TRANSCRIPTS: Rams vs. Giants Postgame Press Conferences -October 4, 2020

TRANSCRIPTS: Rams vs. Giants Postgame Press Conferences -
October 4, 2020
HEAD COACH SEAN McVAY

(Opening Remarks)
“It was a great job by the defense, special teams. I thought the play that (WR Cooper) Kupp made to put us up eight was real big. Struggled to get into some momentum today offensively but defense made stop after stop. I thought even after the turnover to be able to only allow them to three points on the sudden change was big. And then what can you say about (C Darious Williams? What an unbelievable pick to end the game. No win is easy, we don't take any for granted. There's a lot of good things that we can look at this film and be able to clean up but hats off to (Giants Head) Coach (Joe) Judge and the Giants. They came in ready to go and they gave us everything that they had. We'll get to 3-1 and we'll be able to have a lot of things that we can look at after this first quarter to continue to improve.”

(On what it says about the defense having two big stops and a pick and what happened on offense)
“We just couldn't get into a rhythm offensively, but defense did a great job. You know, you win as a team and thought they made enough plays to be able to win. You could kind of feel the momentum. We were probably a little bit more conservative than I would've liked to have been offensively but couldn't get anything going in the run game. We just really never were able to get into a rhythm outside of that first drive and a lot of things that we can look at to do better.”

(On what some things that the Giants’ defense did specifically going from a team that didn't force a punt last week to giving that trouble that was talked about today)
“Yeah I'd have to go back and look at the film to see. A lot of it really boils down to, they did a good job, give them credit, but it's more execution on our end.”

(On what happened there at the end with after the game when CB Jalen Ramsey was in the middle of a mess)
“I'm not really sure I was shaking hands and I just kind of got in the middle. Fortunately got it broken up and nothing occurred from there.”

(On when they have a sluggish start and what kind of adjustments he makes or what he says to the team to get out of that)
“Yeah, I mean, you just have to make some plays. I thought the one drive, you know, really if we had gotten a couple more opportunities, I think you would have seen us get into a rhythm. We just sent it up kind of getting it where we were up eight on that last possession, wanted to keep the clock running. That's something where we can never go out of bounds either there, Cooper knows better than that. But, if you're really attacking, like we were, I think just the feel for the flow of the game and the way our defense was playing, let's run off as much clock as we can. Ideally, you don't ever have to punt it back. I think I would have switched momentum. I would have switched some of the things that we were doing where, you know, you're just not letting them really get set. Sometimes when you let a big front like that settle in, it plays to their advantage and those are things that we can all learn from. Ultimately, we ended up getting the win, the guys made enough plays and that's what it's about. There's no style points in this league.”

(On how he feels the team stands after the first quarter of the season and what he thought was his problem as a play maker getting into a rhythm)
"My problem? I have to go back and look at it. There was a lack of continuity and being able to get some drives going. We weren't good on third down, so I'd have to go back and look at the film and see, but overall, we finished the first quarter 3-1. There's a lot of good things. There's a lot of things we can clean up and we've got to continuously improve. I thought defense took a major step forward, as did special teams, and offensively, we've got a lot of things that we can do significantly better, but one game will never define you. It's still a short sample size, but I love this team's mental toughness and resilience and glad to come away with the win today."

(On CB Darious Williams growth to be able to make plays like he did today)
"I think he's just a clutch player. Even he's been doing that ever since he got an opportunity to play really last year. He's a guy that if he gets his hands on the ball, he's usually going to catch it and be able to get it back to the offense and right there, that was a game clenching play and a situation that we had to have. He was bumped, they ran kind of a stem in, breakout and for him to be able to make that play was unbelievable. It was a great catch and another great pick for him in a crucial situation, even more important than the Philly game a couple of weeks ago. So big time play by Darious. Really happy for him."

(On putting pressure on QB Daniel Jones and why the defense is so disruptive)
"I think they did a good job. I thought (Defensive Coordinator) Brandon (Staley) called a good game, mixed it up a little bit. There was a couple where he kind of got out of it when you felt like you had him sacked and Daniel Jones made a couple of good plays, but I thought there was a lot of different guys that created some disruption in the backfield today. It's always a collaborative effort and we'll go back and we'll look at it, but I thought it was a good mix of some pressure that we were applying with four-man rush and then when we activated more than four."

(On WR Cooper Kupp's touchdown being the longest play from scrimmage this season and what made that work)
"They actually busted a coverage and we were able to get over the top and Cooper ended up doing the rest himself. When we were going fast, that was something that we probably should have done a little bit sooner and Jared and Cooper made a great play right there. I thought our guys were protecting and ultimately, we've got to be better on third downs, but that was a big-time play. A great job by Cooper and Jared making it happen there.”

(On his evaluation of how Jared played today)
"He did a nice job. I think there wasn't as many opportunities. It really wasn't a very good overall offensive performance and a lot of that stemmed from just the lack of plays and drives that we could really get off, but I thought Jared controlled what he could and he made the biggest plays when he had to. We put it in his hands, basically threw it every drive, on the scoring drive that we did have and he ended up making enough plays for us to be able to win it. That put us up eight and then defense closed it out from there, so he did a nice job. I thought he was his best when it was the most important and that's the most important thing for us."

(On what went into the last third down call when leading 17-9)
"I just wanted to keep the clock running right there. I felt good about our defense and wanted to ensure that they either had to use a timeout or we were going to run it down to two-minute there."

QB JARED GOFF

(On if the empty stadium and no fans is part of the reason for a slow start since the fans aren't here pumping the team up)
“Yeah, I don't think that has as much to do with it as us just executing consistently. We came out on that first drive and did exactly what we wanted, went right down the field and scored and made some good plays, some good runs and then for whatever reason it stalled. I think, again, I know I say this often, but it comes down to just us executing. They weren't doing anything that we didn't expect or that we can't handle. We’ve just got to execute a little bit better and be able to put a few more points on the board. Our defense really picked us up today.”

(On the phenomenal timing of WR Cooper Kupp’s touchdown and from his perspective, what he saw and why the play worked)
“Yeah, there was like a voided zone in the middle of field there. We were going pretty fast and I think when that happens, we're able to kind of get defense on their heels a little bit and they just didn't have anybody in the post at safety. (WR) Cooper (Kupp) was covered, really at first, and then just kept going kind of skinny up the field and just kind of felt that void and got on the ball and he made a great play after. It's a testament to what our offense is about there at the end. We know we need to drive to win, we know when you're going to go down and score. We were disappointed about how the rest of the game went, but we needed it there and we got it done. And then our defense followed up with a stop and that's what good teams do.”

(On if it is possible that the offense was pressing a little bit and looking for big plays)
“No, I don't think so. Again, I really think it's just execution. We just didn't execute great. We had a lot of stuff that we liked I mean, I missed (WR) Van Jefferson down the field early on. We just didn't execute great. It wasn't one thing, it wasn't one thing they did, it wasn't one thing we did. I thought their defense actually played really well and should be given a lot more credit than they have been. They've got a good front and a good secondary and good linebackers and played well. At the end of the day, we didn't execute, so we're happy to get the win and you guys seem awfully upset about us winning so I'm trying to keep the mood up in here.”

(On what happened between the two teams on the field at the end of the game)
“Oh, I have no idea. I just saw a little scuffle and did my best to get people out of there.”

(On being 3-1 and how he thinks the team is sitting after the first quarter of the season and heading into the next one)
“3-1 is great. I mean, we would love to be 4-0, obviously we dropped the one in Buffalo last week, but 3-1 is great. I think we've got a lot to learn from this game, like I mentioned with the execution and just being better in all phases on offense. We're happy with 3-1, it's better than 2-2 and 1-3 or 0-4, but we'd love to be 4-0 and all you can do is win the next one.”

(On what this game says about the Rams defense)
"They're playing well. They played really well today and I think if we had scored more points, they would have actually had a chance to really get going downhill and making a lot of big plays, but I thought they picked us up repeatedly all day and it was really good to see that from them. To see (C Darious (Williams) make that play at the end after what happened last week, how disappointed he was, to see him make that play was awesome. He deserves that. He's a great player and that was a hell of a play by him."

(On the first touchdown run by TE Gerald Everett)
"We kind of put it in this week. We've had an idea that would be good down there versus what they do and Gerald's a great athlete and a guy that we can throw to or hand the ball to. We can really hand the ball off to any of our guys (Tyler) Higbee included. We feel good doing that and Gerald made a great play after getting the ball."

(On going forward into next week)
"Just watch the film and get better from it. That's all you can do. There were some good things we did today. It wasn't all non-execution. There was a lot of good things we did, but consistently first quarter to fourth quarter, it wasn't up to our standards absolutely. So, just practice and get back to it."


WR COOPER KUPP

(On the 55-yard touchdown reception)
“We were able to get up to the ball, being able to move the ball a little bit, have some positive plays. (Head) Coach (Sean McVay) did a great job of keeping the tempo up, forcing communication on the defensive side of the ball. They like bringing the nickel, kind of a little fire-zone most of the day. We were able to get them to miscommunicate there, where they brought fires on both sides, no post safety got back and we were able to peak it and (Q Jared (Goff) did a great job being able to hang in there – our offensive line protected long enough for him to hang in there on what really was a busted play by the defense and be able to take advantage of it.”

(On the offensive struggles after starting fast on the first drive)
“We’ll have to go back and watch the film and see. I really think it’s going to come to down to little mistakes here and there. We’ve preached it from the beginning of training camp, this is the ultimate team game. If you have a breakdown at one position, one small mistake can really trickle down and cause a roadblock as an offense. For us, it's really about being on the same page and making sure we’re executing. We’ve done a great job of that so far this year and today was not up to our standards and we’ve got to make sure we go back and make those adjustments, fix what we need to and move forward.”

(On his thoughts and feelings after Week 4)
“Obviously, we’d like to be 4-0, but we obviously feel good about being 3-1. By no means are we going to undersell the fact that we walked off this field with a W, but at the same time kind of a bad taste in our mouth just in terms of an offense in terms of how we executed today. The good thing is I’m very excited to get back in the building and watch the film and learn from it. I know because of the guys that we have, the coaches that we have, there’s going to be no shortage of improvement made from being able to watch this film and it’s great that we’re able to do this coming off the field with a W and not a loss. There’s something to be said about getting the job done, but by no means is this the standards we have for ourselves."


DL AARON DONALD

(On the defense being on the field a lot and the stand at the end of the game)
“Just finishing strong. Guys playing together. We found a way to pull it out at the end and that’s what you want, so we have to continue to build off that.”

(On how the defense has been coming up with timely plays so far this season)
“Guys just stepping up and making plays. You have multiple guys that are coming out when we need big plays and they’re stepping up and making those plays for us. We have 11 guys on the field that at any time one of these guys can make a big play, make a game changing play – you tend to continue to close out games and make a big plays like that when we need it.”

(On how DB Darious Williams has played to this point and how it feels to be 3-1)
“I think (D Darious (Williams) has been playing great. He’s a young guy, but he has a lot of potential to be a really good player in this league. He’s a playmaker. He’s stepping up and making big plays for us. He has to continue to do that, continue to get better. Being 3-1, it’s a good start. I’m pretty sure that we made mistakes here and there, definitely today, but I’d rather build off and fix the things off a win than off a loss. We’ll continue to get better.”

(On how they were able to get so much pressure on Giants QB Daniel Jones in the first half)
“Guys making plays. It ain’t just one or two guys. Anybody at any time can make that big play and guys stepped up today and did that.”


CB DARIOUS WILLIAMS

(On how it feels sealing it when the defensive has to take stand after stand throughout the course of the game)
“Defense, that’s why we’re out there. No matter how rough it gets, we’re the backbone. We’ve always got our offense’s back. At the end of the play, just to seal the deal. No matter how the game is flowing offensively or defensively, we’ve always got each other’s backs.”

(On if making big plays at key times is taking advantage of the situation or if he’s doing something special)
“I think that’s just God blessing me. At the end of the day, I try to be basically like a red dot, someone that’s dangerous on the field. I want every quarterback, I want everybody that ever targets me to know that it’s a 50-50 chance to get the pick, so I just think really it’s just the positions I’m in and capitalizing on them.”

(On where he thinks the team sits after the first quarter of the season)
“I feel defensively and offensively, I think we are both good. We can easily improve. This is nowhere near our best on both sides of the ball, and I just see a ton of growth happening in this next 12 games.”


TE GERALD EVERETT

(On his thoughts about the overall offensive performance)
“I think things arise in an NFL game and you just have to do your best to stay the course and adjust to it but our offensive performance was pretty good. It was a little chippy here and there but of course you know my fumble kind of was the tip of the iceberg in our negatives. But we did a great job at halftime and coming back and readjusting and we came out with the win.“

(On the opening touchdown run)
“You know just Sean’s great play calling. You know he schemed it up perfectly. He had (TE) Johnny (Mundt) and Tyler (Higbee) out on the edge, and it was going to be an easy walk in.”

(On his involvement in the offense thus far)
“Yeah that’s what I’d like to think, since I’ve been here, just kind of been in and out but just being wherever I need to be for the team and for my unit. Just be the best player I can possibly be, and just you know be wherever I’m supposed to be and be responsible for my assignments and do the best job I can do.”


NEW YORK GIANTS

GIANTS HEAD COACH JOE JUDGE
(Opening Remarks)
Obviously, we came up a little short today. I’m proud of the way our guys fought, I’m proud of the way they played. We have to make sure we clean up and eliminate some mistakes and keep making more positive plays going down the stretch. I’m proud of the way they fought. They are an improved team from last week, and I’m proud of how they worked last week, I’m proud of the improvement they made. We have to keep pushing on and making strides going forward. Obviously, we’re going through a little tough stretch right now with the division, so we can’t afford to make these mistakes. Obviously, we’re anxious already to get back on the grass and start working. We will start immediately with watching the tape tonight as coaches, improve what we can, then we’ll fly back tomorrow and get with the team on Wednesday.”

(On his reaction to the fight with WR Golden Tate III and CB Jalen Ramsey after the game)
“I have to see and find out all the details. I don’t have anything right there, not yet anyway. Obviously, we want to do our fighting between the whistles for 60 minutes. I don’t know all the details, so I am going to hold and reserve comment on that until I find out everything.”

(On the decision to punt on the fourth-and-4 with 10 minutes left)
“Yeah, we were playing good defense, we had field position and we wanted to win right there, put them on back there – I thought it was a good time to put the ball to our defense and let them play.”

(On how he builds on an effort like this going forward)
“The same way we build every week. You go in there, you show them the tape, you show the evidence of what we did right to make improvements, you show them what happened wrong that we have to clean up, and then you shift your focus to the next opponent. You have to keep on moving – you can’t ride a roller coaster in this league. It’s a long season, there’s a lot of ball to be played. Like I said, we are an improved team from last week. I’m proud of the way the guys worked the entire week. I’m proud of how they fought today. We have to make sure we don’t have self-inflicted wounds that stop us from having the wins we need.”

(On what he thinks is stopping his offense from getting in the end zone)
“I have to go ahead and look at all the tape. I was proud of the way they moved the ball today on that. I thought we were more balanced. When we had to run the ball at the end of the game, we were able to make some chunk runs. We threw the ball in tough situations, had to make some passes. We stuck with the plan throughout the game, so we have to obviously take a look at that. Any adjustment we have to make, we will. But today it was a different situation. We just stuck with the plan.”

(On how much Giants DB Adrian Colbert helped as his free safety, and how it was to lose him on the touchdown play)
“I think ‘AC’ did a good job for the most part in the game. Obviously, I have to look at the tape and kind of dissect every play. But, he came out, he played a good game, (Giants S) Julian (Love) went back in there – we have a lot of faith in Julian as well. So look - all the guys that come to the game for us, they're all going to play. Everyone's got a role in every game. So, whoever's in there has to be accountable for the plays on the field.”

(On the offense scoring three touchdowns in four games, and what makes him think his team can improve offensively based on what he’s seen so far)
“Yeah, the focus is going back to work right now and doing everything we can to match against the opponents going forward. We have to build on what we have and who we have available, and we have to make sure we put them in the best situation to be successful.”

(On if he saw what went wrong on the touchdown from WR Cooper Kupp, and if there was a miscommunication)
“Obviously anytime that there's a touchdown, nothing went exactly right, so we've got to look and make sure we identify the breakdown correct it going forward.”

(On if he talked to QB Daniel Jones about the last throw and if he thought he could have run there with the timeout in his pocket)
“Again, obviously it's easy on the sideline or to watch it on TV, than different what he may see in his own eyes. We'll go through the tape collectively with the team tomorrow morning before we take off and head back to New Jersey, but I haven't spoken to Daniel specifically just yet about that.”

(On if he thinks this season starts next week against the Dallas Cowboys because the way the division is lined up)
“I think it's important for us next week as we start our division run that we play our best football.”

(On what he thought of the play from his offensive line, and if he felt they got better, and if QB Daniel Jones and the receivers are contributing to the pressure)
“Well first off, there's never one person who's responsible for everything, ok? It's a team game. All the pieces have to fit together and everything complements each other. In terms specifically to the offensive line, I did see an improved unit this week. I think these guys are getting better overall. You play a team like the Rams, who have an outstanding pass rush. You just can't lose your mind when they make plays. You have to move on to the next play and keep pushing forward to be productive. That being said, we have to eliminate some of the easy plays we made for them early in the game. When it came down the stretch, I liked the way the offensive line really played and stood in there. I thought they held up for the most part against a very stout rush. Obviously not enough to take some of the production off the line that the Rams have, but you play good defense like the Rams, they’re going to make some plays too.”

(On Jones’ interception at the end of the game was concerning to him considering he has 17 interceptions)
“Again, I have to look at the tape a little bit more specifically before we talk to the players and figure out everything that happened in those last plays. But again, we're building more of our team going forward. We have confidence in our players and we have to keep working to put them in positions to be successful.”

(On why T Cameron Fleming replaced T Matt Peart to start the second half)
"We're just going to play all the guys who are at the game. So, there's really nothing that happened in the game that dictated anything that we did substitution wise on either side of the ball. We go in every game, we take guys at the game, we have a plan for how we're going to use them. Maybe it's situationally in a certain substitution package or for a certain play and maybe just want to get them out there and get them a couple of series under the belt. You know, these are young guys. Obviously, they didn't have a preseason to really gain experience. So, we have to build them then throughout the season and I've used them selectively to give them some experience on the field."

(On if there was any thought to keeping Peart out there)
"I'll have to take a look at everything that happened right there. But look, we're going to look to use all of our players, every game, you know, where everything is the best chance for us to be successful."

(On his thoughts about having 11.75 points per game through four weeks)
"I say we have to keep improving. Right now, our defense is doing some good things out there, we have to keep improving in the kicking game. Offensively, I like some of the things you saw down the stretch…We have to get the ball to the end zone more, but we just have to keep pushing on forward, keep making corrections and adjustments, and getting better as you go down the stretch."

(On if there was a concern going into this week given Tate and Ramsey’s history)
"(WR) Golden (Tate) is a competitive guy. We talk to all of our players every week about different things. I'll keep some of the conversations between our players, just between me and the players. We don't want to have happen again at the end of the game what had happened. That's not the way we want to be as a team. I don't know all the details yet. I have to look into that more before I really have any comments to make on it."

(On was there a conversation with Tate about Ramsey prior to the game)
"Again, I'd like to keep those conversations between me and Golden (Tate) or me and any of the players. We have conversations on going into the game. I respect the question; I understand fully where you're coming from. I just have to keep certain things protected with me and the team."

(On trusting the defense in the two fourth-down situations where he chose to punt)
"It's just the best decision we thought at the time for the team. Our defense was playing good. You know, we're winning the field position. You want to put them on down on a long field and let our defense play. I think we've gone for it on enough fourth downs. We're not afraid to go for it at the right time, but I have to call it based on what I think is best for the team at that time."

(On the positives he saw from the defenses play)
“Look, I love the way our defense is playing right now. Obviously third downs has a big emphasis for us as a team, they improved on that today. You know, they've been a good early down defense as well. I like the way our front plays, our backends are improving on a weekly basis. We have good energy. We're getting great communication across the board thing. I think 'Pat' (Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham) and his staff are doing a great job calling this right here. I'm proud of the way the guys work every week to improve and get better and I like the way they fought today."

(On if there was an emphasis on physical play and what he saw from his third corner, CB Ryan Lewis today)
"I'd say first, forget about depth charts, anyone who is at the game is going to play for us. So, whether we look at them as a first, second, third, whatever, if you're at the game you're expected to play. We don't hold a lot of value on so-called depth charts. If you're at the game, you're there to play. So that's really not important to us as a team. I would say in terms of the physicality - yeah, we put a big emphasis on being a physical team. I've said that from day one, that shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. You know, we want to be a tough, physical team and that's our style of coaching. That's our style of playing. That's what we have to be collectively as a team."


GIANTS QB DANIEL JONES

(On how personally frustrating the loss was for him and how he overcomes dealing with the turnovers throughout the game)
“Certainly, frustrating for me. There at the end of the game with a chance to score and go for two and tie up the game, and to not do that, certainly frustrating. So, we've got to stay at it and learn and keep moving forward.”

(On what can he learn from moments like these or even the interception he threw in last week’s game)
“You can't force the ball in those situations.”

(On what it will take to get the offense to score more points)
“We just got to execute when we get down in scoring position. I think we've hurt ourselves in a lot of those situations. I have to be better and can't afford negative plays, can't afford penalties and just have to take advantage of the opportunities we have. So, just got to execute in those situations.”

(On why he believes his team can bounce back and perform better moving forward)
“Because we've been able to move the ball and get down there. I think once we get down there, we need to execute. I think we got the pieces to do it. Guys are playing well. We just need to be more consistent and execute down there in the red area and finish drives.”

(On how he feels about the team averaging under 12 points per game thus far)
“Yeah, we got to score more points. I think we all realize that. It's about scoring touchdowns when we get down there."

(On if he would have rather ran it on the interception play)
“You know, I'd like to go back and look at the tape there and see that play. But I think I may have had the opportunity to run and have to learn from it and move on.”

(On the players mood in the huddle during the last drive of the game and if their offense has confidence)
“Yeah, the confidence is high. I think those opportunities you want as an offense to go down there and score in a two-minute drive. So, we were confident, we were excited and got off to a good start and got the ball going. So, I think we got to finish that. As far as the attitude, or the energy in the huddle, I think it’s been positive and we were certainly confident going into that drive.”

(On if the team was aggressive enough in the last drive of the game and if they were looking for a touchdown)
“Yeah. We were running the ball well at that point in the game and controlling the ball. So, I think that was the strategy. I think in those situations to finish the half with the ball, is important. So that was the thought there, and I thought we did a good job executing that.”


--RAMS--