TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay–10/12/18

TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay–10/12/18

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – October 12, 2018



(Opening statement)

"Everything is good from an injury standpoint. We're right on track. We're waiting on the final clearance from the doctors tomorrow on (WR) Brandin (Cooks) and (WR) Cooper (Kupp), but looking positive in that direction."



(On if Cooks and Kupp went through a full practice today)

"They did. Yup, then they'll get the final clearance. If that goes through like we anticipate, we'll be in good shape."



(On the status of DL Michael Brockers)

"He just had a little soreness in his ankle. He went today and he's feeling good. We're just being smart with (DL) Mike (Brockers) being a veteran guy. He'll be ready to go. We should be good with Mike."



(On if DB Blake Countess will handle kickoff returns)

"He will. Yes. He's done a nice job with that. I think, really, that unit as a whole did a really good job last week with the six opportunities that we got from a return standpoint with (D Blake (Countess) having his four and then (OL Matt (Longacre) his couple. So, that field position is key and really important for us offensively to start out in good spots. So, we'll continue to operate as we've been."



(On what kind of problems Broncos OLB Von Miller creates)

"Well, all kinds of problems. You have to be aware of where he's at. They do a good job. He's moving around a little bit. You talk about a guy that's got elite pass rush ability, plays with great strength at the point of attack. You see why he's an all-pro caliber player. He's a nightmare to go against and you've always got to be aware of where he's at. They've got some other really good elite rushers as well. They've got good guys on the second level that can run and recognize different things. Then, they've got elite players on the back end. I think (Broncos C Chris Harris (Jr.) is one of the more underrated players in this league. Doesn't get the recognition probably that he deserves. But, (Broncos OL Von (Miller) is a phenomenal player and somebody that you've got to always be mindful of where he's at and alter your game plan accordingly."



(On what he means by calling Harris 'under the radar' and what makes him so effective)

"I just think his versatility, his instincts. You can watch certain players and see that they have an innate understanding on concept recognition, being able to do a variety of different things. You can see his communication with some of the coverage adjustments with some of the different things that offenses present. He's a really smart football player. He's got great movement, great short-space quickness, lateral agilities. He's a guy that's been really productive. I think I probably have a really good appreciation for him too just from the time you start working with (Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) and how highly he's always spoken of Chris. Really, when you talk about Chris and (C Aqib (Talib), really similar type players in terms of they're competitors, their ability to communicate with the coaches, with their teammates, in the framework of a game and what they enable you to do on the back end. Then, obviously, guys that can make plays on the ball and get it back for the offense."



(On if he expects the worst in terms of the weather when it comes to play calling or if he'll tweak things dependent upon the conditions)

"Yeah, I think that's always something that predicated on exactly what it's like in the game. There's certain things based on what the nature of the weather is – 'Is it a slippery field? What kind of things are altered? Is the wind a factor?' So those are things that you kind of always think about and it might alter some of the play calls and the selections, but for the most part, the nice thing about from an offensive standpoint is, is as long as your feet are in the ground, you've got good cleats, the defense has to react to you. So, you're really in the – kind of the advantageous spot. There's certainly things that are affected based on the nature of what exactly that weather is and what that would affect and alter."



(On how QB Jared Goff prepares for the weather conditions and if it's more of a mental focus

"Yeah, I think certain things just like getting used to if you want to play with a glove dependent upon what the temperature is or if it's a wetter ball – just things like that. But, usually that goes with just the communication that we have as coaches with him and his comfort level. Most of the things that we do start out with thinking about the quarterback in mind. If it's something that he's not comfortable with, it's not something that we're going to do and he's done a great job communicating with us."



(On if the tight end situation is where he wants it right now or if it needs to get better)

"No, I think these guys have played really good, productive ball. I think, too, you make a big deal about just we're in a regulated personnel group, but you want to make sure that you're getting guys – those guys specifically – on the field as much as possible. You do want to be able to have some versatility, things like that, but I think kind of the approach going into season was altered a little bit based on (TE) Gerald's (Everett) injury. But, then you're also talking about a player of Cooper Kupp's caliber that's standing next to me on the sideline. You've got a tough time rationalizing that as a coach because of what a good football player he is, what a productive player and how important he is really to our team. But, there's a give and take. I think (WR) Josh Reynolds demonstrated why he's probably deserving of getting in there, getting an opportunity to play a little bit more and spell those guys to keep them fresh throughout the course of the game. Each week entails a little bit different approach. Being five weeks in, it's still so early in the season. Every game you'll start to see maybe a couple little things here and there, but a lot of that is also predicated on the health of our football team. But to answer your question, the tight ends, we feel good. I think (TE) Tyler Higbee has done a great job. Gerald is taking steps in the right direction and a lot of the things that (TE) John Mundt is doing, we're seeing it on the practice field as a player that's developing and (Pass Game Coordinator) Shane (Waldron) does an excellent job with that group."