TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Conference Call – December 3, 2018

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Conference Call – December 3, 2018



(On why he's doing a conference call instead of a press conference)

"Yeah, I'm not feeling very good at all."



(On if he wasn't feeling well at the game or if it came on after the game)

"I've been sick for the last couple days. I've gotten progressively worse. So, I've got a nice, little set up at my house. I don't want to get anyone else sick. I'm able to do a bunch of work here."



(On his thoughts after watching the game and evaluating the game)

"Yeah, I thought the special teams and defense played really well. I thought offensively, made enough plays, but there were too many things that weren't characteristic of the expectations that we have. That starts with me doing a better job of giving clarity to our players and then going and executing. But ultimately, it's about our team and our team has done a good job finding ways to win football games, playing complementary football. I thought the turnover that (DT) Aaron (Donald) forced in the sack fumble that (OL Samson (Ebukam) recovered was instrumental and kind of a turning point in that game where (R Todd (Gurley II) was able to punch it in three plays later. Those are the kind of things that good teams do. I thought the (Detroit) Lions did a nice job yesterday, but our guys made enough plays to be able to win."



(On what happened to RB Malcolm Brown)

"You know, he kind of got hit up in his clavicle area. He's going to have a procedure done. That's not necessarily a surgery, but he's got to make sure that we can kind of get that thing where - it's a little bit above my understanding with regards to some of the specifics. Similar to the (WR) Robert Woods injury that he had last year. That you want to just make sure that clavicle is in a spot that it doesn't press on some of the other things that are kind of vital in that area of your body. But, as far as if they’ve actually got to open him up or not, those are things that I have not found out yet. But, we're hoping to find out here pretty shortly just to see what the severity of that injury is and how long he'll be gone."



(On if Brown has had the procedure or not)

"He's probably had it within the last hour or so. I just haven't had a chance to speak with (Senior Director, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott)."



(On how it will impact the team if Brown is out for some time)

"Yeah, that would be a big loss. It would be a huge loss because of what (R Malcolm (Brown) means to our football team – not only for our offense, but for our special teams. If that's the case, then it'd probably be something where both (R Justin (Davis) and (R John (Kelly) would have to end up stepping up in a role where they both may be potentially be asked if they need to sub for Todd and get some different work in. That means they've also got to step up in a big way for (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) 'Bones' because of the contributions Malcolm has for our special teams."



(On if there is a silver lining to be able to get RBs Justin Davis and John Kelly more experience at this point in the season)

"No, I don't think so. We still have a lot of – you never want to lose a player like Malcolm. We still have a lot of important games. This week right here against the Bears is a huge game for us and we're going to do everything we can to try to find a way to win this game."



(On if it presents an opportunity for the running backs similar to how CB Aqib Talib’s injury earlier in the season did for the cornerbacks)

"Yeah, you could look at it like that. I think you always want to try to be positive, but I think losing Malcolm is a huge loss for us, depending upon how long that is. But it's a big deal for those guys to have to step up and they've got large shoes to fill. That's for sure."



(On if there were any other injuries in the game)

"No, we did not. Everybody else is feeling good."



(On how fortunate he feels to be this healthy in early December)

"Yeah, you feel good. Those guys have done a nice job. Again, Reggie and (Director of Strength Training and Performance) Ted (Rath) have been really instrumental in that. That's something that I think it's just been consistent over the last hand full of years with the Rams."



(On if he embraces checking goals off of the season checklist)

"It's a big deal. To be able to earn the opportunity in your 13th game of the season to be able to, at the worst, clinch a No. 2 seed. It means that you'll be able to watch that first week of the Wild Card round is a huge deal to us. So, it's certainly going to be a great challenge. The Bears have been an excellent team throughout the course of this year and present some challenges in all three phases, but that's definitely – that's the next step. That's something that we're working towards and if we take care of our business this week, then we have a chance to do that."



(On what kind of challenges Bears LB Khalil Mack presents for the team and him as a play caller)

"Yeah, he's a great player. He's a great football player. Any time that you're a defensive lineman that can disrupt the game in a variety of ways, you've got to always be mindful of where he's at, where he's aligned and making sure that you've got to plan accordingly for him. Fortunately, we feel good about the matchup we have with our left tackle, but in a lot of ways, you always give a lot of respect to those special edge rushers. Certainly, (Bears L Khalil (Mack) fits that bill."



(On if Mack moves around the formation and which lineman could be matched up with him)

"I haven't gotten into their tape yet enough to know specifically where he's aligned. To me, and from what I've seen for the most part, I think he's pretty much rushing over that left tackle as a right end from a defensive standpoint. But again, I haven't really gotten into their tape yet to really say where he's moving around. I'm sure there's some different things they can do with him, but I'm not sure yet."



(On if the Rams reached out to former Texas Tech Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury)

"First of all (former Texas Tech Head Coach) Kliff (Kingsbury) is a good friend of mine. The first conversation was just more regards to a friend reaching out to a friend. I knew what was going on, he's certainly a guy that has a lot of different options and things like that. Certainly, anytime that you have a close friend that you have a whole lot of respect for in the coaching profession, he came out and saw us this summer. That was something that I had kind of offered, achance to be around and help out in any way sort of way if that was something he was interested in. He's got a lot of different options right now that he's kind of sorting through and that's why he's a great coach. The gist of the conversation was more along the lines of just a friend reaching out to another friend, but as far as that concerns of him helping us out, or different things like that, anytime that you can have a coach of his caliber that wants to be around and be able to be an extra set of eyes, has a great vision for offense but also just football in general. Those are things that when you have some rare friendships like I've been fortunate to form in this profession, you want to be able to, No. 1 be supportive of your buddy, but No. 2 if it's something that can help you improve as a team, if somebody wanted to do that, we're always looking for ways to do that. He's got a lot of opportunities that he's kind of figuring out right now so there's no really news on that front, but that is true that I've reach out to Kliff. More as a friend and then if that was something that he would be interested in. I think there's some other things he's sorting through right now."



(On how it feels to win the division for the second-consecutive season and whether it feels any different this year)

"You know what it's a blessing. Certainly appreciative of our coaches’, our players’ contributes to be able to get it done. You don't take anything for granted. It's nice to be able to still have an opportunity to accomplish some things as you continue to progress through the season. It still feels great either way to be able to accomplish something special with people that you care about and that you love."



(On if he saw DT Aaron Donald do anything that was more impressive on tape than it was in person)

"I just think it's the timing at which some of these things occur – whether it's beating a double team, splitting a double between a center working his way, beat the guard across his face and before the center can run presence, he gets in the backfield and then he makes a diving, smash on (QB Matthew) Stafford, forcing a fumble. Whether it's in a draw beating the guard across his face and being able to make a play for a TFL (tackle for loss). He's one of those guys, when you go through some of the great plays from the game and just review it with the team – you got pros shaking their heads like, 'This guy is unbelievable.' That's how you know he's just doing things that aren't real normal. And he's playing at a really, really high level right now and it seems like it's something consistently showing up week-in and week-out, which is what makes him a great player."



(On if he believes he'll be healthy and off the injury list when they head to Chicago)

"Even if I'm not healthy that's not going to hold me back. I'm not out there playing. As long as my brain isn't too slow, then I'm going to do the best that I can to get as healthy as possible and ready to go for these guys. Yeah, that's not going to be an issue (laughs)."