TRANSCRIPTS: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Pass Game Coordinator Shane Waldron, QB Jared Goff - Media Availability - November 13, 2019

TRANSCRIPTS: Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Shane Waldron, QB Jared Goff - Media Availability - November 13, 2019

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay
(Opening Remarks)
“I want to start out by wishing (The Athletic Reporter) Vinnie (Bonsignore) the best and congratulate you in your new endeavors. Hate to see you go, but like we’ve talked about before, really respect the way you go about it. You can feel the work that you put in and you’ll be missed by us. You’ve done a great job and I’ve enjoyed getting to know you over these last couple years. I know we’ll stay in touch, but congratulations on everything.

With the injuries, we put (L Bryce Hager on ‘IR’ (injured reserve) as we did with (C) Brian Allen. So, the two spots that we had to fill, (D Dont’e Deayon and (OL) Chandler Brewer – we brought them up to the active roster and that’s where we’re at for now.”

(On if he’s had to do extra preparation with the changes on the offensive line and how much of their evaluation will take place during Sunday’s game)
“It’ll be a combination of both. I think (Bears Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Chuck) Pagano does a nice job mixing it up. Clearly, they’ve got a great scheme, they’ve got some special players. It is a good challenge, but it’s one that we embrace. We’re confident about the guys’ ability to step in. Kind of still working through exactly what that lineup is going to look like. This is part of doing our job. Inevitably, these things do come up. Like we’ve talked about before, we’ve been really fortunate – and this year especially makes you appreciate what we’ve had the last couple of years. But that being said, we’re excited about the opportunity to attack this challenge and see how it goes on Sunday.”

(On if the Rams will have any representatives at free agent QB Colin Kaepernick’s open workout on Saturday)
“We feel good about our quarterback situation right now. Haven’t had a chance to really go into deep dialogue with (General Manager) Les (Snead), but we do keep our workouts and those things in-house, which is the standard operating procedure. The focus is on the Bears for us right now, so that’s where we’re at.”

(On if Snead would be the one to contact regarding if the team will send a representative to Kaepernick’s workout)
“I would think yes. Put that on Les (laughs).”

(On if he has to make changes to the offensive scheme with multiple changes in personnel on the offensive line)
“I think that’s always a part of it with your gameplan, regardless of whether you have guys in or out. Part of the weekly preparation entails, ‘All right, what’s your protection plan specific to some of the things that you want to do, how you want to run the football?’ A lot of instances, it’s No. 1 predicated on your players and then No. 2, on their players and how you want to make sure that you’re putting your guys in as favorable spots as possible. So, to answer your question: yes, but that is consistent with all weeks. But, it’s going to be especially relevant just given some of the things that we’re operating with right now.”

(On if the injuries this season are just laws of average after previous seasons’ health)
“I think there are some instances where things just can’t be preventable. But, there are some things that I think have remained consistent in terms of avoiding some of those soft tissues (injuries) that the other things that do inevitably occur around the league. I think our guys have done a great job following the protocol to try to avoid those. It has been one of those deals where it’s been a little bit abnormal, but I think the way that this game goes, sometimes those things happen and we’ve got to be able to adjust and adapt accordingly.”

(On what he says to QB Jared Goff in terms of counseling him going into this week, staying on point and not worrying about the changes happening with the roster)
“It’s just that. He’s got a very difficult job to do to play the quarterback position in and of itself. There’s an element of trust with your teammates, with the coaches, with some of the things that we’re going to do and just, ‘Hey, do your role to the best of your ability,’ which we know how much the quarterback position has on their shoulders. I do think that it’s so difficult. You start worrying about things that are out of your control. You’ve got to trust your teammates, you’ve got to trust your coaches are going to try to put you in the best positions and then execute your role within the framework of each individual play. That’s the challenge and that’s the thing that we’ll echo and articulate to him. I think that’s going to be very important for him to play like we expect.”

(On the Bears being the first team to slow down the Rams’ offense last year and how much of what they did in last year’s game has he seen pop up in other teams)
“Everybody has made a big deal of they’ve played the 6-1 type structures. We’ve seen that a couple times this year. Really haven’t seen much of it as of late. Then, obviously, that was a big part of what New England did in the Super Bowl. They were a great defense, period. They still are a great defense, but they did do some different things schematically that – I don’t run away from the fact that I didn’t handle that night well at all. Those are things that didn’t go our way, but we have seen some similar things. Those things fit within the framework of the Bears system and specifically under (Broncos Head Coach/Former Bears Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Vic) Fangio.”

(On if he was as shocked as everyone else that WR Cooper Kupp went from 220 yards to 0 yards or if the Steelers were doing things that made that explainable)
“Yeah, there were some instances where they were doubling him. You could see in some of those known passing situations, they were very aware of where he was at. That was something that we kind of anticipated. You’ve got a lot of confidence in (WR) Cooper (Kupp), he did a couple things. There’s a couple plays that I think he would say he could do better on as well. That’s kind of part of the game. You’ve got to be ready to have other guys step up if that’s what the opposing defense activates. That’s why we do have five eligibles. If it’s not one of them, then the other four, we’ve got confidence to separate and get them the football.”

(On the new linemen and if the calls for the offensive line are a cooperative effort or if he has the same people doing the calls)
“It’s something that you kind of work through, especially with some of the circumstances we were navigating through the other day. You do have an approach that you take. It’s a little bit more seamless when you’re at home and you have ability to utilize your verbal cadence. But when you are on the road, there’s some mechanics that we were working through that guys were doing some things for the first time ever. I think it’s a great challenge and I thought it was a good opportunity for us to evaluate some of these guys in a live-game setting. To see (OL) Austin Corbett seamlessly step in, do a nice job at the left guard spot. To see (T) David Edwards start the game off playing really well at the right guard spot and then transition outside. I think it’s unfortunate, you hate to see your guys get injured. Anytime that occurs, you never like that. When it does occur, you get the chance to really evaluate guys and I thought they took advantage of those opportunities to be evaluated and to step up.”

(On if he is anticipating having to go to nonverbal signals at home in the Los Angeles Coliseum because of the Bears fan base)
“That is some thing that’s come up for us. We’re not going to be surprised, but we’re hopeful that our fans show up, and excited about being back at home.”


Rams Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Shane Waldron
(On how he will avoid WR Cooper Kupp from having a performance similar to the Steelers game)
“I think without forcing the ball to somebody or going outside of the framework of the play, it’s something obviously – he had the explosive week, the week prior against the Bengals. Then the Steelers were able to do a good job of forcing the ball in other directions right there. You always want to keep everybody involved, but never at the expense of the read of the play or what’s going on there. We are aware of it and we will do everything that we can to try to keep the ball spreading around, which is when we are at our best offensively to every one of our weapons that we have.”

(On how the injuries on the offensive line affect his approach and preparation for the Bears)
“I think we have a pretty steady week-in and week-out approach. Things happen in the NFL. Unfortunately, we had a couple year stretch there where we remained really healthy. Unfortunately for the guys that actually are dealing with the injuries, they’re out and they won’t be there. The best thing, I think, just being around (Run Game Coordinator) Aaron Kromer for these couple years that he does is every lineman that comes in, he’s really training them at every position and really preparing for different scenarios that come up throughout the year and really throughout the league. If you look every team is going to have to really deal with this at some point or another. Kromer’s ability to teach these guys to play multiple spots – even a guy like (OL) Austin (Blythe) who has come in and has played multiple spots, (T) Bobby Evans these guys, they’ve all played multiple spots from training camp on or throughout the different points in their career or as soon as Coach Kromer has gotten a hold of them. At the quarterback position, he’s still got to work in the framework of his job, which is to execute the play in the timing and the rhythm that’s called for. You develop that great trust in those guys up front and the trust that they have been preparing for this moment, just like everybody else on our team has all season long. Go approach it that way and go play ball.”

(On how hard it is for the team when WR Brandin Cooks isn’t playing and RB Todd Gurley and Kupp don’t have as many catches in the game and the importance of distributing the ball)
“I think it helps. Anytime offensively when you’re attacking someone vertically, horizontally – both in the pass game and in the run game – and you’re really dispersing it evenly throughout the course of the game, it really opens up all the complementary plays off of it. When certain aspects get shut out or have less production each week, then it puts more restraint on the other parts of the offense. So like every week, the goal is to be balanced, to be able to have that god run and pass mix. It’s happened a few times this year. Sometimes the scenario or situational part of the football game doesn’t always allow you to stay in that perfect balance, but we know that’s what we are striving for and that’s our goal each week as we’re attacking a defense offensively.”

(On if the coaches think about dispersing the ball evenly while the game is going on)
“Yeah, it comes up and you try and get the ball to different guys. The one thing that does happen is you might call a play where he’s the primary and you’re expecting a primary coverage in that scenario. Then all of the sudden, okay they went to something different. They went to from a ‘single high’ to a ‘two high’ or whatever dictated the read going elsewhere. Like I said, it’s that fine line between trying to force the ball to someone, but also playing within the framework of the game and operating in an efficient manner that’s playing smart football.”

(On what’s the challenge for him against the Bears)
“Well, they have a great defense all around. Starting with their secondary, they’ve got a secondary that just knows how to turn the ball over. Each year it can be so different. It’s almost like with the 49ers last year where maybe a couple bounces didn’t go their way and then this year, they’re at the top of the league in that turnover thing. The Bears last year were able to create a bunch of turnovers and this year maybe, hey, the bounces haven’t quite gone their way as far as actually getting the turnovers but doesn’t mean they’re not a ball hawking defense. With (Bears CB Prince) Amukamara and (Bears CB Kyle) Fuller and the safeties that have been able to show hey, if the ball’s up in the air, it’s a 50-50 ball, they’re going to come down with it. So we’ve got to be smart, know where those guys are, recognize their leverage, and being smart with the football that way. Then obviously, with the edge presence with both (Bear LB Khalil) Mack and (Bears LB Leonard) Floyd, just knowing where those guys are and knowing that they’re disruptive players off the edge. As far as Mack goes, there’s no guy you have more respect for in the league in my mind. Where it’s him and (DT) Aaron Donald where they’re those unique players that first, second, third down are going hard. They can set the point, they can chase the ball down from behind, they can disrupt you on known passing situations. Just really every down player that you’ve got to know where he is, and be smart in which ways you’re attacking him.”

(On what he imparts to Goff as the pass game coordinator going into the game considering the personnel change on the offense)
“You’ve got to be smart decision maker and nothing’s more important than the ball. So, doing a great job taking care of the ball and often times that’s playing within the framework of the play. If there is a play that gets off-schedule or breaks down slightly, hey what’s the smart decision to do next? Is it to throw the ball out of bounds? Is it to find a back on a quick outlet? Or if you have to, take a sack. Again, just keep stressing that ball security from the quarterback position. Where we want to, at the end of the day, end every possession with the ball – whether it’s a punt or a touchdown, the ball’s in our hands and we’re deciding what we want to do with it on the final play of that possession.”


Rams QB Jared Goff
(On the mood around the team and how they stay positive after losing)
“You try to keep the mood positive at all times. I think (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) does a good job of that. We follow and as players we know that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what you get a chance in this league to do every week, is play. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done last week and you never want that to happen, but every week you get another opportunity. It’s another great one on Sunday Night Football against a great team, at home in front of our fans, which we haven’t been home in a while. There’s a lot to look forward to and we’re excited about it.”

(On what he remembers from playing Chicago last season and if he has seen Chicago’s defensive approach from other teams since then)
“Yeah, they did a great job last year. I think they’ve got a lot of great players and do, do a good job consistently over the last couple years. Yes and no – we’ve seen it (Chicago’s defensive approach) at times and we haven’t seen it at times. I wouldn’t say what they did has shown up a lot. It’s something that teams have tried and we’ve beat it at times and we haven’t at times. It’s definitely part of a scheme that people have played not only to us, but across the league. Nothing too crazy, pretty simple. We’ll be ready if they do, do it again.”

(On the challenge of balancing his responsibilities with playing behind a less experienced offensive line and the trust in them)
“I’ve got to. I trust those guys, I feel good with them and they’ve done a great job. Outside of (OL Austin) Corbett, we have experience with all of them. Austin, I thought, did a great job last week with his limited time. It’s part of the job. It’s not always going to be perfect back there and if it’s not, I’ll be just fine. If it is – as I do expect them to play well – it’ll be great as well. It’s part of the job description and when you play quarterback, at times, it’s not always going to be like we had the last couple years. I think we had probably 32-straight games with the starting five, and that’s really unheard of. This is more closer to reality and just going to prepare for it.”

(On what the Steelers did to eliminate WR Cooper Kupp as a target)
“They did a bunch of things, like I talked about after the game. They doubled him at times – just played good defense, were able to get home, did a good job. That’s all it was. They just played well on defense, when they did have him singled up, they covered him well and when they doubled him, they doubled him.”

(On if this the most adversity the Rams faced under Head Coach Sean McVay and if McVay has changed his approach)
“Not at all. That dude is steady and we feed off him. He’s been the same guy since Week 1 of 2017. He comes to work every day and works hard. We trust him. He’s obviously not happy with the way things have been going offensively, like I guess just last week offensively and a few times this year. I know him and the rest of the staff are working, as we are as players, we need to be better. I think you look at it and as players we think if we do this, do that, do this, you’re always looking for answers when it’s not going your way, but as players we need to step up and make plays. It starts with me and trickles to everyone else. Bottom line, he should be able to call whatever play he wants and we should be able to execute and make it work. This past week we didn’t do that. We have done that many times this year, but we need to do it consistently. We just need to step up and make plays and it starts with me.”

(On if it’s hard for a coach to maintain consistency)
“Very. I think that’s the No. 1 thing that is tough for anyone. I think he’s no different, but I think he’s handled everything as you would expect. I think you go through those first two years with all the success in the regular season and then, you kind of think, ‘Man, what’s it going to be like if we are not riding high at all times?’ and now we are not exactly doing that. He’s been the same guy and has showed up to work every day – just like he does – and works hard and we trust him. We are trying to do the same thing.”

(On practicing with a guy like DT Aaron Donald and going against LB Khalil Mack and what do they do as pass rushers)
“They are different just because (DT) Aaron (Donald) is on the inside and (L Khalil (Mack) exclusively plays on the outside. I think the same thing, you just feel them, both of them. Aaron in practice, you know where he is – pre-snap, during the play, after the play – same thing with Khalil you have to be aware of him. Then, during the play, you’re always feeling his presence whether it’s during, after or before.”

(On if it is difficult and how he deals with the Bears large fan base and being loud in the Coliseum)
“Yeah, we’ve been dealing with it for a few years now. It’s nothing different. If they do travel well, we’ll be prepared. If our fans show up like I expect they will, we’ll also be prepared for that. It’s no different than it’s been the last couple years. I think as time has gone on, you’ve seen it grow, you’ve seen the fans down here grow. It’s been really awesome to see since my first year when it was rough. The last couple years and during this year, it’d go well and seeing that culture of fans and people that love coming to see us and cheering on defense and understanding how the flow of the game goes. It’s been awesome to see them grow and I expect it to the same this Sunday.”

(On how he handles the ups and downs and loss of teammates and if he stays the same)
“I try to do the same things. Just be the same guy you always are during the good and the bad. I think that’s the way to play the position. I don’t think it’s any time to panic or anything. I think there is a sense of urgency as far as stuff that we need to get fixed, offensively and for myself, personally, stuff I need to fix. I think the more you are the same, the more people respect you. I don’t think there’s ever been a time in my life when things have been good or bad that I’ve been any different. I’ve been through some bad times in the NFL and college and high school and I’ve been through some great times. You just try to maintain that. I think right now, we’re somewhere in between. I don’t think you change, ever.”

(On him mentioning that he needs to get better and what he needs to do better)
“Throw more completions. Get the ball in our guys’ hands and get rid of the ball, get rid of the ball. Be accurate, be on time, everything. I can be a lot better at a lot of things. I think when you do, do the little things right, it’ll lead to more yards and more touchdown and higher completion percentage and all those stats that we like to look at. It really just starts with getting rid of the football accurately and on time.”



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