Los Angeles Rams Postgame Transcripts -
October 26, 2020
Head Coach Sean McVay, QB Jared Goff, Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy and Bears QB Nick Foles
Head Coach Sean McVay
(Opening Remarks)
“Great job by our team to get the win tonight. I thought our defense was outstanding, from start to finish they did such a great job. Some key turnovers, some key fourth down stops. (OL Leonard Floyd came through in a big way against his former team. I thought offensively, we did enough early on in the game to get that lead. We were just really trying to get the clock, kind of just run out that game and make sure when you're up 24-3, that we closed it out. But, some good, tough hard running. I was really pleased with the way that (TE) Johnny Mundt stepped up in a big way. Missing (TE) Tyler Higbee tonight is a huge loss for our football team, but Johnny Mundt stepped up, did a great job. (P) Johnny Hekker was outstanding tonight. Ultimately, the goal is to get to 5-2. We’ve got a short week getting ready for a good football team in Miami, so that's where our focus will go right after this.”

(On how much Hekker was able to help out tonight)
“It was huge. I mean, five punts, all of them inside the 20 (yard line). He was able to flip the field – a long of 63 (yards). He was phenomenal tonight, exactly what we expect. We don't ever take it for granted, but he came through, and I wasn't surprised, but we’re definitely appreciative of the effort that he had tonight. It was a big-time deal.”

(On what the message and mindset of the team was going into tonight’s game, and why he thinks they were able to execute tonight)
“Yeah, I think it's the players. The coaches did a great job getting them ready this week, but ultimately the players came out, they performed, and they were ready to go from the jump. I thought it was reflected with the urgency that we had in the week of practice. We jumped out to a lead, we were able to kind of control that. Defense was outstanding all night. They got stop after stop, big time turnovers, fourth down stops and turnovers in the red zone. (C Jalen (Ramsey) and (S) Taylor Rapp ended up coming up with interceptions, so you can't say enough about their effort. The one touchdown they did give was on our offense. So, defense came through in a big way, and I was really pleased with our team's overall effort. And then we have got to be a little bit better in those four-minute situations when we're trying to run out the clock offensively. Those are things that I can't wait to get corrected. But, when we were really just trying to move the football, I thought offensively we did a good job controlling the flow of the game.”

(On what pleased him the most about the defense tonight)
"It's hard to say one thing. I think I was pleased with everything that they did. I thought they flew around. I thought we were great, really in every area of the game. They held them to three points. That was all that they got. We had some huge stops when they were down in the tight red area, so they just did a great job. I mean, to get us that short field, when we ended up getting them where they had the fourth-down-and-one, they were going to go for it, because of the tackle that Jalen makes on the sideline when we ended up challenging it. So, when you go back and look at the tape, I think there's going to be a lot of things reflected in a great performance and now let's see if we can do it again next week against the Dolphins."

(On a video going around of S Taylor Rapp missing a high five from him)
"I would say I'll blame myself on that. He did a great job making that. (C Troy Hill made the tip and then, I've got to be a better athlete, I guess then and go get him."

(On if that was the type of performance he envisioned when bringing in Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley)
"What would you say to that question, if you were answering it? The answers yes. It was great. I thought really our defensive staff as a whole, I thought they did a great job, Brandon called a great game, but they put together a great plan and then ultimately the players executed it. So, I thought there was urgency. I thought there was attention to detail throughout the whole week and then I thought it showed up on game day, which is the most important thing. So, really hats off to Brandon, our defensive players, our defensive coaches, so pleased for them and they did an outstanding job tonight."

(On spreading the ball around on the offense and if he was happy with the overall performance of the offense)
"Yeah. It was painful in that last quarter, where you know you're just running it and just trying to conserve clock, but it is about winning the football game. I thought up until that point, I thought we did a good job. The red-zone score that (TE) Gerald Everett had, I thought was big, being able to hit (WR) Josh Reynolds earlier in the game was a big deal, so overall was pleased with that. This is a great defense, wanted to try to minimize some of the opportunities for their elite guys to be able to rush and get home and they even found a way to still score defensively, but we knew what a great outfit they were. We knew how responsible they were for a lot of their wins that they had and the way that they got it done, wanted to minimize those chances and I thought those guys did a really good job executing the plan really through the first three quarters and then I’ve got to do a better job for us, but I think we've got to execute better in some of those four-minutes situation, even if it starts late in the third and early in the fourth quarter where you're in the last 20 minutes of the game, kind of just trying to run the clock out and get away with a win."

(On RB Malcolm Brown’s run near the goal line)
"Yeah, I thought that was reflective of just the entire unit, getting a great push. I thought it would be one of those games where Malcolm would show up in a big way and he ends up having 57 yards on 5.7 (yards) a carry. Great touchdown run and Malcolm has just consistently delivered when his number's been called and was really pleased with him tonight."


QB Jared Goff
(On what it was like seeing Punter Johnny Hekker's performance tonight)
"Johnny (Hekker) is the best punter in the league and he showed it tonight. He really was a weapon for us. A few of those punts obviously late in the game, but just everything he does throughout the game and obviously his punting today was a big difference."
(On what it does to the offense to see the defense come up with a handful of stops and takeaways)
"It's huge. It's momentum. We talk about it all the time. It's points off of turnovers, points off of turnovers, whether it's a fourth-down stop or actually a turnover. We had a couple of them there, the interceptions. We were able to capitalize on one of them, on I believe the interception and those are huge. That fourth-down stop in their own territory, we'd like to get points out of that. That would have probably sealed the game a little, but earlier but our defense played as well as they have all year and it's exciting."

(On how the offense operated tonight)
"I thought we did well. That defense is tough. We had to do some different things for them and make sure we were on our Q's and T's all night. I thought we ran the ball really well and then I thought in the pass game, we did a good job after the catch, making plays after the catch. There was a couple careless errors by me that we got away with but that's the game. I thought we were able to distribute the ball pretty well and make some plays."

(On working with WR Josh Reynolds during the week)
"Josh (Reynolds) is great. He's a guy, I know we talk about Robert (Woods) and Cooper (Kupp) all the time, but Josh, I've been with him as long as I've been with Cooper and he's just kind of finally getting his chance to really be out there and really have plays kind of tailored for him and really understand the in and out of every route and every play and he's done a great job. He's a guy I have full trust in and we can run him on anything."

(On what it was like to see Hekker receive love from his teammates)
"It was awesome. I was a part of that as well and I'm not usually getting off the bench for a punt and that one he hit, the big one he hit in the fourth quarter, I believe, that came down and stopped inside the five, it's exciting. We understand how important field position is and as an offense, I can tell you how that can be sometimes when they do down it inside the five. I believe we had three of them tonight inside the five. I told him 'Johnny, you earned your money tonight. You did your thing.' He was laughing, he did a great job."

(On RB Malcolm Brown's run in the red zone where teammates drove the pile to gain extra yards after contact)
"He got off the ground there. I think someone was holding him. He got in that big pile. Yeah, it's always fun. Usually, I would say more times than not, you have the offense that ends up being able to have more guys on that side of the push. I was able to stick my nose in there and get a part of that push as well towards the end. I was excited about that. It was a good play. It was cool. It's always exciting when those ones happen, you hear the bench start roaring. It's good momentum."

(On TE Johnny Mundt fit in with the offense)
"Johnny Mundt is a guy that we have a lot of faith in. We said this earlier in the week when we had an idea that he was going to have to play, but last year against the Bears he had to step in and play a lot too and we said, 'This guy is ready for the Bears at all times.' Johnny played really well. I thought that ball he caught and made a play after the catch was awesome. He's a great player for us and a guy that we rely on quite a bit and today he had to step up for Higs (TE Tyler Higbee) and he did a good job."

(On the tempo change that went into WR Josh Reynolds’ touchdown catch)
"I believe they had a blitz on, a zero blitz, and we had Josh in the backfield and put the running back at receiver and came out and snapped it quick. It's a play we've worked on all week. The guy who was supposed to be blitzing ended up trying to fall off on Josh there, peal on him and it worked out. That's the tempo that we talk about. When we're able to do that – if we weren't on tempo there, they may have been able to cover it, just how the play played out, but yeah it was a good one."



Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy
(Opening Remarks)
"This is a game today where there's not a whole lot to say in that locker room, other than in these situations, we’ve got to be able to show what type of resolve we have to bounce back from something like this. I thought that, I don't know all the stats, all the numbers in the three phases, but I just felt like we knew defensively, there was going to be times that they got chunks on us with their offense, but we were going to bend and not break. I thought our defense, for the most part did that, obviously stating the obvious, the offense, we’ve got to get stuff figured out. It's not good enough and to be outscored by your defense obviously is unacceptable, too. So, that part's frustrating. The special teams in some areas I thought was really good and other areas, I didn't think was very good, but this is a part of the NFL, this is a part of the league and then how are we going to respond? What are we going to do? So that's our next challenge.”

(On Bears QB Nick Foles stating in a conversation with an ESPN commentator that he sometimes doesn’t know if he has enough time to execute play calls that come in, and if Foles has communicated that to Nagy and if he felt like that was the case today)
“We’ve never had that conversation but explain to me what that comment meant. What it was that he said?”

(On clarifying Foles’ comments where ESPN commentator Brian Griese reported during the broadcast that Foles said: ‘Sometimes play calls, come in and I don't know that I have the time to execute that play call and I'm the one out here getting hit. Sometimes the guy calling the plays, Matt Nagy, he doesn't know how much time there is back there. And so that's something they have to work out.’)
“I don't know. You'll have to, whenever you talk to (Bears Q Nick (Foles), just kind of see where he's at with that. Nick and I have a pretty good relationship and he hasn't said, I mean, he'd probably explain what he meant by that.”

(On if he feels like Foles had enough time today to execute the play calls that were coming in)
“I don’t know. I’ve got to watch the tape and see, I know there’s a couple here or there where you're in scout protection in certain times and, they might make you hot here or there but I have no idea, I have to go back and see it exactly what the deal is. I know that as far as the play, if you're saying the plays getting in to be able to call the play, there's no issue there. I don't know what the next part was.”

(On if there is a core issue on offense that he would have liked to address first and foremost in hopes to gain the consistency he’s looking for)
“Yeah, this is hard. I've never really, I've never been a part of this before, so it’s a situation where it's for all of us, very frustrating trying to figure out answers. The hard part is, is when you care so much and you're trying so hard to figure out that identity and where we're at and the why part. That's the part that stings. It’s just trying to get that thing right and it hasn't happened, so we have to look at, across the board, we have to look at everything. We've been doing that and you get out here. We’ve got to start fast. When you come out and all of a sudden you get a penalty, it just kills the drive and penalties hurt. You cannot have penalties early on in the game. Then, when you have situational football, you can’t have penalties in fourth-and-1 to get a first down and move the sticks. As hard as we're making it on ourselves right now, you can't have penalties. That's the part there that for all of us to figure out, ‘Okay, when is this going to stop?’”

(On it not being common for his team to get blown out often and if he sensed it coming tonight)
“No, I didn't, I really didn’t. I thought our guys had great energy and again, it’s very similar. It's 10-3 at halftime, not scoring many points, they're not scoring many points. You come out and all of the sudden you get the ball in the 1 yard-line to start the third quarter. It's run to get some breathing room. It's another run to get breathing room and then all of the sudden you have them beat on a double move and we just don't get it. That's no criticism to any player, (Bears Q Nick (Foles) had a guy coming off to his left free and you saw it was close, but it wasn't close. And so that was just kind of one of those nights where it just wasn't our night. So, we’ve got to figure out how each and every one of us are going to step our game up to be better.”

(On if he can elaborate more on his comments on never being a part of something like this before and on what gave him confidence on the fourth-and-1 play to Bears WR Cordarrelle Patterson)
“Well, I have no idea, but I don't ever remember having our own defense score more than our offense. That’s hard to do. So, that part I don't like, and that bothers me. The second part is sometimes what happens is we scheme plays and we have things in certain looks that we like, and then there’s the execution part. I got to go back and actually see the execution part. I know that our whole entire coaching staff and our players coming out of that break felt really good about that play. We all did. There's nothing where anyone was like, ‘Ah, maybe we shouldn't do that.’ No, we felt good, so they made a play. One thing that I want to do, and I didn't do on the front end, is I want to give credit to the Rams, and to (Head Coach) Sean McVay, and his coaching staff and their team. You got to give credit to them. They're well coached, they play hard, they're a good football team, and so I don't want to take anything away from that as well. I wish we were coaching and playing a little bit better than we did tonight.

(On where he is right now with the run game based on what he’s seen the past few weeks)
“Yeah, where am I at with it? It’s not where I want to be, you know? I mean you got to run the ball in this league and you got to be able to run the ball. We’re trying to figure out ways to do it and right now we got to be better there, and it starts with me.”

(On what else he can do to try and fix his offensive line)
“It’s hard when you're in this scenario right now. What happens is, just like you said, you start thinking, is it this guy is? Is it that guy? The only choice we have right now probably, and I know this for sure, would be that we have to pull together as best as we can and fight through this adversity, as hard as it is. The word frustration is easily exaggerated in these times, and it should be. So, having that happen, we have to understand, what are we doing that's not working and let's not do that. What are we doing that is working? And let's get back to more of that. I wish I had a better answer for you, but again, I’m not going to criticize or challenge any of our guys' effort, but something is obviously off. So, we have to figure out what that is, because until we start running the ball, you can't be one dimensional.

(On if he has an update on Bears OL Cody Whitehair and on how challenged he is with the way the offensive line is playing right now)
“I think Cody's okay. I got to find out more here on the plane and when we get going here for tomorrow. He's tough. I hope he's okay. We had a couple guys there get nicked up and I was glad that (Bears S) Eddie (Jackson) was okay. That was a little scary there for a little bit. As far as the play caller and for me, I've told you all this, that in the situation that we're in right now as an offense, you get to a point to thinking, ‘Okay, where is it and why is it at this point?’ And so, we just have to look at everything and I don't want to point fingers, I just don't want to do that to just our offensive line or just our wide receivers or tight ends or the quarterback, because we're all in this thing together. I know it's not an answer that you all want to hear, but we have to keep plugging away. We have to try to fight through this really difficult position that we're in right now. And when you have good coaches and you have good players, you usually do that. Now that's going to be our challenge. And so, we're going to be facing a really good Saints team here coming up and we're going to have to do it right away and do it fast. So, I'm going to start with myself and then I'm going to critique and hold everybody accountable for the execution part too.”

(On if he is seeing some offensive rhythm during the week in practice and if that’s why he was surprised by the outcome of tonight’s game)
“I did. I thought it was a good week of practice, especially our Wednesday/Thursday practice, which I think was Thursday/Friday. The tempo was great, it was fast, there was good execution, things were good. And it's not clicking right now, it's not. As any competitor, and I'm as competitive as a person there is, that's the part where I have to challenge myself to stay patient and challenge myself to not get frustrated as well, and continue to just keep coaching to the best I can and look at everything. So, I have to be able to rely on our other coaches that we have on the staff that I have a lot of belief in, and I'm talking across the board, all three phases, but in particular offensively, what do we do and how do we get to this point? So, I hate to feel repetitive, but that’s the only thing we can do. You know, we're 5-2. So, what I said before is we've built this little cushion and now it's our job to be able to use it and not lose it.”

(On how encouraged he was by Bears TE Cole Kmet’s 38-yard catch and if there is a solution to what ails this offense)
“That was a great job by Nick (Foles) throwing that ball to him. It wasn't wide open, right? He was covered. But that's the beauty of sometimes plays, like he's covered, but he made a play. You make a throw, you made a play, and that's a credit to Cole. I thought it was right in front of me, made a little run after the catch, very next play he comes back and catches another ball. Cole Kmet’s going to start playing more in this offense and he's deserved it, he earns it. He's a guy that I'm really proud of the way he's playing and for us, we have to be aware of that, understand that, and start using him more.”


Bears QB Nick Foles
(On his vantage point on first interception in the endzone, and on what caused the timing to be off on the throw in the third quarter when WR Darnell Mooney had the double move)
“Yeah, so the first one, they took away our first read, so I was trying to get it to (WR Darnell) Mooney in the back of the endzone, and they made a nice play on it – that was unfortunate. Then the second one, they were bringing an extra guy to the left, so I was (inaudible). There was a guy coming off the edge and I made a double move. I just didn't have enough time because of the nickel pressure to really step and throw it. So, I actually had to throw it right when he started his break and let it go. They did a really nice job on that play disguising a blitz, and at that time our call was different.”

(On how he spoke to ESPN reporter Brian Griese on how sometimes he feels he doesn’t have enough time to execute play calls, and if that is something he has communicated with coach Matt Nagy in terms of getting on the same page of play calling)
“That was definitely a miscommunication with Brian (Griese) and I. We do these pregame conversations the day before the game, just to give them information. That conversation – (Head) Coach (Matt) Nagy and I have great conversation on the sidelines. There might be times where we go through it beforehand and say, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ There's times where you have to get the ball quick and whatnot. But in those situations, Matt and I have a great relationship on the sideline with conversations and everything. I think in that situation with Brian, it was just a miscommunication of words, because that's not what I was trying to bring across in that conversation.”

(On if he can be more specific on what exactly the miscommunication was)
“When Coach Nagy and I talk on the sideline, we'll go through plays in different situations and go through the defense. I'll be honest and say, ‘Hey, you know, right now maybe get the ball quicker. They're bringing some pressures and whatnot.’ So, we were talking about game situations in game, Coach Nagy and I’s conversations and our relationship. Part of that was the detail saying, “Hey, maybe we don't have the time right now for this type of drop, because of what they're bringing and the pressures of bringing.’ It's easier with that to say, ‘Hey, one, two, three ball out.’ So, that's where the miscommunication lies. Those are actually conversations Coach Nagy and I have on the sidelines, so that when we go to the field we're ready to roll. I think that's a valuable relationship I have with him to be able to talk like that, understand specifically from his heart about each game is its own entity, so you have to understand how to play it in the appropriate way.”

(On with all the struggles the team has had what he thinks is going right with the offense right now)
“You asked a tough question. I think the biggest thing is throughout the season, at times we've been able to make plays to help our team and to put us in position to either come back in games or win games. Tonight was not one of those examples. We didn't play well offensively and it's tough. You go out there, you prepare all week, you want to go out there and you give it your all. The Rams did a nice job on us tonight, they did a really nice job. They played fast on defense and disrupted us. But in the grand scheme of things, this is one game. It’s been a crazy season and obviously we've talked about this a lot. My mindset is to continue to look at it, continue to have these conversations, and continue to work through this, because the season does continue on – it doesn't stop right now. It’s never easy. It really tests you as a player and as a person because it's not easy. You come to your locker, you hurt, you hurt for your teammates, you hurt that you weren't able to make enough plays, that we lost. But ultimately it does allow you to grow because it ultimately sucks, but you have to learn how to get through it. That's the stage where we’re at as a team. We've been fortunate to come back in some games, and this was not one of them.”

(On what he saw on the first pick that got tipped)
“They came down on ‘A-Mill’ (WR Anthony Miller), and then I was trying to shoot it to the corner of the end zone to give Mooney a chance to make a play. The defender made a nice play tipping it to his teammate. So, unfortunate.”

(On what he thinks is off with the offense)
“I mean, if I had the answer right now in this moment, we probably wouldn't be talking about it. I'd say, just keeping it real, this is where you test your culture. This is where you test the people you work with, whether it's the coaches and the players. Like, who are we going to be? Are we going to be in it together or are we going to go against each other? That's sort of the crossroads and we're very fortunate to be 5-2, everything's in front of us, season's not over. I think that's important to remind every single person, not only in the locker room, but out there, you know, the season's not over. We have to continue to work through this. Conversations are important and then obviously implementing it. So, that's something that the coaching staff, the players and everything, we have to continue to look at ourselves in the mirror and ultimately be there for one another and go through this thing, like people that care about each other. It's the toughest part of sports, but I know someday when I'm done playing this game, I'll look back and miss these moments in the sense of, ‘Wow, that's where those special relationships are made in the tough times.’ I look back on some special years and there were some games and some special seasons that sucked that you got to the locker room. It was like, ‘Tonight, it's tough, it hurts,’ but the good teams really find a way to get through this in a positive way and improve. I've said it from the moment I got here, I really like our locker room and I know that this is the locker room that can take this and turn it into a positive.”

(On how has not being able to run the ball hindered some of the things he wants to do)
“Ultimately, I have to play better and help our team out in these situations. We have to figure out how to run the ball effectively. I think the big thing is just finding a rhythm of who we want to be. In this situation, we really have to continue to work, we really have to assess who we want to be and find that identity. When we find that identity of what we want to be, that's when we'll take off, but that's where we're at right now. We have the people here to do it and it goes back to once again, believing in one another and continue to go to work every single day for the person next to you.”

(On are there any issues with when the play is being called and how much time he has to run it)
“No. So that conversation was conversations that Coach Nagy and I have during the game, based on situations. When we go out there, we'll go through a call sheet, ‘Hey, do you like this?’ and it's like, ‘Right now they're bringing pressure, or something, so it's going to be hard to get that one off.’ So then he's like, ‘All right, well let's go to this one.’ It’s that conversation with him is to let him know like, ‘Hey, this is what's best for us’ but it's happening on the sidelines to when we go into the game we can go out there and play the best. But once again, Coach Nagy and I have a great relationship. I would never say anything like that. I can see how it would be taken that way. I was able to see the video real quick and those conversations, obviously, everything I know about - Brian's a great dude. They’re quick five, 10-minute conversations and you can't get into detail. But you'll see Coach Nagy and I in games going through a call sheet, talking and going down the line. Part of that is addressing like, ‘Hey, what do we feel like? What do we think? Hey, what's going on with the defense? Are they giving us trouble?’ Stuff like that.”

(On why it has been a struggle to find their identity this far in the season)
I mean, that's something we have to look at internally, while they're happening, while there's communication errors. I don't have an answer for you with the identity thing, I don't have a good one. I think the big thing is this is where we're at and we have to realize that. I believe we do realize that and we have to figure out what that is and what this looks like. Sometimes it's taking a moment, taking a step back and looking in the mirror and then going to work and realizing like, ‘Hey, I'm here for my buddy next to me going through this.’ But I don't have a great answer, quite honestly. I will tell you, I will get back to work and I will continue to move forward. I will do everything I can along with my teammates and along with my coaches, to work through this, to figure it out so when we hit the field on game day, we're dangerous at every moment and it can be a rhythmic game. We can do all the little things we want to do and aspire to do, but it's going to be a process until then. This isn't going to be easy. This is going to be very hard, and it's going to take every single person to buy in and believe that it's possible. That's the only way these things get fixed and they improve. If there was a book about it, I'm sure everyone would be buying, but this is football, we’re humans out there. So, we have to figure out what's going to make this run, who we are. You know what, I believe we will get there.”

--RAMS--