Transcripts - Sean McVay, QB Matthew Stafford - Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Head Coach
Sean McVay, QB Matthew Stafford -
Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Head Coach Sean McVay

(Opening remarks)

“Okay guys, injury wise the only players that will be out today will be (D Tre
Tomlinson with his hamstring and then (OL) Joe Noteboom with his foot. He
was dealing with that last week but he was able to go so we’ll be hopeful that
he'll go. With Tre, it'll be less likely that he'll be available this week.”

(On what he’s seen from WR Demarcus Robinson in the last few games)

“I think I've seen consistent work ethic. What’s been really cool is just watching.
He has just been so steady, so consistent throughout the course of the year.
(Wide Receivers Coach) Eric Yarber, (Pass Game Specialist) Jake Peetz,
(Offensive Assistant) K.J. Black have done a great job of just working with him.
Then you talk about maximizing your opportunities and he's done that. He's a
big-time contributor both with the ball and then without the ball. I think he and
(Q Matthew (Stafford), there is a really comfortable rapport. Two of my
favorite plays in the game against New Orleans were two of the off-schedule
conversions that we had. One on the first play of the two-minute where he
catches it down our sideline and that ended up leading to a touchdown that he
ended up capping off. Then the third down where Matthew kind of got flushed
to his left and Demarcus ended up getting into his vision, but he’s made a lot of
plays. He had a bunch of production in that first half and been really pleased
with him.”

(On what he’s seen from the Giants defense under Giants Defensive
Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale)

“Wink’s a guy that I've always had a lot of respect for. He presents a variety of
issues going back to when we played against them and when he was in
Baltimore in ‘21. He does a great job of deploying his players. You can see he's
able to adjust and adapt to what he thinks they do best and then he puts a lot of
pressure on you situationally and he understands some of the issues that he
can present. They’re a real challenge to be able to prepare for and they’ve got
really good players. You can see why in some of the stretches where they've
played excellent football, they’re taking the football away and that's leading to
winning games and they’re very opportunistic. It seems like every time you flip it
on, somebody's making an impact-type of play for their defense and it's a real
credit to their guys and then also Wink.”

(On his message to the team this week)

“Let's just continue to take steps in the right direction. I love the way that these
guys have come in and I like the consistency that I've seen throughout the
course of the year, but I think we have really started to play better football,
more quality football, more complimentary. I like what we've done and being
able to kind of just play off one another defensively and offensively. Some
things that we can always improve upon in all three phases, but it's the
consistent approach and you've heard me say it before, I think that's the truest
measurement of performance. Let's see if we can come back and have a really
good week. We'll be able to get more practice time in then what we have been
able to based on this time of the year and then having a few days off, so expect
these guys to be firing on all cylinders and have their best week yet.”

(On the benefit of having extra days to rest and prepare after a Thursday
night game late in the year)

“Just kind of what I was saying is you get a chance to be able to… you don't get
better at football unless you play it or unless you do it at full speed. It's really
important to be able to maximize the above the neck settings, especially later in
the year. But to be able to have a situation arise where you have a Thursday
game this late and then it ends up enabling you to have a few days, get some
good time with their families, it ends up acting as an additional bye later on.
Let’s continue on with some of the momentum that they’ve created.”

(On the biggest difference between last season’s offensive line and this
season’s group)

“I think you mentioned it. The continuity of guys being able to play together is
such an important factor. No different than a quarterback and receiver getting a
comfort with one another. But I think the overall toughness, I think physically
and mentally. I think (Offensive Line Coach) Ryan Wendell and (Asst. Offensive
Line Coach) Zak Kromer and (Offensive Asst.) Nick Jones have done a really
good job with that group. But across the board, I've just loved the way that
they've continued to find themselves, continue to play for one another. I think
when you look at the way that these guys strain together, whether it be in the
run or in the pass, they're a unit. When they come out together in introductions,
the way that they just interact throughout the course of the day, the dialogue
they have and walkthroughs and practice. I love this group and you've seen
them play at a really high level and I'm proud of those guys.”

(On whether he’s seeing a difference in QB Matthew Stafford statistically)

“I don't even think the stats do justice to what an impact he's making on our
team and that's saying a lot because I know the stats are really impressive. But
just the level of play, the confidence that he breeds with everybody else, the
command, the leadership, the things that he enables us to be able to do
offensively that you wouldn't be able to do with other quarterbacks, it's all of
those things. And so he's always brought that to the table but I think like
anything else, when you work at something the right way with an intentful
approach, you're going to get better. And I think he's getting better and I think
he's elevating people around him. I mentioned it to you guys, he's elevating
coaches and players and there's so much confidence that he earns because of
his preparation, his weekly rhythm, and his ability to be able to connect and
communicate with his teammates and then ultimately be able to go execute on
game day. But he's done a great job and he's certainly has been at the center
of a lot of good things for this team.”

(On if he’s gotten more production than anticipated from Robinson, DB
John Johnson III, and DB Ahkello Witherspoon)

“I don't know if you ever really look at it like that. I think there was confidence in
all three of those guys. To say that I'm proud and they're making big impacts
would be an accurate statement. But what I like about all those guys is it's a
little bit different narrative for each of them, but all of them are really playing
their best football at the right times and they have huge impactful roles for our
team. They embody a lot of the things that we want in terms of the football
character, the work ethic, and then ultimately coming to life on game days. But
they've been big time contributors. It's hard to say whether it's exceeded
expectations or anything like that, but if you talk about what we're getting out of
them relative to how fortunate we were to get them when we did and how it kind
of ended up, we are pleased with that.”

(On if he’s noticing a flourish or some flare from QB Matthew Stafford
when he makes plays or in moments like the handoff to Robinson a few
weeks ago)

“It just makes it cool. You're talking about the around to (WR) DeMarcus
Robinson. I mean it just makes it look cooler than what the play is designed. He
said, ‘Oh, well shoot, I didn't think it would look that cool.’ He just puts his own
personality on these plays and I think when you look at it, there's a swagger
and there's a charisma and just a confidence that he plays with that it's fun. It's
fun to root for this guy. It's fun to see him doing what he's doing and teammates
love him. It's fun to see that and I love watching all of these guys enjoy it and
earn the right to be able to have fun and celebrate one another, but when he's
operating like that, that means good things are going on or in store.”

(On if there’s been an instance that stands out with Stafford’s toughness)

“I mean, there are multiple stories. You just look at everything that he's pushed
through, what he plays through, but I think pushing through that Indianapolis
game with the severity of that hip contusion that he had. I think one of the
coolest things about that story in particular is that (OL) Joe Noteboom strained
his groin during that game and ended up missing the next couple weeks, but
he's saying, ‘Hey, I got to finish this game for Matthew. If he's playing through
this, then I can certainly do that.’ And what a cool thing to be able to have guys
playing for one another and uplifting each other. That's an example. I don't think
anybody really realizes the severity of the thumb issue and what he was playing
through and what he still is continuing to be able to play through. There's a
reason why when you look at the respect that he's garnered around the league
and you got all these superlatives that you can really mention, but I think one of
the coolest things that anybody can say about a football player is, hey, they're
mentally and physically tough, and that is exactly what this guy is and it
certainly isn't exclusive to that. But I think that's been earned just based on who
he is and who he's been from the very first time that he got into this league and
when he started playing football. You guys all saw when we first traded for him
a couple years ago, the mic’d up against the Browns going back to his rookie
year, that's some legendary stuff right there and so he seems like he's always
kind of adding to that legacy.”



Quarterback Matthew Stafford

(On his mini bye)

“That was good. Busy, as you can imagine.”

(On how he celebrated the holiday)

“Yeah, it was great. I was able to be around a bunch and hang with the girls
and Kelly and everybody so it was fun to be home. But I'm happy to be back
doing this and getting ready for another game.”

(On the Giants defense)

“Yeah, obviously really physically talented. They've got a bunch of good
players, really kind of all levels. Again, D-line is talented, second level is
talented, guys in the back end are first round picks, guys that can run, do all the
stuff that you'd want to do from those guys. As challenging as a coordinator as
there is to go against in (Giants Defensive Coordinator) (Don Martindale)
“Wink”. I got a lot of respect for him and what he's done throughout his career
calling plays on defense so it's a big challenge for us, we know that going on
the road into their place. They're playing good football right now and it'll be a
big challenge for us.”

(On how playing in Detroit developed his toughness)

“I don't know. I think just trying to be available as much as I possibly can. I
learned from when I first got in the league, the guys that were playing either
around me or in front of me or whatever it was just trying to show up every
single week to be there for the guys no matter what the record was, what the
score was, how you were feeling. That was kind of the mentality of the league
back then. And it's still, for the majority is today. But just trying to do everything
I can to make sure that I'm there on Sundays for the guys and I think that's an
important part about playing this position.”

(On what motivates him to be better)

“Yeah, I think we're in the business…This business is humbling, right? If you're
not trying to improve at all times, I feel like you get exposed. I think the biggest
thing for me is just every week is a new challenge against a new defense with
new challenges kind of specific to that week and it's an all-in kind of effort for
that week to try to get ready to play and play at a high level. I love that
challenge and I love doing it with a group of guys that are like-minded and
ready to go attack the week. So that's kind of how I feel about that. I love
playing this game. I love competing. I love the challenge of every week you got
to go out there and prove it.”

(On how he responds when defenses start showing different things
schematically)

“Yeah, I think just got to be ready for all of it and have answers for all of it if you
possibly can. There's going to be plays throughout a game, throughout a
season where the other side of the ball has their say in it as well. They're going
to win those downs, but you just want to be as prepared as you possibly can be
for everything. And have an option and have a plan for all that kind of stuff and
be able to go out there and execute it. And I can't do it by myself. I can't do it
with just the coaches. Everybody's got to be on board and understand what
we're trying to get done on every single play. So big kudos to everybody in our
locker room and really on the offensive side of the ball. When we are changing
things or doing whatever it is getting in and out of plays they're locked in and
rolling and that's part of what playing good offensive football is about and that's
communication and execution and our guys are doing that at a high level right
now.”

(On if there’s a flow state while being in the zone)

“Yeah, for sure. Try to be as dialed in as you possibly can. You break the
huddle. You're looking for every little thing you can to try and give you an
advantage and you got to go from there. We're obviously on a 42 second play
clock so trying to do that all as quickly as you possibly can and communicate
with everybody is a challenge but it's a fun one. The more we work out, the
more we rep it, whatever those changes are on certain plays, everybody feels
so comfortable. I'm saying it and they're thinking it all at the same time and
that's when we're playing at a high level.”

(On if the end of last season was tough because of how much pride he
takes in not missing games)

“Yeah, definitely. I don't enjoy missing any time. Extended time is really tough
so being able to be out here and playing again and playing at a decent clip is a
lot of fun. I love doing this and love being out there with those guys. It's fun.”

(On what having a stable quarterback does for a team)

“Might have to ask the other guys that but I'm trying to do everything I can to be
there to lead the guys in our locker room, lead the guys on offense, whatever it
is. I think for 15 years I've been that person so I've just been trying to continue
to do that to the best of my ability and hope that my ability to show up on
Sundays rubs off and gives those guys a sense of calm going into the week
that no matter what's going on, I'm going to be out there and leading the way.”

(On the motivation behind the Christmas gifts he gave the offensive line
and what it was like to see their faces)

“It was good. Every year it's a challenge, right? You're getting (OL) Rob
Havenstein and (OL) Alaric Jackson the same gift and that's tough, right?
You’re trying to figure out who likes what and you can't make everybody happy
so figured I'd just freeze them out and see what happens. No, it's cool. It's an
investment I guess in their career and their body. The guys are using them
around here so you might as well take one home with you, but yeah really cool
to get those plunges for those guys. Excited that they are excited about it really
more than anything. It's always a unique challenge trying to figure that out each
year. Those guys keep me upright, create holes for everybody. And without
those guys playing at that level, our offense couldn't do anything. Just proud to
be playing behind those guys and really appreciate all the work they put in.”

(On how WR Demarcus Robinson is doing and his rapport with him)

“He’s doing a really nice job. He's getting open when he’s got man coverage.
He's in the right spot in the zones, doing a nice job after the catch. I say this, I
feel like sometimes you guys don't believe me, but I'm just trying to throw the
ball where the coverage tells me to throw it. Certain times the coverage has
been telling me to throw it his way and a couple of them have been off-
schedule, nice plays where he's doing a nice job extending. I'm thinking about
the touchdown on Baltimore, the one last week kind of scrambled around, really
twice, and he showed up and made some nice plays for us. When I'm putting
the ball in his area, he’s doing a really nice job of making the catch and he's
done a really nice job so just happy for him and the more guys that we can get
playing at a high level, the better we're going to be.”

(On if there’s anyone he looked up to in terms of their ability to be
available)

“I grew up watching and got to play against him once, but (Former NFL QB
Brett) Favre. I mean, he was the guy that showed up every Sunday no matter
what was going on. Broken thumb, didn't matter, he was going to find a way to
be out there for his guys. From a kid growing up, from a fan, high school,
college, and even when I got to play against him, that was the guy that to me
was pretty incredible what he was able to do, both mentally and physically just
put himself through whatever to make sure he is out there.”

--RAMS--

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#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