Transcripts - Raheem Morris, Mike LaFleur, QB Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald - Wednesday, December 19, 2023

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Defensive
Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive
Coordinator Mike LaFleur, QB Matthew Stafford,
Receiver Cooper Kupp, Defensive Tackle Aaron
Donald - Wednesday, December 19, 2023

Defensive Tackle Raheem Morris

(On how he would describe cramming a full week of work into four days)

“You kind of get used to it. You go through your process and you kind of do
your process and everything kind of gets sped up a little bit. Your coaches all
have to be on their stuff a little bit more, so they have to jump ahead some so
by the time you get to it and you are able to talk about it, you have people with
more information then you than you normally would have. You go through that
process and then you catch up with your coaches, you get your players caught
up, you get those guys nice and easy within the framework of what you are
trying to do and what the base process is. A lot of the stuff you know you have
to go from your retention of learning that you have had over the last course of
the season and throughout training camp and through all the other stuff that
you would normally do and get some of your stuff that you know that the guys
know.”

(On his reaction to Head Coach Sean McVay’s comments about coaching
to prevent explosive pass plays and the importance of having strong
communication between coaches and players on those moving forward)

“Well sometimes it's communication, sometimes you just get beat. The
communication ones are the ones that you can correct as a coaching staff and
when you get beat physically, you just have to win those battles as much as
you can and fight as hard as you can. You have to stay on that regardless.
That's just like every week no matter what the case may be, especially as the
stakes get higher you would like to eliminate those things to keep guys from
being able to fight their way back into games or to be able to jump into leads.
You have to fight your way through those things consistently and constantly
throughout the process when you are talking about preventing big plays. You
just have to let your technique and your opportunity and your trust and
everything that's happening, the communication being on point and being great.
And when you get beat physically, those are the ones we can deal with. Those
are the ones, gun fighters get shot, I usually say up here for the most part all
the time, but those are the ones you can deal with.”

(On if he expects to make more changes opposite of DB Ahkello
Witherspoon)

“It is a forever, who is practicing the best? It’s who is playing the best? Those
things will always happen. I do like the production that we’ve gotten from that
opposite corner. We just have to eliminate some of the big plays or some of the
mistakes, some of the miscues that you have which you can expect from young
players, but at this point in the season, you’d like those guys to mature and get
better and better and keep growing. I do like some of the bounce back from the
guys though as we had some of the mistakes, particularly (DB Derion Kendrick)
‘DK’s’ when you have some misfortune or (D Cobie (Durant) for that matter,
whoever it’s been. Those guys keep fighting, keep battling. We just have to
keep finding ways to win.”

(On the challenges when Witherspoon was injured)

“It's not really challenges, it's just how we kind of move through our personnels.
We move different people into the boundary. You move people to the field, you
kind of move those guys out of position. You have to let those guys go out there
and play. You have to give (Commanders Q Jacoby Brissett some credit too.
He made some plays, stepped up in the pocket a couple times, avoided the
rush, made a couple really good throws. We jammed the receiver really good
one time. I think it was (Commanders WR Terry) McLaurin, jammed him really
good and then he just got all spun out of business and he throws a pass up and
catches it. I was really proud of the tackle at the one to go down there to get
those guys into that goal line situation for us to keep that thing fighting and
battling like we did in order to get that time to tick away. Would like to have kept
them out of the end zone there in that last fourth down, but we didn't.
Obviously, we did enough to win that game but you want to be in those
situations where you can win those games and be able to eliminate people
faster than we did.”

(On if he anticipates being involved in head coaching conversations and
how he approaches those scenarios)

“You really don't. That's not what I’m in the business of doing. I know that's fun
for all the media people but at the same time, it's a privilege to be a head coach
in the National Football League and when you get those opportunities to sit
down and talk with any of the 32 owners at any time is always something that
you can be proud of, or the moment that you have a chance to lead an
organization. But to be honest, I really don't think about it. You can't say that
you don't hear it because everybody and all my friends that talk to me about
you (laughter) want to talk about it and those things and it’s popular to talk
about and it's definitely an honor. I'm very grateful that you guys think so highly
of me, particularly you (reporter) Gary with that nice article you wrote that I
couldn't read because I had to pay a dollar for it (laughter). I didn't pay that
dollar either. I was like, no chance I'm paying to read Gary Klein's article. I will
just ask him what he said. Just that time of year, it’s just what happens. For me
it's kind of always bittersweet. You hate to see guys get fired. You hate to see
guys get moved on from. You hate to see those openings, but they are
opportunities for other people. When those opportunities present themselves, I
just have to be ready to present myself in the best version. But to say you are
preparing or you are doing anything that you would do differently other than
trying to win the next football game, I'd be lying to you.”

(On if he feels like he’d be ready for that next opportunity)

“You know, I feel like I have grown. I have gotten better being here with
everybody. With being around Sean McVay, being around (General Manager)
Les (Snead), being around this building, being within this organization and how
we do things. I really love it. I love how we’ve handled adversity. I love being
able to be around the local media and what you guys do. I think all of those
things are part of getting ready in order to prepare yourself to be a head coach.
I'd be not telling you the truth if I didn't think I was going to be better than I was
the first time when I was 32 years old taking over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
or the interim coach mid-season in Atlanta. I look forward to those challenges
and when those things present themselves, I'll be ready. But as of right now,
really worried about the Saints.”

(On the defense playing at a high level every week despite preseason
expectations)

“I don't want to give myself too much credit for getting these guys to do things
right. We underestimated their ability to play as well as they played, right? And
we can play better. We talk about that every week like just certain things you
can do better. But I really think you never in football… it's just unpredictable. It's
just the nature of the beast when we talk about the National Football League
and how great this game is. It’s why we're all fans. It's why we all cheer for it
every single week. But it has certainly been gratifying. It has certainly been fun
to be relevant. You want to get into these moments in December when you are
in the mix, so to speak, and you're ready to do those things. So to change
anything, how you go about your business, how you go about your approach,
no. But I certainly think it gives people credit. It gives people credit to other
players. It gives some of my other coaches credit, whether it be (Defensive Line
Coach) Eric Henderson, whether it be (Linebackers Coach) (Chris) Shula,
whether it be (Defensive Backs Coach) Aubrey Pleasant, anybody on our staff
as well as me. And sometimes you get too much credit and sometimes you get
too much blame so it's just the nature of the beast of what we do.”

(On the opportunity to have more black coordinators and coaches)

“I think it's pretty cool to put it in a nice way, what you didn't want to say to me,
of being the older guy right now being in those positions because you got
younger coaches that look up to you and how you move about your daily
business and go about your work. And not just coaches, just people around the
building and how we move in society being an African American or being a
minority or whatever you want to call it at that point and just moving forward
and being able to climb those ladders. I think that's really an important thing for
me to hold the right standard and important for me to answer these questions
the right way so people don't feel entitled to think that they deserve it no matter
what. I think you have to earn them. I think you have to go out and earn it. I
think you got to respect them when you get those opportunities and I'm trying to
do my best to put my best foot forward every single day no matter what the
situations are whether we're talking about playing football or we're talking about
presenting ourselves and answering these questions the right way to not feel
entitled or like you deserve something you shouldn't have gotten or whatever
the case may be. I just want to make sure I'm doing it the right way for you
guys.”

(On DT Aaron Donald’s leadership with a young defensive line group )

“What stood out from Aaron Donald? I think his ability to have fun with his guys
on the grass, on a down in and down out basis has been really alive. When you
go down to the end of the bench, I've seen a couple different versions of Aaron.
I've seen the angry one who's just about to go tear up the game and I've seen
the happy one coaching and I think I got a really good mix and a really good
vibe of Aaron Donald this season and just throughout training camp with these
young guys. I think he really enjoys playing with them and not just his young
guys, whatever you consider (NT) Bobby Brown and all of those guys, the (NT
Kobie Turner) conductor, all those guys. I think (DE) Jonah (Williams)… I think
he's got a really good feel and really enjoying playing with those guys. I've seen
him have it before with (Buccaneers DT Greg Gaines) . I've seen him have it
with (Former Rams DT) A’Shawn (Robinson) and I'm just seeing them… I got a
chance to watch them form it with these guys this year. That's probably the
biggest difference for me.”

(On re-teaching during training camp due to a younger roster)

“I don't think it started in training camp. I got to go back further than that. It
started the day we formulated this new staff and we sat down and we watched
our prior year cut ups and how we were going to move forward. What was the
easiest teaching progression, the best teaching progression, the best way for
guys to pick it up and learn it to be able to play fast. And we all treated
ourselves like we were day one players in that room. And I think it was really
cool, humbling. It was a great experience doing it with all the coaches, talking
about Aubrey Pleasant, (Defensive Asst.) Mike Harris, (Defensive Line Asst.)
AC Carter, Eric Henderson, Chris Shula, (Secondary Coach) Chris Beake, if I
miss anybody I apologize. But going in that room with those guys and doing
that with those guys, and how we wanted to formulate and present the
information and give our guys information to go out there and to be able to do
some of the things that we're doing now, I think was what started it. And I think
it started with everything. We went right from ground zero. We rebuilt what we
wanted to do and we came out with some really cool ideas and we got a
chance to show them.”


Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur

(On what the energy is like this week from a coaching staff perspective
with the tight turnaround for Thursday’s game)

“Yeah it's wild but all 32 teams have to do it. You just kind of get used to it and
you know at least it's a level playing field, right? They played Sunday. We
played Sunday. I mean, it's one thing for us it’s another thing for the players.
They're the ones that have to not only get mentally ready, they have to get
physically ready. There's no woe is me as coaches. We just try to put the best
plan for these guys so they can go out and execute on Thursday and they're
doing everything they can to get their bodies right for that.”

(On how he saw RB Kyren Williams bounce back from his fumbles on
Sunday)

“Like you guys all did. I mean he just bounced back. We just kept giving him the
ball. You trust Kyren. Obviously, he never once put the ball on the ground. He
put it on twice but he bounced back and the guy's all had his back. You just
keep feeding him and I thought he ended great. I thought that was big for him
too because you're thinking about it obviously. He just went back to the
fundamentals. I thought (Running Backs Coach) Ron (Gould) did a great job
with all those guys. I could hear him coaching him up at halftime and just
saying, ‘Stick to your training there.’ He got a lot of opportunities in that second
half and he made the most of it.”

(On WR Cooper Kupp saying today felt like two days in one and what
that’s like for him)

“Yeah, I mean it is that. You installed first and second down at whatever time it
was today and then a few hours later you say, hey, welcome to Thursday guys,
here we are on third down. It's a lot of information to absorb but again, it's all
level. It doesn't matter. It's all the same playing field. Again, it's one thing for
coaches, it’s a whole other thing for players because again, they have to
mentally and physically get prepared for this and kudos to them for doing that.”

(On if he’s ever been through a head coaching interview process)

“Not an official head coach interview, no.”

(On if he feels prepared to be a part of head coaching interviews if an
opportunity presents itself)

“What day is it today? (laughter).”

(On if he feels prepared to take part in those conversations as the season
ends)

“Yeah, I feel like I'm prepared for it because of the people I've been around. I've
been around some really, really good coaches and some guys that are just
awesome leaders. (Head Coach) Sean (McVay), (49ers Head Coach) Kyle
(Shanahan). What (Jets Head Coach Robert) Saleh has done with some
difficult circumstances at times, so that's just to name of few. Obviously, I got
the resource from my brother. But to answer your question, not even concerned
at all about that because it's not right for our players. It's not right for me to
even put any thought process into that. I respect the question. I understand the
question. It's so cool because of what Sean has built here and the respect and
regard he has around this league, but what a challenge we have Thursday.”

(On how McVay described QB Matthew Stafford when he was going
through the interview process with the Rams)

“You'll love him and I get why. In 2021 when Saleh was going kind of through
the interview circuit, he obviously interviewed in Detroit and knowing that I was
going to go with him basically wherever he went, obviously I did my homework
on it too and it was easy from the film but you still want to kind of tap into what's
going on in that locker room and everything. Everything I heard from Detroit
was just incredible, probably undersold in some ways and he was sold at a very
high level there in terms of the character of that man, how the guys respect him
in that locker room, the toughness that he brings both mentally and physically,
how it seeps through the entire building. When nine takes the field, every single
player, coach, anyone affiliated with the Rams feels like they have a shot on
any given Sunday or this Thursday. There are not many people in the world
that can instill that kind of confidence in that many people.”

(On where he sees Stafford’s toughness)

“In every aspect of his game, physically and mentally. He's unfathomable. He's
just… no matter what happens, he can always bounce back from it and he
doesn't always have to bounce back, but inevitably it's the NFL and he's playing
the hardest position in all sports so there are going to be some not great things
or things he wants back, and he just learns from it within the moment and just
keeps on swinging. It’s been awesome. Every week I'm in awe a little bit more
from him and I know his teammates are too, especially the ones…we got a lot
of young guys and so they're kind of seeing it firsthand like I am. You can see it
on their faces. Again, when he's out there you always feel like you got a shot in
the fight.”

(On the most impressive throw he’s seen him make)

“God, he's made so many good ones. Let's go with the most recent, that one to
(TE Tyler Higbee) ‘Higs’ on the right sideline on that third, and don't quote me
on this, that third and six or a little bit less in our plus territory. To be able to find
‘Higs’ there and how he did that was incredible but he's had a million of them
and I probably am already starting to take for granted some of the incredible
throws that he makes and he just continues to do it. You know he's feeling
good. You can tell the hand… I don't know if it's a hundred percent, you'd have
to ask him but you can see the look in his eye when he knows he's feeling
good.”

(On his quote earlier this season about Stafford having every club in his
bag and how he would describe that now)

“Yeah, I don't know what the PGA…how many clubs you get, but he's stealing
(laughter). He's putting too many extra in there right now. Again, kind of your
question from last week, you don't teach that stuff. You try to help him as much
as possible just like he helps us as coaches because he's the one seeing it and
he's done it at such a high level for so long. You just try to provide anything you
can from him from a schematic standpoint, any little tidbit. The stuff he does
with the arm, it's not coming from me or (Quarterbacks Coach) Zac (Robinson)
or Sean or anyone, that's just some special talent that he was born with.”

(On Stafford’s ability to read the defense and make changes on the fly
and how common or uncommon that is for a quarterback to have that
ability)

“Yeah, I think he sees more probably than most. Again, that goes back to the
amount of success he's had as a pro and the amount of years he's put into this
thing. He sees the little things that a lot of guys can't see. He can see… I don't
even want to get too far into it in terms of what he's looking at because it's a
competitive advantage for him and our team, so he just does it at an extreme
level that is I'd say uncommon, yes.”

(On if he’s seen more of Stafford’s personality come out as the games
have gone on from the way he executes various things)

“Yeah, he's a very fundamentally sound quarterback, takes pride in that. It's
about as pure of a thrower as you have, but he enjoys it too. Like you said on
the end around and stuff like that. He does things that you have to look at the
tape like five seconds after the play is done and he's doing some things and
that just tells you the comfort level he has a) in this offense, but b) just playing
the game. Again, he's played a lot of football, right? But for him to be able to
just go out there, execute his job at a high level, and then also just have fun
with it and be in the moment, it's awesome to see. It's really cool.”


Quarterback Matthew Stafford

(On if this game on Thursday feels as though he’s preparing for a playoff
game)

“Yeah if playoff games were played three and a half days after you played your
last game. No, it's more than that. It's just a jam-packed week of trying to get to
know everything you can about the New Orleans Saints and how they play ball.
But obviously we're not immune to understanding what the implications are, but
this is another football game we have to get prepared for in a short amount of
time, both physically and mentally. That's what we're doing right now, except for
when I'm sitting here talking to you guys.”

(On if he notices a difference mentally or physically in the short week this
year compared to other seasons of his career)

“Mentally probably a little bit easier, physically probably a little bit harder, but
yes both. It's obviously different than a normal week for us, which is a lot of
times, it's a race to Sunday anyways. We're just shortening it by a few days.”

(On if he has any extra emotional attachment to this game because of
how last season went and getting injured against the Saints)

“No, played a lot of football, had a lot of hits here and there just enjoying the
opportunity to go out and play.”

(On if there’s a sense of satisfaction knowing they have exceeded the
outside world’s expectations)

“I don't think anybody is satisfied at the moment to be honest with you. If you
are, you’re in the wrong place. There's a lot to be had throughout the rest of the
season but we have to take it one game at a time. We understand that. I do
think that coach has done an unbelievable job of keeping everybody's focus
week-to-week. That's what we're trying to do as leaders of the team is just
make sure that we're focused solely on what's going on, what's right in front of
us. It's really a whole lot easier to do sometimes when you have a Thursday
game, right? If you're spending time thinking about something else, you're
wrong. You're not getting prepared. All our guys are all in and that's a good
thing. It's where we want to be.”

(On if Thursday will be tougher since it’s an unfamiliar opponent
compared to playing a division opponent)

“Yeah, a little bit but they are doing the same thing for us, you know? I think it's
not ultra familiar, obviously we played them last year. There's a little bit of
something there, but teams changed over the years from year-to-year,
personnel changes, a little bit of scheme tweaks here and there. The games
that I've been a part of, whether it be a Thanksgiving Day game or a Thursday
night game, the team that goes out there and plays the most physical and
executes and does the basic stuff of football the right way usually has a pretty
good chance at being successful.”

(On what he notices about the Saints defense)

“Yeah, I mean they are really physical, always have been. They play sticky
coverage on the outside. They do a great job of rushing the passer. Obviously,
they’ve got some veterans at all three levels of their defense that are players
that have played in this league for a long time that I have a tremendous amount
of respect for and that are still playing at high level so it'll be a big challenge for
us. We'll get out there on Thursday and see what we got.”

(On when they switched to the wildcat formation and what that was like
for him)

“I think it's my first time. Yeah, I think I might be wrong. I just don't think
anybody believes I'll ever get it out there which is probably true. I did yell
reverse on that one and I think I peeled two d-linemen off, so they don't know
who's yelling it (laughter). I think it worked. It was a good play design and I'm
glad we got some yards.”

(On what he enjoys the most about playing in primetime games)

“Shoot, all of it really. I mean, anytime you get to play football in the NFL I think
it's a blessing and it's just such a privilege but primetime games are a lot of fun.
This one is just jam packed into a short week so just doing everything I can to
try and get ready but enjoy the experience and go play ball.”


Receiver Cooper Kupp

(On the physical and mental toll of a short week)

“It's tough. You're trying to get your body turned over. Today was basically two
day’s worth of plays going in, installs wise. And so it's like you've got a lot of
stuff coming at you and you're at the same time trying to get your body turned
over to get ready to go for a Thursday game. So it is a lot but everyone's got to
do it.”

(On playing on turf twice in five days)

“As you know, I hate it. I'm not a fan of turf in general and it's obviously tough
going back-to-back on a short week. But it is what it is. I know people are
certainly aware of it. If there's going to be change that's going to come, it's not
because people don't know, you know? So it is what it's. Like I said, it's the
same thing about playing Thursday night. Everyone's got to do it. Everyone's
got to get it done on turf and just part of this game and you got to deal with it.”

(On if he feels like he’s preparing for a playoff game)

“Yeah, I don't know. I've touched on this before, we treat every game the same.
And you take it one week at a time and this is our biggest game of the year
because it's the next game and our preparation doesn't change because of any
implications outside of that. A playoff game is you lose, and you go home.
That's what a playoff game is. That's not what we're doing here, but that doesn't
change whether it's a playoff game or a normal game whatever it is, your
process, the way you approach it, the mentality you have does not change. I'm
a big believer in that. You feel like you got to step things up because of outside
forces making you prepare better. I would say, well, why can't we get that from
you every week? So that's the mentality I take. That's the mentality a lot of guys
take.”

(On the Saints pass defense and what they do well)

“Man, a lot of things. (Saints Head Coach) Coach (Dennis) Allen over there has
done a really good job with just instilling the identity that those guys have. They
fly around. You got guys up front, they rush the passer. The DBs on the back
and that work together very well, instinctual guys, some really good athletes as
well, play sticky. They’ve made plays. They've been able to turn the ball over
and they play together. The best things that defenses do is they play together.
They play off each other well and I think these guys do a great job of that.”

(On if WR Puka Nacua is executing some of the advice he’s given him and
if there’s a question he’s asked that sticks out)

“Yeah, I can't remember exactly the questions. There was one back in OTAs
that he asked was like, yeah, this is someone who is asking questions, not
‘What do I have?’ It's ‘Why do I have this?’ And he's trying to find out…it’s
almost like, ‘Can I do this? Is this within the bounds of what I can do?’ That was
a pretty cool thing for a rookie who's just learning the offense and has so many
things going through his head to be thinking about.”

(On if he asked a ton of questions as a rookie)

“Yeah, I was. I'm very thankful I had, you know, I had (Former Rams WR)
(Robert Woods) ‘Woody’ here my rookie year and he was awesome to me, took
me under his wing and was always open to letting me ask questions. And yeah,
I hope I didn't annoy him too much but I did ask a lot of questions. But yeah, I
would like to think those are the kind of questions I was asking, but Puka is
definitely one of those guys that understands this game and wants to be the
best that he can for us.”

(On having WR Tutu Atwell back from injury)

“Yeah, Tutu's a very explosive receiver. Yeah, it was tough to see him go down
but so glad he’s back out there with us again. And obviously the juice that he
brings, his ability to stretch the field, it's a pretty special trait of his. Everyone
knows him for being able to get down the field, but underestimated in terms of
just the toughness that he plays with and being able to do kind of all the stuff
that we ask our receivers to do.”

(On the offense having wide receiver depth)

“Yeah, I mean it's great. I think you have guys that can come in and if you need
a rest, you need to do that we're able to rotate guys out and whoever steps
up… Even when Tutu was down, the (WR) Austin Trammell came in and did a
great job. (WR) (Tyler Johnson) ‘TJ’ was up this last week, did an incredible job
in practice. And I think there's just the depth of our room in general there's the
trust in whoever it is that's on the field and guys know that they're going to be
expected to do everything. It's not about just catching the ball and running with
it. It's blocking. It's doing all the other stuff and I think all of our guys can do
that. They've shown it through the course this year.”


Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald

(On the Saints offensive line)

“I think they play good together. Obviously, they got some injuries, got some
different pieces there but I think they got a good running back, quarterback
that’s got some experience that throws the ball well. We just got to do a good
job of stopping the run first and then getting after the quarterback.”

(On if he does extra recovery on a short week)

“I feel good on Thursdays. I feel good right now. Obviously, you just got to try to
jam stuff in a couple days. You really don't get the rest after the game because
it's right to recovery. Mondays you got to go right to trying to do a lot in one day.
So it's good. My days are a little longer at home. I really don't get to go to sleep
until a little later. But just taking care of my body, feeling good right now. Just
being a pro.”

(On being listed as questionable last week)

“I feel good. It was a little tight but obviously when it came to game time, I was
good. We didn't have any problems. They wanted to be smart with it just in
case, but I felt good. Feel good now. I'm ready to go.”

(On if he thinks Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris will be a head
coach next season)

“He’s a great coach. I think hopefully he gets an opportunity. I think he
deserves it for what he did, what he's been doing, what he's been doing here.
Great guy. Hopefully he gets the opportunity, we'll see.”

(On if it feels like a playoff game)

“I think every game is like a playoff game now, right? We ain't got much room
for no losses, obviously going week to week but every game's a big game.
Can't afford to lose any more games. So that's what makes it fun. It makes it
exciting and it's a primetime game so you got to go out there and do what we
need to do to find a way to win and we’re at home, so you don't want to lose.”

(On both Defensive Line Coach Eric Henderson and Assistant Defensive
Line Coach AC Carter being from New Orleans)

“Honestly, you just reminded me about that. Nobody said nothing about it but
now that just got a little fire to it, so that's going to be something good for him.
So we got to make it happen.”

(On Henderson and Carter’s dynamics as a team)

“Oh yeah, ‘Henny’ and AC have been great. I think AC, you can tell he loves
football. He is into it. I think he does a lot as far as working with the young guys
as well after practice, staying as long as they want to stay working on pass rush
stuff, nonstop working with them. So I think we got a good group. We got some
great coaches. Been with ‘Henny’ for a few years now. Built a great relationship
with him that’s going to last forever and then adding AC to the mis , a guy that
loves the game, that knows the game, that knows what he's talking about. It
just does nothing but help us.”

(On the maturation of the younger core on defense)

“Just guys coming into their own. I think I say it every week guys becoming
productive guys and then just one week it’s doing it week in and week out
consistently, putting it on out there and finding a way to be productive and play
with confidence, right? So that's what it's about. Once you are out there, you
win some games, you have some success, you can do it at this level and you
just work from there and continue to grow. So obviously they are playing some
good football. We got to continue to do that and just one week at a time and
just keep playing good ball.”

(On if he realized a different dynamic in the locker room during training
camp)

“Well, you got to think for me, I'll say this, it felt like a whole new team even
though it’s the same team. But it was pretty much, everybody was different.
You got (L Ernest, a couple guys that were out there that you played with, but
for the most part it was a lot of new pieces that you never played with, didn't
know what to expect. So to start seeing everything come together where we are
right now, a lot of growth came from camp to now. So I'm just excited with
where we’re at right now. Obviously, we still always got room for improvement.
We ain't where we need to be, where we want to be but I think we are playing
some good football. Guys are flying around being productive and we found a
way to do what we need to do to win games.”

(On the feeling of having a completely new team)

“It was different, but it’s a part of the business I guess, right? So just adapt, do
what you need to do to help the guys and grow with them., learn with them,
trying to build with them and we’re here now.”

(On if he checks to see if other teams have won or loss)

“No, I don’t.”

--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