Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks Transcripts - Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Seahawks Pete Carroll, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson - December 21, 2021
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Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks Transcripts - Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Seahawks Pete Carroll, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson - December 21, 2021
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay
(Opening Statement)
“First of all, what an incredible job, really by our organization as a whole: staff, coaches, players. I mean, you look at (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and his group, (Director, Football Operations) Sophie Harlan, so many people were instrumental in even getting us in a position to play this game. And I couldn't be more impressed with just our coaches, our player’s ability to be able to bottle up. There was a lot of emotions. This was a heavy week navigating through all the things that we went through. But for our guys to come in here, perform the way that they did, I thought the fans were outstanding. Just so many people. This was a big time win for our team. And it wasn't perfect by any stretch, but I thought there was a lot of key plays that were instrumental. I loved the response from the offense after we went down 10-3. I thought our defense as a whole was outstanding throughout the course of the day. (C
Jalen Ramsey showed up, (DL) Aaron Donald. Those guys continue to make their plays. I thought really our rush as a whole and then for (S) Taylor Rapp to be able to finish it out. But defense was great. (Q Matthew (Stafford) and (WR) Cooper (Kupp) made their plays. I thought (R Sony Michel ran, tough, physical, and hard. Guys just played. And then (K) Matt Gay continues to shine. I thought our (special) teams were really good today. And this was a tough, hard-earned win. That's a really tough group. Got a lot of respect for (Seahawks Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll and the Seahawks. And you could see, they had some good momentum coming into this game after they ended up beating San Francisco and then had a really outstanding performance against Houston last week. So, really, great job. Also, I think it's incredible. Matthew Stafford, I was just told, fastest quarterback to 50,000 yards and then all the records that Cooper has set. Two of our captains. Two of the most important guys that are instrumental in terms of their leadership and then also their play and just what they mean to me and to our team. So, really happy to get this. And then, you know, we'll start our preparation for the Vikings tomorrow.”
(On if he is surprised that WR Cooper Kupp doesn’t know when he breaks a record)
“No. I think he has an idea of how well he is playing but he is truly one of the most humble, special players I have ever been around. He doesn't need all the accolades. I think it's great he gets his first Pro Bowl recognition. I don't know how he's not going to be a First Team All-Pro prayer. I think he's a legitimate candidate for a lot of awards but he is about our team. He's interested in leading the right way, making the plays that are instrumental and vital to the outcomes of our team's success and he does a lot of stuff without the football as well. But he's so special. You and I both know that. Pretty cool.”
(On how everyone seemed to be on the same page despite an unusual week of preparation)
“It's amazing, Maria. It certainly has been a whirlwind. You know, for our guys…(Defensive Coordinator) Raheem (Morris) joked, he said, ‘We're like the Lakers, we got a couple shootarounds earlier this week, and then we rolled it out and played.’ And so, I think that's well said. But our guys, you talk about a mature football team, it's later on in the year, but we got a lot of our guys…I think (General Manager) Les (Snead) and his group did a great job of filling out some of the practice squad looks and really just the entirety of our roster for us to look at practice in a manner that's getting ready for a good football team. I think what we've seen from this team is these guys are mentally tough. They've stayed connected. Some of the adverse moments we've been through, these guys find a positive in that. I think that's really developed a good armor for us to be able to sustain some of that adversity and respond the right way. Whether it's in games or throughout the course of the week. Really proud of this team, really proud of these players.”
(On missing two of our coaches today)
“We were. Yes, we were missing (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown and (Offensive Assistant) Zak Kromer and hopefully we'll get them back sooner than later.”
(On the running back group’s performance today)
“Yeah, Sony got the majority of the workload. I thought (R Darrell (Henderson Jr.) came in and did a nice job. He was really kind of getting his wind underneath them. He had a couple big time carries. But I thought Sony was outstanding today. (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown is such a leader for that room, he's assistant head coach, he’s a running back coach. He has a great feel during the course of the game. I thought (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Zac Robinson did a great job being able to spell those guys, have a good feel, communicate with them in between drives. Sony was outstanding and then Darrell did a nice job with the opportunities he had today.”
(On the sequence of offensive plays when players were moving the piles forward for extra yards and if that was an illustration of the effort players showed)
“It is, and I thought it's been especially relevant these last three weeks. You look at it, our guys, they tightened up when they had to be at their best. Sony was leveling runs off. The one that you're talking about is probably when Darrell got that really good push, you know, in kind of one of our downhill direct runs. I thought that was a tone-setting play for us. And then, really, once the defense makes the stop on fourth down, the first play of that sequence where Sony breaks it out, has the presence to stay in bounds where the clock…you run another 40 seconds off the clock and then ultimately, Matt Gay coming in and delivering the field goal to put us up 10. So many things, but I thought the offensive line did a great job in particular when we had to run it to be able to close out the game.”
(On if he thinks this win showcased his team’s ability to rally)
“I think it did. It was really, it was special by those guys. It makes it that much sweeter when you see guys just stay connected, stay together. It wasn't always perfect. And there were some opportunities that I think we're going to be able to learn from, similar to what Cooper was saying before I walked in here. But guys didn't flinch, they didn't blink. They just stayed the course, we stayed connected as a team. For them to come out, they had a good drive to start out the second half, they go up 10-3, and then what happens? We respond right away. There was some big time plays, but Sony's toughness…the one long run he broke out when were in the shotgun, and he ended up getting the stiff arm. And then to be able to have Matthew deliver a nice timing throw to Cooper to finish out that drive for the touchdown was key to get back to 10-10. And then I thought we had the momentum from then on for remainder of the game.”
(On if this win showed how the defense is starting to find its identity)
“Those two guys are so special to us. They're team captains. Missing (S) Jordan Fuller, I thought (L Ernest Jones did a great job handling the dot (mic) today. But Jalen and Aaron are First Team All-Pro players for a reason. They're legitimate Defensive Player of the Year guys. They're so special. They're one of one at what they do. And their leadership, their ability to be able to bottle that up…I think anybody that's great at what they do has a mental toughness and resilience and, certainly, both those two guys really stand out and check the boxes on both of those things. I also thought Raheem and our defensive coaching staff did a great job. You talk about a great plan, being able to maximize it. It was really up until this morning, you don't really know if you're getting some key players like (OL Von (Miller) and just all the moving parts. I think it showed great agility by Raheem and his group, (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe DeCamillis, and (Assistant Special Teams Coach) Dwayne Stukes, (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin O'Connell and the offensive coaches. Those guys did an outstanding job. But Jalen and Aaron were special tonight.”
(On the most challenging moment for him this week leading up to this game)
“I don't know if I'd ever really look at it like that. I think it was just, ‘Take it one moment at a time and figure out what is the way we can have a solution-oriented mindset.’ I was very fortunate. And I mentioned this earlier, but with the league and the PA (Players Association) to be able to work in coordination, to be able to move this game back. I thought that was key for us to be able to play this game. You know, with the amount of guys that we're going to miss. I don't even know if we had enough guys to field a team. But I didn't really look at it like that. It was just, ‘Hey, let's be in the moment, let's take it one step at a time, and let's figure out a way to maximize the guys we do have.’ Our preparation, given clarity, I thought the way they had kept the tension on some of these Zoom meetings and translate that to, really, two days of on the field preparation was big time. But it was kind of a build up to this game where you got a little bit better information every day. It started to just get a little bit brighter and brighter, and hopefully we'll get some guys back for Minnesota because that's going to be a really tough game.”
(On the performances of the tight ends with the absence of TE Tyler Higbee)
“I thought they did a really good job. I think (TE) Kendall (Blanton) really, the last couple weeks, he's been asked to step up. Missing (TE) Tyler Higbee. Been really pleased with him. I also thought (TE) Brycen Hopkins. That third down that he had, was a big time play for us. And then (WR) Ben Skowronek, he's a sharp, savvy, smart football player, he's tough. You know, he's going to only remember the one play where he was trying to get vertical before he ended up catching it. But he had four catches for over 40 yards that were big time. And he's just going to continue to grow and get better and better for us, both on offense and on teams.”
(On his thoughts about COVID and where the team is with a short week before the next game)
“I am optimistic just based on the new protocols and kind of what we've learned about this. So many of the people that were affected by this were asymptomatic. You want to be smart. We're going to have to alter and adjust our schedule the way we operate for the rest of the way. But I think that's going to be consistent with the rest of the league. What we have going for us is that we have a situation in a setting similar to last year, we can operate outside because the weather, for the most part, is so great. Now, I think it's supposed to rain this week, where we might have to come down to SoFi (Stadium) and be able to practice here. We're just in the moment right now. I think the most important thing is let's play our best ball in the month of December and we've strung together three good performances. Has it been perfect? Certainly not. But I think we've developed some resilience, some toughness. And we're just trying to establish an identity that's in alignment with giving ourselves a chance, if we do get fortunate enough to be able to play after the regular season, let's peak at the right time. What that looks like is an exciting thing for us. But, you know, for now, we'll enjoy this. We'll come back tomorrow and get ready for a tough Minnesota team.”
(On where his head is right now after the last couple of weeks)
“I think where my head is at is I'm grateful for this team. I've been reminded, not really reminded, but you're just so appreciative of the guys that you go to work with, our organization, our players, our coaches. That's why you go to work and you work so hard to try to experience moments like what we had in the locker room. But, also, sometimes that adversity…I look at it as every single week represents a chapter in the book. And these guys are writing a special book right now. And I think some of the adversity that we experienced in the month of November makes these moments that much sweeter. Let's continue to build on it. But I'm just appreciative to do this with people that I love and care about. And I am tired right now. This has been emotionally and physically exhausting. We'll get some rest and then we'll get back at this thing tomorrow and have a zest for life. It'll be good.”
(On how RB Sony Michel’s production is a sign he is more comfortable in the offense)
“He's been awesome. I think he's really brought a toughness to our offense. You know, you saw the body of work that he had at New England. I think about when they ended up beating us in the Super Bowl. That stretch run, they really shifted their identity where they leaned on him and they were pounding, they were physical. We've been able to do that with him. And I thought he made some key plays in the pass game. He's so tough in blitz pickup. He's really a complete back. He's brought so much to us. He's so conscientious. Thomas Brown's done a great job. But I think more than anything, he's brought a toughness, he's brought an ability to sustain possessions. You can see that time of possession has really tilted in our direction in a positive way. I think you're seeing that show up with, ‘Hey, how does that affect us playing complementary football.’ Our rushes getting home, we look fresher on defense. And I think that's why we played so well as a team these last three weeks.”
Rams QB Matthew Stafford
(On if there’s anything WR Cooper Kupp does that surprises him)
“No. I mean, he's a great player. He's having a fantastic season. He's such a huge part of what we do as a team. You know, not only on offense, he's back there catching a bunch of punts for us on special teams. Does a great job leading that group. I'm just happy that I get the chance to play with a guy like that. I know a lot of guys on our team feel the same way. We all take a hand in his success and that's really fun. We're just proud of him. Just proud of him watching him do his thing.”
(To come back in a game that they had couldn’t prepare for in a normal week)
“That was big. We really moved the ball well on offense tonight. We just stalled out, or I turned the ball over on a terrible throw. Kind of moved the ball past the 50 a bunch it felt like. A couple too many three and outs here and there. There's no question about that. Put ourselves in some third-and-longs. We ended up overcoming some of them. But not exactly where we want to put ourselves. But our defense played outstanding. They just battled all night. Kept us in it early, gave us chances. Gave up the one touchdown drive in the second half. I felt it was a great for us to come back and answer. And then, man, they were shut down. And our best players making the best plays. That's what it always boils down to. It's great watching those guys do their thing. Tonight was a total team win. It's not always going to be pretty. They were playing really, really deep to short on us as an offense, trying to make us check it down and go 10 or 15 play drives. We were able to get over the top a couple times. But it was kind of just one of those ones that you had to slug out. And those wins are big, especially in December. That's kind of how they happen. And just happy we got it.”
(On if this win was hard to imagine when the team had 29 guys on the Reserve/COVID-19 list)
“I got a lot of trust in the guys that were still available at that point. There were sometimes during the week where it was just every day it felt like half of our team was getting added to the list. I got to give our training staff a bunch of credit for doing a great job of handling that. Guys on our team that we asked to step up and play significant roles tonight did a great job. Hopefully we get some of those guys back. But at the same time, I just really want those guys to feel good and feel healthy. As soon as we get them back, we'll keep it moving. But just proud of the way we battled through some adversity, led by our head coach. He did a fantastic job of kind of leading the way all week, even keeled and ready to go, solution oriented, and figure some stuff out so it was great.”
(On if the interception was just a bad throw or a miscommunication to Kupp)
“Yeah, no, it was a bad throw. Yep, those happen.”
(On what makes Kupp such a special player)
“Every receiver is different, you know? I think (WR) Cooper (Kupp) does a great job of understanding what the defense is doing. He's as smart of a guy I've played with at that position. And then he's got a ton of skills. He's 6'2, 205 pounds or whatever he is, 210 pounds. He’s strong. He's got better long speed than people give him credit for. Catches everything. Just kind of what you want in a receiver. He does a little bit of everything really well and just turns into a really great player.”
(On what went into the second touchdown pass)
“A whole lot of trust, I know that. I've spent a lot of time with him, spent a lot of hours watching tape, talking ball, and watching him run routes and throw it to him. You got to trust that one. You got to cut it loose early and cut it loose to a spot that I think only he's going to be able to get to. It ended up being a good spot and then he caught it and scored. I didn't get to see a lot of it. I was laying down for some of it. Those guys up front battled their ass off tonight. I thought (OL) Bobby (Evans) did a great job of stepping in and playing on super short notice and gave me enough time to get that one off. Great call by (Head Coach) Sean (McVay). I just trusted Cooper to get to his spot. I was able to put it in there and he made a great catch and scored with it.”
(On if throwing to an open area Kupp can get to is something they work on in practice)
“Yeah that's kind of the only way those things happen. Certain times in a game you feel like you need to make a play and that was kind of a time where we had some momentum. We were moving the ball great. We had stalled out in that area of the field a few times, a few times too many in that game and I wanted to make a play. The hook player got a ton of depth. I'm throwing that ball, whatever it was, 20, 25 yards down the field, and the hook player is almost making the play on us. So they were doing that all night trying to keep us from getting behind them. But I just felt like I could put it in a spot. I trusted Cooper to get in there. He went in there and made a nice catch and kind of walked in the end zone. But, sometimes you got to sit back there, trust one, and put it to a good spot and trust your guy's going to make a good play and he did.”
(On his thoughts about the sacks tonight)
“I'm going to have to go back and look at them. A combination of a few things. There were a couple that I wish I would have gotten the ball out. Especially when we were in field goal range a couple times. I wish I would have at least dirted a couple. But that's tough to analyze at the moment. Maybe there's a guy standing open that I could have gotten it to. But where my eyes were at the time of those sacks, I got to do a better job of getting it out and knowing the situation a little bit better and making sure that we come away on some of those drives with points. But this is a team game. At my position, I can make it a little bit better and get the ball out of my hands.”
(On how he is feeling physically after the sacks)
“Oh, I'm good. Yep. I feel fine.”
(On what he’s learned about Head Coach Sean McVay over the past few weeks)
“The guy is ultra-resilient. He's really smart and confident in himself and he should be. He's got a great mind and a great ability to connect with people. And like I said, this whole week was led by him. You know, and some of that is vulnerability, too, right? ‘Hey, guys, I don't know what the answer is, I don't know what the answer is going to be tomorrow because we just don't know.’ There were a lot of unknowns this week. That resonates with us in the locker room, right? Somebody who is real doesn't say, ‘I got all the answers on a Wednesday when however many guys hit the COVID list, right?’ We don't know. We're just going to play this thing day by day, here's what we can control, and we go from there., That's something, as a player, you love from a coach. You just sit there and go, ‘Perfect, that's what we're all thinking. I'm glad you're thinking the same thing from us. Hey, let's build this plan for this game as it kind of comes into focus as who we're going to have.’ And he did a fantastic job of that. I know he had a lot on his plate this week. I feel like our assistant coaches did a great job of helping him out in some of that, too, right? I mean, he's dealing with all sorts of things, moving parts, personnel, all that kind of stuff. Some of our guys did a great job of bringing things to him as part of the plan. He puts his own little touch on all that and then we go out there and play a game. Just happy to be playing for a guy like that. I got a lot of trust in him and have a bunch of fun playing and working with him.”
(On if he thinks this team has shown mental toughness overcoming these last few weeks)
“Yeah, I don't know if I learned anything new just because I felt like I knew that about our group already, you know? Had a tough couple games a month ago, four or five weeks ago that really galvanized us as a group. Understanding that the NFL season is going to have ebbs and flows and we just got figure out a way to fix it and we did that. You got to prove it every single week. But I'm proud of the mental toughness, physical toughness that our guys showed. We got a game on a super short week coming up. We're going to have to do it again against a team that's playing really good football. We got to go to their place. I've played there a bunch of times in my career. It's a tough place to play. We'll have a big challenge on our plate next week. Excited to get this one under our belt and move on.”
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll
(On this being a tough loss for the team and what his message to the team was)
“Yeah, we played really hard tonight. We were on it and had a chance to play with these guys throughout. There were some opportunities in there that we needed to go the other way and they didn't for one reason or another. There's a couple plays we could have made. We made a big mistake in the running game and gave them that big play on the scoring drive. We just made a mistake on the alignment and gave it to them. We played the running (game) great all night long. We felt like we kind of kept them under wraps, but we needed to score again and get ahead. I thought the response right before half and starting the third quarter was exactly what we needed to get rolling. Unfortunately, the next drive that they got, we didn't get the job done. But it's still tens, you know? It's a really good football game on a Tuesday night.”
(On what he saw from the offense in general, the slow start for them and where did things fall short)
“Yeah, we just didn't. We just didn't get going. The defense stayed out, had some drives that we hung on into and got off the field and all that. The offense needed to make their conversions and get going. We were one-for-five on third downs in the first half. That's not enough to get rolling. We never got started. It was great to see that we jumped right at the end of half and then jumped back again, had a really good physical drive, running the football and mixing and all that, everything was just right. We needed to just finish. It was a close game the whole night, we just needed one more drive and unfortunately we couldn't generate it.”
(On what’s left for his team with their slim chances of going to the postseason)
“We're playing for each other. We're playing for the cause of loving this game and loving the guys that are in the locker room with us and playing for one another. The relationships that you build during the course of a season like this are unforgettable. They connect you so that you keep battling because that's what it is. That's what it feels like. You saw how hard we played tonight. There's nothing but guys fighting for one another and so that's what we'll do wherever we're playing, whoever we're playing and whenever it happens. It doesn’t matter if it's Tuesday night or Sunday or whenever. We're going to go ahead and go. We will overcome the issues and get back to playing and focus on the things that make us have a chance, by practicing well, studying hard, caring and loving this game. We’re going to do everything we can to get every single drop out of it as we go down the stretch here.”
(On Seahawks WR DK Metcalf being irate on the sidelines at the end of the first half and how to bring him back mentally)
“He wasn't checked out mentally as far as going out on the field and playing football. You saw something I didn't see and I didn't feel it. I didn't see that. He was right with it. We needed him to go back to this and that. The plays that we were calling he was totally in. I didn't see anything that distracted. But again, things might have been happening behind me. He was right there when we needed him to throughout and didn't waver.”
(On if he got any explanations on Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas fourth down play)
“No. (Inaudible). (Seahawks R DeeJay (Dallas) is one of the great players on our team. Team guy smart guy, great chase, great energy. He lost his composure for a flash of an instant and kicks the ball right there. So, he kind of distracted the focus from the call that that was just made. I don't know, those guys make those calls when they make them and sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It happened quickly and it didn't look very good on the little replay that somebody showed me, but I don’t know. I'm not (inaudible) about that call. We need to win the game in all the other ways we could win the game.”
(On there not being a connection this year between Metcalf and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and their plays that came up short)
“They’re trying their (expletive) off to play right. They're working on their stuff, their routes, their concepts, the calls are there. We're trying to get the ball. We just have to throw and catch it and make the plays and they have to get the job done and throw better. We have to make sure that we make our plays. I know these guys are working really hard to get it done. I am sick that we didn't have a chance to play with (Seahawks WR) Tyler (Lockett) in this game, he would've been a factor in for sure. It's unfortunate because this is really his kind of opportunity. So, (Seahawks WR) DK (Metcalf) had to do it, (Seahawks WR) Freddie (Swain) had to do it, (Seahawks WR Dee) Eskridge had to do it and come through. Those guys did everything they could.”
(On their first drive in the third quarter being as good as it’s been all season and why it worked)
“Well, it was just mixed in really well. DeeJay finished the drive off, (Seahawks RB Rashaad) Penny cramped up coming out of halftime and DeeJay finished off and did a nice job with that. I thought pass protection was as good as it's been also against these guys. I thought we held up well. Our pass rush was as good as it's been also against these guys. There's a lot of positives in there.”
(On why their play wasn’t sustainable in terms of the offense)
“Actually, I don't know. We tried to go right back on and do it again and we didn't make the same first downs that did. The conversions were there in that sequence, and also, we ran the ball really well right there. When the time comes, you have to convert the third downs. We had some good controllable third down situations that we need to make.”
(On the third-down holding penalty against CB Bless Austin)
“I didn't see it. I think he had three penalties thrown his way and I was told that that two of them weren't penalties, but I don’t know that. I can't tell you. I know he is really physical. He knocked a guy down on the last one and (that) was a huge play, like third-and-12, or something like that. We were off the field and they get a first down right there. That’s a very, very timely play for us. And, I know he's physical, but I didn't see the actual contact there. So, I have to wait to see the film.”
(On if the game being moved from Sunday to Tuesday impacted the Seahawks)
“I don't think that had anything to do with anything. It just made it seem like forever to get to this game. It seemed like it was two weeks ago when we played and all that. But, the event here, the stadium was good. You know, our guys were lit up and fired up about this opportunity. They (the Rams) were too. Now, it's going to be taxing the next week and we got to do a nice job of getting back and recovering. It’s a short week coming up.”
(On if the postponement and inactive players put the Seahawks at a disadvantage)
“Well, I don't think it put us in a disadvantage. I think the delay helped them (the Rams). They were able to get some guys back that wouldn't have played on Sunday, I think. But other than that, it didn't hamper us, other than not having Tyler. Tyler’s one of the best players we've ever seen and he wasn't there tonight. He didn't quite make it back. He was battling all the way this morning. He would've flown up here in the morning if he could have passed his (COVID-19) test – he couldn’t get it done. But we were competing at (inaudible).”
(On his reaction to all of the penalties assessed against the Seahawks)
“We've been remarkably good penalty-wise during the course of this season, better than maybe we've ever been with fewer penalties per game and all that kind of stuff. But it seemed like young guys, new guys, that's what it kind of felt like. Making the wrong choice at the wrong time. It just kind of felt like a little bit of inexperience in that running into the kicker, maybe on a third-and-12 you don't have to use your hands as much. You make a good decision there, I don’t even know if that’s a penalty. Those are things that really we should be able to get through and it should not even be a factor. And those three plays, they (the Rams) didn't do anything, they didn't do a thing. We did all that to ourselves. So, it felt like that it felt like the guys that came up in those situations were new guys. And unfortunately, it wasn't the most experienced guys that we've had around and so maybe that's just part of the newness.”
(On why the Seahawks were so successful in the pass rush against the Rams)
“Well, I think that (Seahawks L Carlos (Dunlap II) took advantage of his opportunity against the guy who came in for (Rams OL Rob) Havenstein (Rams OL Alaric Jackson). I know he had three sacks, I think one of them was on the right side. I think two on the left. They had to play a back-up there. Carlos has been around a long time. He had one of his best games, rushing. So, I thought he took advantage of his opportunities really well. This was a game about opportunities. You know, some of them we captured and some of them we didn't and it's really frustrating to have to live with that.”
(Thoughts on the play of Seahawks OLB Jordan Brooks)
“Yeah, he was really active. He was really active. I loved the play on the screen of course. That was a game (where) we’re under three yards a carry in that game in the first half, playing exactly like we've been playing for months. Really kicking butt in the running game. And then that darn play gets out – the 40-yard play. We just lined up on and missed an alignment. But he was all part of that. I thought he was a big factor, he and (Seahawks L Bobby (Wagner), they continue to make the plays. Now we get really good line of scrimmage play from (Seahawks DT) Al (Woods) and from (Seahawks DT) Poona (Ford). And without (Seahawks NT Bryan) Mone tonight, our guys were playing like we've been playing. So, there's some real consistency there. We've got some real strengths there as we're going through this season that keeps showing up.”
(On how the players who are on the Reserve/COVID-19 list are feeling health wise)
“I’d like to send a message out there. Our guys aren’t sick. A couple of guys felt a little something, but they're not sick-sick and they're not feeling really bad. And it's really frustrating for them because they don't feel bad. And the new thing we're dealing with, Omicron, is absolutely on fire, (it’s) virulent, but it's not a big factor in how it’s affecting us at this point. We’re going to learn a lot more, that’s on no information and this is with no research, no nothing, but the early indication is that guys feel a little something and then that’s it. And so, we have to do a good job of getting back from it. These guys (the Rams) did a nice job getting back. They got some guys back in three or four days. We got to make sure we get that done. I don't think we're done with this thing. I think we're still dealing with it.”
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
(On what was going on offensively)
“I thought the first half really kind of got by us. We didn't have that many plays. I think we only had one series in the first quarter, I believe, is that right? One series in the first quarter, right? And then, second half or second quarter, we didn't get the ball that much. We got the ball right before the half. We marched on the field, made some key plays on that drive, and then next thing you know, we ended up kicking the field goal there, so it made a three-game - a tight game. Got the ball back at half, we were able to run the ball well. We were able to also get the ball out quick to (Seahawks WR) DK (Metcalf) ‘D. Calf’ a few of those, signal some stuff here and there. We were able to march the ball. (Seahawks WR) Freddie (Swain) made a sweet play. DK made a couple nice plays, big third-down conversion to him in. We end up running the touchdown in. That was huge. The rest of the half the score was 10-10. The score was 10-10, I think there was about eight minutes to go, something like that. It's third and 18 for them and they get the conversion on the first down off the penalty and they ended up scoring on that drive. Made it 17-10. We get the ball back, it's third and one – unfortunately - we go offsides. We think we would've had that first down there on that play. And then next thing you know, it's a huge key situation or whatever. And unfortunately, we don't get the call, don't make the play. I think that there are some plays out there we could have had, we could made and this and that, you know, I felt like I was a little short on DK on that one. I wish I could have had that one back maybe, but other than that, I felt like we played a good game. It was a tight game. We didn't get as much opportunities as we wanted to. We had some third longs, you know, obviously, they’re a good defense. They had good pass rushers and stuff and third longs is always tough. So the game got away from us. It was 10-10 and we had a chance to win it, we felt like, and unfortunately, we didn't.”
(On sensing any frustration from Metcalf after the first half)
“No, he wasn't. We didn't have anything between us or anything like that. There's a moment where he was pressed and we ran the ball on that play, and he did a really good job of shaking (CB Jalen) Ramsey on a really smooth play, like he was saying, “Hey, I'm hot today. I'm going to be ready to go. I'm going to be ready to go.” So that was kind of his passion. Wasn't anything wrong or anything like that. Me and him were super connected, you know, so there was nothing wrong or anything like that. He had a great week. He was focused. Highly focused. Ready to roll. So, there was nothing there.”
(On being 5-9 and how he’s feeling about that)
“It's definitely disappointing. I think that the season's been tough just in general with everything going on with everyone and just life. There's a lot of real situations out there going on, you know, and COVID… I think for us, the only thing that we can do is get ready for tomorrow, wake up tomorrow and give everything we have. That's what our job is to do, to wake up and give everything we have every day. That's all I know. It's definitely disappointing, you know, and I feel like this season we had some chances to win some games early on. We didn't unfortunately. I think the season's past, I felt like we've won those close games. I go back to, I think it was 2019, I think we had seven or eight games we won, you know, those close tight-knit games. I go back to early on the season, Tennessee, for example, we could have had that game. A few games just kind of got away from us. What I do know is that I'm grateful for each guy that gives everything every day. I don't expect anything to change with that in terms of their mentality, our mentality, how we're going to work at it every day and work at our craft. That's the character of guys we have in the room. I know that it’s disappointing, you know, the good thing is I think that we've always created such a high standard of playing and winning and we found ways to just win these close games. And this year, unfortunately, we weren't able to do it, you know and all I know is we got three more left and we're going to give everything we have.”
(On the loss of Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett in the game)
“I thought guys were working their butts off. I think that obviously (Seahawks WR) Tyler Lockett’s, one of the best receivers in the national football, anytime he is out there, it's always helpful. I'm just glad Tyler's feeling okay, feeling good. It's this COVID thing's very real and he found out he had it. That was always tough. That was tough on all of us. And I know tough on him because I know how much he's cared and put into this. And me and him are texting all week, just checking on each other. We were talking about the game plan, just different things. He's such an amazing person, amazing player, amazing teammate. Anytime he's out on the field, it's always a good thing. Anytime he's just around us, it's always a good thing. So, but I thought guys played their butts off. I thought Freddie, they just brought off and made us a couple nice, really good plays. I thought guys really try to do some special things in those games. We almost had that deep shot to (Seahawks WR) Dee Eskridge, almost came down with it, you know, on the scramble that would've been a huge play. He tried to go, you know, go forward it, he had it. And then they end up, I think, knocking it out and didn't get to see it all the way. But, um, you know, so guys gave everything they had, you know, and, you know, so, but anyway, anytime you don't have Tyler, you want your best players out there. And obviously he's one those guys in the National Football League, but guys played their butts off all week.”
(On Tyler Lockett being missed due to the lack of production on passes more than ten yards)
“I think that obviously Tyler has the ability to get open and just slow their past the defense. He's been the best of the world ever since he's gotten in the league. Eight years, however many years he's been playing, that's what he does best. I think that in the midst of the game, you know, that'd a really good pass rush. You know, we try to slow them down. We did a good job of slowing down for the most part and, and they made a couple plays, you know, I gave DK a nice double move on one of them. That's the one I got hit and Joe makes a great catch on it, but that was a touchdown. Unfortunately, I got hit right when I threw it, but there's some key moments in there. You know, and obviously Tyler's, he's one of the best at it.”
(On trying to go to DK Metcalf on completion to Gerald Everett)
“Yeah, I got my arm hit right when I threw it and I was actually going to Metcalf and they kind of chopped my elbow right when I threw it. So, my wrist or whatever.”
(On the fourth down play to Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas and the no-call)
“Unfortunate. I think that DeeJay's supposed to run a different route. I kind of told him, ‘Hey, run this one right here, you know?’ And without saying the name of it, (I) told him to kind of go out and release on this one and just free release. And it was the perfect look. I mean it was and unfortunately rushed. And they got right down the middle there kind of. Unfortunately, and tried to get the ball to DeeJay and got hit, right when tried to release it and he got hit right when the ball was kind of getting to him. Obviously, that was a huge play. Could have been a big moment, obviously, ‘cause the score right there was 17-10 and the ball would've been on a - I don't know what the 32 yard line, 30 yard line roughly. I don't know exactly, but that was a big moment and there's so many other moments in that game. I felt like we could have capitalized and the game was 10 to 10 with eight minutes to go or whatever. So it was there for us and unfortunately got away.”
(On if he is playing up to the level he wants to play at)
“Well, where I wanna be is whatever our record could be - 10 and whatever it could be. That's where I want to be. Unfortunately, I've been getting better every week. I had a great game last week and everything else. We had some key moments the past couple weeks. (We) had great weeks and they made a couple plays here and there. Like I said, we didn't have the ball that much. We tried to do some different things, try to slow them down, up front. And we did a good job of that for the most part. There's just some key, key moments in there, you know? And so, I think that to answer your question, I'm always going to keep working no matter what. I'm never where I want to be just because I always want to work in my game. I always want to continue to get better every day. There's a tough, tough battle today. I mean, like I said, the scores 10-10. The game was right there and unfortunately got away with a couple key moments of miscues and stuff like that. So, I always stay encouraged. I'll always keep working and that's all I know.”
(On if they are still approaching the season as if they got a shot at the playoffs)
“I don't know all the math of it all. All I know is what we want to approach it as is that we have a job to do and we have a opportunity to go play as tough as we can as hard as we can for our fans and for our own families and our careers and just try to do things right. There is no other way. You're always going to try to do things right in the right manner, the right approach at the highest, highest level. You know, it's a good football team we played today. It was a good game. Unfortunately, we didn't win it. And what we do know is that the next day is the only day we get and so we're going to do everything we can to give it all we have. And that's the only approach we know Mike. It's disappointing we didn't get to win it today. Obviously, we've been playing some good football. I thought that this game was a good game. Just like I said, it didn't end up the way we wanted it to late in the last, you know, five, six minutes of the game really. And we've won so many of those moments and I think to key moments, key penalties, key little things like that. Those things can't happen in those kind of tight situations with great teams. And so, all I know is I'm gonna stay encouraged and I don't know any other way. I give everything I have for these guys in this locker room Seattle and just everything I have every day and just our fans and I love this game every day. I'm going to come with the right approach, the right mindset, and that's all we know. I know everybody else is going to do the same.”
--RAMS--
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll, Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay
(Opening Statement)
“First of all, what an incredible job, really by our organization as a whole: staff, coaches, players. I mean, you look at (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) and his group, (Director, Football Operations) Sophie Harlan, so many people were instrumental in even getting us in a position to play this game. And I couldn't be more impressed with just our coaches, our player’s ability to be able to bottle up. There was a lot of emotions. This was a heavy week navigating through all the things that we went through. But for our guys to come in here, perform the way that they did, I thought the fans were outstanding. Just so many people. This was a big time win for our team. And it wasn't perfect by any stretch, but I thought there was a lot of key plays that were instrumental. I loved the response from the offense after we went down 10-3. I thought our defense as a whole was outstanding throughout the course of the day. (C
Jalen Ramsey showed up, (DL) Aaron Donald. Those guys continue to make their plays. I thought really our rush as a whole and then for (S) Taylor Rapp to be able to finish it out. But defense was great. (Q Matthew (Stafford) and (WR) Cooper (Kupp) made their plays. I thought (R Sony Michel ran, tough, physical, and hard. Guys just played. And then (K) Matt Gay continues to shine. I thought our (special) teams were really good today. And this was a tough, hard-earned win. That's a really tough group. Got a lot of respect for (Seahawks Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll and the Seahawks. And you could see, they had some good momentum coming into this game after they ended up beating San Francisco and then had a really outstanding performance against Houston last week. So, really, great job. Also, I think it's incredible. Matthew Stafford, I was just told, fastest quarterback to 50,000 yards and then all the records that Cooper has set. Two of our captains. Two of the most important guys that are instrumental in terms of their leadership and then also their play and just what they mean to me and to our team. So, really happy to get this. And then, you know, we'll start our preparation for the Vikings tomorrow.”(On if he is surprised that WR Cooper Kupp doesn’t know when he breaks a record)
“No. I think he has an idea of how well he is playing but he is truly one of the most humble, special players I have ever been around. He doesn't need all the accolades. I think it's great he gets his first Pro Bowl recognition. I don't know how he's not going to be a First Team All-Pro prayer. I think he's a legitimate candidate for a lot of awards but he is about our team. He's interested in leading the right way, making the plays that are instrumental and vital to the outcomes of our team's success and he does a lot of stuff without the football as well. But he's so special. You and I both know that. Pretty cool.”
(On how everyone seemed to be on the same page despite an unusual week of preparation)
“It's amazing, Maria. It certainly has been a whirlwind. You know, for our guys…(Defensive Coordinator) Raheem (Morris) joked, he said, ‘We're like the Lakers, we got a couple shootarounds earlier this week, and then we rolled it out and played.’ And so, I think that's well said. But our guys, you talk about a mature football team, it's later on in the year, but we got a lot of our guys…I think (General Manager) Les (Snead) and his group did a great job of filling out some of the practice squad looks and really just the entirety of our roster for us to look at practice in a manner that's getting ready for a good football team. I think what we've seen from this team is these guys are mentally tough. They've stayed connected. Some of the adverse moments we've been through, these guys find a positive in that. I think that's really developed a good armor for us to be able to sustain some of that adversity and respond the right way. Whether it's in games or throughout the course of the week. Really proud of this team, really proud of these players.”
(On missing two of our coaches today)
“We were. Yes, we were missing (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown and (Offensive Assistant) Zak Kromer and hopefully we'll get them back sooner than later.”
(On the running back group’s performance today)
“Yeah, Sony got the majority of the workload. I thought (R
Darrell (Henderson Jr.) came in and did a nice job. He was really kind of getting his wind underneath them. He had a couple big time carries. But I thought Sony was outstanding today. (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown is such a leader for that room, he's assistant head coach, he’s a running back coach. He has a great feel during the course of the game. I thought (Assistant Quarterbacks Coach) Zac Robinson did a great job being able to spell those guys, have a good feel, communicate with them in between drives. Sony was outstanding and then Darrell did a nice job with the opportunities he had today.”(On the sequence of offensive plays when players were moving the piles forward for extra yards and if that was an illustration of the effort players showed)
“It is, and I thought it's been especially relevant these last three weeks. You look at it, our guys, they tightened up when they had to be at their best. Sony was leveling runs off. The one that you're talking about is probably when Darrell got that really good push, you know, in kind of one of our downhill direct runs. I thought that was a tone-setting play for us. And then, really, once the defense makes the stop on fourth down, the first play of that sequence where Sony breaks it out, has the presence to stay in bounds where the clock…you run another 40 seconds off the clock and then ultimately, Matt Gay coming in and delivering the field goal to put us up 10. So many things, but I thought the offensive line did a great job in particular when we had to run it to be able to close out the game.”
(On if he thinks this win showcased his team’s ability to rally)
“I think it did. It was really, it was special by those guys. It makes it that much sweeter when you see guys just stay connected, stay together. It wasn't always perfect. And there were some opportunities that I think we're going to be able to learn from, similar to what Cooper was saying before I walked in here. But guys didn't flinch, they didn't blink. They just stayed the course, we stayed connected as a team. For them to come out, they had a good drive to start out the second half, they go up 10-3, and then what happens? We respond right away. There was some big time plays, but Sony's toughness…the one long run he broke out when were in the shotgun, and he ended up getting the stiff arm. And then to be able to have Matthew deliver a nice timing throw to Cooper to finish out that drive for the touchdown was key to get back to 10-10. And then I thought we had the momentum from then on for remainder of the game.”
(On if this win showed how the defense is starting to find its identity)
“Those two guys are so special to us. They're team captains. Missing (S) Jordan Fuller, I thought (L
Ernest Jones did a great job handling the dot (mic) today. But Jalen and Aaron are First Team All-Pro players for a reason. They're legitimate Defensive Player of the Year guys. They're so special. They're one of one at what they do. And their leadership, their ability to be able to bottle that up…I think anybody that's great at what they do has a mental toughness and resilience and, certainly, both those two guys really stand out and check the boxes on both of those things. I also thought Raheem and our defensive coaching staff did a great job. You talk about a great plan, being able to maximize it. It was really up until this morning, you don't really know if you're getting some key players like (OL Von (Miller) and just all the moving parts. I think it showed great agility by Raheem and his group, (Special Teams Coordinator) Joe DeCamillis, and (Assistant Special Teams Coach) Dwayne Stukes, (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin O'Connell and the offensive coaches. Those guys did an outstanding job. But Jalen and Aaron were special tonight.”(On the most challenging moment for him this week leading up to this game)
“I don't know if I'd ever really look at it like that. I think it was just, ‘Take it one moment at a time and figure out what is the way we can have a solution-oriented mindset.’ I was very fortunate. And I mentioned this earlier, but with the league and the PA (Players Association) to be able to work in coordination, to be able to move this game back. I thought that was key for us to be able to play this game. You know, with the amount of guys that we're going to miss. I don't even know if we had enough guys to field a team. But I didn't really look at it like that. It was just, ‘Hey, let's be in the moment, let's take it one step at a time, and let's figure out a way to maximize the guys we do have.’ Our preparation, given clarity, I thought the way they had kept the tension on some of these Zoom meetings and translate that to, really, two days of on the field preparation was big time. But it was kind of a build up to this game where you got a little bit better information every day. It started to just get a little bit brighter and brighter, and hopefully we'll get some guys back for Minnesota because that's going to be a really tough game.”
(On the performances of the tight ends with the absence of TE Tyler Higbee)
“I thought they did a really good job. I think (TE) Kendall (Blanton) really, the last couple weeks, he's been asked to step up. Missing (TE) Tyler Higbee. Been really pleased with him. I also thought (TE) Brycen Hopkins. That third down that he had, was a big time play for us. And then (WR) Ben Skowronek, he's a sharp, savvy, smart football player, he's tough. You know, he's going to only remember the one play where he was trying to get vertical before he ended up catching it. But he had four catches for over 40 yards that were big time. And he's just going to continue to grow and get better and better for us, both on offense and on teams.”
(On his thoughts about COVID and where the team is with a short week before the next game)
“I am optimistic just based on the new protocols and kind of what we've learned about this. So many of the people that were affected by this were asymptomatic. You want to be smart. We're going to have to alter and adjust our schedule the way we operate for the rest of the way. But I think that's going to be consistent with the rest of the league. What we have going for us is that we have a situation in a setting similar to last year, we can operate outside because the weather, for the most part, is so great. Now, I think it's supposed to rain this week, where we might have to come down to SoFi (Stadium) and be able to practice here. We're just in the moment right now. I think the most important thing is let's play our best ball in the month of December and we've strung together three good performances. Has it been perfect? Certainly not. But I think we've developed some resilience, some toughness. And we're just trying to establish an identity that's in alignment with giving ourselves a chance, if we do get fortunate enough to be able to play after the regular season, let's peak at the right time. What that looks like is an exciting thing for us. But, you know, for now, we'll enjoy this. We'll come back tomorrow and get ready for a tough Minnesota team.”
(On where his head is right now after the last couple of weeks)
“I think where my head is at is I'm grateful for this team. I've been reminded, not really reminded, but you're just so appreciative of the guys that you go to work with, our organization, our players, our coaches. That's why you go to work and you work so hard to try to experience moments like what we had in the locker room. But, also, sometimes that adversity…I look at it as every single week represents a chapter in the book. And these guys are writing a special book right now. And I think some of the adversity that we experienced in the month of November makes these moments that much sweeter. Let's continue to build on it. But I'm just appreciative to do this with people that I love and care about. And I am tired right now. This has been emotionally and physically exhausting. We'll get some rest and then we'll get back at this thing tomorrow and have a zest for life. It'll be good.”
(On how RB Sony Michel’s production is a sign he is more comfortable in the offense)
“He's been awesome. I think he's really brought a toughness to our offense. You know, you saw the body of work that he had at New England. I think about when they ended up beating us in the Super Bowl. That stretch run, they really shifted their identity where they leaned on him and they were pounding, they were physical. We've been able to do that with him. And I thought he made some key plays in the pass game. He's so tough in blitz pickup. He's really a complete back. He's brought so much to us. He's so conscientious. Thomas Brown's done a great job. But I think more than anything, he's brought a toughness, he's brought an ability to sustain possessions. You can see that time of possession has really tilted in our direction in a positive way. I think you're seeing that show up with, ‘Hey, how does that affect us playing complementary football.’ Our rushes getting home, we look fresher on defense. And I think that's why we played so well as a team these last three weeks.”
Rams QB Matthew Stafford
(On if there’s anything WR Cooper Kupp does that surprises him)
“No. I mean, he's a great player. He's having a fantastic season. He's such a huge part of what we do as a team. You know, not only on offense, he's back there catching a bunch of punts for us on special teams. Does a great job leading that group. I'm just happy that I get the chance to play with a guy like that. I know a lot of guys on our team feel the same way. We all take a hand in his success and that's really fun. We're just proud of him. Just proud of him watching him do his thing.”
(To come back in a game that they had couldn’t prepare for in a normal week)
“That was big. We really moved the ball well on offense tonight. We just stalled out, or I turned the ball over on a terrible throw. Kind of moved the ball past the 50 a bunch it felt like. A couple too many three and outs here and there. There's no question about that. Put ourselves in some third-and-longs. We ended up overcoming some of them. But not exactly where we want to put ourselves. But our defense played outstanding. They just battled all night. Kept us in it early, gave us chances. Gave up the one touchdown drive in the second half. I felt it was a great for us to come back and answer. And then, man, they were shut down. And our best players making the best plays. That's what it always boils down to. It's great watching those guys do their thing. Tonight was a total team win. It's not always going to be pretty. They were playing really, really deep to short on us as an offense, trying to make us check it down and go 10 or 15 play drives. We were able to get over the top a couple times. But it was kind of just one of those ones that you had to slug out. And those wins are big, especially in December. That's kind of how they happen. And just happy we got it.”
(On if this win was hard to imagine when the team had 29 guys on the Reserve/COVID-19 list)
“I got a lot of trust in the guys that were still available at that point. There were sometimes during the week where it was just every day it felt like half of our team was getting added to the list. I got to give our training staff a bunch of credit for doing a great job of handling that. Guys on our team that we asked to step up and play significant roles tonight did a great job. Hopefully we get some of those guys back. But at the same time, I just really want those guys to feel good and feel healthy. As soon as we get them back, we'll keep it moving. But just proud of the way we battled through some adversity, led by our head coach. He did a fantastic job of kind of leading the way all week, even keeled and ready to go, solution oriented, and figure some stuff out so it was great.”
(On if the interception was just a bad throw or a miscommunication to Kupp)
“Yeah, no, it was a bad throw. Yep, those happen.”
(On what makes Kupp such a special player)
“Every receiver is different, you know? I think (WR) Cooper (Kupp) does a great job of understanding what the defense is doing. He's as smart of a guy I've played with at that position. And then he's got a ton of skills. He's 6'2, 205 pounds or whatever he is, 210 pounds. He’s strong. He's got better long speed than people give him credit for. Catches everything. Just kind of what you want in a receiver. He does a little bit of everything really well and just turns into a really great player.”
(On what went into the second touchdown pass)
“A whole lot of trust, I know that. I've spent a lot of time with him, spent a lot of hours watching tape, talking ball, and watching him run routes and throw it to him. You got to trust that one. You got to cut it loose early and cut it loose to a spot that I think only he's going to be able to get to. It ended up being a good spot and then he caught it and scored. I didn't get to see a lot of it. I was laying down for some of it. Those guys up front battled their ass off tonight. I thought (OL) Bobby (Evans) did a great job of stepping in and playing on super short notice and gave me enough time to get that one off. Great call by (Head Coach) Sean (McVay). I just trusted Cooper to get to his spot. I was able to put it in there and he made a great catch and scored with it.”
(On if throwing to an open area Kupp can get to is something they work on in practice)
“Yeah that's kind of the only way those things happen. Certain times in a game you feel like you need to make a play and that was kind of a time where we had some momentum. We were moving the ball great. We had stalled out in that area of the field a few times, a few times too many in that game and I wanted to make a play. The hook player got a ton of depth. I'm throwing that ball, whatever it was, 20, 25 yards down the field, and the hook player is almost making the play on us. So they were doing that all night trying to keep us from getting behind them. But I just felt like I could put it in a spot. I trusted Cooper to get in there. He went in there and made a nice catch and kind of walked in the end zone. But, sometimes you got to sit back there, trust one, and put it to a good spot and trust your guy's going to make a good play and he did.”
(On his thoughts about the sacks tonight)
“I'm going to have to go back and look at them. A combination of a few things. There were a couple that I wish I would have gotten the ball out. Especially when we were in field goal range a couple times. I wish I would have at least dirted a couple. But that's tough to analyze at the moment. Maybe there's a guy standing open that I could have gotten it to. But where my eyes were at the time of those sacks, I got to do a better job of getting it out and knowing the situation a little bit better and making sure that we come away on some of those drives with points. But this is a team game. At my position, I can make it a little bit better and get the ball out of my hands.”
(On how he is feeling physically after the sacks)
“Oh, I'm good. Yep. I feel fine.”
(On what he’s learned about Head Coach Sean McVay over the past few weeks)
“The guy is ultra-resilient. He's really smart and confident in himself and he should be. He's got a great mind and a great ability to connect with people. And like I said, this whole week was led by him. You know, and some of that is vulnerability, too, right? ‘Hey, guys, I don't know what the answer is, I don't know what the answer is going to be tomorrow because we just don't know.’ There were a lot of unknowns this week. That resonates with us in the locker room, right? Somebody who is real doesn't say, ‘I got all the answers on a Wednesday when however many guys hit the COVID list, right?’ We don't know. We're just going to play this thing day by day, here's what we can control, and we go from there., That's something, as a player, you love from a coach. You just sit there and go, ‘Perfect, that's what we're all thinking. I'm glad you're thinking the same thing from us. Hey, let's build this plan for this game as it kind of comes into focus as who we're going to have.’ And he did a fantastic job of that. I know he had a lot on his plate this week. I feel like our assistant coaches did a great job of helping him out in some of that, too, right? I mean, he's dealing with all sorts of things, moving parts, personnel, all that kind of stuff. Some of our guys did a great job of bringing things to him as part of the plan. He puts his own little touch on all that and then we go out there and play a game. Just happy to be playing for a guy like that. I got a lot of trust in him and have a bunch of fun playing and working with him.”
(On if he thinks this team has shown mental toughness overcoming these last few weeks)
“Yeah, I don't know if I learned anything new just because I felt like I knew that about our group already, you know? Had a tough couple games a month ago, four or five weeks ago that really galvanized us as a group. Understanding that the NFL season is going to have ebbs and flows and we just got figure out a way to fix it and we did that. You got to prove it every single week. But I'm proud of the mental toughness, physical toughness that our guys showed. We got a game on a super short week coming up. We're going to have to do it again against a team that's playing really good football. We got to go to their place. I've played there a bunch of times in my career. It's a tough place to play. We'll have a big challenge on our plate next week. Excited to get this one under our belt and move on.”
Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll
(On this being a tough loss for the team and what his message to the team was)
“Yeah, we played really hard tonight. We were on it and had a chance to play with these guys throughout. There were some opportunities in there that we needed to go the other way and they didn't for one reason or another. There's a couple plays we could have made. We made a big mistake in the running game and gave them that big play on the scoring drive. We just made a mistake on the alignment and gave it to them. We played the running (game) great all night long. We felt like we kind of kept them under wraps, but we needed to score again and get ahead. I thought the response right before half and starting the third quarter was exactly what we needed to get rolling. Unfortunately, the next drive that they got, we didn't get the job done. But it's still tens, you know? It's a really good football game on a Tuesday night.”
(On what he saw from the offense in general, the slow start for them and where did things fall short)
“Yeah, we just didn't. We just didn't get going. The defense stayed out, had some drives that we hung on into and got off the field and all that. The offense needed to make their conversions and get going. We were one-for-five on third downs in the first half. That's not enough to get rolling. We never got started. It was great to see that we jumped right at the end of half and then jumped back again, had a really good physical drive, running the football and mixing and all that, everything was just right. We needed to just finish. It was a close game the whole night, we just needed one more drive and unfortunately we couldn't generate it.”
(On what’s left for his team with their slim chances of going to the postseason)
“We're playing for each other. We're playing for the cause of loving this game and loving the guys that are in the locker room with us and playing for one another. The relationships that you build during the course of a season like this are unforgettable. They connect you so that you keep battling because that's what it is. That's what it feels like. You saw how hard we played tonight. There's nothing but guys fighting for one another and so that's what we'll do wherever we're playing, whoever we're playing and whenever it happens. It doesn’t matter if it's Tuesday night or Sunday or whenever. We're going to go ahead and go. We will overcome the issues and get back to playing and focus on the things that make us have a chance, by practicing well, studying hard, caring and loving this game. We’re going to do everything we can to get every single drop out of it as we go down the stretch here.”
(On Seahawks WR DK Metcalf being irate on the sidelines at the end of the first half and how to bring him back mentally)
“He wasn't checked out mentally as far as going out on the field and playing football. You saw something I didn't see and I didn't feel it. I didn't see that. He was right with it. We needed him to go back to this and that. The plays that we were calling he was totally in. I didn't see anything that distracted. But again, things might have been happening behind me. He was right there when we needed him to throughout and didn't waver.”
(On if he got any explanations on Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas fourth down play)
“No. (Inaudible). (Seahawks R
DeeJay (Dallas) is one of the great players on our team. Team guy smart guy, great chase, great energy. He lost his composure for a flash of an instant and kicks the ball right there. So, he kind of distracted the focus from the call that that was just made. I don't know, those guys make those calls when they make them and sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It happened quickly and it didn't look very good on the little replay that somebody showed me, but I don’t know. I'm not (inaudible) about that call. We need to win the game in all the other ways we could win the game.”(On there not being a connection this year between Metcalf and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson and their plays that came up short)
“They’re trying their (expletive) off to play right. They're working on their stuff, their routes, their concepts, the calls are there. We're trying to get the ball. We just have to throw and catch it and make the plays and they have to get the job done and throw better. We have to make sure that we make our plays. I know these guys are working really hard to get it done. I am sick that we didn't have a chance to play with (Seahawks WR) Tyler (Lockett) in this game, he would've been a factor in for sure. It's unfortunate because this is really his kind of opportunity. So, (Seahawks WR) DK (Metcalf) had to do it, (Seahawks WR) Freddie (Swain) had to do it, (Seahawks WR Dee) Eskridge had to do it and come through. Those guys did everything they could.”
(On their first drive in the third quarter being as good as it’s been all season and why it worked)
“Well, it was just mixed in really well. DeeJay finished the drive off, (Seahawks RB Rashaad) Penny cramped up coming out of halftime and DeeJay finished off and did a nice job with that. I thought pass protection was as good as it's been also against these guys. I thought we held up well. Our pass rush was as good as it's been also against these guys. There's a lot of positives in there.”
(On why their play wasn’t sustainable in terms of the offense)
“Actually, I don't know. We tried to go right back on and do it again and we didn't make the same first downs that did. The conversions were there in that sequence, and also, we ran the ball really well right there. When the time comes, you have to convert the third downs. We had some good controllable third down situations that we need to make.”
(On the third-down holding penalty against CB Bless Austin)
“I didn't see it. I think he had three penalties thrown his way and I was told that that two of them weren't penalties, but I don’t know that. I can't tell you. I know he is really physical. He knocked a guy down on the last one and (that) was a huge play, like third-and-12, or something like that. We were off the field and they get a first down right there. That’s a very, very timely play for us. And, I know he's physical, but I didn't see the actual contact there. So, I have to wait to see the film.”
(On if the game being moved from Sunday to Tuesday impacted the Seahawks)
“I don't think that had anything to do with anything. It just made it seem like forever to get to this game. It seemed like it was two weeks ago when we played and all that. But, the event here, the stadium was good. You know, our guys were lit up and fired up about this opportunity. They (the Rams) were too. Now, it's going to be taxing the next week and we got to do a nice job of getting back and recovering. It’s a short week coming up.”
(On if the postponement and inactive players put the Seahawks at a disadvantage)
“Well, I don't think it put us in a disadvantage. I think the delay helped them (the Rams). They were able to get some guys back that wouldn't have played on Sunday, I think. But other than that, it didn't hamper us, other than not having Tyler. Tyler’s one of the best players we've ever seen and he wasn't there tonight. He didn't quite make it back. He was battling all the way this morning. He would've flown up here in the morning if he could have passed his (COVID-19) test – he couldn’t get it done. But we were competing at (inaudible).”
(On his reaction to all of the penalties assessed against the Seahawks)
“We've been remarkably good penalty-wise during the course of this season, better than maybe we've ever been with fewer penalties per game and all that kind of stuff. But it seemed like young guys, new guys, that's what it kind of felt like. Making the wrong choice at the wrong time. It just kind of felt like a little bit of inexperience in that running into the kicker, maybe on a third-and-12 you don't have to use your hands as much. You make a good decision there, I don’t even know if that’s a penalty. Those are things that really we should be able to get through and it should not even be a factor. And those three plays, they (the Rams) didn't do anything, they didn't do a thing. We did all that to ourselves. So, it felt like that it felt like the guys that came up in those situations were new guys. And unfortunately, it wasn't the most experienced guys that we've had around and so maybe that's just part of the newness.”
(On why the Seahawks were so successful in the pass rush against the Rams)
“Well, I think that (Seahawks L
Carlos (Dunlap II) took advantage of his opportunity against the guy who came in for (Rams OL Rob) Havenstein (Rams OL Alaric Jackson). I know he had three sacks, I think one of them was on the right side. I think two on the left. They had to play a back-up there. Carlos has been around a long time. He had one of his best games, rushing. So, I thought he took advantage of his opportunities really well. This was a game about opportunities. You know, some of them we captured and some of them we didn't and it's really frustrating to have to live with that.”(Thoughts on the play of Seahawks OLB Jordan Brooks)
“Yeah, he was really active. He was really active. I loved the play on the screen of course. That was a game (where) we’re under three yards a carry in that game in the first half, playing exactly like we've been playing for months. Really kicking butt in the running game. And then that darn play gets out – the 40-yard play. We just lined up on and missed an alignment. But he was all part of that. I thought he was a big factor, he and (Seahawks L
Bobby (Wagner), they continue to make the plays. Now we get really good line of scrimmage play from (Seahawks DT) Al (Woods) and from (Seahawks DT) Poona (Ford). And without (Seahawks NT Bryan) Mone tonight, our guys were playing like we've been playing. So, there's some real consistency there. We've got some real strengths there as we're going through this season that keeps showing up.”(On how the players who are on the Reserve/COVID-19 list are feeling health wise)
“I’d like to send a message out there. Our guys aren’t sick. A couple of guys felt a little something, but they're not sick-sick and they're not feeling really bad. And it's really frustrating for them because they don't feel bad. And the new thing we're dealing with, Omicron, is absolutely on fire, (it’s) virulent, but it's not a big factor in how it’s affecting us at this point. We’re going to learn a lot more, that’s on no information and this is with no research, no nothing, but the early indication is that guys feel a little something and then that’s it. And so, we have to do a good job of getting back from it. These guys (the Rams) did a nice job getting back. They got some guys back in three or four days. We got to make sure we get that done. I don't think we're done with this thing. I think we're still dealing with it.”
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson
(On what was going on offensively)
“I thought the first half really kind of got by us. We didn't have that many plays. I think we only had one series in the first quarter, I believe, is that right? One series in the first quarter, right? And then, second half or second quarter, we didn't get the ball that much. We got the ball right before the half. We marched on the field, made some key plays on that drive, and then next thing you know, we ended up kicking the field goal there, so it made a three-game - a tight game. Got the ball back at half, we were able to run the ball well. We were able to also get the ball out quick to (Seahawks WR) DK (Metcalf) ‘D. Calf’ a few of those, signal some stuff here and there. We were able to march the ball. (Seahawks WR) Freddie (Swain) made a sweet play. DK made a couple nice plays, big third-down conversion to him in. We end up running the touchdown in. That was huge. The rest of the half the score was 10-10. The score was 10-10, I think there was about eight minutes to go, something like that. It's third and 18 for them and they get the conversion on the first down off the penalty and they ended up scoring on that drive. Made it 17-10. We get the ball back, it's third and one – unfortunately - we go offsides. We think we would've had that first down there on that play. And then next thing you know, it's a huge key situation or whatever. And unfortunately, we don't get the call, don't make the play. I think that there are some plays out there we could have had, we could made and this and that, you know, I felt like I was a little short on DK on that one. I wish I could have had that one back maybe, but other than that, I felt like we played a good game. It was a tight game. We didn't get as much opportunities as we wanted to. We had some third longs, you know, obviously, they’re a good defense. They had good pass rushers and stuff and third longs is always tough. So the game got away from us. It was 10-10 and we had a chance to win it, we felt like, and unfortunately, we didn't.”
(On sensing any frustration from Metcalf after the first half)
“No, he wasn't. We didn't have anything between us or anything like that. There's a moment where he was pressed and we ran the ball on that play, and he did a really good job of shaking (CB Jalen) Ramsey on a really smooth play, like he was saying, “Hey, I'm hot today. I'm going to be ready to go. I'm going to be ready to go.” So that was kind of his passion. Wasn't anything wrong or anything like that. Me and him were super connected, you know, so there was nothing wrong or anything like that. He had a great week. He was focused. Highly focused. Ready to roll. So, there was nothing there.”
(On being 5-9 and how he’s feeling about that)
“It's definitely disappointing. I think that the season's been tough just in general with everything going on with everyone and just life. There's a lot of real situations out there going on, you know, and COVID… I think for us, the only thing that we can do is get ready for tomorrow, wake up tomorrow and give everything we have. That's what our job is to do, to wake up and give everything we have every day. That's all I know. It's definitely disappointing, you know, and I feel like this season we had some chances to win some games early on. We didn't unfortunately. I think the season's past, I felt like we've won those close games. I go back to, I think it was 2019, I think we had seven or eight games we won, you know, those close tight-knit games. I go back to early on the season, Tennessee, for example, we could have had that game. A few games just kind of got away from us. What I do know is that I'm grateful for each guy that gives everything every day. I don't expect anything to change with that in terms of their mentality, our mentality, how we're going to work at it every day and work at our craft. That's the character of guys we have in the room. I know that it’s disappointing, you know, the good thing is I think that we've always created such a high standard of playing and winning and we found ways to just win these close games. And this year, unfortunately, we weren't able to do it, you know and all I know is we got three more left and we're going to give everything we have.”
(On the loss of Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett in the game)
“I thought guys were working their butts off. I think that obviously (Seahawks WR) Tyler Lockett’s, one of the best receivers in the national football, anytime he is out there, it's always helpful. I'm just glad Tyler's feeling okay, feeling good. It's this COVID thing's very real and he found out he had it. That was always tough. That was tough on all of us. And I know tough on him because I know how much he's cared and put into this. And me and him are texting all week, just checking on each other. We were talking about the game plan, just different things. He's such an amazing person, amazing player, amazing teammate. Anytime he's out on the field, it's always a good thing. Anytime he's just around us, it's always a good thing. So, but I thought guys played their butts off. I thought Freddie, they just brought off and made us a couple nice, really good plays. I thought guys really try to do some special things in those games. We almost had that deep shot to (Seahawks WR) Dee Eskridge, almost came down with it, you know, on the scramble that would've been a huge play. He tried to go, you know, go forward it, he had it. And then they end up, I think, knocking it out and didn't get to see it all the way. But, um, you know, so guys gave everything they had, you know, and, you know, so, but anyway, anytime you don't have Tyler, you want your best players out there. And obviously he's one those guys in the National Football League, but guys played their butts off all week.”
(On Tyler Lockett being missed due to the lack of production on passes more than ten yards)
“I think that obviously Tyler has the ability to get open and just slow their past the defense. He's been the best of the world ever since he's gotten in the league. Eight years, however many years he's been playing, that's what he does best. I think that in the midst of the game, you know, that'd a really good pass rush. You know, we try to slow them down. We did a good job of slowing down for the most part and, and they made a couple plays, you know, I gave DK a nice double move on one of them. That's the one I got hit and Joe makes a great catch on it, but that was a touchdown. Unfortunately, I got hit right when I threw it, but there's some key moments in there. You know, and obviously Tyler's, he's one of the best at it.”
(On trying to go to DK Metcalf on completion to Gerald Everett)
“Yeah, I got my arm hit right when I threw it and I was actually going to Metcalf and they kind of chopped my elbow right when I threw it. So, my wrist or whatever.”
(On the fourth down play to Seahawks RB DeeJay Dallas and the no-call)
“Unfortunate. I think that DeeJay's supposed to run a different route. I kind of told him, ‘Hey, run this one right here, you know?’ And without saying the name of it, (I) told him to kind of go out and release on this one and just free release. And it was the perfect look. I mean it was and unfortunately rushed. And they got right down the middle there kind of. Unfortunately, and tried to get the ball to DeeJay and got hit, right when tried to release it and he got hit right when the ball was kind of getting to him. Obviously, that was a huge play. Could have been a big moment, obviously, ‘cause the score right there was 17-10 and the ball would've been on a - I don't know what the 32 yard line, 30 yard line roughly. I don't know exactly, but that was a big moment and there's so many other moments in that game. I felt like we could have capitalized and the game was 10 to 10 with eight minutes to go or whatever. So it was there for us and unfortunately got away.”
(On if he is playing up to the level he wants to play at)
“Well, where I wanna be is whatever our record could be - 10 and whatever it could be. That's where I want to be. Unfortunately, I've been getting better every week. I had a great game last week and everything else. We had some key moments the past couple weeks. (We) had great weeks and they made a couple plays here and there. Like I said, we didn't have the ball that much. We tried to do some different things, try to slow them down, up front. And we did a good job of that for the most part. There's just some key, key moments in there, you know? And so, I think that to answer your question, I'm always going to keep working no matter what. I'm never where I want to be just because I always want to work in my game. I always want to continue to get better every day. There's a tough, tough battle today. I mean, like I said, the scores 10-10. The game was right there and unfortunately got away with a couple key moments of miscues and stuff like that. So, I always stay encouraged. I'll always keep working and that's all I know.”
(On if they are still approaching the season as if they got a shot at the playoffs)
“I don't know all the math of it all. All I know is what we want to approach it as is that we have a job to do and we have a opportunity to go play as tough as we can as hard as we can for our fans and for our own families and our careers and just try to do things right. There is no other way. You're always going to try to do things right in the right manner, the right approach at the highest, highest level. You know, it's a good football team we played today. It was a good game. Unfortunately, we didn't win it. And what we do know is that the next day is the only day we get and so we're going to do everything we can to give it all we have. And that's the only approach we know Mike. It's disappointing we didn't get to win it today. Obviously, we've been playing some good football. I thought that this game was a good game. Just like I said, it didn't end up the way we wanted it to late in the last, you know, five, six minutes of the game really. And we've won so many of those moments and I think to key moments, key penalties, key little things like that. Those things can't happen in those kind of tight situations with great teams. And so, all I know is I'm gonna stay encouraged and I don't know any other way. I give everything I have for these guys in this locker room Seattle and just everything I have every day and just our fans and I love this game every day. I'm going to come with the right approach, the right mindset, and that's all we know. I know everybody else is going to do the same.”
--RAMS--
| Subject | Author | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Shaky | 236 | December 22, 2021 12:48AM |
