just being able to remember the values and principles that
kind of guide the way that you want to move and not necessarily let external
circumstances, and in a lot of instances, some of the previous things that were
deemed successful allow you to lose perspective. I think that's been something
that has allowed us to enjoy it more and have the perspective that we want to
be able to have.”

(On if he considered not sharing his thoughts about how last season
went)

“No, I wear my emotions on my sleeve. And I think one of those things too is
you drop the narrative of feeling like you have to be perfect in terms of
whatever this narrative is or whatever you think you should be for other people.
I think there was power in acknowledging it, but it is something that you could
talk about it all you want, but it doesn't really matter. It's about how are you
doing it? Words are one thing, but your actions, modeling the way is the most
important thing. It's never perfect. I love this game. I love coaching. I love being
around these players. That doesn't mean that I'm just always joyful either. I
mean there are things where you go through real emotions because you care
and you work hard and sometimes you're a little bit more irritable because
you're not sleeping, whether it's because of the little man or not. I think these
are just necessary steps as you continue to grow into the man you want to be.
I've kind of grown up being in front of your guys' eyes and I'm not afraid to be
human, but I do want to make sure that I'm correct in the things that I think I
can control. That's one of the things that I want to keep doing.”

(On how the weather on Sunday affects his game plan and if the team
prepares with certain drills in practice)

“Yeah, you definitely want to work with the wet ball and those types of things. I
mean because it is different. Now fortunately, maybe the one week that we
won't get the winds out here when we actually could use them, we might not
get that. So that's just the @#$%& (laughter). We are aware of that. It definitely
affects the way that you need to anticipate some things. The footing, you look
at it, I think one of the things that we didn't do a good enough job, and it starts
with me, is the footing, especially like in Green Bay. It was wet. We were
slipping all over the place. Those types of things, let's get ahead of that. Then
let's be cognizant of how the game could potentially be altered and we'll follow
that weather as we go.”

(On his relationship with Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh)

“He's been awesome to me. The Miami of Ohio connection is real. He's always
been great. You have those cross interactions when you go to the league
meetings or different things where head coaches cross paths, but he's always
in an authentic and sincere way. Even when I was in Washington and we'd play
Baltimore every single preseason and we'd sometimes crossed over with them
in the regular season. He was always first class. Always willing to be a great
example and a mentor. That has really consistently carried on. He's a guy that
does so many great things for that community to be able to give back and use
his platform the right way. He's also done that with Miami. I'm very appreciative
and I have so much respect for the consistency at which he's done it. The more
that I do this and the longer that you're fortunate enough to be in this role, you
realize how hard it is to sustain a certain level of the way that they operate in
Baltimore. That's such a credit to him and the leadership there but he's been
great to me and I do have a good relationship with Coach.”


Quarterback Matthew Stafford

(On if practicing with a wet ball helps knowing that it’s going to be wet)

“I’ve had coaches do it both ways, but I don’t know. You can't simulate those
conditions here, you have to go see what the conditions are and then go play
accordingly in my opinion. Like you can squirt the ball with water and then
inevitably in a game you're going to get some snaps where you're like, ‘Oh, the
ball is pretty dry, I can throw it here,’ and other times you're going to get it and
you're like, ‘I can't,’ you know? You just kind of got to go play each play as its
own and you can't expect for it to be perfect every single time but you do get a
good grip on it every once in a while and try to put it in a good spot. And if not,
then figure out a way to get around it. But it's more philosophical than… how do
you want to go play the game? How are they going to play the game? How are
we going to play the game? Find a way to win it because you can practice all
you want, but it's not going to replicate exactly sideways rain out there.”

(On if the snap-to-snap condition of the ball impacts any checks or things
he does at the line of scrimmage)

“No, because you don’t know until it gets in your hand.”

(On when he checks down and if that means he’s recognizing the defense
in the set position)

“Correct.”

(On if the player changed his route of if he changed the entirety of the
play)

“He was not…It was not a pass play so I gave him those things verbally and
told the line what to do in the bac, and then we went out and made a play.”

(On if his teammates always hear the check)

“Yeah, I mean, sometimes it's tough to communicate and a lot of times those
plays are doubled up or tripled up called in a huddle, you know? We have one
play, came to another alert for a third, whatever it is. This one just happened to
be out of the blue something that coach and I had talked about a day or two
before and was able to get to it and the guys executed.”

(On if the touchdown feels better when they make the change at the line
of scrimmage )

“Feels pretty good. Yeah, there's no doubt about that. Recognize something,
make a check, everybody's on the same page. Had he caught that and gotten
tackled by (LB Sione) Takitaki for a gain of 21, we're probably not talking about
it, but he was able to finish it off too. It takes everybody. That's why football is a
great team sport. It's not just some play that I had that whatever worked or
didn't work, it took everybody involved, the O-line communicating at a high
level, (R Kyren (Williams) coming across picking up his protection, (WR)
Puka (Nacua) getting into a great spot and then just playing football after that.”

(On if anything stood out to him on film about Nacua’s toughness when
he got hurt and came back out)

“Yeah, I thought it was great to see him come back. I think we asked him to
block a bunch on the second half. He was able to do that, able to go out there
and play at a high level. It's NFL football. We got a bunch of tough dudes in our
locker room, a bunch of guys that are playing through a lot of stuff. I was proud
of him for being able to come back and really sometimes it's luck of the draw,
right? You get something that, ‘Oh, okay, I can play through this,’ and other
times they go, ‘We're not going to let you back out there.’ He was able to get
the green light from our guys and showed a bunch of toughness coming out
and playing the way he did in the second half. A lot of guys going through a lot
to get through each and every single game, but it's definitely awesome to see a
young guy come out and play as well as he did in the second half with all that
going on.”

(On what it’s like going against Beckham Jr. and if he still keeps in touch
with him)

“Yes, I've talked to him this week. He texted me and (WR Cooper) ‘Coop’
(Kupp) the other day. We've been chatting it up. But what's it like playing
against him? I mean, I just know from being in the same locker room with him
and in the huddle with him how special of a player he is. He’s done some great
stuff this year. He’s moving around great right now. We watched some
crossover tape when we were watching the Browns stuff and took a slant to the
house for 40 or 50 yards, whatever it was, and it looked like he was moving
great. He's a big challenge for our team, like he is the rest of the players on
their offense. They got a bunch of good players, guys that are explosive guys.
Starts with their quarterback who plays at a high level and trickles down so big
challenge for us.”

(On if he can share what the texts between him, Kupp and Odell were
about)

“It’s personal. That’s why it’s a text (laughs).”

(On how his working relationship with Coach McVay has evolved from
last year to now)

“It's been good. It's always been good. I think just like anything, you want to
succeed. We have two guys that love doing this at a high level, want to be as
good as they possibly can for each other, right? I want to be as good as I can
for him. I feel like he does the same and feels the same for me so when that
doesn't happen sometimes, man, is it disappointing and frustrating? Absolutely.
But I have a ton of respect for him as a person, as a coach, as a friend and I
know that whatever we go through as a quarterback and a head coach, we go
through it together and we try to come out on the other side as good as we
possibly can. I feel like we're in a great spot. I feel like just the energy
throughout this building is really positive and that starts with him. He's done a
hell of a job this year with a bunch of moving parts and some new faces around
here and gotten us to where we are right now which is in a decent spot.”

(On if he’s seen DT Aaron Donald enjoying the moment a little bit more
this year than the past two seasons)

“I don't know. He looked pretty happy to me when he was saying, ‘Ring me’ two
years ago. But I do think yes, I know from personal experience, the longer you
play this game, the more you enjoy just every little bit about it because you
don't know when your last snap's going to be. You don't know when that's going
to come for anybody so I definitely feel like he's enjoying it. I think part of that
too is just the people that he is around every single day, right? The people that
he gets to go to work with on the defensive side of the ball, on the D-line, the
coaching staff, all that. He loves being around that and that's a positive thing for
him. Since I've been here, man, he's showed up to work every single day. And
then you think about the end of last year dealing with the injuries, that's tough
to enjoy rehabbing and doing all that kind of stuff so nobody enjoys that. I'm just
happy that he's playing at a high level, enjoying it and rubbing off on some of
the other guys in that room just being able to get those guys to play at a high
level as well.”

(On at what point in his career has he thought about it ending and
needing to enjoy the little moments)

“I don't know. It's a tough question. I don't know if there was a moment or a
season or a game. It just kind of happens and it evolves.”

(On his experience playing in bad weather games and if he looks forward
to them)

“I mean all the weather conditions are different, right? I feel like I have more of
the snow cold games when I was playing in the NFC North. Played in a game in
Philly, forget what year it was early 20-teens, it was like six inches of snow on
the ground, felt like a walkthrough. Everybody was moving so slow except for
(former NFL R LeSean McCoy. I played in that one. Played in some rain
games before. We'll see what it is. Whatever the weather is, both teams got to
play in it. Got to figure out a way to try to win the football game. If it's better
than expected, would love it. If not, let's go play and figure out a way to win the
game.”

--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