Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, QB Matthew Stafford - September 22, 2021

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, QB Matthew Stafford - September 22, 2021



Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, QB Matthew Stafford
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris
(On being a defensive coordinator and planning against Buccaneers QB Tom Brady)
“Scared to death. No (laughs). (Buccaneers Q Tom (Brady) is the ultimate competitor. (He has) the ultimate game. (He’s) definitely one of those quarterbacks that you can say what you want to say, you know he's coming. You know he’s on another team, you know he's on the opposing team. He’s one of the guys that's earned respect in this league, and we got nothing but respect for Tom and what he's been able to do at both places he's been at.”

(On what has made Brady so efficient in his first two games this season)
“Tom knows exactly what he wants to do with the ball, and that's the key. He demands it from his other guys around him. He’s got that kind of way about him. He’s definitely got some kind of a bond with (Buccaneers Head Coach) Bruce (Arians) and (Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator) Byron (Leftwich), right now. How they operate and how they do their things. Last year at this time, a lot of people were talking about those guys being on the same page and getting things together, but they seem to figure that out towards the end of last season and they certainly kept it rolling this year as well.”

(On if he is concerned about Brady and the Buccaneers offense in the redzone)
“You don’t want anybody in the redzone. I'm extremely excited of what has happened when people have gotten down there. You can only control what you can control. So, once they get there, kind of like last week, you break the big run, or you break the big pass and you end up in the redzone. You can't control those things. The only thing you can control is moving forward. So, whether it be Brady or whether it be whoever we play, our job is to stop them. Our job is to score, get the ball back on defense and for our offense. And one thing we'd like to do better of is getting (Q Matthew Stafford more opportunities in this offense because when they get the ball in their hand, they've done a great job of going down and getting these scores and making these games a little bit easier for us on defense.

(On what he saw from the explosive plays against the Colts)
“This week in the pass game when you had the, I believe the 47-yard pass, it was just a missed opportunity. You don't have blown assignments; you have a missed opportunity. (You) don't want to take credit away from what (Colts WR Michael) Pittman (Jr.) was able to do either. He went up and made a great play. You got to give them credit and you got to give people credit as planned. The quarterback made a great throw with (DL) Aaron Donald bearing down on him. You don't ever want to take away credit at that. But for us on defense, you know you can make those plays. Whether they're 50/50 balls, whether they have opportunity balls (or) whatever the case may be, using a little bit better technique just to get in a little bit better position to make the play a little bit easier. It’s something that you got to do a better job of. Other than that, one right now off the top of my head, we had a missed opportunity on a tool to be used on one play and then we came back and capitalized in the second half and actually got it done. (C Jalen (Ramsey) got to pick at the end of the game. So, those things are correctable. Those things are all player-driven. A lot of those things that happen, you look forward to in the game. But making corrections, making adjustments, making those plays. I'm really excited about the things that have happened, whether it be in the redzone or whether it be turning the ball over or whether it be making big plays on fourth down when people are going for it.”

(On Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski)
“I don't know fortunately, or unfortunately. However you want to look at it. I never saw the old self. I saw the end-of-the-season-last-year-self going to the playoffs when he was back rolling and looking like (Buccaneers TE) Rob Gronkowski looks when he's healthy. When he's healthy, he's one of the better tight ends probably to ever play this game. He's one of the feature people in this from a skillset standpoint, as far as playing in the redzone. And then not to mention, that other guy throwing the football is not bad either. They’ve had a great connection for years. It’s something to it when you talk about playing with somebody for a certain amount of years. (It’s) no different than what we hope to have around here with (WR) Cooper Kupp and (Q Matthew Stafford and what they've been able to establish in the first couple of weeks, those guys have had it for a long time in two different places now.”

(On if there’s a barometer to look at when playing a defending Super Bowl champion team with all its starters returning)
“As you know, there's never a barometer game during the regular season. There’s never a game that you want to say is, ‘All chips are in. This is the game. This is the game that is going to define us.’ No, because that's just not how the National Football League is played. Everything goes down to the end, everything. The only signature game that you can possibly have is, sometime in February or whatever it is, late January, whatever the case may be. Usually, confetti falls around your feet or it doesn't. I've been on both ends of those things. When you're saying, ‘Playing against a Super Bowl team and a Super Bowl caliber quarterback with a championship,’ you're talking about multiple championships, you're talking about multiple things and you can't let those things come into play. The best team that day will win the game. We got to go out and find a way to be the best team that day. You never want to judge it on, ‘Here's what it’s riding on. Here's what we're being judged on.’ No, you just go out there and you put your best forward effort. You trust your process and your preparation. You go out and prepare the same way you do. You go through the mental process and all the physical process that you need to get done in order to prepare for that football game. And you go play that football game at the best of your ability.”

(On the use DL Vita Vea as a fullback sometimes)
“I got so much history with this team. I might be the first person (DL Vita Vea) scored on from the fullback position. We used to joke on him a bunch and our goal line defense, he was the largest human to sneak out the backfield and catch a pass on us for a touchdown. He’s certainly athletic enough to get some of those things done. You know him very well. He's coached by a dear friend of mine, Jimmy Lake, out in (University of) Washington, so you knew about him coming into draft, you knew about him for the last couple of years and how dominant he’s being able to be over the center. His athletic system is certainly a tribute to those guys. Going back to the redzone comments, I hope we're not there to see him get out there for goal line offense.”

(On what makes Buccaneers WR Mike Evans and WR Chris Godwin so difficult to line up against)
“You got to give those guys individual credit first. (Buccaneers WR) Mike Evans being big, physical, strong and absolutely he's gotten his foot work better in order to be able to release, use his hands, do some of those things. Just over the years, he's gotten better throughout the process. You got to respect how hard he plays the game and how physical he can be. When you’re talking about (Buccaneers WR Chris) Godwin, you’re talking about a guy that came into the league as a mover, as a guy that can separate and really became this feature blocker in the beginning of his career, now developed into an all-around wide out that's just a true baller. Then they picked up (Buccaneers WR) Antonio Brown, they picked up (Buccaneers WR) Scotty Miller and some other weapons around them. And then not to mention that the quarterback that's back there throwing the football. They formed a nice group and they to go out there and be able to be effective. You got to add those guys’ skillset and what they've done in there to make themselves better. And then you also got to talk about the guys being around them, that's helping them out and making them better as a team, along with the coaches.”

(On what the key is to limiting the damage that Brady can do and if there are any lessons learned from last year’s crew)
“The guys here last year did a great job. Getting that big time win, it was kind of the formula on what you would like to get done versus a Tom Brady football team. You got to go out there and you got to find a way to affect the quarterback, meaning whether it be hits or making them throw the ball off schedule when he doesn't want to. He then goes to what we know as the short passing game, getting it out of his hand, trying to get his guys to make tackles. You got to make those tackles. You got to get those guys to scoring offense because it's a team game. We get a couple of touchdowns on offense. We got to get those guys to back into the passing rhythm and then you affect them again by hitting them or getting interceptions. The key to it is to end this thing like we did the last two weeks, whether it be a big sack by (DL) Aaron Donald or a big pick by (C Jalen Ramsey. That’s what you got to get to when you're trying to win these type of football games versus this type of opponent.”

(On if there is anything sentimental about coaching against the Buccaneers and if he hears from any of his former players who he used to coach when he was with the organization)
“Not necessarily the players. Ronde Barber, we’re always in touch no matter who we're playing. He evaluates Rams games like he is a Rams coach now. When we talk about some of the other people, it's not necessarily really this week. I keep in touch with most of those people. I don't have any hard feelings towards Tampa, that organization, that ownership. (They) treated me and my family just phenomenal. I got nothing ill will to say about those guys. Whenever you're going to play against somebody that you got so much close connections to somebody, so many people that you want to see, it's a good time to stay in the locker room until the game starts (laughs). It’s always a lot of fun.”

(On if he intends to stay in the locker room until the game starts)
“I tend to do that. I tend to do that for the most part anyway, but I got to go out and see a couple of people. It's obvious you want to see those people. I always respect to see those people. It's always fun.”

(On how much they have to focus on the running game)
“I think the focus on the run game is more about us. When you're talking about stopping and running, it's more about us establishing our identity. It's more about us establishing how we want to play the game. It’s less about (Buccaneers RB Leonard) Fournette and less about what happened last game. I don't know their game plan. I wasn't in their coaches’ meetings and trying to figure out what they wanted to do and how they want to feature Fournette that day, but I do know they want to run the ball downfield. They want to be powerful. Bruce Arians’ trademark from forever, since he's been coaching and going against him a bunch at Pittsburgh and Arizona, and now Tampa, Indianapolis, hate to show them on that. But he's always going to be that type of a mindset, whether it's (Buccaneers R Ronald Jones (II) or whether it's Fournette. So, you got to be ready to go out there and stop the run no matter what, no matter who's playing quarterback or wide out.”

(On the Buccaneers returning a lot of players and how that changes the approach)
“I don't think it changes your approach. I think your approach is the same. I think it's your trust and your preparation and how you want to go about your business. I think that allows them to have the step ahead as far as going through some of that learning curve, some of the things that they went through last year and being able to retain it and use it for this year. But at the same time, every year is a different year. This year will start over for them just like it started over for us. We’re both going to this game with the records that we want to have. We won't both come out with the records that we both want to have. And hopefully the Rams are the good guys.”

(On patience turning into dictation)
“When you’re playing Tom, he's only going to allow you to dictate so many things. So, when you go out there, you got to take advantage of those opportunities when they come up. When those opportunities come up, whether it be third downs, whether it be critical situations - situational masters, we pride ourselves on here. It’s been a part of (Head Coach) Sean's (McVay) creed for since you've known. When those moments come up and those plays come up, we got to make those plays. When those opportunities come up to make those plays, you got to make those plays. You can't miss (opportunities). He’ll provide us with some opportunities. He'll make some mistakes, he's human. But he also makes a lot of plays and we got to know that too. We got to go in this game, and we got to go out there and try to figure that thing out and be your best self in every snap.”

Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell
(On his analysis of the offensive line’s play through the first two weeks of the 2021 season)
“Absolutely, the number one thing that sticks out to me is playing two pretty good fronts. They get after the passer and try to affect the game. And really do a lot from a standpoint of…last week was a little bit more of the movement upfront. The first week was handling personnel, and last week was the same way. Both teams were game-changing personnel up front. We don't throw for the yards we do, and we don't make the plays through the air without those guys, really all three downs. It's easy to just look at third downs when the pressures are coming sometimes and say, ‘Wow those guys are doing a great job,’ but when we really studied the play passes, when we really study the kind of those early down calls, we're only getting those ops because of those guys doing their jobs up front. It's been really good. Then obviously with the run game, when we've really tried to focus on it, I'm thinking about that drive when we closed with five straight runs for a touchdown last week. And then obviously end of game against the Bears when we really were able to do some of the things we wanted to do with some of the things we built upon in training camp, to go out and do. So it's been really positive with that group up front.”

(On what he sees in his players ‘looking for work’)
“We talk a lot about kind of all 11 and the finish of every single play. It's something we take note of when we watch the tape as coaches of not only our sides of the ball, but the other side as well. When you start really seeing Rams helping up Rams. We've got ways of really evaluating it for all 11 or with that attacking mindset - smart, aggressive mindset. We never want to be beyond the whistle, but we want to make sure we're finishing plays, taking care of our own and helping. You'll never see…the play that sticks to my mind, I remember seeing a deep ball down the field. And I just remember seeing this big 77 (OL Andrew Whitworth) going, flying down the field, chasing it. And he's the first guy there, Rams picking up Rams. You always see (OL Austin) Corbett, (OL David) Edwards, (OL) Brian Allen, (OL) Rob (Havenstein). Those guys set the tone for our whole group. That finishes something that you're always looking for, because you're going to get it from the other side as well. And you have to be able to match that to make sure that we're finishing every snap with the ball in our favor.”

(On what he is seeing from QB Tom Brady at age 40)
“Obviously it is crazy to watch his ability to still throw the football at such an elite level. Just the amount of torque and power and ability to spread the ball to all their weapons at really every level of the defense. I'd be lying if I said when they're on TV, you're not watching to see how they're going to activate all those weapons with him running the show. And it's just been really something to watch knowing how well he's been able to play for so long. You also see that you guy that no matter what he sees, he's seen it before, so he can react. He can be a play ahead even if he hasn't seen it in the breakdown or had been expecting it, he can kind of be a play ahead. And then obviously just the physical ability throwing the ball has always been elite, but you're seeing arm strength. They're seeing him make throws that are just so impressive.”

(On if there is anything that Brady does that he picks up and tries to implement with the Rams)
“Fundamentally, he's one of the best guys to watch throw the football in all the NFL - just because of his base, his balance, his body position, his ability to generate that force from the ground up. There's no doubt you could cut up a lot of his throws - in the pocket, out of the pocket - how he's able to throw the football and really teach a young guy how to do it.”

(On if the Rams can score when they want, and does he feel the need for longer drives)
“I don't think it's score when you want, but the expectation is if we do our jobs, we eliminate negatives, and we can stack some plays together then we should be where we want to be at the end of that drive. Now it's hard. You get down there, sometimes red zone defenses, all those things. We want to finish every drive with touchdowns, but we got to play smart. We got to control the ball. We can't turn it over. While also still having that attacking mindset. So, some drives you're going to be able to go fast. You're going to be able to apply pressure, the defense with the tools that we have. But at the end of the day, we want to be smart. We want to play good complimentary football with our defense and special teams.
And when we've got to pick up either one or the other units and make sure we do our job. We expect to go out there. There was not one time after that happened - I didn't even see what had happened. I was over there with the quarterbacks and some of the receivers looking at the tablet and (Q Matthew (Stafford)'s mindset was very simple. He was like, ‘Okay, let's go.’ And then we walked out on the field, felt good about what we had dialed up, Sean called some great plays. And we executed those and were able to have a quick response. And kind of on the road, that's the best way to kind of neutralize that momentum, is that response. We talk a lot about that, and I was really fired up for the guys.”

(On if QB Matthew Stafford is excited to go against QB Tom Brady)
“I have not asked Matthew that this week, but I can tell you that if number 12 (Brady) wants to play defense, we would trade him out with any one of those 11 over there. Because they have one of the most impressive defensive groups personnel-wise in the league. There's no questioning that. That front jumps out off the tape at ya. But we have not talked about that, but just knowing the types of the two quarterbacks that are going to be at the game on Sunday, it's hard to not kind of think about it like that. But there's a lot more, all 11 on both sides that will help make up that match up. And it's going to be a heck of a challenge.”

(On what the biggest challenges are that the Buccaneers defense brings)
“It starts with their Defensive Coordinator; Todd Bowles has been one of the premier defensive play callers for a long time in this league. Because it's that combination of the players play very, very hard, they're schematically sound, and then they're willing to push the envelope from a pressure standpoint, they're willing to push the envelope from a coverage standpoint, just to try to maximize the stress they can put on the quarterback position, the guys up front. And make it hard to run the ball, all the things that make good defenses, successful in this league. So it's a combination of a lot of things. But absolutely it starts at the top with him, and then I already mentioned the personnel. You guys don't need me to go through all 11 and that would take up too much time. But you can imagine that combination with the coaching that they have in the scheme. And then they've played with a lot of leads, to be able to be really, really aggressive as well.”

(On if Head Coach Sean McVay was present at walk-throughs today 9-22-21)
“He was not.”

(On if that was problematic for the coach to not be available for that part of game prep)
“Well, he was absolutely part of the prep Monday and Tuesday, and then obviously was not feeling well today. But it was one of our better walkthroughs, and I think on both sides talking to (Defensive Coordinator) Raheem (Morris) walking in as well, we got some situational work in. So we're set up where we're so connected that if there needs to be anything shared between the sides of the ball or with Joe-D (Special Teams Coordinator Joe Decamillis) on special teams, that's something that happens anyway, and that's such a credit to our head coach. Every single day in this building we feel connected. We feel like at any point in time, we can pick up the slack for either side of the ball or any one particular person. And quite honestly, over the past year and a half or so we've experienced some of that before, just with the random kind of scares that come up. But obviously we're excited to get him back. We know he had a negative test and he's going to be back with us as soon as possible.”

(On who runs practice in this case)
“Well, when we're split in those walk-throughs I'll take the offense and (Defensive Coordinator) Raheem (Morris) always takes the defense. We’re on two separate fields. Then when we come together. It's the same type of operation work in situations. But (Tight Ends Coach and Pass Game Coordinator) Wes Phillips, (Running Backs Coach and Assistant Head Coach) Thomas Brown, obviously (Linebackers Coach) Chris Shula, a lot of the guys, (Defensive Line Coach and Run-game Coordinator Eric Henderson) Henny, (Secondary Coach and Pass Game Coordinator Ejiro Evero) E, those guys are all, sometimes it's almost like we all need to be held back and sent to the sideline because there's a lot of guys on the field, but it all comes back to our way of doing things. Communication at a premium, elite level communication. And I think that goes down to our players, and then they're able to kind of do the same thing.”

(On if Opponents overlook WR Cooper Kupp)
“I don't think so. When you play inside and outside and we move him all over the formation, it's kind of hard to really take a full plan to the game where it's first, second, and third down, still have your run integrity, still have your ability to defend some of the other guys that we have out there. But (WR) Cooper (Kupp) has done an amazing job taking the plan to the field, executing things really well. And then we've also had some times where him and (Q Matthew (Stafford) have kind of put their own spin on things and finished plays off in a successful way. So, we've got a lot of confidence in both Cooper and, and the rest of our offensive skill players. And then Matthew kind of leading the charge, making sure everything's dialed in. We want to make it tough on defenses.”

(On what he liked about RB Sony Michel’s performance in Week 2 and what he could provide in Week 3)
“He's one of those guys that as he continued to get carries, you felt him running stronger and stronger. He seemed like he was a tough tackle, out there finishing downhill with his pad level. You felt him, standing there on the sideline every time he touched it. That was really, really good to see. For us as coaches, we've kind of expected to see that. And just the way that the games have kind of worked out, we've really been working on…you take away some of the victory snaps at the end…first game we're under 50 and then this last game, we're not quite to 60 (offensive snaps). So you're talking about with a decent amount of throwing opportunities and going fast and all the things we do, the running opportunities just haven't been there from a volume standpoint. But just like we talked about with the offensive line, I think (R Darrell (Henderson)'s ran really well. And then obviously to see Sony come in and do that, was just awesome.”

QB Matthew Stafford
(On how he views the upcoming game against the Bucs versus everyone labeling it “Stafford vs. Brady)
“Obviously, not that way going against a great defense. It's probably about as good as any defense in the league – last year, year and a half playing really good ball. It’s two teams that are playing good football right now going against each other and I'm excited about it. It's a big challenge for us. They've obviously won a bunch of games here recently, and have a bunch of talent on their team. So, we're going to go out there and play our best football.”

(On if he feels any extra emotions knowing he’s going against one of the greatest quarterbacks in Tom Brady)
“It's really the teams going at it where I feel I'm excited. I'm excited to be back home. It's going to be a lot of fun being at SoFi (stadium) again and having a great challenge and a great team to go against will be a lot of fun.”

(On if he ever allows himself to think about what his career would be like had he landed with a franchise like Detroit)
“No, I don't think about that kind of stuff. I try to be as present as I possibly can. I have a ton of respect for what he's been able to accomplish both in New England and now in Tampa. What a talented guy. What a great leader to be able to do what he's done at two different spots and really elevate the guys around him. So, I got a ton of respect for what he's done in the past and shoot, what he's doing right now. I mean, he's playing great football – about as good as I've ever seen him play. So, hats off to him for playing as well as he has.”

(On what he saw WR Cooper Kupp do away from the ball on the first scoring drive)
“He does everything for us. He's blocking in the run game. He's blocking in the pass game – whatever we need him to do. I think of even the first touchdown of the season – the pass. He's one-on-one with (Bears OL Robert Quinn and giving me time to throw the ball. So, I got to get all of our guys a ton of credit. We ask our receivers to do quite a bit in the run game, in the pass game, running, catching, blocking, whatever it is. And all of our guys are up to the challenge, which is a pretty cool thing.”

(On what impresses him about Bucs QB Tom Brady’s skill set)
“I know he likes to talk about what pick he was and all the stuff. The guy throws it about as good as anybody in the league still. I mean, coming out of the hand, he throws it great. He's mechanically as sound as anybody. He's on time – great anticipation, ball placement. Just got a ton of spin, got a ton of juice on it, still can throw it down the field. I think back to the playoff game in Green Bay, right before the half when he hits a 10 down the side. That's a heave in Lambeau and drops it on himself. He can do it all. You think about it – from the pocket that guy's as good as it gets.”

(On how Head Coach Sean McVay’s absence affected practice today)
“He's our head coach. We love having him around he's great energy, great communicator, sets the tone for us. But, we're professionals. We’ve got to go out there and get our work done. I felt like the coaching staff, players on the team really stepped up. We had a great day and operated the way we wanted to operate, got the things we wanted to get in. Hopefully, he's feeling better tomorrow.”
(On what he noticed upon study how specifically Kupp got open)
“That's a feel thing for him. I think (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) did a great job of kind of scheming up a matchup we thought we might get. We got that matchup up that we wanted. I had to just make sure that some of the underneath guys and the over top guys didn't deter us from taking that shot. Then, Cooper just does what he does. You know what I mean? He's got great feel for when he's got guys on their heels, when he can set guys up, how he can do it. We try to make sure that all of our guys are running every single route. He can't sit there and just say, ‘Hey, he's going to run this route or he's going to run that route.’ We try to give all our guys all cuts and they do a great job of going out there and executing them.”

(On if he views this as a measuring stick to gauge how the team is)
“Frankly every week is right. Every time we go out and put the pads on, it's a measuring stick of where are we? It doesn't matter who we're playing. It’s the NFL. Anybody can beat anybody. We know that. Is Tampa playing as good of football as anybody right now? Absolutely. Are they a really talented team, Super Bowl champs, all those things? Absolutely. So, it'll be a big test for us. But every time we go out there, whether it's a Wednesday practice or Sunday, it's a measuring stick for us when we’ve got to go out there and prove it every time.”

(On how he learned to advantage his emotions and learned to be in the moment)
“I think it's a process. I think we're all trying to be as good as we possibly can, especially in today's day and age – it’s kind of tough, you know? So, I try to check myself as much as I possibly can and make sure that I'm thinking about the things that I need to think about and going about my business. Luckily for me, there's so much to learn and to be ready for on Sundays. I don't have time to focus on too much else. So, football – at this point in time is taken up quite a bit of my time and kind of makes it easy for me to focus on just that.”

(On the challenge Tampa’s defense presents)
“All of it. They’re coached by a really good coach with great scheme. Defensive line is just a bunch of all pro guys and both the backers are pro bowlers. And safeties and corners are really good players. I mean, it's every level of the defense. I've got really good players that are aggressive, they're fast, they're physical. If you're building a defense, it looks something like that. They do a great job. It'll be a really fun to watch our defense go out there and do their thing against a really talented offense and a big challenge for us to go out there against Tampa’s defense as well.”

(On how things have been going between him and RB Sony Michel now that he’s getting more playing time)
“It has been good. He's been getting reps in practice really all season. Doing a nice job when he gets in there. You said it. He's a veteran guy. He and I have good communication. He's doing everything he can to study and get up to speed. And the one thing about game plan weeks – as opposed to training camp where everything under the sun is up and available for Sean to call off the top of his head in the middle of a practice – we get into a game and we kind of have it a little bit tightened down and he can really focus on those things and go to work on those. So, he's doing a great job.”

(On if he has a personal relationship with Brady)
“I've met him a few times, talked to him a few times here and there. Off the field – really enjoy his company. Again, I just ton of respect for what he's done, what he's been able to do – both on and off the field.

(On if he has a relationship with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians)
“He’s a really good coach, a successful coach. Been at it, really kind of all levels of this job, for a long time and has been really successful wherever he's been. The quarterbacks is always playing great when he's there. Tampa is no different, so, you know, enjoy him. When he was calling games for a year, I got a chance to sit down and talk to him a little bit in some of the production meetings as well. Great guy, obviously a really talented coach as well.”

(On if he notices when Arians is watching him throw around on the field before games)
“I know that. He's told me that once or twice, so just a ton of respect for him and what he’s been able to do.”


--RAMS--