TRANSCRIPTS: Rams-Broncos Postgame Quotes, August 24, 2019

TRANSCRIPTS: Rams-Broncos Postgame Quotes, August 24, 2019

TRANSCRIPTS: Rams-Broncos Postgame Quotes, August 24, 2019







Rams Head Coach Sean McVay



(On Colts QB Andrew Luck retiring)

“My reaction is what a great player he is. I’m sure that he’s been going through a lot of things to make this decision. You feel for him, you feel for his team and his teammates. He’s the epitome of class. He’s been a great player, great competitor. I don’t know enough to really have any more of an opinion other than I have a lot of respect. He’s been a great player and I hate it for our game to lose such a great player due to injuries when he’s only been playing for so many years. But, he certainly has made his presence known in this league.”



(On DT Sebastian Joseph-Day not playing)

“He (DT Sebastian Joseph-Day) had a little hamstring tightness. He’s really done such a nice job for us that, listening to (Senior Director, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and talking through that there was potentially…you’re going to leave him susceptible to maybe further injuring that. I think just based on all those things, we felt like that was going to be the best decision. We didn’t want to leave him exposed to further injuring that and that was what went into the decision. Had that not occurred, then we were still talking through whether we were going to play him or not. He’s done a nice job for us, but he still is a young player and that’s the reason why we held him out tonight.”



(On how close he is to figuring out his core special teams groups and on special teams penalties)

“We’re in the process of doing that. I think, in a lot of ways, some of these calls, we want to make sure that we understand exactly what’s being officiated and really be able to see it because sometimes you can’t really see exactly what was being called if you don’t get the replay. So, before you want to really go in on having those opinions and things like that, I want to be able to evaluate the tape and I think there’s a lot of guys that are continuing to compete to really carve out a role for themselves on (special) teams for (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) ‘Bones’ and for (Assistant Special Teams) Matt (Daniels).”



(On LB Travin Howard)

“He’s done a nice job and I think you see the athleticism, you just felt the suddenness and the explosiveness where he arrived and he arrived violently tonight. I thought (L Dakota Allen showed up a couple times as well. Those guys have done a nice job under (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers/Front Coordinator) Coach (Joe) Barry’s leadership. We, obviously, lost a really good player in (L Micah (Kiser) who’s going to be out for a while and we’re going to need those guys to step up and we’ll see exactly how it shapes itself out. Held (L Bryce Hager out tonight because he is basically our ‘MIKE’ linebacker. Then really we’re seeing around (L Cory (Littleton) and those other guys who’s going to make a name for themselves and make it hard for us to cut it down to 53 (players).”



(On if the coaching staff is noticing the pressure OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and LB Natrez Patrick are bringing off the edge)

“Oh yeah. They’ve done a good job with that. When you get into some of these known passing situations, you get a chance to see if these guys can win in some of those one-on-one pass-rush moments. They’ve shown up. I think both of those guys did a nice job influencing and affecting the quarterback again. We’ll go back and look at the tape, but I thought those guys did a good job and it was good to see (DL) John Franklin(-Myers) show up as well.”

(On how he thinks QB John Wolford performed tonight and how he has played overall)

“I thought he (QB John Wolford) did a great job tonight. I thought he and (Q Brandon (Allen) both – even though there weren’t a lot of points to show for it, I thought the offense moved under those guys’ leadership and got up and down the field pretty efficiently, had some sustained drives where they were able to get into a rhythm, get some plays off. I was really impressed with John. You look at the fourth-and-4 touchdown pass, sits in there, works through a progression. Then, even in the four-minute drive, to be able to have the presence and the athleticism, he keeps that ball, gets it to a second-and-short on an early down to really finish out that game. Really good poise by him. You could see, he got through some progressions tonight, was able to evade the rush when some guys came into the backfield and made some plays with his legs. You could see why he’s just a little baller, man, and he did a great job tonight.”



(On if this roster is deeper than in previous years and if it will lead to more difficult cut decisions)

“That’s exactly right. It’s going to be a lot of tough decisions, but that’s a good thing. I think that’s a credit to really (General Manager) Les (Snead), his group and our coaching staff to be able to on-board and create some competitive scenarios and situations. You want it to be that way. I think the biggest thing at the end of the day that we want for all these players is if it doesn’t work out for the Rams, hopefully they’re getting a chance to showcase their skills and it works out somewhere else because there are going to be a lot of guys that, unfortunately, won’t be a part of this very shortly. This week will go by quickly, but, very appreciative of, really, just the way that these guys have consistently worked and I think there is some good, competitive decisions that we’ll have to have to make because of the way the guys are playing.”



(On why QB Blake Bortles didn’t play tonight)

“I think we felt like he has done a good job of really establishing himself as the clear number two. If it was a situation where he hasn’t played a lot of football – but when you look at, ‘Alright, what’s really to gain?’ Let’s start to get ourselves in the mindset and the mentality of, ‘Alright, what are we going to do towards the season?’ Because a lot of the stuff that we’re running – as you guys know – is very different than what we’ll look like in terms of concepts, different things that we’ll want to run and do. I think it’s important for he and (Q Jared (Goff) to really get themselves in the mindset of getting ready for the season and starting to do some different things that we anticipate activating against the (Carolina) Panthers.”



(On what football means to him and why football has been successful and has grown in the last 100 years)

“I think people love it. Football is such a special game where you always talk about how it’s the epitome of a team sport. It takes all 11 (players), all the different lessons that you can learn are so much you’re able to translate into being able to handle the inevitable things that occur in your life. This game has been a true blessing to me and my family. I joke about it, but you love it so much sometimes you probably say, ‘Maybe you need to have a little bit of a life outside of it.’ The people you get to meet, whether it be the players, the coaches, the experiences that it’s presented. My grandfather’s history with this game and what I’ve learned, I could go on and on about what the game has meant to my family, but I think – more than anything – it teaches you lessons and it teaches you that it’s about people being a part of something bigger than yourself. When you’re around special guys like what we are here, you get excited about coming to work and you’re trying to do right for them. When you achieve the success collectively and you’re able to share in some of the moments in the locker room afterwards, there’s no feeling and there’s no other way you can emulate and mimic those types of situations and that’s one of the many things that I love so much about this game.”



(On if he feels the offensive line is developing more cohesion)

“I thought so. I felt like we protected better. We had a chance to let some things develop in the pass-game, got some decent runs off where we were at least in some second-and-6s, some second-and-manageables, where we were able to potentially keep your run-pass options open. I thought that was instrumental in really being able to sustain some drives even though it might not have shown on some of the points where we had to finish in the red zone. But, I thought overall the offense moved the ball pretty consistently all night and that was a result of the offensive line’s consistent play.”







Rams QB Brandon Allen



(On how he felt about the game tonight)

“I thought it was pretty good. We moved the ball pretty well. Luckily, we were able to have (Q John (Wolford) put up some points for us. I thought as an offense overall we moved the ball pretty well up the field and a lot of guys made some good plays out there.”



(On WR Mike Thomas helping to get the offense going early)

“(WR) Mike (Thomas) is great. He’s a mismatch for a lot of people. We were really trying to get him going early in the game that way we can try to rest him for the rest of the game, but he made a lot of big plays and a lot of tough catches out there. He’s just a special receiver.”



(On what has makes Thomas and WR Jalen Greene effective receivers)

“They are very physical receivers. I think you kind of have to be that way to be a good player in this league. They’re able to use their speed and get off defensive backs and get open. Even when things are kind of covered, they’re able to be physical enough to still make the catch when it’s a tough play.”





Rams WR Michael Thomas



(On his 51-yard catch)

“We pretty much knew that we were going to get things started earlier this week. So, ‘BA’ (QB Brandon Allen) told me to be ready for us to go early down the field. We just made it happen.”



(On his game being three-for-three)

“It was just me and ‘BA’ just connecting. We just wanted to get everything going early this week. Last week we started a little slow, but this week we just had to get it going. We just had to stretch the field at this point.”



(On if he thinks he will make the team)

“I think I have had a pretty good camp. I had a pretty good preseason. I feel like I did pretty good today. I don’t want to speak to far ahead of myself, but I’m just taking everything one day at a time, one week at a time.”





Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio



(On his impression of QB Kevin Hogan tonight)

“You know, kind of like it’s been all preseason. Saw some good stuff, some that wasn’t as good. I thought our protection, for the most part, was pretty good. It gave our quarterbacks a chance to operate. We just got to be more consistent. Obviously six points isn’t enough.”



(On what he saw in TE Jake Butt tonight)

“I thought he did well, caught a couple balls, was active in there. I saw him run some good routes where the ball didn’t even go to him. Based on what I saw, live action – which isn’t everything – I think he’ll probably be pleased with his play.”



(On if it was predetermined that he didn’t play the whole game)

“Yeah, we weren’t going to play him. I don’t know exactly what his rep count ended up being, but we had a rep count that we wanted to get to.”



(On what he saw tonight from QB Brett Rypien)

“About the same. He had his opportunities, made some nice throws – not enough though. We just got to be able to make some more.”



(On G/T Elijah Wilkinson)

“I think he did ok, but, again - I got to see the tape. The one time the guy blew by him early, I think, our snap count was off. I think the center snapped it a count early. So, probably he played pretty good, but then again – ask me that in a day or two.”



(On the offensive line)

“Well, it’s out of necessity too – you’re going to dress seven guys on gameday in the o-line. Two or three of those guys have to be able to play more than one position. So, he’s going to have to back up the tackle, and be a guard. Somebody’s going to have to be able to be a backup center in there, out of those seven. So, you got to find combinations to where if you have five available, we can line it up.”



(On if this game will help in determining the last few roster spots on the team)

“I think it will be valuable. It’ll be very valuable, because our practice is limited this past week with the short week – we have a short week again – so, this game and the next game will be the most valuable things that we have going right now.”



(On whether something stands out that he does not like when watching film)

“I really thought most those guys that played are fighting for a job and I thought our effort was good. I didn’t think we got penalized a whole lot. Thought we played a lot of clean football, but we just didn’t make enough happen.”



(On what he thought about the red-zone defense)

“It was good there until the end, we needed one more stop. They went for down fourth and one didn’t make it. We had that stop on the 1-yard line which was good. It was good, but we needed one more.”

(On what he thought about the play ILB Keishawn Bierria had)

“Yeah, it was a good play. We’re in man coverage, he covered his man well enough to stop him from getting 2 yards, I guess it was from the 2-yard line.”



(On seeing enough from the inside linebackers to feel comfortable yet or if he is still not sure about ILB Todd Davis)

“I’m not sure yet. I obviously got to see the tape, but there was some plays in there I know they misplayed. I don’t want those plays to skew the whole outlook. I got to see it all.”



(On making a punt return decision based on this game)

“That will keep going.”



(On being satisfied with Hogan or if he needs to see more)

“We’ll see more. We’ll play (Quarterback) Brett (Rypien) more this week. Give him an opportunity and play them both and make our decisions.”



(On what he liked from LB Justin Hollins)

“To be honest with you, I don’t know. I got to see the tape. Not one focused on him a whole lot. I don’t know how his pass rush was. I didn’t have the feel during the game that we were getting much pass rush from the guys we had in there.”



(On WR Juwann Winfree stepping up and how much it helps)

“It will help. Help his cause a lot, help us. If you’re going to dress five receivers on game day, one or two of them are going to have to make a contribution in the kicking game. Hopefully that will become the norm for him and not just the flash play.”







Broncos QB Kevin Hogan



(On drives that didn’t turn into points)

“I felt like we had a good drive, a good couple drives. The one that we finished with a field goal, would like to find a way to extend that and get in the end zone. But, that’s just part of this time of year. We’re out there running our base system. I felt like guys were out there making plays and playing with a lot of effort. We’ll find a way to tighten it up down there in the red zone and get in the end zone.”



(On if he thinks he made his case to be the backup quarterback)

“I mean we have to go back and watch the tape. I felt good out there. I felt like I was seeing the field, and I’ve progressively felt better each week. Obviously, there are plays you’d always like back. I feel good, I feel confident and know that my teammates have confidence in me, so that’s all that matters.”



(On TE Jake Butt’s return)

“It was awesome. He was so excited. That guy has worked so hard and he made two huge plays on that long drive we had. It was good. He’s a heck of an athlete and he’s going to do a lot of good things for us.”



(On fellow Stanford alumnus Andrew Luck retiring from the NFL)

“I know Andrew very well. I work out with him in the offseason. I don’t know much of the details. I kind of found out along with everyone else. I just hope all the best for him. I hope everything is okay with him and his family. He loves the game of football. I just wish him the best. That’s really all I can say. I don’t really know anything else.”





Broncos Guard Elijah Wilkinson



(On making the transition back to Right Guard this week)

“I felt good. I played that in about seven games last year, so it felt good to back at guard, getting back into things.”



(On what he saw from running backs David Williams and Khalfani Muhammad running the ball)
“Oh yeah, they definitely had some success. Dave had the one breakout run on the one, which I thought was pretty good. Khalfani made some good moves and gained some yards for us, so I thought it was good.”



(On the team’s reaction to seeing TE Jake Butt return)

“We lived together my rookie year, and this is a great sight, seeing him out there catching passes and being able to block and just back out there with us. He’s one of the brothers back on the field, so it was awesome seeing him back out there.”



Broncos Tight End Jake Butt



(On how good it felt to be back on the football field)

“Yeah, it felt good. I don’t want to get too excited, I got 11 plays in the preseason, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. I’ve got to look at the tape but I feel pretty good about what I did out there. I had a couple catches, I thought I blocked well, and came out healthy, so it’s all good.”



(On if his recovery has been a longer process than he thought it would be)

“This has been the toughest ACL recovery for sure. I was thinking the other day, I wasn’t really sold on ACL being a hard thing. I was like it’s not that big of a deal, you have a couple tough weeks and then you’re over it. This one put reality into check. Not being able to practice in the beginning of camp, going through some setbacks, it definitely tested me mentally – I don’t mind the physical pain – but mentally it’s been the hardest one, but I think I’ve turned the corner and I’m feeling good. I want to put together a good season, a good healthy season, and put some good things on tape and continue to build on it.”



(On his love for the game and what makes NFL football so special)

“Man, if I didn’t love the game I would have quit, for sure. After going through all of this, I wouldn’t have made it. It just challenges you so much as a man, as a person, as a player. It just demands the most out of you. This camp with (Broncos Head) Coach Vic (Fangio) was the hardest camp I’ve been a part of. You’re being challenged every single day physically, mentally, your body’s beat up, you’re tired, but you’ve got to go out there and do it and no one wants to hear you complain about it. You find out your limit and that’s something that’s exciting and if you’re a competitor, you like that kind of thing.”







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TRANSCRIPTS: Rams WR Michael Thomas, QB Brandon Allen - Rams-Broncos Halftime Quotes - August 24, 2019

Rams WR Michael Thomas

(On returning to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)
“I felt great. I felt the energy and being back home was great.”

(On his connection with QB Brandon Allen)
“When we’re on the field together, we just have to make plays. We talked about it before the game that we wanted to get it going early and we did just that.”


Rams QB Brandon Allen

(On his connection with WR Michael Thomas)
“(WR) Mike (Thomas) was big in the first half, especially when we were able to connect on that deep ball early. He made a lot of good plays out there and he’s really the one that got our offense going.”

(On playing at the newly renovated Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)
“It’s great. It was an amazing atmosphere and even though it’s preseason, these fans were into it.”



--RAMS--