Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - October 27, 2020 Head Coach Sean McVay

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Los Angeles Rams Transcripts -
October 27, 2020
Head Coach Sean McVay
Head Coach Sean McVay
(On an injury update about S Terrell Burgess)
“He unfortunately he broke his ankle. He's going to require surgery on Wednesday. He'll be out. It'll be a good recovery, so he'll be out for the rest of the season. It’s a shame because he was doing so well in really both phases, special teams and defense. But he's got a really bright future and that surgery will be on Wednesday for him.”

(On if the roster opening will be allocated to DL A’Shawn Robinson and if they will look outside to fill the other potential roster spot)
“We're always looking to upgrade. Obviously, this year poses some different challenges just specific to the onboarding process with the COVID protocols and things of that nature. But the plan is to be able to get (DL) A’Shawn Robinson up this week and then what we do with that remaining spot is kind of to be determined based on how the week unfolds. Then you still have the availability of being able to bring somebody up on your practice squad, even if it's just for a game, depending upon the approach that we want to take against the Dolphins.”

(On if there is plans to bring S Jordan Fuller back following the bye week)
“That's the plan. He’s doing well, he's doing really well. That was kind of the plan all along. To be able to get (S) Jordan (Fuller) back will be a good boost for us, especially with what happened to (S) Terrell (Burgess) last night. I thought (S) Nick Scott did a nice job. He stepped in and he made some plays and that was a real positive for us to be able to see from Nick.”

(On whether he considers the defensive performance against Chicago the best of the season)
“I think it was definitely one of them. I thought they played outstanding. I think what was as good as anything about what they did is I thought they brought consistent energy from the jump and then the stops in the parts of the field that they had. When you look at some of those red-zone stops, some of the short-field stops, it's hard to say it wasn't as good as they played. But I think to the defense's credit, they've had some pretty dominant performances year when you look at the Washington and the Giants game. So, I think as a whole, our defense has been pretty outstanding for the most part. Yesterday was a reflection of what we've seen, really through the first seven games, fairly consistently.”

(On whether K Samuel Sloman’s low kicking trajectory was initially scouted)
“It’s definitely something that, especially now with just some of the technology that you have in terms of measuring the apex of these kicks or even just once it gets to the line of scrimmage, what's that height compared to the norm. Those are things that typically I haven't had to look at over the last couple of years, but that is something that we were in tune with. It was a little bit lower than what is the average and I think that's where we've seen that reflected in kicks getting blocked. I always think it's a tough situation as a rookie to come in and have some of the pressure that that kicking position entails. You look at the trajectory and really the history of the league, in a lot of instances, you go through some things and then you end up getting a chance down the road and that's the hope that I have for (K) Sam (Sloman), because I think he’s a great guy. Thought he handled it well and those are never fun conversations, but I think he understood that we needed to produce at a higher level and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

(On the limited action of RB Cam Akers)
“I think what's been a challenge is, when you've got three backs that are healthy, sometimes it's just hard to get those guys in and I think (R Cam (Akers) has a bright future. Both those guys (RB Malcom Brown and RB Darrell Henderson Jr.) did a nice job, felt like the game was kind of going through them, especially in the run game and it's nothing that Cam didn’t do. It's just more of a reflection of what those two guys did. Sometimes that's a positive problem that we have as far as figuring out ways to get those guys involved. I felt comfortable with Darrell and Malcolm and that was the direction that we went.”

(On what K Kai Forbath brings to the team)
“I think he has experience. I’ve been with (K) Kai (Forbath) in Washington and he's pretty accurate from those inside of the 50-yard range and he's got experience. I think that's really important. The game's not too big for him and I think he will bring some stability to that spot and hopefully some more consistent production that we haven't had this year.”

(On takeaways about the offense after reviewing last night’s game)
“I would say really at the last play that we had in the third quarter kind of represented where we were really in four-minute mode, where we're just kind of running the clock out. Once (TE) Gerald Everett scored the touchdown to go up 24-3, then you look at a big part of why the Bears have been so successful is they've made these late runs. In a lot of instances, it's their defense making plays to kind of get them short fields or get them back in the game. We wanted to try to limit those opportunities. You knew that you're going to get a lot of loaded front structures, but it does entail a little bit more of a conservative approach than typically what I think you see reflected from us offensively, where it's slowed down. You're not necessarily in that attack mode and that can feel frustrating. You can kind of lose perspective of the goal is to win the football game. I didn't like it that we had that turnover. It was a great play by (Bears OL Robert Quinn and then for (Bears S Eddie) Jackson to be able to pick that up. I think I was just more frustrated as the recency bias. But overall, when you look at the first three quarters and you consider the caliber of defense that we were going against, I thought the offense did a pretty good job as a whole. But, because of the way that it ended, where the whole fourth quarter, you’re running it every single snap, just to make sure that the clock continues to run. You're really just kind of just playing against the clock as much as anything that's frustrating when you want to move the football. I did think it was the smart thing to do and that's what we did as a team.”

(On WR Josh Reynolds’ development and taking on a larger role)
"Yeah. (WR) Josh (Reynolds) did a nice job last night. He made plays, but really when you look at what Josh has done over the last couple of years, that's been consistent. He made big plays in the NFC Championship game a handful of years ago. When he's gotten his opportunity to consistently be on the field, he's made plays. So, I think he is getting more comfortable, but I also think in some instances it's kind of the norm for Josh. (WR) Robert (Woods) and (WR) Cooper (Kupp) do such a great job and they've had consistent production over the last couple of years, but when you look at when Josh has gotten his opportunities, he has consistently delivered, which is why we felt so confident being able to move on from a great player in (former Rams WR) Brandin Cooks, because of the confidence we had in Josh Reynolds."

(On resigning K Austin MacGinnis to the practice squad)
"Yeah, that is true and really, he was a guy that it was really closely contested, between all three of those guys throughout camp, but (K) Austin (MacGinnis) had consistent accuracy and then you talk about some of the things that have led to us getting things blocked this season, he gets great height immediately on his kicks, especially when you're in some of those ranges that we want to be smart about – deciding to be able to kick field goals there and so, that was more of a reflection of some of the things that he had done and because we've got an expanded practice squad, that was something that we felt like would be the smart thing to do."

(On Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Coach Joe Barry sits in his support staff)
"He's been awesome. I mean, really, ever since he got here. (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers) Joe (Barry) and I have a long standing relationship going back to being coordinators in Washington together, but in terms of a consistent demeanor, the ability to bring people together – I mean, you look at even just what he's done as an inside linebackers coach developing a handful of guys that have continued to just be big parts of our defensive success – but you see Joe's consistent energy around the building and how he's able to bring people together. That's a really important part of it and then me being able to lean on him and a lot of the decisions that are important, you truly do lean on him as an assistant head coach and I feel very fortunate to work with Joe. He brings it every single day. Joe's one of those guys, kind of like what I was talking about with (Wide Receivers Coach) Eric Yarber last week or a couple of weeks ago, you always feel better after you talk to Joe Barry, because he consistently has a great energy about himself and you love having people like that and Joe's very special to us."

(On what he has seen from the offensive line and especially the two guards)
"I think we've seen a lot of those same things. They've done a great job. I think (OL) Austin Blythe deserves a lot of credit for the command and the communication that we require from our center position, having that stability on your edges with (OL) Rob (Havenstein) and (OL) Andrew (Whitworth) has been big, but to see (OL) Austin Corbett continued to develop and then with (OL) David Edwards, being able to have that versatility and the experience he gained last year. Both really, he and Austin, I think they're translating that. I think Austin's done a great job of that right guard spot. David looks really comfortable on the left side of the line, but ‘Corbs’ is a guy that has a lot of natural ability. He's got a lot of explosion and twitch in his body and I think he's continuing to learn the nuances and understanding angles, set techniques and pass protection and some of the different things where you can anticipate movements from the D-line and how to work in unison, whether you're switching off stuff with your tackle or with Blythe at center. Then David Edwards, just the game makes sense to him. He's a much better athlete than I think he's given credit for. He has a great understanding for what to anticipate and expect and I just think he's a natural football player that has seamlessly transitioned to that left guard spot. Those guys have played really well and our group as a whole, like you mentioned. We want to continue to see those guys do that, but I thought they were really key for last night, especially going against the caliber of defense in that front, with all the players and the scheme that they have."

(On what some of the difficulties are preparing for a left-handed quarterback)
"I would say this, it's more probably an issue for the receivers because the way the ball rotates is different than a right-handed quarterback in terms of the spiral. So, it's a little bit different. That's a big thing we talk about, in terms of when we go against left-footed punters, because of the way the ball ends up and we've had a couple of those this year and you'd get the jugs, but you can't ever truly simulate it. Normally in another year, you'd bring left-footed punters in just for the week, but the COVID protocols kind of make that more challenging, but it really doesn't change much. I think the receivers for the Dolphins is really who it changes. Hopefully if we end up getting an opportunity to catch one of those, then you don't let the rotation difference affect your ability to catch it clean. So, it doesn't really change too much. People talk about the blind side and different things like that, but I don't think it's going to be too much of a difference, but the way that the ball comes out is."

(On how he will get the corners ready for the difference in the spiral)
"Yeah, I think that'd be something that you explore, kind of in an individual setting but you know, there's really not many left-handed quarterbacks. I feel like could probably (former Q Kellen Moore was the last one to really play and get significant time. So, it's hard to find those guys nowadays."

(On what it's like to have a big win like that against the Bears and then to look at the success in the division and the rest of the season ahead)
"I think it can be daunting if that's the way you look at it, but for us, it's just about getting our sixth win against the Dolphins, because so much changes. The fact that people are already talking about playoffs with nine games left is comical to me, because there's so much that can change. I'm not discrediting the things that need to be talked about, but I mean, we're talking about, we're 5-2 and we've got nine games left. So much will change and so you can't get caught up in the results, whether they be good or bad. You just have to find a way to get better as a football team in all three phases. For us, last night was not necessarily a statement win, it was a good win. I think it was something that, we had a lot of respect for the Bears, but we expected to do that, and we expected to play well. I expect our team to play well this week too and that's really all I'm worried about, is this week, because I think if you start looking at those things, then you don't take care of your business in the present. This is a much better football team than people realize. The Miami Dolphins are going to be a really tough game for us, and we can't afford to overlook anything about them, because they're going to be a great challenge."

(On if there were any other injuries last night and if Forbath's range and experience give him more flexibility as a play caller)
"The only injury that's going to affect this coming game is obviously Burgess, like we talked about. We'll be hopeful that Higbee's hand kind of turns the corner and he's able to go this week, but other than that, everybody else should be good to go. With Kai, I don't necessarily think it changes some of the decision-making, but you're just hoping for more consistent, steady production from that spot."

--RAMS--