Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, DL Aaron Donald - September 30, 2021
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Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, DL Aaron Donald - September 30, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, DL Aaron Donald
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris
(On how the guys are complimenting each other in terms of verbal and nonverbal communication)
“They’ve really done a nice job. (S) Jordan Fuller in the first three weeks of the season has filled in that role nicely. Being able to communicate, being able to get some things done nicely. This'll be a great test for him this week. With the speed and the tempo of the Arizona Cardinals. Going against (Head Coach) Kliff (Kingsbury) and what he's able to do and how fast he’s able to move the ball and the tempo. I don't want to call it college style offense, but where it's coming from, where it was born, that fast, that speed, that tempo and how he is able to get the ball, communicate it to the offensive guys and do all the things they need to do. This will be a great test for us and a great test for our communication and everything moving forward.”
(On what the plan is for LB Justin Hollin’s spot)
“Losing Justin Hollins is obviously a big blow for us. He did so many things. He was so versatile. You can't come out and say, ‘He's going to replace them with one player,’ because of the amount of things he did at the off the ball, the on the ball, the ability to communicate with him like an inside linebacker and also an outside linebacker. But you'll have some good guys step in there. You have a little bit of (DL) Earnest Brown as a rookie. You'll be able to get a little bit of ‘Obo’ (OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo) out there playing outside backer. You’ll be able to get a little bit of ‘T-Lew’ (OLB Terrell Lewis) going out there playing some more outside backer, increasing their roles. We were fortunate to get Obo back this week, and that's some of the benefits of being a good football team. Being able to get some really good football players and be able to put them out there and do some more things. We'll ask more from (IL
Troy (Reeder). We’ll ask more from all those guys to be able to step into filling those roles, and we’re fired up about that.”
(On if OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will be back)
“Obo should be coming back; he's practicing like it. Assuming everything goes well, assuming everything goes right, we'll have a good feel and better chance to get Obo back.”
(On what if LB Terrell Lewis’ recovery status is now coming off a game with the most snaps he has played)
“When you're talking about injuries, you got to talk to your people that you trust and the people that put them out there. To see him go as far as he's come to be able to go out there and play 30 or some odd snaps last week, and just to increase that amount of reps that's coming on him is awesome. It's a great credit to (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and what his staff is able to do. To be able to get him back so quickly after the near setback there in training camp and then to get him back and be productive and play productive as a player. So, all those things are really based on our medical staff and the guys that we trust the most, and obviously T-Lew. And right now, when they put him out there, he's been productive, playing well, and I'm fired up for the kid to be honest.”
(On what it’s like for a coordinator and the defense to go from defending a guy like QB Tom Brady and then to QB Kyler Murray)
“Every single week presents a different challenge, and it's always awesome. You go against the G.O.A.T (QB Tom Brady) last week and all the things he's able to do, and then you go against some dynamic players coming up. But you only play one at a time. So, you prepare for the one that you're playing. And this week we play (Q Kyler Murray and he's respectfully in his own MVP race right now for himself, and he's doing really well. He's doing a great job across the league. We got to go out there and be able to do what we can do to try to find a way to win this football game. Those are the challenges of being a coach. Those are the challenges of being a player. Those are the challenges of playing this league. There are no weeks off. You got to be ready to play every single week.”
(On the challenges that come with Kyler Murray’s skillset)
“I love this question because we all know the answer to this one. He is dynamic outside of the pocket. He is dynamic in the pocket and he has a great arm. He's talented, he's unique. He can throw, he can run, he's fast. He becomes particularly dangerous in the red zone. All those things we know about him. We love this kid and how he moves and how he plays. And we got to go out and it's a great challenge for us to get them on the ground. It's a great challenge to try to fluster them. It's a great challenge for us to try to get them off the rhythm and off balance. And it's our job to do that. We've got some capable players to do it too, and I look forward to the challenge.”
(On QB Bryce Perkins)
“We got two quarterbacks that are very mobile. You can't take away from any one of those guys. So, we'd be able to put both of those guys out there and get great looks just based on our offensive coaching staff and what they do. Bryce Perkins would certainly serve as one of those guys that can do that. But you know, don't sleep on our guy. He's one of those guys that can move. He can run. He's quick. He makes great decisions. He's makes decisive decisions. He can throw off balance throws and all those things that Kyler does well. He'll show us and simulate it for us as well."
(On his coaching discipline)
“When you're talking about playing against speed, it's usually a battle of you put your guys out there, give them a call, let them get lined up and see who's better. I equated it today day to the guys playing pickup basketball. We go out there and we play together. And I pick you up on a pickup basketball game, we going to go play against whoever, and then let's just see who's better. Let's go out there and play. Let's get a call and let's go and execute it. Let’s see who can execute better, and then when it slows down, then you involve the coaches, you involve Kliff, you involve myself, you involve some of the other people that's involved in our coaching staff. But when it's going fast, man, it's pickup basketball. You got to get your call. You got to go execute that call and you got to play it really fast and really well.”
(On how he characterizes the different offensive linemen personalities or other players on this team as he spends time around different positional groups)
“The offensive line is really always intriguing to me because when you talk about units and you talk about a team, usually that's one of the biggest, great ways to find camaraderie on a team, when you go look at the offensive line. When you find out what (OL Andrew) Whitworth and how he talks to his younger guys and how (OL) Rob (Havenstein) communicates with all the guys. And how they get that group to play together. Then you get the angry center (OL Brian Allen) out there and he's able to communicate with the guys the way he wants to, absolutely run the show, lead by example, and do all the things that you do. And (OL Austin Corbett) Corbs and all those guys inside, and in the interior. It's really fun to be around that group, especially when you get a high energy coach (Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry) that they got this year and the thing that he brings to the table with energy. Along with the assistants as well, (Offensive Assistant) Zak (Kromer) and all of those guys. It’s just great to watch. It's fun to be around. I get nosy at times. I get back to my offensive roots a little bit, if you can consider them roots. You get a chance to go back and be around those guys and definitely our receiver group. It was always fun to be around those guys as well. And get a chance to talk to (WR) Cooper Kupp, find out what's in his head. He always liked to see my evaluation that I had on him at time to time. It's always fun to talk to those guys as well. So I never stand in one place, to kind of get around it with the team. That's part of the camaraderie of being on a football team. That's what people miss when they retire, the locker room, the ability to go in there and move in silence and talk to everybody and be a part of it.”
(On what he liked about Lewis in the 30 snaps he played against the Buccaneers and what can he and the others can bring to the rotation)
“(He) gave us great energy. (He) gave us great hand usage. Set the edge. When it was required towards the end of the stretch, some really dynamic pass rush. He's got great length. He’s able to use his length against tackles, he’s able to use his length against anybody they put on to block him. He creates a problem up there. When he's up and going and he's healthy, he is very dynamic for us. We kind of had him on a little pitch count for ourselves, not for him, but for us just to make sure we get him going in the best direction and get him going right. But, he’s been right. We’re fired up about it.”
(On the Cardinals receiving corps and the success they’ve had)
“(Cardinals WR DeAndre) Hopkins, we know what he is. I think he's a 99-Madden rating. We got two of those guys and we know what those guys entail. We don't need to talk about Hopkins and what he can do. Then you talked about (Cardinals WR) A.J. Green coming up with one of the all-time greats. Came out (of the 2011 NFL Draft) with (Titans WR) Julio Jones, I guy that I coached. You cannot forget about that comparison and that draft between Julio and A.J. and who was right and who was wrong. Everybody goes back and has those same battles now. So, you're talking about an all-time great coming up and joining a really good wide-out crew. Then you talk about (Cardinals WR Christian) Kirk who was really dynamic, fast, explosive slot that we love coming out of Texas A&M. That was one of the guys that I evaluated when I was coaching wide-outs, so I got a lot experience in what he can do and how much of a mover he is. And really, he's probably got some more in his tech. You see some stuff with him getting carries potentially like a (WR) Robert Woods for our team and doing some things out of the backfield. Doing some of the dynamic stuff that you can see from him. And then they picked up this young kid, (Cardinals WR) Rondale Moore, who I was nosy enough to see from Purdue. (I) really like him and really has some juice and really has some energy and brings some down the field type vertical stuff to their grass game. They all have the separation traits that you love when we talked about wide-outs. They all have the ability to get open and even when they're covered, they're not covered. That's just a sign of a great wide-out. I've never seen Julio Jones covered when I played him, when I coached him, when I was on the same team with him, he was never covered if you ask him. These guys all kind of got that mentality and that's the sign of great wide-outs.”
(On the Cardinals having so many talented receivers if it makes it easier or harder to isolate CB Jalen Ramsey on Hopkins)
“(C Jalen (Ramsey) is so unique in himself that his ability to move around and do stuff and affect the game based on situations. We’ve been able to move him around a little bit. I know in the past Jalen’s kind of shadowed D-Hop a lot and done it more. I'm sure he'll have his moments on him. He had his moments last week on (Buccaneers WR) Mike (Evans), he had his moments last week on different types of receivers. He’s been really active this year. So, it's hard to say you're going to isolate him with the amount of guys that they have. It’s about your other guys stepping up and playing football as well. We just talked about the pickup basketball game. Sometimes with pick a basketball game, there's a lot of fast breaks and you get caught on different people. And when you get caught on different people, you got to man up and you got to depend on your brother to man up. It may be that type of game a little bit down the stretch.”
(On how he’s seen defenses specifically work to counter trickle up spreads)
“It’s really cool. They talk about college. I always hear the Steve's (NFL Network’s Steve Wyche) on TV and they're talking about, “Can these college quarterbacks change the NFL or are they looking for the premier pocket passer?” And as you see it, it's changing. The (Chiefs Q Patrick Mahomes’, the (Ravens Q Lamar Jackson's, the guy we're about to play right now in (Cardinals Q Kyler Murray. I don't know if it's necessarily changing, but it's evolving to include that type of guy. What can you do with the (Falcons Q Matt Ryan’s? And though they still exist, does the (QB Matthew) Stafford who can kind of do a little bit of both, but now getting older, he is that pocket guy, so to speak, but you can move a little bit better. Who knows. It's always fun to see those guys and always fun to see these offensive geniuses come up with different schemes and different ways to make these guys effective. It’s always fun as a defensive coach to go out there and absolutely compete against those guys and find out how to not make them effective. So, it's ever changing. It's just like defense, it’s no different. Some years Tampa 2.0 was hot. Right now, the (Chargers Head Coach/former Rams Defensive Coordinator) Brandon Staley, whatever you want to call our defense, is hot. The (Defensive Coordinator) Raheem Morris twist, however you want to do it. The Rams 2.0, 2.5. There are different versions of it all. It's fun doing it. And I think all the coaches embrace that. That’s why we have all these types of conventions and things that we all get together and share certain things with people and other people and people that you respect. There’s no doubt that there's people watching our tape just like I'm watching other people's tape. There's no doubt that you watched Pittsburgh Steelers defense. There's no doubt that you watch (Browns Defensive Coordinator) Joe Woods and what he's able to do with Cleveland. There's no doubt that you go back and watch (Packers Defensive Coordinator) Joe Barry, a guy that’s been here and coached here and has done some different things. You want to see what people are doing. The same thing you're doing an offense, is the same thing's happening on defense and people are trying to evolve. We all got the same process. It’s all about the beauty of coaching (and) loving this game.”
(On if he can draw back on things that have worked in the past against the Cardinals and does he discuss what worked last year with his players)
“That's the set-up question right there. That's the one where coaches always give you the, ‘You can't take anything from the previous season.’ Yes you can. We lie about that (laughs). You got to take those things that worked well and you got to be able to use them. You can utilize those things. You can come back and draw on them, but they're looking at the same things as well. They’re making corrections as well. That’s the cat and mouse game that you got to play with the other opposing coaching staff. Nothing's going to be the same every year. It’s always going to change from week to week. It's going to change from year to year. However you want to look at it? We got to go out and do what's best to win this game this week at our place. And that noise, with them going fast, us executing and showing to the best this morning. I believe he said timing, tempo, rhythm and violence. That's what this game's going to be about.”
(On why he’s rooting for Lewis as a player)
“He's a great kid. I don't even know how to say it anymore. He's a great kid. You’re rooting for him because you know the severity of the injury that he had and how he bounced back and was able to go from college to the pros and to make it and to be able to be productive. Last week, to go out and play his most productive game. Those are the guys you root for. Those stories that come back and absolutely shock some people but not themselves. And that's what I love about him. So I'm fired up for this guy to go out there and play, be productive. I'm looking forward to watching those guys all play together.”
Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell
(On what he saw from QB Matthew Stafford last week)
“The one thing we saw last week is we kind of got our first taste of a little bit of adversity. It was our first start to a game where we weren't able to go down the field and score on our first possession. And we had actually scored first possession of each half going into that game. So, we had felt really good about not only kind of how we wanted to start games. But then our adjustments at halftime to go be successful in the second half. Tampa came out and had a lot of energy and emotion on that side of the ball to start the game. And we kind of had to respond. Our defense did a great job, kind of getting us the ball back. We were able to on that third drive, get it going and go down there and score. But just another example of his steadiness through that. We missed a couple of things. He missed a couple things early, and then his ability to just move on to the next play, get our offense right back where we wanted to get to, and kind of score on the next four possessions was really big.”
(On Stafford’s nonverbal communication with players)
“It's a real organic process where you're sitting in the meeting rooms with the guys and it could even be out on the field in between periods. There is just discussion. The best times for those signals and those nonverbal sometimes to come to life, is when it's player driven. We can sit around, and probably too much as coaches, we sit around thinking about names of things or signals for things, and then you present them to the players and they're like, ‘No, we don't like that. We'd rather do this.’ And you're like, ‘Okay, I could have got that hour back of my life that we spent thinking about that stuff.’ But these guys are so unique from a standpoint of their elite communication amongst one another, but also with us. So a lot of times, it's giving them the freedom and the ownership of it. And then you just see it take off from there.”
(On if he feels communication has settled in or there is still room to grow)
“I’d like to think it's kind of both, to be honest with you. Where we knew kind of going into this, we spent a lot of time in training camp and a lot of time since (Q Matthew (Stafford) really got here trying to build things so that, that ownership of the line of scrimmage could be something he could feel really good about. While also operating in the confines of a lot of the ways we want to apply pressure to the defense. So it is a lot from that standpoint, but at the same time we see opportunities with a lot of phases of our offense to apply that as well, moving forward. So I think it's a great point. I think it's something that we got to always look at. Obviously from a self-scout standpoint, what we've put on tape, what we've done, but also, unique opportunities that could be there moving forward.”
(On if the Arizona defense is equipped to bring more pressure than any team the Rams have seen this season)
“I can remember talking to you about that Tampa front last week, and really every week we've played an opponent (who is) really sound defensively. They're playing really, really hard. They're flying around. It's not a mistake that they're 3-0, playing really well in all three phases. But defensively speed at all three levels. (Cardinals OL Chandler Jones and the production he's had. (Cardinals DE) JJ Watt as a hall of fame player that has had unbelievable production and is playing well in the scheme that they have him in now. They've got a bunch of guys you can name that maybe aren't household names, but are playing at a really high level. When you turn on the tape, it jumps off the film at you. Then on the back end, linebackers, just speed shows up. From a pressure standpoint, coverage standpoint, how they want to defend us, we really got to do a good job of identifying not only who's in the game, but then how they're attacking us. And be ready to make some adjustments.”
(On what he saw from OLB Chandler Jones’ five-sack game)
“You just see he's got incredible length, off the edge to kind of control the guy trying to attempt to block him. A lot of teams have been doing some things to try and counter move him at the line of scrimmage or maybe help out protection, send the slides his way. That's all great and all, but you still got to figure out a way to block him. No matter how many offensive linemen you can send his way. And if you do too much from that standpoint, they've got other guys that can get one-on-ones and attack you. He's just keeping the offensive line off balance. He's got incredible speed to power where he can kind of set moves up and then swipe a hand or knock a guy's first initial punch down, and then they're on skates from there and basically the down is over. So an unbelievable amount of initial skill sets from a pass rusher standpoint, but the countermoves with his length, his power and speed, it makes him a real problem.”
(On how challenging it can be to keep everyone happy with so many guys on the team)
“We teach things as all eligibles can come to life at any time and really it's coverage driven, matchup driven, how people want to defend us, the pocket allowing Matthew to kind of get through progressions and find his third, fourth or fifth option on a play. A lot of that goes into that. We've got such unique guys and smart guys that they can turn on the tape and understand how the play was presented to them from an install standpoint. And then, ‘Hey, this is how it played out on the field and this is what we got.’ So, guys understand that but it's fun. You can really get creative with formations to try to move people around, take advantage of what guys do well, and at the end of the day, they're going out and executing it and Matthew's really driving it to make it all come to life.”
(On why WR Cooper Kupp has stood out so much given all of the offensive weapons Stafford has)
“I think from a standpoint of there's a great chemistry there. Matthew really feels great about our whole group of skill guys - from our receivers, tight ends, backs, the communication that goes on throughout the week. But I think Cooper's got an elite ability to kind of see the game through the eyes of the quarterback and they're operating at a really high level together. There's been some different plays where maybe it doesn't play out exactly like you scripted or you put on a card and practice for him. But when it comes to life on the field, those guys can make it work and make it right and adjust on the fly with incredible football IQ. And Cooper - I mean, that's been from the jump from when I got here. I’ve just been so impressed with his ability to see the game in real time and be able to adjust based upon some real high-level ball. And it holds up, snap in and snap out for him.”
(On the production they have shown getting out of empty sets)
“I think empty is great as long as you're trying to distribute the field, distribute different people at different areas of the field for particular reasons. (I) don't really want to get into all those specifics, but we're not doing anything without a purpose. But at the same time, it's easy to sit there and say, ‘Hey, we're going to go empty and attack people.’ Well, they play defense too and there's some things they can do to apply pressure to us - literal pressure from a blitz standpoint - as well as coverage things, dropping extra people into coverage. So, you’ve got to play the game both ways and you’ve got to have answers. Not only built in, but then your quarterback's got to have the ability to do some things at the line of scrimmage to reset the odds in our favor based upon the look that we're getting. But, we like it. It's just a phase of our offense where we feel like we can allow Matthew to play the position. But once again, you can't talk about that without talking about the offensive line because those guys are having to block some really, really good pass rushers. And you're getting the ball out quick, but there's some times we're holding things to try to let it develop. And those guys, you can't say enough about the job they've done through the first three weeks. It's been awesome.”
(On how the lineman’s roles change as a result)
“A lot of times it's winning your one-on-one match-ups and we could do a lot of things from a scheme standpoint to try to help certain areas. But at the end of the day, defensively, these coaches in this league they know how to attack protections and isolate people. I can think back to last week, a couple of times, like even (OL) Brian Allen in the middle, isolated alone on some really good interior pass rushers and him holding up stout, strong, and allowing us to have that pocket set for Matthew to operate within. And obviously (OL Andrew) Whit (Whitworth) and (OL) Rob (Havenstein) on the edges. That's huge because if you want to stretch the field laterally and really attack people sideline to sideline, you’ve got to be able to set an edge so that you can look sideline to sideline. Otherwise, everything's got to be right in front of you and you’ve got to be thinking, getting the ball out. Matthew feels so comfortable right now because of the protection he's gotten. I'm sure Arizona’s looking at that and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get pressure on this guy, especially when they're in empty,’ and that's kind of the game within the game.”
DL Aaron Donald
(On what he has seen from QB Kyler Murray this season)
“He is playing good football. He is making a lot of plays, making it hard for guys to get to him in time. So, you know what to expect. Just got to get after him.”
(On if he likes chasing guys like Kyler Murray)
“No, but it's my job. So, I got to do it (laughter).”
(On why he doesn’t like chasing Kyler Murray)
“Cause it's hard. He's fast, he's quick, he can make a lot of things happen. He is similar to how (Q Russell Wilson plays. He can run 20-yards back and throw a deep ball and hurt you. So, he does a lot of things with his feet and extends plays and make the good throws downfield. He is a good football player.”
(On if Kyler Murray and QB Russell Wilson are similar)
“Yeah, I would say Murray is probably a little faster, but they are definitely similar.”
(On what he attributes his success against Kyler Murray to)
“Just playing good football, but it's a new year. This is our first time playing them this season. We just got to do our job, stick to the game plan, and get after him.”
(On if Kyler Murray looks different compared to his rookie year)
“He just looks good. He looks healthy. I think this is the first time that we get the play him early and he is healthy. He is just looking good right now. He's got a lot of good pieces around him. That’s making his job a lot easier. So, he's a good football player.”
(On what he has seen from LB Terrell Lewis)
“Oh well he came in as a rookie last year. He'd been playing good football when he's out there. So, for him to get more snaps and get opportunity to be more productive and show what he can do, he was excited about it. He made some big plays for us, and he got to continue to do that, and continue to get better. And we have to make sure that he's healthy and that he's able to do that.”
(On CB Jalen Ramsey’s outfit for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers)
“Yeah. We all saw him because he's walking around out in the locker room (for) about 20 minutes with that outfit on. So, we all saw him. That’s just Jalen so that’s what he did.”
(On how much of a challenge it will be for the secondary to try and cover guys for an extended period of time)
“They got good wide receivers, but we got a great secondary. We trust those guys, so we just got to do our job up from as far as not letting the quarterback extend the play too much to the point where they got to keep chasing guys around. We do what we got to do trying to bottle them up, so they don't have the opportunity to do that. It works hand in hand, we got to do our job up front, and they’ll handle things in the backend.”
(On Cardinals OLB Chandler Jones’ five-sack game)
“He's just that type of player. I feel like he's been doing that even when he was at the Patriots. He’s a guy that consistently gets double digit sacks every single year he plays. He’s a productive guy. We know he can get out to the quarterback. It was just when I saw him, it’s just some (Cardinals OL Chandler Jones stuff right there.”
(On if he has a personal relationship with Cardinals DE J.J. Watt or Jones)
“Not with (Cardinals DE) J.J. (Watt). We talk here and there through social media and stuff like that. Chandler Jones, we talk sometimes because we got the same financial advisor, so we talk.”
--RAMS--
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 05:34PM by Shaky.
Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, DL Aaron Donald - September 30, 2021
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell, DL Aaron Donald
Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris
(On how the guys are complimenting each other in terms of verbal and nonverbal communication)
“They’ve really done a nice job. (S) Jordan Fuller in the first three weeks of the season has filled in that role nicely. Being able to communicate, being able to get some things done nicely. This'll be a great test for him this week. With the speed and the tempo of the Arizona Cardinals. Going against (Head Coach) Kliff (Kingsbury) and what he's able to do and how fast he’s able to move the ball and the tempo. I don't want to call it college style offense, but where it's coming from, where it was born, that fast, that speed, that tempo and how he is able to get the ball, communicate it to the offensive guys and do all the things they need to do. This will be a great test for us and a great test for our communication and everything moving forward.”
(On what the plan is for LB Justin Hollin’s spot)
“Losing Justin Hollins is obviously a big blow for us. He did so many things. He was so versatile. You can't come out and say, ‘He's going to replace them with one player,’ because of the amount of things he did at the off the ball, the on the ball, the ability to communicate with him like an inside linebacker and also an outside linebacker. But you'll have some good guys step in there. You have a little bit of (DL) Earnest Brown as a rookie. You'll be able to get a little bit of ‘Obo’ (OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo) out there playing outside backer. You’ll be able to get a little bit of ‘T-Lew’ (OLB Terrell Lewis) going out there playing some more outside backer, increasing their roles. We were fortunate to get Obo back this week, and that's some of the benefits of being a good football team. Being able to get some really good football players and be able to put them out there and do some more things. We'll ask more from (IL
Troy (Reeder). We’ll ask more from all those guys to be able to step into filling those roles, and we’re fired up about that.”(On if OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo will be back)
“Obo should be coming back; he's practicing like it. Assuming everything goes well, assuming everything goes right, we'll have a good feel and better chance to get Obo back.”
(On what if LB Terrell Lewis’ recovery status is now coming off a game with the most snaps he has played)
“When you're talking about injuries, you got to talk to your people that you trust and the people that put them out there. To see him go as far as he's come to be able to go out there and play 30 or some odd snaps last week, and just to increase that amount of reps that's coming on him is awesome. It's a great credit to (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and what his staff is able to do. To be able to get him back so quickly after the near setback there in training camp and then to get him back and be productive and play productive as a player. So, all those things are really based on our medical staff and the guys that we trust the most, and obviously T-Lew. And right now, when they put him out there, he's been productive, playing well, and I'm fired up for the kid to be honest.”
(On what it’s like for a coordinator and the defense to go from defending a guy like QB Tom Brady and then to QB Kyler Murray)
“Every single week presents a different challenge, and it's always awesome. You go against the G.O.A.T (QB Tom Brady) last week and all the things he's able to do, and then you go against some dynamic players coming up. But you only play one at a time. So, you prepare for the one that you're playing. And this week we play (Q
Kyler Murray and he's respectfully in his own MVP race right now for himself, and he's doing really well. He's doing a great job across the league. We got to go out there and be able to do what we can do to try to find a way to win this football game. Those are the challenges of being a coach. Those are the challenges of being a player. Those are the challenges of playing this league. There are no weeks off. You got to be ready to play every single week.”(On the challenges that come with Kyler Murray’s skillset)
“I love this question because we all know the answer to this one. He is dynamic outside of the pocket. He is dynamic in the pocket and he has a great arm. He's talented, he's unique. He can throw, he can run, he's fast. He becomes particularly dangerous in the red zone. All those things we know about him. We love this kid and how he moves and how he plays. And we got to go out and it's a great challenge for us to get them on the ground. It's a great challenge to try to fluster them. It's a great challenge for us to try to get them off the rhythm and off balance. And it's our job to do that. We've got some capable players to do it too, and I look forward to the challenge.”
(On QB Bryce Perkins)
“We got two quarterbacks that are very mobile. You can't take away from any one of those guys. So, we'd be able to put both of those guys out there and get great looks just based on our offensive coaching staff and what they do. Bryce Perkins would certainly serve as one of those guys that can do that. But you know, don't sleep on our guy. He's one of those guys that can move. He can run. He's quick. He makes great decisions. He's makes decisive decisions. He can throw off balance throws and all those things that Kyler does well. He'll show us and simulate it for us as well."
(On his coaching discipline)
“When you're talking about playing against speed, it's usually a battle of you put your guys out there, give them a call, let them get lined up and see who's better. I equated it today day to the guys playing pickup basketball. We go out there and we play together. And I pick you up on a pickup basketball game, we going to go play against whoever, and then let's just see who's better. Let's go out there and play. Let's get a call and let's go and execute it. Let’s see who can execute better, and then when it slows down, then you involve the coaches, you involve Kliff, you involve myself, you involve some of the other people that's involved in our coaching staff. But when it's going fast, man, it's pickup basketball. You got to get your call. You got to go execute that call and you got to play it really fast and really well.”
(On how he characterizes the different offensive linemen personalities or other players on this team as he spends time around different positional groups)
“The offensive line is really always intriguing to me because when you talk about units and you talk about a team, usually that's one of the biggest, great ways to find camaraderie on a team, when you go look at the offensive line. When you find out what (OL Andrew) Whitworth and how he talks to his younger guys and how (OL) Rob (Havenstein) communicates with all the guys. And how they get that group to play together. Then you get the angry center (OL Brian Allen) out there and he's able to communicate with the guys the way he wants to, absolutely run the show, lead by example, and do all the things that you do. And (OL Austin Corbett) Corbs and all those guys inside, and in the interior. It's really fun to be around that group, especially when you get a high energy coach (Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry) that they got this year and the thing that he brings to the table with energy. Along with the assistants as well, (Offensive Assistant) Zak (Kromer) and all of those guys. It’s just great to watch. It's fun to be around. I get nosy at times. I get back to my offensive roots a little bit, if you can consider them roots. You get a chance to go back and be around those guys and definitely our receiver group. It was always fun to be around those guys as well. And get a chance to talk to (WR) Cooper Kupp, find out what's in his head. He always liked to see my evaluation that I had on him at time to time. It's always fun to talk to those guys as well. So I never stand in one place, to kind of get around it with the team. That's part of the camaraderie of being on a football team. That's what people miss when they retire, the locker room, the ability to go in there and move in silence and talk to everybody and be a part of it.”
(On what he liked about Lewis in the 30 snaps he played against the Buccaneers and what can he and the others can bring to the rotation)
“(He) gave us great energy. (He) gave us great hand usage. Set the edge. When it was required towards the end of the stretch, some really dynamic pass rush. He's got great length. He’s able to use his length against tackles, he’s able to use his length against anybody they put on to block him. He creates a problem up there. When he's up and going and he's healthy, he is very dynamic for us. We kind of had him on a little pitch count for ourselves, not for him, but for us just to make sure we get him going in the best direction and get him going right. But, he’s been right. We’re fired up about it.”
(On the Cardinals receiving corps and the success they’ve had)
“(Cardinals WR DeAndre) Hopkins, we know what he is. I think he's a 99-Madden rating. We got two of those guys and we know what those guys entail. We don't need to talk about Hopkins and what he can do. Then you talked about (Cardinals WR) A.J. Green coming up with one of the all-time greats. Came out (of the 2011 NFL Draft) with (Titans WR) Julio Jones, I guy that I coached. You cannot forget about that comparison and that draft between Julio and A.J. and who was right and who was wrong. Everybody goes back and has those same battles now. So, you're talking about an all-time great coming up and joining a really good wide-out crew. Then you talk about (Cardinals WR Christian) Kirk who was really dynamic, fast, explosive slot that we love coming out of Texas A&M. That was one of the guys that I evaluated when I was coaching wide-outs, so I got a lot experience in what he can do and how much of a mover he is. And really, he's probably got some more in his tech. You see some stuff with him getting carries potentially like a (WR) Robert Woods for our team and doing some things out of the backfield. Doing some of the dynamic stuff that you can see from him. And then they picked up this young kid, (Cardinals WR) Rondale Moore, who I was nosy enough to see from Purdue. (I) really like him and really has some juice and really has some energy and brings some down the field type vertical stuff to their grass game. They all have the separation traits that you love when we talked about wide-outs. They all have the ability to get open and even when they're covered, they're not covered. That's just a sign of a great wide-out. I've never seen Julio Jones covered when I played him, when I coached him, when I was on the same team with him, he was never covered if you ask him. These guys all kind of got that mentality and that's the sign of great wide-outs.”
(On the Cardinals having so many talented receivers if it makes it easier or harder to isolate CB Jalen Ramsey on Hopkins)
“(C
Jalen (Ramsey) is so unique in himself that his ability to move around and do stuff and affect the game based on situations. We’ve been able to move him around a little bit. I know in the past Jalen’s kind of shadowed D-Hop a lot and done it more. I'm sure he'll have his moments on him. He had his moments last week on (Buccaneers WR) Mike (Evans), he had his moments last week on different types of receivers. He’s been really active this year. So, it's hard to say you're going to isolate him with the amount of guys that they have. It’s about your other guys stepping up and playing football as well. We just talked about the pickup basketball game. Sometimes with pick a basketball game, there's a lot of fast breaks and you get caught on different people. And when you get caught on different people, you got to man up and you got to depend on your brother to man up. It may be that type of game a little bit down the stretch.”(On how he’s seen defenses specifically work to counter trickle up spreads)
“It’s really cool. They talk about college. I always hear the Steve's (NFL Network’s Steve Wyche) on TV and they're talking about, “Can these college quarterbacks change the NFL or are they looking for the premier pocket passer?” And as you see it, it's changing. The (Chiefs Q
Patrick Mahomes’, the (Ravens Q Lamar Jackson's, the guy we're about to play right now in (Cardinals Q Kyler Murray. I don't know if it's necessarily changing, but it's evolving to include that type of guy. What can you do with the (Falcons Q Matt Ryan’s? And though they still exist, does the (QB Matthew) Stafford who can kind of do a little bit of both, but now getting older, he is that pocket guy, so to speak, but you can move a little bit better. Who knows. It's always fun to see those guys and always fun to see these offensive geniuses come up with different schemes and different ways to make these guys effective. It’s always fun as a defensive coach to go out there and absolutely compete against those guys and find out how to not make them effective. So, it's ever changing. It's just like defense, it’s no different. Some years Tampa 2.0 was hot. Right now, the (Chargers Head Coach/former Rams Defensive Coordinator) Brandon Staley, whatever you want to call our defense, is hot. The (Defensive Coordinator) Raheem Morris twist, however you want to do it. The Rams 2.0, 2.5. There are different versions of it all. It's fun doing it. And I think all the coaches embrace that. That’s why we have all these types of conventions and things that we all get together and share certain things with people and other people and people that you respect. There’s no doubt that there's people watching our tape just like I'm watching other people's tape. There's no doubt that you watched Pittsburgh Steelers defense. There's no doubt that you watch (Browns Defensive Coordinator) Joe Woods and what he's able to do with Cleveland. There's no doubt that you go back and watch (Packers Defensive Coordinator) Joe Barry, a guy that’s been here and coached here and has done some different things. You want to see what people are doing. The same thing you're doing an offense, is the same thing's happening on defense and people are trying to evolve. We all got the same process. It’s all about the beauty of coaching (and) loving this game.”(On if he can draw back on things that have worked in the past against the Cardinals and does he discuss what worked last year with his players)
“That's the set-up question right there. That's the one where coaches always give you the, ‘You can't take anything from the previous season.’ Yes you can. We lie about that (laughs). You got to take those things that worked well and you got to be able to use them. You can utilize those things. You can come back and draw on them, but they're looking at the same things as well. They’re making corrections as well. That’s the cat and mouse game that you got to play with the other opposing coaching staff. Nothing's going to be the same every year. It’s always going to change from week to week. It's going to change from year to year. However you want to look at it? We got to go out and do what's best to win this game this week at our place. And that noise, with them going fast, us executing and showing to the best this morning. I believe he said timing, tempo, rhythm and violence. That's what this game's going to be about.”
(On why he’s rooting for Lewis as a player)
“He's a great kid. I don't even know how to say it anymore. He's a great kid. You’re rooting for him because you know the severity of the injury that he had and how he bounced back and was able to go from college to the pros and to make it and to be able to be productive. Last week, to go out and play his most productive game. Those are the guys you root for. Those stories that come back and absolutely shock some people but not themselves. And that's what I love about him. So I'm fired up for this guy to go out there and play, be productive. I'm looking forward to watching those guys all play together.”
Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell
(On what he saw from QB Matthew Stafford last week)
“The one thing we saw last week is we kind of got our first taste of a little bit of adversity. It was our first start to a game where we weren't able to go down the field and score on our first possession. And we had actually scored first possession of each half going into that game. So, we had felt really good about not only kind of how we wanted to start games. But then our adjustments at halftime to go be successful in the second half. Tampa came out and had a lot of energy and emotion on that side of the ball to start the game. And we kind of had to respond. Our defense did a great job, kind of getting us the ball back. We were able to on that third drive, get it going and go down there and score. But just another example of his steadiness through that. We missed a couple of things. He missed a couple things early, and then his ability to just move on to the next play, get our offense right back where we wanted to get to, and kind of score on the next four possessions was really big.”
(On Stafford’s nonverbal communication with players)
“It's a real organic process where you're sitting in the meeting rooms with the guys and it could even be out on the field in between periods. There is just discussion. The best times for those signals and those nonverbal sometimes to come to life, is when it's player driven. We can sit around, and probably too much as coaches, we sit around thinking about names of things or signals for things, and then you present them to the players and they're like, ‘No, we don't like that. We'd rather do this.’ And you're like, ‘Okay, I could have got that hour back of my life that we spent thinking about that stuff.’ But these guys are so unique from a standpoint of their elite communication amongst one another, but also with us. So a lot of times, it's giving them the freedom and the ownership of it. And then you just see it take off from there.”
(On if he feels communication has settled in or there is still room to grow)
“I’d like to think it's kind of both, to be honest with you. Where we knew kind of going into this, we spent a lot of time in training camp and a lot of time since (Q
Matthew (Stafford) really got here trying to build things so that, that ownership of the line of scrimmage could be something he could feel really good about. While also operating in the confines of a lot of the ways we want to apply pressure to the defense. So it is a lot from that standpoint, but at the same time we see opportunities with a lot of phases of our offense to apply that as well, moving forward. So I think it's a great point. I think it's something that we got to always look at. Obviously from a self-scout standpoint, what we've put on tape, what we've done, but also, unique opportunities that could be there moving forward.”(On if the Arizona defense is equipped to bring more pressure than any team the Rams have seen this season)
“I can remember talking to you about that Tampa front last week, and really every week we've played an opponent (who is) really sound defensively. They're playing really, really hard. They're flying around. It's not a mistake that they're 3-0, playing really well in all three phases. But defensively speed at all three levels. (Cardinals OL
Chandler Jones and the production he's had. (Cardinals DE) JJ Watt as a hall of fame player that has had unbelievable production and is playing well in the scheme that they have him in now. They've got a bunch of guys you can name that maybe aren't household names, but are playing at a really high level. When you turn on the tape, it jumps off the film at you. Then on the back end, linebackers, just speed shows up. From a pressure standpoint, coverage standpoint, how they want to defend us, we really got to do a good job of identifying not only who's in the game, but then how they're attacking us. And be ready to make some adjustments.”(On what he saw from OLB Chandler Jones’ five-sack game)
“You just see he's got incredible length, off the edge to kind of control the guy trying to attempt to block him. A lot of teams have been doing some things to try and counter move him at the line of scrimmage or maybe help out protection, send the slides his way. That's all great and all, but you still got to figure out a way to block him. No matter how many offensive linemen you can send his way. And if you do too much from that standpoint, they've got other guys that can get one-on-ones and attack you. He's just keeping the offensive line off balance. He's got incredible speed to power where he can kind of set moves up and then swipe a hand or knock a guy's first initial punch down, and then they're on skates from there and basically the down is over. So an unbelievable amount of initial skill sets from a pass rusher standpoint, but the countermoves with his length, his power and speed, it makes him a real problem.”
(On how challenging it can be to keep everyone happy with so many guys on the team)
“We teach things as all eligibles can come to life at any time and really it's coverage driven, matchup driven, how people want to defend us, the pocket allowing Matthew to kind of get through progressions and find his third, fourth or fifth option on a play. A lot of that goes into that. We've got such unique guys and smart guys that they can turn on the tape and understand how the play was presented to them from an install standpoint. And then, ‘Hey, this is how it played out on the field and this is what we got.’ So, guys understand that but it's fun. You can really get creative with formations to try to move people around, take advantage of what guys do well, and at the end of the day, they're going out and executing it and Matthew's really driving it to make it all come to life.”
(On why WR Cooper Kupp has stood out so much given all of the offensive weapons Stafford has)
“I think from a standpoint of there's a great chemistry there. Matthew really feels great about our whole group of skill guys - from our receivers, tight ends, backs, the communication that goes on throughout the week. But I think Cooper's got an elite ability to kind of see the game through the eyes of the quarterback and they're operating at a really high level together. There's been some different plays where maybe it doesn't play out exactly like you scripted or you put on a card and practice for him. But when it comes to life on the field, those guys can make it work and make it right and adjust on the fly with incredible football IQ. And Cooper - I mean, that's been from the jump from when I got here. I’ve just been so impressed with his ability to see the game in real time and be able to adjust based upon some real high-level ball. And it holds up, snap in and snap out for him.”
(On the production they have shown getting out of empty sets)
“I think empty is great as long as you're trying to distribute the field, distribute different people at different areas of the field for particular reasons. (I) don't really want to get into all those specifics, but we're not doing anything without a purpose. But at the same time, it's easy to sit there and say, ‘Hey, we're going to go empty and attack people.’ Well, they play defense too and there's some things they can do to apply pressure to us - literal pressure from a blitz standpoint - as well as coverage things, dropping extra people into coverage. So, you’ve got to play the game both ways and you’ve got to have answers. Not only built in, but then your quarterback's got to have the ability to do some things at the line of scrimmage to reset the odds in our favor based upon the look that we're getting. But, we like it. It's just a phase of our offense where we feel like we can allow Matthew to play the position. But once again, you can't talk about that without talking about the offensive line because those guys are having to block some really, really good pass rushers. And you're getting the ball out quick, but there's some times we're holding things to try to let it develop. And those guys, you can't say enough about the job they've done through the first three weeks. It's been awesome.”
(On how the lineman’s roles change as a result)
“A lot of times it's winning your one-on-one match-ups and we could do a lot of things from a scheme standpoint to try to help certain areas. But at the end of the day, defensively, these coaches in this league they know how to attack protections and isolate people. I can think back to last week, a couple of times, like even (OL) Brian Allen in the middle, isolated alone on some really good interior pass rushers and him holding up stout, strong, and allowing us to have that pocket set for Matthew to operate within. And obviously (OL Andrew) Whit (Whitworth) and (OL) Rob (Havenstein) on the edges. That's huge because if you want to stretch the field laterally and really attack people sideline to sideline, you’ve got to be able to set an edge so that you can look sideline to sideline. Otherwise, everything's got to be right in front of you and you’ve got to be thinking, getting the ball out. Matthew feels so comfortable right now because of the protection he's gotten. I'm sure Arizona’s looking at that and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get pressure on this guy, especially when they're in empty,’ and that's kind of the game within the game.”
DL Aaron Donald
(On what he has seen from QB Kyler Murray this season)
“He is playing good football. He is making a lot of plays, making it hard for guys to get to him in time. So, you know what to expect. Just got to get after him.”
(On if he likes chasing guys like Kyler Murray)
“No, but it's my job. So, I got to do it (laughter).”
(On why he doesn’t like chasing Kyler Murray)
“Cause it's hard. He's fast, he's quick, he can make a lot of things happen. He is similar to how (Q
Russell Wilson plays. He can run 20-yards back and throw a deep ball and hurt you. So, he does a lot of things with his feet and extends plays and make the good throws downfield. He is a good football player.”(On if Kyler Murray and QB Russell Wilson are similar)
“Yeah, I would say Murray is probably a little faster, but they are definitely similar.”
(On what he attributes his success against Kyler Murray to)
“Just playing good football, but it's a new year. This is our first time playing them this season. We just got to do our job, stick to the game plan, and get after him.”
(On if Kyler Murray looks different compared to his rookie year)
“He just looks good. He looks healthy. I think this is the first time that we get the play him early and he is healthy. He is just looking good right now. He's got a lot of good pieces around him. That’s making his job a lot easier. So, he's a good football player.”
(On what he has seen from LB Terrell Lewis)
“Oh well he came in as a rookie last year. He'd been playing good football when he's out there. So, for him to get more snaps and get opportunity to be more productive and show what he can do, he was excited about it. He made some big plays for us, and he got to continue to do that, and continue to get better. And we have to make sure that he's healthy and that he's able to do that.”
(On CB Jalen Ramsey’s outfit for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers)
“Yeah. We all saw him because he's walking around out in the locker room (for) about 20 minutes with that outfit on. So, we all saw him. That’s just Jalen so that’s what he did.”
(On how much of a challenge it will be for the secondary to try and cover guys for an extended period of time)
“They got good wide receivers, but we got a great secondary. We trust those guys, so we just got to do our job up from as far as not letting the quarterback extend the play too much to the point where they got to keep chasing guys around. We do what we got to do trying to bottle them up, so they don't have the opportunity to do that. It works hand in hand, we got to do our job up front, and they’ll handle things in the backend.”
(On Cardinals OLB Chandler Jones’ five-sack game)
“He's just that type of player. I feel like he's been doing that even when he was at the Patriots. He’s a guy that consistently gets double digit sacks every single year he plays. He’s a productive guy. We know he can get out to the quarterback. It was just when I saw him, it’s just some (Cardinals OL
Chandler Jones stuff right there.”(On if he has a personal relationship with Cardinals DE J.J. Watt or Jones)
“Not with (Cardinals DE) J.J. (Watt). We talk here and there through social media and stuff like that. Chandler Jones, we talk sometimes because we got the same financial advisor, so we talk.”
--RAMS--
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2021 05:34PM by Shaky.
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