Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Rams QB Bryce Perkins, Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley, Chargers QB Easton Stick

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Rams QB Bryce Perkins, Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley, Chargers QB Easton Stick



Rams Head Coach Sean McVay
(Opening Statement)
“(Inaudible) played throughout the course of the game on whatever side of the ball and also special teams throughout. Had some unfortunate guys that went down and forced guys into playing a few more snaps on defense and special teams or offense and special teams than we anticipated. But we'll look at the tape and continue to move forward.” 
 
(On what he saw from TE Jacob Harris)
“I thought we see a lot of good things. For him to be able to make some plays, I think he can learn from some things as well in terms of just cleaning it up, ball security. But I liked his ability to break tackles. You can see the catch radius. He had a nice little in-breaking route on the second down and got us about 18 yards. He did a lot of things he can learn from it. I thought overall a positive experience for him.”
 
(On DL Justin Lawler)
“You could feel him. It was one of those deals where he was making his presence felt. I thought there were a couple of holding calls he could have drawn as well, early on in the game. But it was great to have (DL) Justin Lawler out there for us. He's had some unfortunate injuries over the last couple of years. You definitely felt his presence. I thought he did a nice job.”
 
(On what he saw from TuTu Atwell in the passing game and return game)
“Those things were encouraging. I think to be able to get him a couple of touches early on, and I thought he did a great job popping up, because that was quite a hit he took on the first catch on the left flat. I thought he was going to come out the back door on the one he caught in the right flat where he kind of got an ankle tackle. Good explosive play on the quick game. And the punt return was positive. Obviously, it didn't count, but you could see he fielded it clean, was able to set up the blocks. You could see the explosive playmaker that has us excited about his potential and what he can do for us this year.”
 
(On Harris and moving him around the formation)
“I thought it was good. We moved him around a little bit. He was mostly detached from the core tonight. So what his role remains to be, his role is to be determined for us offensively but it was encouraging to see him do those types of things. I expect him to be a big contributor on special teams. I know (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe (DeCamillis) and (Special Teams Assistant) Dwayne Stukes love what he's done.  He's got a good look in his eye. You can see he's a player who's excited about learning. (Pass Game Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach) Wes Phillips has done a nice job. I think getting him back in, having a couple weeks now to settle in and be able to do more because that tight end position involves so many intricacies, whether you're in line or detached in the slot as a receiver like he was tonight. So looking forward to see him continue to grow.”
 
(On his evaluation of the interior offensive line)
“I think there were some things. (Chargers Head Coach) Brandon (Staley) and those guys do a great job. I think there was some leakage but also some good removal that we had. It was kind of hit or miss. There wasn't much consistency in the run game, but there were a couple of good looks that we had. I thought (OL) Coleman (Shelton) and (OL) Bobby (Evans) did a nice job. It was hard to get into a rhythm but we had some sustained drives where we came away with the points on the one touchdown drive. But overall I think there will be some good things to look at. But you're always striving for that consistency snap in and snap out.”
 
(On QB Bryce Perkins)
“I thought he did a nice job. I was real pleased with him. You could see he had a couple of great off-schedule plays tonight. That third-down and nine, that's definitely on SportsCenter tonight. It was exciting to be able to see. I thought the overall operation, getting in and out of the huddle, communicating some of the play call, sending the motions, mixing up your cadence. It's definitely a good positive night for (Q Bryce (Perkins). The standards he has, I think he's always going to want to be perfect snap in and snap out positive to take away from he and (QB Delvin Hodges) ‘Duck’.”
 
(On special teams penalties and a couple of the kicks that were missed)
“You know what, it seemed like there was a couple times where you just miss a kick. Seemed like the operation was pretty good, good snap, good hold. I know (K) Matt (Gay) is going to want that one back. It was his only opportunity for the night.  But some of the penalties those are things you have to go look back at. Those are bang, bang plays. Those are big points that the officials make in terms of are you blocking back towards your endzone, and what's it look like in some of the natures of what it's perceived to be and what it actually ends up being isn't always in alignment. We'll see what that looks like. But great things to learn from and that's what you love about the preseason.”
 
(On RB Xavier Jones)
“I thought he did a good job. Not a whole lot of looks. He's a slash runner. He's able to create more than what sometimes the play is blocked for. I think he's steadily stacked good blocks day in, day out. He's a guy that if he keeps on this trajectory, we're going to be expecting good things from him this season. And (R Jake Funk showed really great things. The fourth-down and one run, where he's hit in the backfield and is able to surge forward and get a yard and a half. But (R Xavier (Jones) has been a bright spot in camp. And I thought with the limited opportunities he had tonight he was a positive.”
 
(On what he saw from the defense)
“It was a really good job by them. It was good competitive downs. It was a lot of short yardage, kind of third down-and-shorts. And when you go 20 plays to be able to stand them up and hold them to a field goal, thought our defense did a nice job. Got to give them credit. There's a lot of good learning things like what I'm saying.”
 
(On the defensive line rotation)
“There was that one play, looked like you could have a third of a sack for (DL) Eric Banks, (DL) Jonah Williams, and it looked like (DL John) Daka was the other one arriving right around the same time. But thought they got good push. We got them into some third-down-and-long situations where we could pin our ears back and rush a little bit, where he made good calls and we were able to get off the grass.  But I was really encouraged. (Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach) Eric Henderson and (Assistant Defensive Line Coach) Marcus Dixon have done a really good job with those guys. Only going to improve and get more confident as they gain those reps in the preseason games over next couple of weeks. You could feel those guys. It was good to be able to see them have success.”
 
(On fans being in the stands)
“It was outstanding, really. You just realized how much the fans create that energy, that atmosphere that makes this game so special. And being here last year in the absence of fans, you really appreciate it even that much more. It gives you that perspective. It was really exciting tonight. Looking forward to seeing another good atmosphere next week against Las Vegas. And then I can't lie but you're getting really excited about what September 12 is going to look like.”
  Rams QB Bryce Perkins

Do you think you're about that height (inaudible) where you're standing right now compared to us?
“Oh, man. I was up there. It was close.”
 
How did it feel for you tonight just getting back into that live action? What was important for you?
“It felt really good out there. I felt comfortable, confident. It definitely feels like coming up on this game that I haven't played football, like live football in a while. I really wanted to come out here and really transition this last year, year and a half of practice and have it correlate. I tried to stay disciplined with my feet and my eyes and make plays when they were there. And then just be decisive and everything like that. I think it went pretty well.”
 
Your touchdown catch, is that a play where you had to resist running?
“No, I mean, we worked that play, we work a lot of stuff in individual with Coach (Kevin) O'Connell. It felt routine kind of getting back to that. As soon as I eliminated number one, I immediately came back and wanted to see where Trishton (Jackson) was. That was something that we rep. Coach does a great job repping us and making sure we're most comfortable coming out here running the plays that we run.”
 
Can you share with us what it was like being on the field?
“I mean, it's electric. You can hear it. It's crazy because last year we didn't have fans. And the one game I was on the field active, you could feel kind of a different energy change being on the field with no fans and being on the field with fans. It just makes playing that much better. We feed off the energy of the fans and it's a beautiful stadium. It's even more beautiful when it's packed out.”
 
It looked like you were going to get one more shot there at the end of the game, one more drive.
“Yeah, we did. We were going over our two-minute menu. Kind of around three minutes we assumed it would be a two-minute drive. Didn't play out like that but we were comfortable and ready to go.”
 
Someone long time and we've never seen a quarterback make a play like that for the Rams. What do you have to say?
“I mean, I was just trying to keep the chains moving. Had a third-down opportunity the previous drive that I could have just stuck the ball out, missed it, came up short by one yard. So being smart, trying to just keep the chains moving. And plays like those are just reactionary. You never really think that you're going to do it coming up but it just happened and just try to give my team another set of downs.”
 
When you made that hurdle, did you feel the energy of your teammates? Did you feel that?
“Yeah I definitely felt it. And usually, I always tell my parents this, growing up high school and Pop Warner, when they're closer, they always say they're yelling at me, ‘Can you hear me? Can you hear me? And I always say ‘No, when I'm on the field usually I can't hear anything.’ But after that play I heard it. It seemed like I heard everybody, everything, saw everybody. But it was awesome. It was a great energy boost and I'm glad that I could make that play for the team.”
 
Coming out and making a statement like that, does that weigh on you in any certain way and does that sort of feel like motivating for you in a certain way?
“Yeah, I mean, last year I really tried to do my best of just staying prepared with the game plans, being comfortable, not getting complacent and just sitting back and accepting the role. I think watching John Wolford, how he prepared as the backup role was great. And leading up to here, I just wanted to come out here and show some of my capabilities. It's always different when it's live and people have to tackle and everything like that. But I just take it one play at a time. This is great. I'm not going to get too caught up on one play or one drive because there's more games to be played. And we just got to keep moving forward. But it was definitely fun getting out there tonight, making plays. And I'm looking forward to the next game.”
 
Did you feel confident with what you were seeing and also having the ball come out of your hand?
“Yeah, like I said, we repped, even when the reps were limited to Matthew (Stafford) and John (Wolford). In individual, we rep a lot of these plays, a lot of the footwork over and over and over. And Coach (Kevin) O'Connell does a great job staying on us about our feet that when you go out here, it tends to kind of get sloppy, you kind of forget some of your fundamentals. But we rep it so much in practice that it becomes ingrained in our heads about what we have to do with our feet. I went to him and just a strict practice individual, and the mindset that he instills in us.”
  Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley
(On WR Josh Palmer)
“He played out there tonight exactly how he's practiced for us since he got here in the springtime. He's had an outstanding camp. All of our quarterbacks really trust him. We can move him throughout the formation, and I think that that gives us a lot of flexibility in how we want to play. As you saw tonight, he can really separate and catch the contested catches. Plays really physically. And we're lucky to have him.”
 
(On if Palmer got injured)
“Yes, his contact popped out. Had to get his contact situated.”
 
(On the 21-play drive to start the game and what he liked from the offense)
“I really liked our operation. I liked getting in and out of the huddle. I liked getting in and out of personnel groupings. Thought we executed well. I thought (Offensive Coordinator) Joe (Lombardi) had a lot of pace in the calls, which allowed our guys to get up to the line of scrimmage and operate and identify the defense and go play the play.  I felt like just our offensive line in that first drive I felt like we were coming off the football. Felt like our backs and receivers were working hard. And I felt like (Q Chase (Daniel) was making good decisions. That's a big winning edge when you can possess the ball like that in a game. But the thing is we've got to finish it with a touchdown. And that's the takeaway. That's a long drive, and a lot of that is positive. But we have to score touchdowns in order to be the best people we face.”
 
(On how much of an emphasis has that pace and tempo offensively been)
“There's a lot of ways to define tempo. You're spot on. You can create tempo with literally how fast you play. And you can create it by going in and out of personnel groupings, which can apply a lot of pressure on the defense -- okay, who is in this game.  Wanted to make that a big emphasis for this preseason, making sure our operation, we have a good, clean operation. And sometimes that can be challenging with how many people you're working with. But I was pleased offensively with how we played them.”
 
(On OL Rashawn Slater)
“Seemed like his wind was good. Felt like he certainly could have gone more than that. We felt like a 20-play drive, that's probably double or triple the amount we had for him. At least double the amount. And we felt like hey, that was a really positive drive. Got to see a lot of him. He was able to get that wind that we were hoping to gain today. And I'm glad that he wanted to go back out there. Because that means he's in good shape.”
 
(On competition on the edge starters)
“We kind of consider them co-starters, all four of those guys. We're very fortunate that way. And what we wanted to do – in (L Drue's (Tranquill) case specifically is, hey, miss an entire year, make sure he gets out there. We wanted to see those two guys play together. Because the big thing at linebacker, that's an attrition position. We wanted to see that kind of combination play together. I felt like those guys did a really good job in the first quarter directing traffic for our team, playing with good energy. I felt it was good for them to get out there as a combination. So felt that was positive. The same thing with (Edge) Kyler (Fackrell) and (Edge) Uchenna (Nwosu). We felt like those guys playing in combination with one another would be something that could be good for the evaluation process. And then both those two guys, they're different. And just kind of seeing exactly what their role is going to be for us. So I felt like that was a positive that all four of those guys got to play together tonight. 
(On why DL Jerry Tillery didn’t play today)
“Yes, great question. A lot of it had to do with the Rams and how many players they were sitting today. I think they sat like 35 players. And so we just wanted to make sure that guys like (DL) Jerry (Tillery) and (Q Justin (Herbert), guys we think are outstanding players in the league, that they were playing against the right people. And we just feel those guys are really valuable pieces for us. And we wanted them out there against the people. So we helped those two out. And the same with (G) Oday (Aboushi) and (G) Matt Feiler, the same circumstance with those guys. 
 
(On injuries, specifically RB Justin Jackson)
“Yes, I think he's got a groin. Still to be determined. But wanted to be careful with him. Thought he found something and kind of shut him down. He had a good start to the football game, and I liked what I saw. We just shut him down.”
 
(On LS Cole Mazza)
“We're still evaluating him. He's got a shoulder that we're taking a look.”
 
(On the running back group)
“I felt like we were able to get those guys a lot of looks in the run game, which was important to us. I think you saw the value of the two backs later in the game. I thought (R Darius (Bradwell) had an incredible hit on special teams, which I was fired up about. And equally as exciting as their offensive contribution is where they are on special teams as well. We're proud of all three guys, they're competing hard for us and position. 
To see us be able to run the ball physicality at the end was exciting for us.”
 
(On if the fourth down was that something was just practicing situations for preseason games)
“That was a green go for us, that was a practice, but go for us all the way. We felt it was the right amount, and then we felt like we had the right play call and then just felt like timing of the game get that first down, what it would do for us. Expect points after that. It felt like it would be a good situation to do it. And good practice like you said.”
 
(On how it felt coaching and calling plays)
“Smooth operation. I really did. I've got such a great defensive staff that knows us so well, knows me so well.  Once our series is over, (inaudible) and I talk right away and (inaudible) reruns the series with the staff. If I can have a moment to go talk to the defense, I certainly will. I did it several times tonight.  But I had (Defensive Coordinator) Renaldo (Hill) help as defensive coordinator such a winning edge for me. First-time head coach, and being able to keep me where I need to be, which is my eyes on the field for all sides of the kicking game. Felt it was a good operation with myself, Joe, Derius, Nati, and I hope we get a lot better as we go. 
 
(On if the depth was tested tonight)
“I really like the fourth quarter. It's important for us to be able to see everybody on the field today. I felt like in the fourth quarter we got to be able to see those guys that are competing so hard that have been practicing really well for us. And I felt that was what was exciting about the fourth quarter was seeing those guys really play their tails off and really play to our standard and being able to finish out the game on both sides of the ball; but defensively I was very proud of the way we played down there, red, give, takeaway, big counter for us.”
 
(On special teams)
“I was really excited about kick-off coverage, punt coverage. They have the two-returner system that we're aware of. At times we had a gunner fall which led to a distortion in the coverage.  And then the other one, obviously they got called back because they brought this in the back. But we had too many guys on the field. It's a tough job in special teams, guys, and then preseason being in and out. It's a really tough job. Really tough.  And we had shut down (OLBO Chris Rumph at halftime for special teams but he was going to play the second half on defense. Chris ended up staying out there, kind of misinterpreted what we told him, which was our fault, my fault.  And we've got to take ownership because their offense went back out on the field there. But overall I think that our punt coverage unit needs to be better, especially seeing a different return system with two guys back there. I thought (P) Ty (Long) was exceptional punting the football. I thought our protection units were good, but we have to do much better from a coverage standpoint. 
 
(On the kicking and rotation)
“That's our preference. We prefer to keep Ty at punter. And let (K) Mike (Badgley) and (K) Tristan (Vizcaino) duke it out. And we wanted to make sure that evaluation is expressed fully. They have got shots kicking the ball off. That's a big part of it. So we're right at the beginning and we'll see what the next three weeks bring. 
 
(On what he saw from the defensive line)
“I thought our inside guys – (DL) Giff Smith does such a great job with those guys. Those guys you mentioned specifically, I thought played physically in the run game. I have so much respect for that team and how they run the football. They're one of the premier run teams in the NFL.  And I felt that Forrest, Breiden, those guys, Joe Graziano, I thought those guys were physical. That was our goal tonight, to be a line of scrimmage scheme, kind of establish our way of playing. I felt specifically inside, we could play better on the edge, but on the inside those guys really played at a high level.”
 
(On Trey Pipkens and Storm Norton and what did you see out of them)
“I saw a lot of good things. And I saw some things we definitely need to correct a couple of times. The protection. And so it all ties together, quarterback, timing, receivers.  As you guys know in the passing game there are many components to pressure. But I thought those guys handled themselves well. We had a false start, which we want to eliminate that, don't want to be pre-snap penalty operation. But those guys are doing well for us.  And then they have to continue to take their game to another level. We'll play against a good front this week in San Francisco. And we'll be tested.”
 
(On what Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said after the game)
“t's so brief. There's so much to say but so little time. But congratulations, and it was really great to see him and all the guys tonight. And I've got a lot of respect for that team. And it was good for our first test to be against a team like that.”
 
(On what he saw from CB John Brannon)
“In that time and distance, the quarterback really comes alive in the down because you know it's do or die. So unfortunately we gave up an escape length to the quarterback. You've got to get reconnected and scramble drill, which is a big thing down there. We talk about it all the time. The best quarterbacks really come alive down there with their legs.  He was able to get reconnected and kind of cut the route off there and just be there in time to save us. Really excited for him, because he's been working so hard. And he's got so far to go. But his heart, his spirit is right, and we're going to keep coaching him.”
  Chargers QB Easton Stick
Chargers QB Easton Stick – Media Availability – August 14, 2021
 
(On how his first extended playing time in a while felt)
“Yeah, it's been a while. Felt really good. It was a lot of fun. This building is pretty special. It's great to have fans back and have a little bit of energy in there and then just getting a chance to compete with the guys. We put so much work in since Coach got hired in January. And so to be able to go out there, play another team and do it together was a lot of fun.”
 
(On how comfortable he felt in this offense)
“Every day you get a little bit more comfortable. Today was a big step, I think doing it against somebody else, you're out there on your own, you're running the show. So day-by-day getting more comfortable. They've done a really good job, the plan they had this offseason during OTAs, finding a way to get everybody reps. They weren't full speed mentally or going through it. And then just the way we were practicing. They got us prepared and so feeling good about it.”
 
(On if there was one play the he converted that gave him confidence)
“Oh, a ton. We were pretty fired up in the huddle before that one, saying we've got to go get this thing and find a way to extend this drive and try to get points. So it was a lot of fun to see those guys get some movement and Larry (Rountree II), bust a good one there, and keep moving the football. That was huge for us.”
 
(On the big completion down in the red zone)
“No. The naked game was good for us. We were able to get some guys on the edge and try to spread the ball out. We just try to be efficient, and I thought we were as an offense. Obviously you’d love to get a few more chunk plays in there and get some explosives. But guys just stuck to the plan and battled it out. It was a lot of fun to see those guys up front get some movement and guys run hard.”
 
(On his thoughts about the battle with Chase Daniel)
“I love competing with Chase (Daniel). It's been great. He's been such a blessing, I think, to our quarterback room. Obviously being in the system for five or six years, his relationship with Joe (Lombardi), his relationship with Coach (Brandon) Staley has really been helpful to myself, especially. But I think Justin (Herbert) would tell you the same thing. Been a really good mentor for us. And so he was great tonight on the sideline helping me out. I really appreciate Chase what he brings to our room.”
 
(On the practices with Niners and how they will impact him)
“That will be cool, looking forward to it. Haven’t had a chance to see how he (Trey Lance) did tonight but it was exciting to get his first action. I’m looking forward to seeing him. He's an awesome competitor, a really good friend, and I'm happy for everything that he's earned thus far. It will be cool to see him this week.”
 
(On if he thinks he will get the first half and Chase (Daniel) will get the second half next game)
“I couldn't tell you. We're just trying to get through this one and we'll go from there. But I trust Coach (Brandon) Staley, however it works out, it will be good. Biggest thing is going up there and competing and it just felt good to play again.”
 

--RAMS--