Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Head Coach Sean McVay, OLB Von Miller, QB Matthew Stafford - November 3, 2021

Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Head Coach Sean McVay, OLB Von Miller, QB Matthew Stafford - November 3, 2021





Head Coach Sean McVay, OLB Von Miller, QB Matthew Stafford
Head Coach Sean McVay
(Opening Statement)
“From an injury standpoint, we're fairly banged up. So, we're going to take a little bit more modified approach to practice this week. So, you see a lot of guys on the injury report and that's kind of the approach that we'll take just based on where we're at. So (WR) Robert Woods, he won't practice today because of his foot. Don't expect it to affect his game status. We'll see what that means for tomorrow. (Q Matthew Stafford's back is sore. He will not practice today. We'll take it a day at a time. Do not expect that to affect his game status. It's more about just being smart, being safe. So, with all of these guys, Robert and Matthew, they won't participate, but these are veteran players that have played a lot. We're going to take a much more modified, jog through approach in the afternoon anyways because of where we're at as a team. (OL Andrew) Whitworth, we'll rest him, expect him to be able to return. We'll be limited with (DL) Sebastian Joseph-Day. (I) do expect him to be ready to go. (DL) Bobby Brown (III) won't be here, dealing with some personal stuff right now but he'll be okay. With (OL Von (Miller), we're going to also rest him today. He'll do some limited work off to the side with (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and his group. Just getting a feel for where his ankle is at. He hasn't been with us. Want to be smart, want to be able to ease him back in. We’ll see what that looks like a day at a time. I haven't had any exposure to him. He's excited about attacking his rehab and just taking it a day at a time. What that means for his game status, I don't have enough information on that quite yet. (WR) Cooper Kupp – we'll give him a veteran rest day and then (TE) Brycen Hopkins is sick. Other than that, we've got a great, healthy team (laughter).”

(On if OLB Von Miller passed his physical)
“He did.”

(On what his day was like onboarding yesterday)
“There's a lot because he goes and does the physical. Then, he's coming over here, getting familiar with a lot of new faces, where's his locker, where's the meeting room, different things like that. So, kind of getting him up to speed, spending a little bit of time with the coaches and then just all the standard stuff that you do as far as the onboarding, but what an impressive guy. (I) really enjoyed the time that we were able to spend together. He's diligently going about kind of learning some stuff. There is a lot of carry over and that's a good thing – and even (Assistant Linebackers Coach) Thad (Bogardus) having been with him in Denver before, when it was with (former Rams and Broncos Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) familiarity, with some of the verbiage that they've used under (Broncos Head) Coach (Vic) Fangio the last couple of years. And so that's a positive, but really I've enjoyed the interaction that we've had up to this point and he's done a good job.”

(On if there was a big welcome for Miller considering the Rams have so many stars already)
“Big welcome. There was a lot of excitement and I think a lot of these guys know each other just based on what a premier player Von’s been. And we've got some of those guys as well where they've kind of crossed over at Pro Bowls or other sort of functions. So, guys are very excited to be able to welcome Von with open arms and we're excited about it as well as.”

(On if Miller has expressed whether or not he wants to play on Sunday against the Titans)
“Oh yeah. He's going to do everything in his power to try to play, but I think there's an element of let's take it a day at a time and let's be smart. Let's get a feel for how he's doing, but this guy's an elite competitor. He definitely wants to be able to do that.”

(On his reaction to Packers QB Aaron Rodgers testing positive for COVID-19)
“I don't know enough about it. I saw that that (Q Aaron (Rodgers) had tested positive for COVID. So, anything that I say outside of that would be kind of uneducated.”

(On if the team’s vaccination status is at 100%)
“There was only one player at the very beginning. God, that seems like so long ago when I said there was only one player. So that is the only one player to my knowledge that is not vaccinated, but he's got antibodies now. I can tell you that.”

(On how the Rams would handle a player testing positive for COVID)
“I don't know enough about other than just that Aaron had tested positive for COVID. I think our job is to educate guys. Fortunately, we haven't really had to deal with the parameters around unvaccinated guys and the protocols and parameters that you have to follow, because everybody kind of was under that with the exception of that one person and that person had done a phenomenal job of abiding by all the protocols that were asked of him and that’s all you can ask.”

(On his thoughts of the injury list)
“I think it's more of we're being safe. We're being safer than we are anything else. We're taking a modified approach. I think once you get into this point in the year, you're really saying, ‘Okay, with some of these veterans, could they participate in the type of practice that we're going through?’ Yes, they could, but is it better to really go through a rehab, get them off their feet and then get some of these younger guys some of the repetitions that would be beneficial – whether an injury occurs or just getting them up to speed? And so that's kind of the approach that we'll take this time of the year. I didn't even realize it, but having played on all these games where it's not a grass surface, this is hard on these players bodies. We've played on turf surfaces every single week up to this point. I think after this game will represent the first time we don't. But there's been a lot of travel and these are physical games. I think it was beneficial for us to be able to take a lot of snaps off of some of our starting players where you get a comfortable lead and you don't play them into that fourth quarter. But you still do want to be smart and you're not naive to the toll that eight games up to this point takes on these guys and we'll ramp it up tomorrow and we'll see what that looks like with the participation status of some of those guys.”

(On what the plan is at receiver with WR DeSean Jackson leaving and WR TuTu Atwell on IR)
“Yeah, we've had that in place. (WR) Jacob Harris is a receiver. He's listed as a tight end. We'll see if we can get that changed on the flip card, but he's really playing receiver for us. (WR) Ben Skowronek did a really nice job of showing that he's capable. He really knows all the spots. He's done an excellent job on special teams and then I was really pleased with the opportunities that he was able to maximize against Houston. (He) makes a couple of big catches for us, (you) can see the game's not too big for him. Then (WR) J.J. Koski's a guy that's been under (Wide Receivers) Coach (Eric) Yarber’s guidance and tutelage for the last couple of years. He is somebody that you feel comfortable with. So, to be able to go two deep in your 11 personnel grouping is something that we feel good about.”

(On if WR J.J. Koski could return punts)
“There's a possibility. We're going to work him at that this week and that's something that we're definitely going to look at too.”

(On if the Raiders WR Henry Ruggs III incident is a teaching moment for him)
“The first thing is, your thoughts and prayers are with the people that were affected. It's really a sad, devastating situation. You always want to talk to guys about that and make sure that you can use those as learning ops. But you also want to be mindful of how heavy that is on the many people that were affected. And it's just, it's tragic.”

(On where he sees Miller fitting into this defense and how much usage does he plan for him)
“The goal is really just to see how quickly he gets up to speed. He's a really smart player. So it's really a combination of the health and then how quickly and how comfortable he feels with the different personnel packages that we'll utilize based on the game plan. He's a guy that, once he gets comfortable, he's going. He and (OL Leonard (Floyd), feel really good about that. But we just got him. There's a couple of layers to it. So I think we're going to take it a day at a time and I'll have a better feel as the week progresses.”

(On where this team sits after the trade deadline)
“The easy answer is to say we're 7-1 just a little under the halfway point. That's so weird to say, playing 17 games. But there's so much football left to be played. I love what our team has done. We definitely feel like adding Von Miller to the mix upgrades our team without a doubt. We haven't played a single snap with Von yet. It's our job to be able to get him acclimated as quickly as possible. Can't wait to see him compete with us but think you're in a good spot. I do feel like even though there's a lot of guys that are banged up, don't expect this to affect their game status. So, there's a difference between (when) you're actually missing guys and then they're just banged up with their bumps and bruises as they're kind of working through what is the normal standard operating procedure in a really physical season like what this one's been. So long way to go. We just got to take it a day at a time. It's the coaching cliche, but it is the truth. We want to be where our feet are planted, continue to just stack blocks. When I've been fortunate enough to be in this league and be around it, whether it's with my grandpa or just growing up around it, the good teams get better as the season progresses. Nobody could tell you where was everybody after eight games last year. Because it's about how you finish and how you sustain that throughout the course of the year. And that's definitely where our goal is but feel really good. I love this team up to this point. And now we've got to keep stacking blocks.”

(On if CB Robert Rochell is expected to play Sunday)
“He is.”

(On if CB Darious Williams is expected to play Sunday)
“Today I'll have a better feel once we actually practice. We just walked through, but talking to (C Darious (Williams) last week after the game, we'll start his 21-day clock. We are expecting him to be ready to go this week, but we'll see how he handles practice and the workload.”

(On if WR Robert Woods may return kicks)
“No. He could do it, but the risk-reward really isn't worth it. He's pretty dynamic with the ball in his hands. no doubt about it. But he will not be returning kicks for us.”

OLB Von Miller
(On what the last couple of days have been like emotionally for him)
“It's different. It feels like a movie. From coming into work on Monday and I was in a training room, and they said that (Broncos General Manager) George (Paton) wanted to talk to me. I've been in league 11 years, so I already knew what this talk was going to be about. Initially, it hurt. I've been saying it kind of felt like removing a splinter. At first it hurts, it hurts bad. I've been there for 11 years. I don't know anything else. I was a Denver Bronco. They told me that I was getting traded to the Rams. (It) hurts. (I) had all my goodbyes. Looking at my house, looking at all the memories that I had there throughout 11 years, it was tough. When I took off Tuesday morning, though, I had a nice view of the mountains and I told myself like, ‘Hey, taking off a Denver Bronco. When I land, I'm a Los Angeles Ram.’ I landed and the had camera crew out there, it was a warm welcome. (I) went to straight to get the physical. Came here to the facility, started meeting players and it starting to feel good. It's starting to feel real good. You look at all the talent that we have. I went to sleep 4-4 and woke up 7-1 (laughs). In the back end of things, it's not really that bad. It’s better for me. It's better for the organization. And you just got to let reality sink in that I get to play with (DL) Aaron Donald and (C Jalen Ramsey and (OL Leonard Floyd and (Q Matthew Stafford and his solid offensive line. And they got a solid team. The Denver Broncos are still building. They’re still a family and stuff, but this team was ready to win it right now, ready to win championships right now. And I'm excited to be a part of it.”

(On what it’s like to be on a defensive front with DL Aaron Donald)
“It’s incredible. You hear stories of the ‘Fearsome Foursome.’ You hear stories in this legendary defense. We want to recreate that. They've been playing great defense all year and I just want to add to it. I want to add some of the things that I do best. My leadership and my energy and my positive vibes. I just want to contribute to a winning team. It'll be fun.”

(On his thoughts on playing in a state-of-the-art facility in front of 70,000+ fans)
“Man, it'd be incredible. Like I said, it feels like a movie. It feels like a movie coming to work today. And then my first day of work, it felt like you transferred to a new high school. It was exciting. You get to meet new friends and all of that stuff. I get to play at a SoFi Stadium, incredible stadium. Last year, I didn't get to play. I was injured the whole entire year. So, when they played the Charges, I didn't get to see it, but I've heard stories on how incredible it is and how state-of-the-art. The Super Bowl is going to be there this year, and hopefully that'll be us playing there. Everything's better. Everything's great. I'm excited to be here.”

(On what his biggest adjustment is coming from Denver)
“Honestly, it's just all mental. Everything just looks weird. I’ve been wearing blue and orange forever. Everything just looks weird, but it feels extremely right. It feels right to be here. It feels like this is the right thing for me. 40, it looks weird, but it feels right, man. And being here with all of these guys, man it's really a dream come true, man. The Denver Broncos, they definitely did me right by sending me to such a legendary franchise with a legendary team.”

(On how he was able to do in practice today and how his ankle is feeling)
“Today we just did a walk through. I was able to do the whole walk through. It's still coming along, it's still coming along. I still have some lingering issues, but I know if I can continue to take it day by day, I feel good for this weekend. I feel good about my recovery process. I came from a legendary training staff. This training staff is right up there with those guys. I've heard stories of (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and all the guys that they have here and then all of those stories were true. All of those stories are true, man. They’re going to take care of the players. They take care of me. I feel like I'm in good hands.”

(On what the communication is like between him and Donald)
“It’s been great. I cried a lot on Monday, but all the tears weren’t sad. I had tears of joy too because I'm coming here to play with Aaron Donald. It was amazing. I've been familiar with Aaron. He came to a pass rush summit. You watch film each and every week, you watch all the highlights in the sack reels, and you see him just going crazy. These guys triple team him. I’ve been getting triple teamed for the last 10 years. That's six people right there. And we still got Leonard Floyd and all the other guys. So, it's going to be fun. It's going to be fun; it's going to be fun. I'm excited to be a part of this team. (Head) Coach (Sean) McVay, he's just so energetic and he's a great coach. It feels like a movie. It really does. It feels like a movie and I'm excited to be in it.”

(On if this feels like this frees him up to rush the quarterback)
“I feel like it frees up us all. I’m sure they’ll figure out creative ways to try to triple team and double team and chip but it can't possibly be that effective. We got great coaches, we got a great guys playing on his team and we'll be able to figure it out. They've already been with it, we are first in sacks on defense already and add me to that team, I feel like I could add and help out some of these guys for sure.”

(On what memories in his house made him stop and feel something)
“I'm just such a sentimental guy. It could be like a scratch in the floor, ‘I remember we fell, this is my second year in the league bringing the couch in’ and you know, just little stuff like that. Time just flies. It really does. It’s really just a moment in time. You look up and I was a rookie coming to Denver fresh off a lockout. Then 11 years later, I'm here with the Los Angeles Rams. You really can't put the emotion into words. It's a beautiful thing. Life is beautiful. A guy told me on Monday, ‘You want to make God laugh, then make plans.’ And I had plans to retire a Denver Bronco and do all these things, and I'm here and this is great. This is better for me. And honestly, when I think about it, this is what I prayed for. It wasn't truly this. I didn't pray to get traded and go to the Los Angeles Rams, but I prayed for my team to improve. I prayed to win again. I prayed to go to a Super Bowl again. I prayed to be able to make game changing plays on a winning team. I wasn't able to do it with the Denver Broncos, and he brought me here. So, it’s a true blessing. Thinking about my house, I got a crazy basement. Always open to my teammates to come over after games, just anytime. And just being able to spend time with all of my teammates and all of my coaches at home, I'm going to miss that for sure.”

(On why he mentioned people like equipment staff and videographers in his farewell video)
“’Cause all of those guys contributed to making me who I am today. And I did forget the athletic training staff – (Broncos Head Athletic Trainer) Vince (Garcia), (Former Broncos Athletic Trainer & Director of Sports Medicine Steve) “Greek” (Antonopulos), (Broncos Director of Rehabilitation/Assistant Athletic Trainer) Matt Kee, (Broncos Assistant Athletic Trainer) Michael Sundeen, all of you guys, Kylie and all of you guys, man. I missed y’all in the video, but I just made up for it now. But I just tried to take care of the people that have taken care of me. I didn't get this far by myself, for sure. Getting traded, you kind of don't have all the time to like sit and think and prepare all of these farewells. It's just you get two hours, think about it, do the video. Boom. And that's it. If it was like free agency or something, you get all of this time to like talk and say your farewells, but they just kind of rip the band-aid off. I tried my best to like really mention all the people that helped me become the Von I am today.”

(On what he’s looking for in assessing his new team considering he knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl)
“Man, there are so many different ways to win a Super Bowl. I won it with (Former Broncos Q Peyton Manning in 2015. We had a crazy defense. Peyton was so effective with the ball. We still had some weaknesses on that team, but I think we made up for it with our spirited core. I think we made up for it for the type of team that we were and the type of energy that we have for each other. And you look at this team, man, like if you look at the 2005 team, you look at this team, it's just a lot of similarities and we got a great secondary here. We've got a great defensive line here. Got a great quarterback, great offensive line. We could run the ball, pass the ball. It's a lot of correlations to that team, but you still got to go out there and win. Like, it's been a lot of super teams built that was supposed to like do this and do that and they didn't quite meet the expectation. My whole goal here is just to contribute to this team and to contribute to wins - take it one game at a time, one play at a time - and I'm sure if we can compartmentalize our play and we can take it one play at a time, we'll be all right in the postseason.”

(On how much and how well he knows CB Jalen Ramsey)
“(C Jalen (Ramsey) was like the first guy to hit me. I’m probably most familiar with Jalen than anybody on his team. We go way back to before he was even in the league. His agent was my agent at a time. I'm super familiar with Jalen and his family the type of player that he is and being here on his team, he was the first one to hit me. It's like you go to your school for the first time you got that one kid that said, ‘Hey man!’ You know, introduce yourself. It's kind of like Forrest Gump on the bus when you walk in here, that was Jalen. That was Jalen for me. He welcomed me with open arms and made me feel comfortable here. It's been great, man. It looks weird, but it feels good, man. I thank God for blessing me with this opportunity to be here and experience such great energy again. I'm so grateful for it.’

(On if his annual Pass Rush Summit was his first time working with DL Aaron Donald)
“Yeah, it was.”

(On what struck him about Donald)
“Even before the Pass Rush Summit, we were following each other on Instagram and talking about stuff on Instagram. I had invited him a couple of years and this one year he was just like, ‘Yeah! I can make it. I'm going to bring the D-line out.’ We had it in Vegas. So, you know, Vegas is just 45 minutes away. So, he brought out the D-line and stuff. The Pass Rush Summit is a great place because you can sit down, and you can watch film, and we can go over plays, and it's actually the guy that is doing this stuff. What stuck out for me with Aaron is just the stuff that he was doing. Like, there is no move for it. You really couldn't put it into words. I think he created like this power pop. He was just bullying the guy and moving him out the way. I was just blown away by his strength, and his knowledge of the game, and some of the stuff he does it just can't be done. We had veterans there. We had guys that had retired and came back to contribute to the Pass Rush Summit. You look at Aaron and some of this stuff you just can't put it into words and some of the stuff it just can be done. It's such a honor and a privilege to be his teammate, to be all of these guys’ teammates, man. I’m going to earn their respect each and every day, each and every game, man. And I'm excited to be here. It's going to be a good one.”

QB Matthew Stafford
(On his reaction to the OLB Von Miller trade)
“I was excited. I've been a fan of (OL Von Miller for a long time. He's a big-time player in this league. Just knowing (by) adding him into a defense that's already got a bunch of playmakers, (it) has the possibility of being something really special. So just happy we could get it done and excited to see what comes with it.”

(On what advice he can give to Miller after being in a similar situation as him recently with his move from Detroit to L.A.)
“Just embrace it. I know he will. He's surrounded by a bunch of good dudes and big-time playmakers on that side of the ball. So just embrace it, dive right in. I know as a team we're excited to have him, so that obviously helps. We'll do everything we can to pull him along as quickly as we possibly can. I know once he's out there, he's going to be a big value for us.”

(On his assessment of being on a team that is aggressive in trades like the Rams are)
“The biggest thing is just they've got a plan. It's not just throwing paint on the wall and hoping it works out for them. They've got a plan. They know what they want in players and culture and all that kind of stuff. And sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't, just like everybody. That's draft picks. Everybody that accrues a bunch of draft picks, sometimes those work, sometimes they don't. So, these guys are a really well thought out group, know what fits in this team, both schematically and culturally, and then we just go for it.”

(On if that sense of aggression is exciting as a player)
“Yeah, definitely. As a player, it's always exciting to add good players to your team. You find a guy like Von that's available and we were able to make it work. It's a fun thing to be a part of.”

(On what it is like for opposing quarterbacks going up against OLB Leonard Floyd, OLB Von Miller and DL Aaron Donald from a quarterback’s perspective)
“It just puts you on the clock that much more. I know our defensive coaches will find creative ways to scheme those guys up to try to create one-on-ones and create headaches in the pass protection stuff for offenses. So, I know those guys are going to enjoy playing off of each other, I know that. Whoever gets a single (man matchup) is going to be expected to win. I know they're going to be challenging each other and it'll be fun to watch.

(On how he describes facing Miller)
“I played against him a few times. (He’s) just incredibly talented player, somebody you have to account for. There's so many of those guys I feel like now on our front. So it's a fun problem to have if you're us.”

(On what a player of WR DeSean Jackson’s caliber leaving says in regard to Rams culture being team first)
“It’s disappointing that it didn't work out. I've got a ton of respect for (WR) DeSean (Jackson) and how talented he is as a player. I reached out to him afterwards and just said, ‘Man, it was fun playing with one of the all-time great deep threats.’ Being able to connect with him on a long one against Tampa was cool. It didn't work out for whatever reason and I just know that I trust our front office and our coaching staff to put us in the best position to try to succeed. That's what they're always trying to do is figure out what's best for this team. And that's what they felt was best and we move on. We go from there. We've got a great group of guys. I'm ready to play and excited about what's coming next.”

(On how his back health is)
“I feel good. I'll be fine and play Sunday. I am not worried about it, just stiff.”

(On what stands out about the Tennessee Titans defense)
“Really multiple (things). (They) really change their looks on you as a quarterback. A bunch of different coverages and coverage variations, pressures – pressures that feel like pressures but are not pressures. There are quite a few things that they do that are really good. And then from a personnel standpoint, one of the better safeties in the league (S Amani Hooker), a group up front that really gets after the passer too. Some physical, downhill linebackers. (C Janoris (Jenkins) is still playing at a high level at the outside corner spot. So, really across their defense, they've got playmakers and do enough changing the look on a quarterback to make it difficult for you.”

(On if a move like trading for Miller has them thinking ‘all in for the Super Bowl’)
“Every time we put the pads on that is what we think about. We think about going and winning the next game and eventually having that last game be the one we all want to be playing in. So, we don't talk about it too much big picture at that point, it's more so, that's kind of our attitude every time we come out here and practice, play, whatever it is. We're doing everything we can to try to sharpen ourselves to be as good as we possibly can each week.”

--RAMS--