TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay - Media Availability - November 11, 2019

TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay - Media Availability - November 11, 2019

(On injury updates following Sunday’s game)
“(C) Brian Allen got his MCL and it’s going to need repair, so he’s going to be out for the year, which is unfortunate. (T) Rob (Havenstein), kind of similar with his meniscus. He’s going to be out a couple weeks. He’ll at least be out this week, but it might be a couple weeks for him. (D Darious Williams, he got an ankle, and it’ll probably be a couple weeks for him as well. Just to update with (WR) Brandin (Cooks), he’s feeling good, asymptomatic. Everything is really in good shape with him right now, but he will miss this week again and then we’ll reevaluate the following week.”

(On the plan for the offensive line moving forward)
“We’re working through some of those things. I think you got a chance to evaluate some guys yesterday, just based on the way the nature of the game went. I thought (OL) Austin Blythe did a nice job at center – he’ll step into that position. (OL) Austin Corbett did some really good things at that left guard spot. Then I thought – before he ended up having to transition out to the tackle spot – (T) David Edwards did a nice job at right guard. As far as the tackle position – exactly how we fill that void from Rob – you could at the (T) Bobby Evans, some other options. We’re working through those things right now as all that information just within the last few hours – we’re working through that.”

(On if he would be inclined to put Evans at tackle or move Edwards over to right tackle)
“That’s a good question. I think, probably, you feel good about the way David’s played at the guard position. I think initially that’s probably our first reaction. I wouldn’t say that’s a final decision by any stretch, but we’ll work through some potential options. Ultimately, it’s about putting together the best five. But, in a lot of instances, you prefer to not necessarily feel like you’re falling off at two spots, but just one if all things are equal. We’ll kind of navigate through that over the next 24 hours.”

(On if there are players available the team may look to add in free agency)
“There’s certainly some names. There’s some potential guys that you look to put a claim in and maybe other teams end up getting on that guy first. Those are things that we’re working through in the meantime.”

(On if he has an explanation for why RB Todd Gurley II wasn’t playing late in Sunday’s game after having success early on)
“He (RB Todd Gurley II) did a good job. You really look at it, the two drives that he did miss, that second drive that (R Malcolm (Brown) was in was at 12 and a half minutes left in the game. Then, the next drive starts at two and a half minutes. I think there was a little bit longer time in between drives that typically you usually see. It wasn’t necessarily like that was the true crunch time. Todd had been running really well, but that was the beginning of the fourth quarter in those drives that Malcolm was in there. Then, when you do get the ball back offensively, you’re in two-minute mode, playing down where you’re playing for a touchdown with 2:39 – I want to say – left in the game. That’s as much as anything, but I thought he did a good job. Malcolm did some good things when we got in there. It certainly isn’t to take anything away from the performance that he (Gurley II) had yesterday. I thought that was a really good performance from Todd – some good, tough, physical runs. I think there’s always things that you look at as a coach and say, ‘Would you do it differently?’ I think – not to take anything away from Malcolm – but if you knew that that was going to be the last possession you get until two and a half (minutes) left, you probably would say, ‘I would’ve preferred to have Todd get into more of a rhythm and maybe get some touches there.’ There’s nobody to blame there but me.”

(On why RB Todd Gurley II was not in the Game the entire fourth quarter)
“I think it really just had to do with that we had kind of gone into it and just feeling it out, we feel like he is doing really well, he’s playing at a high level. (R Malcolm (Brown) made some tough hard-earned runs too. He’s been a guy that’s demonstrated he can make some plays. It’s nothing really other than that. I think like anything else, when you want to be reflective as a coach, you say, ‘Could there have been some things that you wish you had done to maybe keep him in that rhythm?’ I wouldn’t argue with that. I would say, ‘You probably should have done that.’ Those are things that I’ll never claim to make all the right decisions. I think yesterday was something where you probably could have given him an opportunity to continue with that rhythm that he did have going there.”

(On looking at his snap-count compared to last year what’s happening this year)
“He hasn’t because we’ve ended up playing a couple of those other guys. Also, there just hasn’t been an opportunity to run the football as many times as we’d like. In some instances, we’ve been in two-minute situations more than when we are in the four-minute situations. In a lot of instances, we just haven’t been as efficient on some of those early downs. I think the flow of games has dictated in some instances, just the amount of carries that we get. We have played (R Darrell (Henderson Jr.) and Malcolm in some other spots. That’s really what it ends up boiling down to in some of those specific situations that you’re referring to.”

(On what the conversations are like with Gurley and if he’s accepting of his utilization)
“He’s been great. He and I are in dialogue. I think, like anything else, I think there is a frustration I would expect, from everybody, including myself after that game. I didn’t exactly see how the question was asked. I think anytime that you’re a playmaker like him, you’re going to want that ball and you’re going to want more. I can’t argue with the fact that, anytime that you have a player that wants the football more because he wants to contribute and help his team, I think those things come from a good place. I don’t have a problem with that.”

(On what he seen from QB Jared Goff when he went back and looked at the tape)
“I think there was a lot of instances, where offensively, we could of done a lot of things differently. We could have executed a lot better in some spots, and I think he would be the first to tell you that just being able to consistently play better throughout the game is something he expects to do. I think we have confidence that he will do. It certainly isn’t exclusive to him. This is the greatest team sport there is. He’s a big part of what we are going to do and what we need to do to consistently play well on offense. I think he can play better than that.”

(On if it was cold down on the field and if the temperature down on the field impact game play)
“No I don’t that had any effect. It was a nice Pittsburgh day yesterday. I don’t think the weather had any effect on us not playing up to the standards we expect to. I think it was more of there’s some things that we can do better. Then, give credit to the Steelers, they did a nice job as well.”

(On how the offensive line injuries and not having Cooks impacts his play calling decisions)
“I think it’s a great challenge. I think one of the things that you can look at it is, let’s use this as an opportunity to try to see if we can put guys in better spots, and ultimately, find a way to win the game as a team. That’s the biggest thing that we want to be able to do, is figure out how are you putting all three phases together to try to collaborate and come away with a win against a tough Bears team –a very good defense. Once we dive into the tape, I’d probably be better equipped to answer that. It’s always about figuring out, all right, how can we do a good job of putting the players that we have in the best spots. That’s really based on that week and what we feel it’s going to take to be able to win that football game. I think those are some things that you learn as you get some experience, specifically in this role, it’s not necessarily about having to score x amount of points, it’s what do we think it’s going to take to try to win the football game. That’s my job and that’s what we will try to do a good job of this week.”
(On if the back-to-back plays consistently of QB Blake Bortles run and a pass from P Johnny Hekker was him trying to find something different to kick start things)
“Yeah. Unfortunately, for us, that was one of the first times in the game, and it didn’t happen until the third quarter, that we really had a 3rd-and-short situation come up. There was a couple of things that we had potentially discussed as far as using (Q Blake (Bortles), his skill set – he’s a quarterback, but he also has some running threat. That was something that, that was a play and kind of a package, if you will, that we had worked. There was a certain look that we had and it wasn’t quite exactly what we were looking for on the fake punt, (P) Johnny (Hekker) does a great job of recognizing those. The best part about it is, some of those things that you end up being able to activate in a game, if it doesn’t always work out the way we want, when you’ve got the right kind of guys like you do in Johnny Hekker and (Special Teams Coordinator) John Fassel, we learn from it the right way. We use it as a chance to move forward in a positive manner when those situations present themselves in the future.”

(On if there will be a situation with Gurley during the season like the start of the 49ers game when RB Malcolm Brown set the tone by running the ball on a whole drive and what goes into a decision like that)
“You’d like to say, ‘Yes.’ But, I can’t always tell you exactly how a game is going to unfold. I think there were some games, I think even yesterday, he (RB Todd Gurley II) had a lot of production. The start of the Seattle game, where he ended up really getting us going and I thought that opened up some things. To say that we exactly had a plan where, like referred to the San Fran (Francisco) drive, we were able to run it seven-straight times for a touchdown. You don’t always exactly anticipate, ‘Man, we’re going to have this many efficient plays in a row, so we can really continue to do that.’ A lot of it is predicated on what’s the defense presenting and what do we feel like the best thing is to attack that? Those are things that whether it be this year, the previous couple years, you’re always trying to figure out how to learn and make better selections for your players, but then also be conscientious and cognizant of the fact that it’s a players’ game. Getting a guy like Todd Gurley more involved and more a part of it is definitely something that yesterday benefitted. That’s where you say in hindsight, I should have done a better of doing that consistently throughout the game.”

(On how he prepares and manages the offensive line and secondary for a starting role throughout the week and gameplan with so many changes to personnel)
“It’s just about adjusting. Part of that is, these guys have a responsibility of, if you are in one of those secondary roles, to be able to be ready to step up if the guy that’s in front of you ends up getting hurt. I think that’s part of being a pro. That’s part of our job as coaches is making sure that it’s going to be as seamless of a transition as possible while knowing that, ‘Hey, there are going to be some tweaks and some adjustments that we have to make collectively, players and coaches alike.’ I think it’s about as you continue to accumulate experience with them, you get a better feel for what exactly is the best way to operate. Then, how can we consistently figure out how does that identity shift, while staying within some of the foundational things you want to on offense and defense.”

(On if it has been challenging navigating an uneven start like this given the success he’s had in the previous two seasons)
“Yeah, absolutely because it matters so much to you. To say that this has been as smooth as the other seasons in terms of getting the results that you want, this has definitely been a great challenge. I think that’s part of the challenge of being consistent in terms of what you except of yourself and what you want to be for your players, for your coaches, and really for this team. That’s when you really truly get tested. In a lot of instances, yes, I would be lying to say that this hasn’t been more challenging. But that’s also why there’s a motivation to make sure to do right and to use this as an opportunity to try to respond in the way that you challenge your players and everybody else to. You want to make sure that you’re epitomizing those things as well.”

(On if he feels like he is pressing too much and not taking a step back)
“I think that having some core principles and some values that you want to help keep you in alignment and on track when things don’t always go the way that you want is very important. I also think it’s important while not doing things unnecessarily out of change because you haven’t always gotten the result that you want. Sometimes you have a tendency to do that. So, I think you want to say, ‘What are the reasons why?’ If you can identify those, let’s not be so stuck in our ways that we’re not adjusting and adapting. I think you want to be consistent with your process, the core values and traits that you think have been instrumental in terms of developing whether it be this culture or our ability from a football philosophy standpoint to get some of the results we want. A lot of it is navigating through some of the different things that we have had to this year, figuring it out and that’s an ongoing process. That’s something that each week presents new challenges. The challenges is are you mentally tough enough to say, ‘What happened against Pittsburgh whether we end up making a couple plays to change the outcome of the game, does that really change where we’re at as a football team and what we have to do to wipe the slate clean and try to put together a good week to play better against the Bears this week?’”

(On him being described as an offensive genius and if he ever thought he would be on the other side having some down times)
“Sure. It’s a humbling game. I think the biggest thing is I’ve heard this said before, ‘Tough times don’t last, tough people do.’ We’re going to continue to fight to find out what these solutions are. My job as a head coach to help our team navigate through that. While you do have an offensive background, you look at it as there’s a lot of things you have involvement with with, defense, special teams, our team. One of the things that, clearly, I have to do a better job of, and we do is let’s be more consistent offensively from an overall efficiency standpoint, so that we know what to expect week in and week out. I think those are things that we’re working through. I know our players and coaches alike are motivated to figure out those solutions and work towards getting that done.”

(On his thoughts on QB Jared Goff’s throw that was ruled a fumble in Sunday’s game)
“I haven’t had a chance to talk to (Senior Vice President of Officiating) Al Riveron in the league office yet. I think it’s one of those deals when you slow it down, you can certainly make the case. In a lot of those instances how you see it in live action is what’s going to end up being the final call. I’m not going to sit here and complain about things that didn’t work out in our favor. You just want to continue to learn, ‘Alright how is it being interpreted, how is it being officiated, and how we can eliminate any of the grey with some of those plays that would work in our favor maybe?’”



--RAMS--