TRANSCRIPT: Rams Media Availability - Head Coach Sean McVay, QB Jared Goff, S Taylor Rapp - September 2, 2020 SEAN McVAY

TRANSCRIPT: Rams Media Availability - Head Coach Sean McVay, QB Jared Goff, S Taylor Rapp - September 2, 2020
SEAN McVAY

(On how S Taylor Rapp’s first practice was)
“He did great. It was good to be able to have him out there. He was excited, he looked comfortable. He said he felt good. So, it was great to be able to get (S) Taylor (Rapp) back out there yesterday.”

(On what’s going on with OLB Terrell Lewis)
“We are working through some things, trying to figure out what is going on with his knee. Doing some tests, some different things like that. I don’t have any updates, but that’s why he’s missed. We are just getting some things figured out. (Vice President, Sports Medicine & Performance) Reggie (Scott) and our group are working through somethings with his knee, is what we are trying to get figured out right now.”

(On if Lewis’ knee is just sore or aggravated)
“I’d rather wait until we get these tests back. He’s got something going on, we don’t really know what it is, but it’s a little aggravated. Hopefully, I will have a little bit more information for you guys once we get those results back.”

(On if he thinks Rapp will be ready to play Week 1 vs. Dallas after seeing him back on the field)
“Oh yeah, he’ll be ready. He will be ready to go. He practiced yesterday, he looked good, he’s making progress that we anticipate. He’ll be ready to go for Dallas.”

(On if there’s anyone else he anticipates not practicing today either due to rest or monitoring a physical situation)
“The only guy that will be in a limited capacity, again, will be (WR) Cooper (Kupp). Other than that, guys are feeling pretty good. We’ve been able to stay relatively healthy. That’s always a positive throughout camp.”

(On Rapp’s 10,000-calorie diet during the offseason and if he was aware of it)
“It was impressive. That was a long day. A lot of calories on the bike burned, it seemed like. It’s impressive. We commended him for it when it happened in the offseason – that seems like that was about three years ago now. It was definitely an impressive feat – I think as much physically as it was mentally with the length that it took to be able to get all of those calories burned. I guess the pool didn’t do it, so he had to get back on the bike, right.”

(On if there could be a connection to Rapp’s 10,000-calorie diet and what happened to his knee during training camp)
“I don’t think so. I think, Reggie (Scott) and our group, they do a great job of monitoring. I don’t think that would have anything to do unless there is a significant amount of knee injuries with cyclists.”

(On Rapp’s response and maturity following last year’s game in San Francisco and how he likes to see young players respond to similar tough situations – shrug it off, move on or try to grow from it in some way)
“Yeah, I think all of the things that you mention. For you to be able to have the strength in being vulnerable and have that extreme ownership, that is something we want all our players to embody. I mean mistakes are inevitable in this game. If you don’t have the ability to acknowledge it and keep it moving with a mentally tough approach, this probably isn’t for you. And so, bad plays are going to happen. If you show me anybody that has been great at anything, I’ll show you someone that has overcome a lot of adversity and then doesn’t flinch and doesn’t blink when they do. They just came back and let it be a learning opportunity for them that doesn’t hinder their confidence but makes them more motivated to learn and that’s exactly what Taylor did. I loved his response, he’s the kind of guy that represents exactly what we want in our locker room and I would expect from all of our players though. When we talk about accountability and coachability, I think both those situations represented exactly what we want with our football character that he embodied there.”

(On what Rapp should have learned from that play against San Francisco)
"There were a lot of things. I could go into detail about it. I think more than anything, it's just being able to own some of the things and be able to keep it moving, but that wasn't exclusively him in those situations. There's a lot of things that go into it, but situational awareness, just accumulating running reps, that's the biggest thing. Then, ‘Hey, if I could have played a half-field technique a little bit better there, when (Emmanuel) Sanders ends up going to the post and, kind of, being able to please it back,’ those are things that he'll be able to do and he demonstrated that with some things that occurred in the Arizona game the week after."

(On if the team is any closer to an extension with CB Jalen Ramsey)
"I don't have any updates on that. I know that there's dialogue going on behind the scenes and that's something that, once we get information, you guys will probably tweet about it before we get a chance to tell you about it anyways."

(On using his corners in run support and how Ramsey seems to relish that style of play and how helpful is it to have corners that like to tackle)
"Yeah, it's huge. I think the best defense is all-eleven tackle, on the best defenses. When you look at it, even in his first game with us last year, he came up in run support on a toss crack play against the Falcons, forces a fumble with (Former Falcons R Devonta Freeman. Those kinds of plays ignite your whole team and that's why he's a complete player. He can do everything. He can play man-to-man, he can play off-zone with vision to the quarterback, he can play different coverage contours, he can come up and tackle, he's got great ball skills. So, there's nothing this guy can't do and that physical run support or if he's a crack replace corner dependent upon the coverage we're playing, it's something that's a winning edge for your defense, because these offenses are too good now, that there's going to be some times that when receivers take out a safety, that corner's got to be able to come up and tackle and Jalen is as physical of a corner as you'll find and that's why he's so special. One of the many reasons he's so special."

(On if it’s a goal to statistically improve at containing the run outside year over year)
"I think in a lot of instances, it depends on if the play gets sprung out or bounced out to the corner. In a lot of situations, usually the concept that an offense runs, dictates if that specific corner has to get involved in run support, like you're talking about, and usually it is some of those downhill runs that wind back or some of those wide zone perimeter type plays. There's a handful of schemes that we do ask our corners to get involved in and when he's been involved in that, he's definitely made his presence felt. Just like you guys saw our first day in pads, when (R Cam (Akers) got bounced out to the sideline and he did a great job squaring him up and being able to, same foot, same shoulder, great tackle mechanics like we talk about."

(On the growth of S John Johnson III)
"He's been a special player all along. You look at when he got an opportunity and made his presence felt. His first significant playing time was in Dallas, Week 4. He ends up making the tackle that stops them on a fourth down in a two-minute situation to win the game, makes a pick the next week against Seattle. He's got great ball awareness, great instincts. He's a great short-spaced tackler. His ability to just navigate and negotiate traffic in tight quarters and be able to make sure-fire tackles is one of his special traits. I think his understanding of concepts and his ability to communicate, especially with the amount of information we put on him. He has been a huge bright spot. He's one of those leaders on defense that's really taken charge and I think he's confidence, his command, his charisma, for those of you guys that have met him, all of those things end up being real positives for us. Like (Defensive Coordinator) Brandon (Staley) said, he's been outstanding and he's only getting better and his versatility's a huge plus for us."

(On if Johnson has learned a lot from rehabbing and watching from the sideline)
"I think so, but he's always been so smart and he's got elite awareness, as well. He's had some veteran players in the secondary with him. When you look at (Former Rams S) Eric Weddle, (Former Rams C Aqib Talib, the (Ravens CB Marcus) Peters, and then being able to get his opportunity, you can really see, he and Jalen are really leading that back end and so much of our communication on defense comes from those guys. He's really done a great job. I've been very pleased with John."

(On the defense pursuing all-eleven and if it has been more of a point of emphasis this year)
"Yeah, I think you mentioned it. It's definitely a point of emphasis for every defense. You want to attack the football and you want to get eleven hats to the football on every single snap. Those things that take no talent to accomplish, are things that we'll relentlessly coach. Those intangibles, with the effort. Our burst, speed and finish and our guys have embodied that and I think that's a credit to the character they have, but also the coaches emphasizing it, because we've got such great guys. If you emphasize, then usually it's going to show up on the film and that's what's good about the collaboration between our coaches and players on the defensive side."

(On how big of an asset Molly Higgins, Rams VP of Community Affairs and Engagement, has been)
“She’s been a huge asset. I got a chance to spend a lot more time – I have gotten to know her over the last couple of years. But you talk about somebody that lives for the right things. This is her passion, this is what she spends all of her time doing, because that’s just what’s on her heart. And that’s a perfect person to be in a lead role for our organization because she is so passionate about it, she’s well connected. She does such a great job of facilitating opportunities, whether it be for us as coaches or players, to get involved in things that are on their heart. I can’t say enough about the leadership. She got an award last week that she was extremely deserving of. The more I spend time with Molly, the more I am just impressed with just her selflessness and that’s something that is a very rare trait these days, unfortunately, but it’s why she is the perfect person for the job.”

(On evaluating what kind of camp QB Jared Goff has had)
“I think, (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin O’Connell and (Assistant Quarterbacks) Liam (Coen) have done a great job of focusing on the little things. I think the last week and a half, he’s really had his best days. That’s what you want to see. You want to see that trajectory going in the upward direction, as you get closer to the games that count, and that’s what his practices have been reflective of. I’ve been very pleased with his decision-making, his ownership, his command of the offense. I think he’s doing a nice job of reading with his feet, feeling rushes and negotiating the pocket even though it’s hard to truly say because you can’t get tackled. I think he’s just playing faster and things are slowing down on the other side for him, which is always a thing you want to see and now let’s see it translate on the 13th (of September), which we are very confident it will.”

(On if he is where he wants to be a week and a half out from the first game)
"Yeah, I think we’ve still got a little bit of work. I think we are in a good place as a team, want to continue to stay healthy, but we need to get good work in. We know it is going to be a great challenge on the 13th (of September). It is hard to believe, but it does feel like it’s starting to get real when you just look at the schedule and some of the things that we have to do preparation wise. You start tailoring back a little bit, from all the competitive work that we’ve done, but we will be excited about getting an opportunity to play at SoFi (Stadium), even if it will be empty with the crowd noise pumping (laughs).”

(On if his transition to closing out training camp and entering into Week 1 game-planning is different this year given the unusual nature of this year’s training camp)
"Yeah, it is different. You want to try to keep a consistent routine because I do think it is important to still focus on your team, making sure you’re evaluating your roster, identifying the right guys for the right spots when we do get to the games that count like we’re talking about. I’ll try to keep a similar rhythm and some of our coaches have kind of started to lay the groundwork. You do want to be careful sometimes as a coach, I know I’m guilty of this more so than anyone, is if you have too much time, you can kind of overthink stuff, especially in a year where you’ve got a new staff, new coordinator on defense. You’ve got (Dallas Head) Coach (Mike) McCarthy and (Dallas Offensive Coordinator) Kellen Moore collaborating with the offense and so it’s about playing good football, but you don’t have a whole lot of stuff to go off of, especially with (Dallas Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Mike) Nolan. But, all those guys have had significant opportunities and lead roles and you use that as a guide, but you also want to make sure it’s about putting together a good plan that’s around your guys’ best strengths and not necessarily focusing too much on stuff where you don’t have as much inventory as you’re accustomed to.”

(On last night’s Hard Knocks episode where his three clocks – Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nice – were seen in his office and why he has a clock from Nice)
"I have no idea. I honestly, I think it’s because it’s somewhere relevant to where I got engaged, but when we got back from the trip when we were in Atlanta and London last year, they had redone my office and those were the three clocks. But that’s a hell of a question that I have no idea (laughs)."

QB JARED GOFF

(On how things are progressing for him)
“Great. It’s been really good. I think this week is always the week where you’re transitioning from training camp to actually game-planning. As players, we can’t wait to kind of get into that game-planning mode fast enough. I know the coaches are the same way, but there are still some things to be done as far as decisions to be made with cuts and that type of stuff that coaches are thinking about. So, it’s kind of that transition period, but feel good.”

(On what his playing experience has been like against the Cowboys through his NFL career)
“Yeah, we’ve had some battles with them. They’ve always been extremely competitive and extremely talented on both sides of the ball and have been able to score more points and play good defense, and we expect the same this coming week.”

(On if anything special stands out from those games against Dallas)
“You know, I’ll always remember the one at the (Los Angeles Memorial) Coliseum just being my first playoff win and (Head Coach) Sean’s (McVay) first as well with the team. It’s kind of that new era playoff win. I think that’s always special, but they’ve gotten the best of us just last year whenever week that was, (Week) 16 or (Week) 15 there. So, we may have some revenge to do this year, but they’re a great team and we look forward to it. Don’t take that out of context, I see you guys writing that down (laughs).”

(On what goes through his mind when teammates are cut)
“Yeah, it’s never fun. It’s part of the job for sure, but it’s never fun. Every year, you try to create those friendships, build those bonds and often they’re cut short, but it’s tough. You try to stay positive with everybody and hopefully coach makes all the great decisions.”

(On what’s been better and more challenging for him as far as conducting training camp at the practice facility rather than away in Irvine)
“I think just like a lot of teams did, you miss out on the going to camp feeling. You know, whether that’s positive or negative, who knows, but it is something that you kind of look forward to every year as a team and as a football player going away with your teammates essentially. I know we’re going down to Irvine, but going to a different location, being in a different area, having different, maybe restaurants to go to, or different people to see. You do miss that, but at the same time it was good to be kind of already in our rhythm. I think that’s the positive out of it. You do have a rhythm at this building, at the facility. All the coronavirus measures we’re taking, everything we have to know about, you do have that rhythm going. So, there are pros and cons.”

(On Coach McVay’s comments about him peaking now and things beginning to slow down and if would agree with that sentiment)
“No doubt. I think seeing our defense for the first time, really this training camp, there’s an adjustment period of trying to figure out what exactly they’re doing and trying to find out what works best, how to see different things, and they do a great job at mixing stuff up for us. But I think at this point, we’re starting to get a good feel for it, as well as, like I mentioned, we’ve began some game-planning to move towards the Dallas Cowboys.”

(On if he has given himself an opportunity to feel disappointed to play the first time at SoFi Stadium without fans)
“No, not at all. I think you can’t really think of it that way. We have to be excited to go out there and play, regardless. I mean, you look at the other two major sports, they had part of their season canceled. We’ve been lucky to just play games right now. You have to see the positive in everything. If I’m a betting man, I would bet, eventually we will play there in front of fans. When that will be, who knows, but we’re excited to go out regardless and play in what I think is the best stadium in the world, at this point, and have some fun.”

(On QB Bryce Perkins)
“Bryce’s done a great job. He’s been fun to be around. He brings a lot of energy daily and he’s a great kid. He’s done a really good job and I think I was extremely impressed early on with his recall of the offense. We do so much stuff offensively and so much stuff in year four now of this offense, that has been switched around and changed so many times. It’s hard to keep track of it, but he did a great job and has picked things up really quickly and he’s been a joy to have in the room.”

(On if he believes the beginning of the season might be different than normal and if it will be less polished)
“That’s the challenge, I think. You certainly hope not. I think though, that is the challenge for everyone without having a preseason. I think if you look at most preseason games early on, especially with young guys in there that are in their first action in the NFL. You do see a lot of sloppiness, you do see a lot of fumbles, balls on the ground, turnovers. You certainly hope that’s not the case, but yeah, absolutely. That is a challenge early on, is to be sharp and to show that we’ve been doing the right things in training camp and come out on the right foot.”

(On if he thinks they have an advantage for already having a system in place that most of the core players know already)
“Yeah, no doubt. I think there are a handful of teams that are in that same situation where you have the same play-caller returning, you have the majority of your starters returning and we’re no different. We feel good about where we are, and we’re able to, kind of, pick up where we left off last year. I know it’s different for some teams, but for us, we’ve had a pretty seamless transition into training camp.”

(On how he formed camaraderie and team chemistry during this unique training camp)
“No different than I would otherwise. I don’t’ think anything changes there. We are around each other a lot. The only difference is you’re not staying in the same place. Our team isn’t not staying in a hotel together, we’re not staying somewhere off-site. So, you do miss out on some of that, whether it be dinner or breakfast sometimes. Some of those meals you get to sit and chat with the guys. It’s just been connecting on your own time. Trying to connect with guys that myself otherwise wouldn’t connect with. Whether it’s the rookie defensive lineman, some of those guys, rookie linebackers, just trying to go out of your way and connect with them.”

(On how the stadium DJ playlist will play a part to hype up the team during pregame)
“Yeah, we’re going to be relying them a lot this year for as long as we don’t have fans. Of course, we miss the fans and they are the energy that we really do feed off of throughout the game – pregame, throughout the whole game. Especially defensively, when they’re loud. So yeah, we will rely on that DJ a little bit more this year and hope he’s got a good playlist going.”

(On how his family will watch the games this season)
“We’ve had some discussions. I think they’re going to decide here in the next week and I know there’s a lot of discussions still going on from the NFL as far as family members and who’s going to be allowed at games, and that’s not decided yet by any means. But, I know there’s discussions on that. So, hopefully we will be able to have family there and they can come to the games.”

(On his impressions on the tight ends)
“(TE) Tyler (Higbee) looks great. Tyler is still ascending as he was last year towards the end of the year and has continued to get better every day and has really become that kind of bell-cow for us at the tight end position. (TE) Gerald’s (Everett) done a great job as well. He provides us that mismatch that we love to use him with…done a really, really good job moving him around at different spots. It’s a unique position he plays where he can catch the ball so well, but he can also block so well and how we’re able to get him involved in different ways has been really cool to see and he’s done a great job there. (TE) Johnny (Mundt), the same way as Gerald, you know, he’s really picked it up quickly as well moving him around, catching the ball out of the backfield at times. Continuing to do what he was doing last year, but at a higher level. I haven’t had much work with (TE) Brycen (Hopkins) and (TE) Kendall (Blanton), but seeing them with the 2’s and their work, they’ve done great. They’ve all done great. I think Kendall caught a nice ball today and Brycen’s really picking it up fast as well.”

(On WR Josh Reynolds)
“(WR) Josh (Reynolds) has done a great job. He continues to get better and he gives us the ability to stretch the defense as well as somebody that has a catch radius that we may not have had in years past. So, he gives me the ability to throw it to some different locations. You don’t have to be so perfect with it. He can bail me out in some situations, I guess is the best way to say it. It’s nice to have a guy like that and he’s continued to get better and has done a good job.”

(On how difficult it will be to prepare for the Dallas defense and Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan’s scheme)
“I think it is challenging with no preseason and not knowing exactly what they’re going to do. But, isn’t that the same for everyone this year? We’re in the same boat. Their defense is in a similar boat with our offense with some of the stuff we’ve put in. And as well as vice-versa their offense with our defense. There is that challenge, but we have somewhat of an idea of what to expect and we’ll work on that next week and be ready.”

S TAYLOR RAPP

(On how it feels to get back on the field with pads)
“It felt great. Obviously, I have been out for a few weeks. So, I was eager to get back and perfect day, full pads. It was awesome to be out there with the rest of the guys.”

(On if his knee injury was new or something that was lingering from the offseason)
“It was just a little issue that we found like the second week into the acclimation period.”

(On his 10,000-calorie diet and if he thinks that had any adverse effect on him physically)
“No, it definitely didn’t have any effect. There’s light impact on the knee, bicycling. I mostly did the whole day kind of biking. But it was a cool thing that I did back in, I think, May. My older brother, he’s really big into the mountain biking and cycling and stuff, and he has a lot of pro mountain biker friends that they were doing it too. So, my brother was doing it as well and so I decided to take part in it. It was a long day, that’s for sure (laughs).”

(On if he has convinced any of his teammates to join him in the challenge next year)
“Yeah, there’s a few guys. ‘Coop’ (WR Cooper Kupp) for sure, he said he’s going to take part in it, him and his wife actually. So, hopefully I can get some other guys going next year as well and make it a yearly thing.”

(On if there’s any parallel between his offseason challenge and a football game)
“I mean, yeah. Really, obviously, it involves a lot of mental toughness. A lot of the reason that I wanted to take part in it, (is) because I wanted to stretch my mental toughness and see if I could push through it. It was a great thing, so I can see that it definitely correlates to the game and even life, really.”

(On getting to know Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley)
“I love him. He’s very interactive with us. Always coaching us up. I love his passion for the game. I love his energy. So, it’s definitely a great thing to have him in addition.”

(On how difficult it has been learning the defense without physical reps)
“It’s tough. Going back to when you guys asked me how it felt being out there, I was so eager to get on the field because before I had to shut it down for a few weeks, we never really got into live practice. So, I never really put on the helmet or even went against our offense. We were doing jog-thrus and walk-thrus or whatever, but I never really got to strap on my pads or my helmet. It felt great being out there, definitely.”

(On if he has to get one good hit in before he feels like he’s really back)
"Yeah, I mean, it kind of depends on the person. I’m kind of like that. I like to get my pads popping a little bit. Whether that’s studding up a running back, obviously keeping them up, being safe, or whether that’s taking on a receiver…making your presence felt and stuff like that. So, you know, just getting that first little thud definitely feels good once you’re back in pads.”

(On what has he seen from S John Johnson III in his leadership and growth)
"I knew right away how special of a player (S) John (Johnson III) was. When I got here as a rookie last year, obviously, I had a different role and his season got cut short. But I could see right away how special of a player he is, how special of a person he is. I love his energy and his passion for the game as well. I think he’s really grown into his role incredibly well. He’s really taken on that leadership role and kind of taken helm of the defensive room as well. I love the guy. I can’t wait to be out there September 13th with him."

(On balancing the need to move on from the San Francisco game last season and needing to grow from it)
“Obviously, that’s not how anyone wants to end the game or anything like that. I definitely could have played better technique and stuff like that. It is what it is, it happened. So obviously, all you can really do is you can’t worry about it, it’s in the past. Obviously, you can just use it as fuel going forward to motivate you and keep you going. Obviously, don’t let it happen again and stuff like that, but you know, you don’t let it hurt you, but you use it for motivation and fuel and positive going forward.”

--RAMS--