Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - January 13, 2021 Head Coach Sean McVay, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell and DL Aaron Donald

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts -
January 13, 2021
Head Coach Sean McVay, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell
and DL Aaron Donald





Head Coach Sean McVay
(On the status of WR Cooper Kupp)
"He's progressing. He didn't participate today, so we're just taking it a day at a time with him.”

(On if Kupp could play on Saturday without practicing all week)
“It is, yes.”

(On the status of QB John Wolford)
“(Q John (Wolford) did a couple of things, but he was a non-participant at practice. So, we're taking it a day at a time with him as well.”

(On if Wolford could play on Saturday without practicing all week)
“We're just going to take it a day at a time right now.”

(On if he’s determined who will start at quarterback on Saturday)
“Taking it a day at a time.”

(On if OL David Edwards will play on Saturday)
“That's something that, really, with all those guys, we're just monitoring by the day. Both (OL) David (Edwards) and Cooper are making progress and we'll see where they're at once we get closer to kickoff.”

(On if he feels DL Aaron Donald is ready to play on Saturday)
“I think you guys talked to him earlier, what would you say?”

(On how it will play out for Donald this week)
“Like I said, I definitely would never bet against this guy. You see the look in his eye, you know the way that he's working and you just see the way that he's gone about his business this week. It sure seems like a person that has every intent to be full speed ahead on Saturday.”

(On if Goff wore gloves today in anticipation of playing in cold weather or protection for his thumb)
“You know what, I think it's probably a combination of both. You guys will have to ask him. But the cold weather definitely does help. That's something that when we played in some of those colder games, he's experimented with. I think he likes the tack that it gives him. That's something that he's felt good about the last couple of days. I would expect to see him wear that on Saturday possibly.”

(On if the cold weather will affect the passing game)
“I think you always have to have a contingency plan, whether it's cold, and is it windy? Is it snowing? There are certain types of weather when it does get in those lower temperatures that definitely affect your ability to throw the football and some that don't. Now for us, our team is not accustomed to playing in it, but once you get going, I don't think those guys out there are actually cold. We've got great ways of keeping them warm on the sidelines. So, I think you saw (Packers Q Aaron (Rodgers) yesterday, if you guys saw him, when he talked to the media, he said one of the things you don't want to do is get too far ahead of yourself with the media and the weather forecast in Green Bay. I think we've got to make sure, like you guys have heard me say over and over, we have to have some agility. But if it is one of those games, that's inclement weather similar to what they played in against Tennessee, that's definitely a factor. You've got to be mindful of what are some of the bad weather types of plays, whether it's the runs or what type of things in the pass game you want to activate. That's certainly something that we're prepared for if that's the case.”

(On if it’s been difficult navigating a quarterback situation for the first time)
“I think it's really for a talkative guy just saying, ‘We'll take it a day at a time’ and that's what I'm sticking to. It's not hard behind the scenes because you communicate to your players. But I don't think it does us any benefit making those announcements right now, whether we know or whether we don't know what that scenario is. It's the first time, but you get a little bit shorter answers from me than you're accustomed to, I guess.”

(On any concern on Saturday considering the team hasn’t won three-consecutive games during the season)
“I mean, are you saying we shouldn't show up? Here's the thing. There's no better time than to string together a win streak than right now. Really been pleased with the last two performances. It's a great challenge for us. We're doing everything in our power to prepare in all three phases. Our players have a great look in their eye. There's a focus, there's a concentration, there's a belief, but there's also an understanding of what a great effort and what great execution that we're going to have to have to go get it done against a 13-3 football team that is playing outstanding in all three phases. That's what you love about it, as a competitor, this is what gets you excited to get a chance to just compete every single week. Now, here represents an opportunity to go against what is the best in the NFC.”

(On the presence of DL Michael Brockers this season)
“I'll tell you what, when you just think about the energy, the charisma, the presence and the leadership that he provides, he has been so instrumental, and it's not just the production. I'll tell you what you really feel – you appreciate him because he's got this warm, engaging personality, but he locks in on the field. Guys, look to him to see, all right, what does it look like to be a pro’s pro with how you approach meetings, how you approach practice. I think (DL) Michael Brokers has that perfect balance of urgency and enjoyment. He's always having fun. You guys have heard me talk about that. But really when he missed that week and then even his first time back with us on Saturday morning last week, just hearing his laugh in the breakfast room, even though we're spread out all over the place, it just felt like you were alive again. Brock's back and everything's going to be okay. He just brings life to the group. I love him. I'm so thankful that he came back for so many reasons, but he's been a guy that's been doing it at a high level for this organization long before I got here. The appreciation I have for watching his maturity, his production, everything that he represents since I got here, I couldn't be more thankful and grateful to be able to work with veteran players that provide leadership. Really, those are the guys that set the culture and they make what is right about the Rams right now.”

(On how OL Andrew Whitworth is progressing)
“He's doing good. He's progressing well. He has some soreness in that knee. He came out really firing on all cylinders last week. We are taking it a day at a time with him and I think with him, you're also allowing him to communicate to you how he's feeling to be as smart as possible so that by the time Saturday at 3:30, or whenever it is that we exactly kick off in Green Bay rolls around, that he's ready to be at his best if he's feeling good.”

(On the progress of functionally for Goff’s thumb)
“He's done a really nice job with everything that he can control and at this point in the year he's gotten a lot of good individual work with (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin (O’Connell) and with (Assistants Quarterback Coach) Liam (Coen). We are a little bit more limited in the amount of physical toll that we try to put on our players' bodies right now. I think you guys see, especially when you've accumulated this much work, it is important to try to get some reps that are reflective of some game-like situations, but you also want to make sure guys are feeling good and so that's where there's a real emphasis on the above-the-neck. But what he's done in the individual drills and then today in the physical settings, he is definitely making very good progress.”

Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell
(On preparing to play in cold weather)
"Well, all of our guys at some point have played in cold weather. Whether they're veterans that have played in the NFL and some of the cold cities, or on the road or even the young players, almost everybody for the most part has experience in it. Everybody's got their own routine, their own way of kind of handling it. We obviously talk and preach about the ball security and preach about making sure those guys have the right footing and the right cleats. Then, it's about getting out there on Saturday and getting a great feel for it. As the game goes on, I think guys in their own way have ways of dealing with it. But, when it's going to be cold is one thing, but hopefully we're able to avoid some of those other elements that can happen that time of year up at Lambeau (Field). What a place to play. A great venue and we're really looking forward to heading up there.”

(On how cold weather can affect a quarterback coming off an injury)
“Yeah, I think it could affect both those guys in different ways. Obviously, with the different kind of bangs and bruises that we got going on right now. I think, like I said just answering the question a second ago about dealing with the cold and playing in a cold weather game, it applies. You just try to maximize doing whatever we can on the sideline in between series and obviously, pregame. Our equipment staff does a great job. (Director, Equipment) Brandon Burger does an unbelievable job having our guys ready for hot warm weather games, cold games, all the different elements, slippery surfaces, whatever it may be. He's on top of it and our guys rely on him and those guys do a great job from an equipment standpoint, getting those guys ready with whatever they may need. Then it's up to each individual guy. (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott), the training staff, making sure there's a plan for each player to have them at their best.”

(On working closely with a starting quarterback eager to play following an injury)
“I give (Q Jared (Goff) a ton credit. Just how he's handled his preparation and (inaudible) for all the guys in our quarterback room. But, obviously when we've got a couple of guys that I'm asking to both prepare in a way to get themselves ready to play, we rely on the details of the plan, making sure that everybody in our room knows that what their role is. What their job is as playing quarterback as part of our 1/11th on offense, that really helps put everybody else in situations that have success. We can’t have a good walk-thru, we can't have a good practice without the quarterbacks being prepared for that phase of the day, leading up to what's hopefully really solid execution on game day. We try to keep things as tight with our focus to that particular phase of the game plan, what we're really trying to lock in as we go throughout the plan. Then, let (Head) Coach (Sean) McVay see the things he needs to see as well as all of us on the offensive staff across the board, making sure our guys are in great positions to have success. But it starts with that preparation and really if you lose focus on that, it doesn't matter how healthy one guy is over the other, our performance won't be where we want.”

(On his assessment of Goff this season)
“I think that there'll be a ton of time for kind of that larger scale reflection at the end of our season. But, just looking back on things, there's some real moments where I personally saw some growth in him playing the position, leading our offense, and then it just comes down to consistency for him. I think he'd be the first one to tell you that week-in and week-out, quarter-to-quarter consistency, where so much runs through the quarterback position in our system, when he's consistent and he executes at a high level, we're normally doing a lot of really good things on offense. That's just constantly my challenge to him, is how focused can we remain, how dialed in can we be to the details of doing his job, which will only help everybody else on the offense. I think good moments and good things for him to really reflect on, the positives. But then, understanding the always critical point of playing consistent at the quarterback position.”

(On the adjustments made in the red zone)
“Well, I think when you look at it, obviously (R Cam (Akers) punches it in on our first touchdown down there, just the physicality you saw upfront. I mean, the Seahawks, they were going to try to stop the run and even though they did at times, they loaded up the box at times, I give our guys up front so much credit, the tight ends on the edges. Then Cam, just the finish that he had, our receivers getting downfield multiple times. But, down in the red zone, everything gets condensed. Nine times out of 10, you're going to have to put your foot in the ground, get downhill and maybe run through an arm tackle or two to have to score in those low red situations. Then obviously, Jared's touchdown there at the end of the game was kind of a look we were hunting up. Jared did a great job getting to that play at the line of scrimmage. We had talked about it quite a bit on the sidelines with Sean throughout the game and the look presented itself. The execution was at a really high level from everybody right there. So, I think it comes down to what did I just say? Physicality and the run game. Then obviously, when you are going to throw it, the execution level, everything does happen faster down there, whether you're playing against man or zone coverage. The execution from the quarterback on down to the wide receiver group. Whoever is receiving the ball has to be top-notch, otherwise more oftentimes than not, you're going to be really running uphill on things and struggling to complete balls down there at the timing and execution isn’t top-notch.”

(On if the weather or wind will change the offensive approach on Saturday)
“Always expecting to deal with whatever changes come. I think the big thing is you just deal with it as you can. It's an assessment amongst all of us as coaches and talking to the quarterbacks, how it may or may not be affecting them, depending on what direction it's coming from, what it may be. But on a cold windy day, you rely on your run game, you rely on making some throws when you can. But, winning the line of scrimmage will be a huge part of it as it always is in January when you start talking about playoff football. That was one of the big reasons why we've had some success last week and hoping we can carry that over.”

(On the pressure Green Bay’s secondary puts on quarterbacks and receivers)
“I think it puts a lot of pressure on them and they've done a really nice job this year competing. They play a lot of, whether they're played man or zone, there's a lot of match-coverage principles. So no matter what route you're running, no matter the matchup you may draw in that particular play, you better be ready to really stress your technique and fundamentals, because these guys are really, really good across the board. They compete for the ball when it's in the air. They've got really good pass rush, obviously, that puts pressure on the quarterback to play with tight fundamentals and techniques. Then, our guys got to go win and get on an edge and win in the rhythm of the progression of the quarterback. There's a reason why they've had so much success, there’s a reason why they're the No. 1 seed, a heck of a challenge for us going to go up against this group.”

(On preparing for Packers CB Jaire Alexander)
“You have to know where he is. I mean, he's earned so much respect around the league this year for what he's put on tape and really not just this year, it's been ever since he got in the league he's been an impactful player for this team. So, you absolutely have to know where he is. You have to know how you're scheming ups, how you're trying to potentially help your guy. Whether it’s first, second, third down, red zone, he's flashed all over the tape. It would be very arrogant to say you're not even thinking about him at all. We're very aware, very well aware of him and it's important that our quarterbacks have that understanding as we go up there to play these guys.”

(On if it’s hard for a starting quarterback to recover mentally when backing up another following an injury)
“I think that the level of communication of which we have in this building from player-to-coach, coach-to-player, there's really nothing that really needs to happen from a recovery standpoint if the communications where it needs to be and everybody's on the same page. Obviously, coming back from surgery and a significant injury, I thought Jared showed tremendous toughness and the fact that he was able last week to absorb the game plan with little to no reps going into that game, come off the bench when (Q John (Wolford) gets injured and really do the things he was able to do to lead our team. Was the execution perfect? No. But from a toughness standpoint, an ability to lead the group for a tough road divisional playoff win. I told him right after the game, ‘Man, unbelievable accomplishment by him.’ I think the rest of his teammates really responded to that. So, I think that just shows you right there, the mental toughness to go along with the physical toughness that dealing with the injury, really, really was impressive from Jared.”

DL Aaron Donald
(On when Head Coach Sean McVay started calling him the terminator)
“(Laughs) I don’t know, you’ll have to ask him that.”

(On how he’s feeling)
“I feel good, real good.”

(On if he has any pain)
“No pain. I feel healthy.”

(On what it felt like when he left the game on Saturday)
“Obviously I hurt it, but I just felt some pain and just tried to figure out what it was.”

(On if he hurt his side from falling on the ground or Seahawks QB Russell Wilson falling on him)
“He fell on me. How he fell on me, I guess my body twisted.”

(On what he felt or heard when he got hurt)
“It was just pain. I really didn't hear or feel it. It just felt like I got the wind knocked out of me or something. That was it.”

(On specifying what the injury actually is)
“Man, my side is just sore, I'm good though. I’m not going to sit here and talk about my side the whole time (laughs). I'm good. I just had a whole workout. I feel strong. I feel healthy. So, I'm good.”

(On if he has ever had to play through an injury)
“In my whole career, just anything, I’ve never had a real injury. I had a couple of ACs, obloquies and things like that, but nothing like this. So, this the first, but I’m good. I think ‘Reg’ (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance Reggie Scott) – they do a great job. I always trust the process with them as far as having me on a routine that they want me to do. Just being cautious, being smart and making sure that come game day, I'm ready to go. So, I trust that process. I got to do some stuff yesterday in the weight room. I still feel strong. So, I feel good.”

(On if he was trying to come back into the game last Saturday)
“Yeah, I was going to come back until we got that last touchdown, that kind of put it away. So, it was like let's rest up for next week type thing.”

(On if this was a regular season game would it be a bigger issue for him to play)
“No, I feel good. I’m not going to go out there if I feel like I can’t help these guys win. So, the way I'm feeling right now, and then it's only Wednesday, we have until Saturday, I'm not too worried about it.”

(On if he will wear extra protection for his side)
“I don't know. All I can tell you right now is I feel good, I feel strong and I'll be ready to go come Saturday.”

(On what he sees from Packers QB Aaron Rodgers)
“He’s a great quarterback that’s playing lights out this year. He’s making some great throws and good decisions. Obviously, he can do things with his feet, not the fastest guy, but he can move. He can get away from you and make things happen so we have to do a great job as far as bottling him up, getting pressure on him and not letting him have a clean pocket to the point where he can make all those great throws. So, we have a challenge, but that's what you expect in a playoff game. So, we just have to go out there and play how we’ve been playing all year – trying to dominate, trying to get to him, trying to affect him in as many ways we can. At the same time, they have a good offensive line, they play good together and they have a strong running game. So, we have our hands full, but I'm trusting these guys that we have on the defensive side of the ball that we are going to do our job. We have a great game plan, if we stick to that we will be fine.”

(On what the doctor was saying to him on the sideline after he got injured)
“They were just trying to talk to me, and I was just telling him, ‘Back up, I'm good’. I was trying to figure out what was wrong. Like I said, I just thought I got the wind knocked out of me. So that's it.”

(On if he needs extra reps if he has protective gear before the game)
“No. Like I said, I was doing some stuff yesterday. I will do some stuff today and then we still have another practice tomorrow and I'm going to do some stuff. You have to trust the process. They aren’t just going to throw me out there and just see what happens. So, we have a nice little thing set up, as far as a day-by-day type of thing. Then like I said, I feel good, I feel strong and I'll be ready to go.”

(On if he would like snow for Saturdays game)
“I wouldn't mind it as long as it's not too much snow. I haven’t played in a snow game since I was about seven-years old. So, it’s been a long time. Those types of games, you know it’s going to be a dog fight. So, I wouldn't mind that, but as long as we are still able to do what we need to do out there, guys still flying around, it'd be different, but we'd be fine.”

(On never playing a game in the snow)
“I think the coldest game that I played in at Pitt, there was snowflakes, it wasn’t really sticking, was Rutgers my junior year. So, I really didn't get to play in too many snow games like that. When I was younger in little league football, where it was just a bunch of snow on the ground, that was about it.”

(On if he is concerned about the weather affecting his side)
“You’re still taking about this side, man (Laughs). Once you’re going out there, you’ll be playing football, you'll be moving around so I’ll be good. Right now, how I'm feeling, I'm not too worried about it. Talking with Reg, it's not anything I really have to worry about for now. Like I said, I still feel strong, I still feel like I'll be able to do what I do. But once you're out there playing football, you're out there running around. You guys are going to be cold if you were out there, but me, I'll be warm.”

(On what it was like watching the defense perform after he hurt his side)
“I'm happy and I'm celebrating on sideline. But that's expected, next man – if I'm down I know that there's not going to be any drop off pretty much. I'm just a piece to the puzzle, but there's other guys that can step up and make plays just like if I was there. So, that's the best thing about having this defense, definitely this defensive line, to the point where if there was something wrong and I couldn't go, I know that the guys that's behind me – I know if (DL Morgan) Fox is out there, I know that the production is still going to be there rushing the passer, as far as getting pressure, quarterback hits, or whatever he needs to do, it’s still going to be there. So, no drop off from that point. We feel good, we just have a lot of good football players that can, if need be, they can step up and make things happen, so you really don't have to worry about that part neither.”

(On how to game plan for a quarterback like Rodgers who can move and throw)
“That's with any quarterback pretty much. You're just trying to find ways to affect him. If that’s quarterback hits, in his face, chasing him around, not letting him be comfortable, we're doing our job. But if you let him sit in the pocket, you let him move around comfortably, sit on the field and make things happen, it can be a long day for us. We have to do our job as pass rushers and as a defensive line, as far as affecting in all different types of ways and not letting it be an easy day for him.”

(On what makes this defense so great)
“I think guys are just playing good football, great football. I've been saying it all year, it's the whole defense and at any time, at any part of a game, a different guy can make a big-time play and win the game for us. It's not just one or two guys. When you have a group of guys, all 11 out there that’s pretty much playmakers, that can make the game change any play, at any time, you have a great group. Then we have a bunch of guys that's a close group, that loves playing with each other, loves being around each other and holding each other down, that makes it that much better. We just have a special group and it has been showing. Every single week we’ve been consistent, as far as production, the way we've been playing at a high level, dominating, flying around, being excited, picking your brother up if he's down or vice versa. So, when you have a group like that, good things happen, and it’s just been showing this year.”

(On what’s the key to disrupting the Packers offense)
“We just have to do our job. When it’s playoffs, your mindset is dominate every single snap, every single play. You have to try and find ways to affect him, we know what we can do. He’s been doing it for a long time, at a high level and that's what makes them great. Our job as far as a defense, definitely as a defensive line, is trying to affect him and trying not to allow him to be comfortable, not allow him to make those throws. If we do that, along with stopping the run, because I think they have a strong running game that make a lot of things happen and open up the pass game for them, if we do that, we'll be fine.”

(On what it meant to be the first Rams player to get six First-Team All-Pros)
“It's a blessing. It's just working, trying to do my part to help this team and organization win games, that's what it's about at the end of the day. Anytime you put the body of work in, you have success, you see the certain things you can accomplish just from what you do from working and translating that to a football field. It's just a blessing.”

--RAMS--