Transcripts 1/28/22
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Los Angeles Rams Transcripts - Head Coach Sean McVay - January 28, 2022
Head Coach Sean McVay
Head Coach Sean McVay
(On if this team feels prepared to play a perfect game this Sunday)
“I don't know about a perfect game, but I think if you say your preparation is in alignment with feeling really confident in the player's ability to execute to their best and go play with a quieted mind, that's what our guys have done. They're putting themselves in a position. Our work isn't done. We still have some things that we want to be able to tighten up. We know what a great challenge it's going to be, but I do have tremendous confidence in this team, our players, and the leaders that we have in that locker room. They've done a great job of putting themselves in a position to go play with a quieted mind on Sunday.”
(On if he has ever had a feeling or a mood that everything would come together during a game)
“You always feel good going into it. Sometimes it's easy to say after the fact, ‘Oh, I just knew that’ but you got a lot of good vibes.”
(On Sunday marking one year since the QB Matthew Stafford trade was agreed to and if Stafford has reached a higher plane mentally, physically, and performance-wise)
“We've always had great confidence in him, but I thought he's played outstanding football each of the last couple weeks. He’s made great decisions. Put the ball where he wanted to. He's managed the game excellently. He's gotten us in and out of the right stuff. His command, his leadership, so he's been outstanding. It's amazing the amount of work that goes in for the team, but also when you look at Matthew accommodating himself and getting acclimated to his teammates, to this situation, learning a new offense, playing at such a high level, it's really incredible. He deserves a whole lot of credit as well as (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin O'Connell and (Assistant QB Coach) Zac Robinson doing a great job helping him as well.”
(On injuries and guys availability specifically OL Andrew Whitworth and LB Ernest Jones)
“(L
Ernest (Jones) will be good. (OL) Andrew (Whitworth) will be good to go. (OL) Joe Noteboom will be doubtful. (WR) Van Jefferson and (S) Taylor Rapp will both be listed as questionable.”
(On how crucial it has been finding assistant coaches who can really develop players)
“It's a huge part of it. When you look at it, being able to identify the types of players that you want to be around. Guys with high football character that love the game, that have great instincts and awareness. Then also coaches that really are kind of wired the same way. People that love it, want to help people reach their highest potential where they're in inspiring them, but also challenging them. Where there's some urgency and there's some respect in terms of helping those guys reach their highest potential. We've got a bunch of great coaches that have done a phenomenal job of really being able to develop the entirety of the roster. Kind of like I've mentioned before, that's a real credit to the collaboration that exists between coaches and our personnel with (General Manager) Les (Snead) and his group. Then ultimately the players being able to go get it done. That's a big part of it and that's a vital part of what you want to establish with a good culture and it really ends up being all about those players.”
(On what’s the best he can hope for from the players and coaches being mentally prepared for the upcoming game at this level)
“I think the guys are ready. There is familiarity with the opponent. There are a couple of wrinkles, just like I know they'll have in each of the three phases. The way that we break up the week is incrementally based on different situations that arise and it's a build as you get closer to Sunday. We're in the midst of wrapping that up, where you get the entirety of your game plan in by the end of today. Tomorrow represents cleaning it up, any little last reminders. You want to make sure that you use all the time that you have without overloading guys unnecessarily. If you will, usually kind of the haze in the barn by the end of today and then you're just making little tweaks and adjustments leading up to kickoff. Both our players and coaches have done an outstanding job.”
(On what it says about DL Aaron Donald that his teammates what the win so badly for Donald and what Donald brings to the team)
“He's got such a great impact, influence in affecting people in a positive way. This guy is so special. The way that he goes about his business consistently, the competitiveness, but also the care for his teammates, the way he brings people with him. What epitomizes what's so great about (DL) Aaron (Donald) is he's got all these amazing individual accomplishments and accolades, but he's been steady and consistent in wanting to win a championship. Not only for his teammates, for himself, but as a competitor and football is the greatest team sport there is. He is such a phenomenal, special player. Anytime you're around somebody that consistently approaches and attacks every single day, they've got the character, they've got the capacity, the competitiveness, he checks the boxes in every single way. You can't help but love him. I know for his teammates and the coaches, there are a lot of reasons and a lot of people that you want to try to do this for, but he's right up at the top of the list because of how special he is and how much he means to me and everybody in this building.”
(On what has stood out most in this season’s journey)
“The mental toughness, the trust in themselves and the people around them that our players and our coaches have displayed in the midst of some of those adverse moments. The ability to be able to respond. To get back up. To try to find a way to learn from your mistakes. Take extreme ownership and accountability within the framework of each individual role and responsibility, and then be better moving forward for the collective. Those are the things that stand out. It seems like it was a long time ago when we were sitting in that Green Bay locker room, having had that disappointment of losing three straight. Our guys bounced back the right way, reeled off a handful of wins and then I love the way that we've responded from a very disappointing loss against the Niners to end the regular season. You use those as learning opportunities. We know the stakes are greater when you get into the playoffs. Our guys have done an outstanding job of putting themselves in a position to be in a Conference Championship when you know how difficult and competitive this league is.”
(On if Whitworth is on the list of guys he wants to win this upcoming game for)
“It's amazing. What a great job he did of being such a great leader, great player, productive player, and doing so many things for the Bengals. Then he's done exactly that and more here for us. He's been so important. These players, the ones that you love and care about so much, like those two, like the Whitworths of the world, the Aaron Donalds. They are really that easy extra motivation to make sure that you're doing everything in your power to help put them in good positions with the little things that we can control. There's no question. I’m so grateful and fortunate. It's the damndest thing ever that this guy's still doing it at the age of 40. It's awesome.”
(On if he thought Andrew Whitworth would still be playing five years after signing him)
“When you get around him, you're not as surprised, but I can remember after that first year spending some time with him and their family. His wife Melissa, told me there's no way he's even playing past the second year. And here he is, a couple more contracts after that initial three-year deal. He is certainly the exception to the rule.”
(On what would be the best way of explaining the offense when it goes all the way back to the source of Mike Shanahan)
“It starts with having a commitment to a philosophy, how you want to run the football and then the different ways that you can throw it off of those similar actions where you have stuff. That marriage of the run and the pass, plays that start out looking the same that are different. There are different things, whether it's the play actions, the bootlegs, the screens off of that you can just kind of continuously try to create that conflict. I think in its simplest form, that would be one of the ways I would articulate that to you.”
(On what he has noticed different about the hiring process with hiring new head coaches in the league)
“It’s a good point. What's changed over the last couple of years that was even kind of new since I had gone through the process a hand full of years ago is the ability to communicate with some of these candidates through Zoom. So, you can have a more expanded search, you can get a chance to kind of get your initial connections with people, get a feel for them and then start to trim your list. But, it has seemed like it's been the most patient process in regards to usually when those jobs open up, they quickly get filled. It's great because in a lot of instances you don't want guys to be punished as a result of them being a part of a successful team when you're advancing the way that things are set up and some of the rules. For me, it’s been such a blessing to be in this role and to be able to have some of our great coaches that have been instrumental in the success we've had this year, get an opportunity to do that is a really great thing and we've got great coaches that I think are more than capable of doing an outstanding job as head coaches.”
(On what stands out the most about Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor’s coaching this year and what he likes the most about what the Bengals do on offense)
“It's awesome. (Bengals Head Coach) Zac (Taylor)'s a great coach. I think the resilience, the mental toughness, the things that they've gone through to get to this point is great. I think it's such credit to his leadership. I love Zac Taylor. I'm so happy for him. I think that team plays with a swagger and a confidence similar to the way Zac carries himself. He's so steady. He's always so neutral. You look at the way that (QB Joe) Burrow plays. He never flinches, he's always confident in his ability to be able to respond and I think they thrive off of that. They’ve got great players and I’m so happy for Zac. What they've done offensively– they've done a great job really putting their players in a position to have their best traits and characteristics come to life and doing an excellent job of putting a lot of stress on people and being able to throw it. They've done a great job being able to utilize mixing in the run game and the screens. I’m so happy for Zac. He and (Bengals Offensive Coordinator) Brian Callahan have done a great job with that offense.”
(On if McVay has embraced the big emphasis of winning championships in LA and if he thinks the team embraces that challenge)
“In LA there's a history and a legacy of great teams, championship-caliber teams. That's kind of the standard that's been set when you look at some of the organizations and franchises and other sports industries that are in this market. That's the thing that our guy’s love. If you're going to compete, you want to do it at the highest level and never run away from the expectations. We understand that you have to be able to earn that confidence. With the players that we have, there is a swagger, there's a confidence and you love that and love this city and everything that it entails in terms of the expectations that come with that. That's something that we fully embrace.”
(On reflecting on what Matthew Stafford has accomplished this year and how having Stafford has fostered the ‘all-in’ approach the Rams have taken this season)
“He's done such a great job of being able to just take it a day at a time. He's so refreshingly secure in himself. It's amazing how intelligent he is. He's so smart. He has such a great feel for people. The game comes really naturally to him and then he is obviously an extremely gifted football player. Just watching the trajectory of the year and everything that he's done, not to mention moving your family, four little girls, wife Kelly, and all the transition… it's just been incredible. They're a special family. He’s such a special leader for us. I've really loved building and developing that relationship with him over the last year. We're only going to get closer as time goes on, but he's been a huge part of why we're in this position. I don't necessarily know if you look at it as an ‘all in’ or ‘hey, this is what we felt like was the best chance to be able to upgrade our football team’ and he's done a great job getting us into this position.”
--RAMS--
Head Coach Sean McVay
Head Coach Sean McVay
(On if this team feels prepared to play a perfect game this Sunday)
“I don't know about a perfect game, but I think if you say your preparation is in alignment with feeling really confident in the player's ability to execute to their best and go play with a quieted mind, that's what our guys have done. They're putting themselves in a position. Our work isn't done. We still have some things that we want to be able to tighten up. We know what a great challenge it's going to be, but I do have tremendous confidence in this team, our players, and the leaders that we have in that locker room. They've done a great job of putting themselves in a position to go play with a quieted mind on Sunday.”
(On if he has ever had a feeling or a mood that everything would come together during a game)
“You always feel good going into it. Sometimes it's easy to say after the fact, ‘Oh, I just knew that’ but you got a lot of good vibes.”
(On Sunday marking one year since the QB Matthew Stafford trade was agreed to and if Stafford has reached a higher plane mentally, physically, and performance-wise)
“We've always had great confidence in him, but I thought he's played outstanding football each of the last couple weeks. He’s made great decisions. Put the ball where he wanted to. He's managed the game excellently. He's gotten us in and out of the right stuff. His command, his leadership, so he's been outstanding. It's amazing the amount of work that goes in for the team, but also when you look at Matthew accommodating himself and getting acclimated to his teammates, to this situation, learning a new offense, playing at such a high level, it's really incredible. He deserves a whole lot of credit as well as (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin O'Connell and (Assistant QB Coach) Zac Robinson doing a great job helping him as well.”
(On injuries and guys availability specifically OL Andrew Whitworth and LB Ernest Jones)
“(L
Ernest (Jones) will be good. (OL) Andrew (Whitworth) will be good to go. (OL) Joe Noteboom will be doubtful. (WR) Van Jefferson and (S) Taylor Rapp will both be listed as questionable.”(On how crucial it has been finding assistant coaches who can really develop players)
“It's a huge part of it. When you look at it, being able to identify the types of players that you want to be around. Guys with high football character that love the game, that have great instincts and awareness. Then also coaches that really are kind of wired the same way. People that love it, want to help people reach their highest potential where they're in inspiring them, but also challenging them. Where there's some urgency and there's some respect in terms of helping those guys reach their highest potential. We've got a bunch of great coaches that have done a phenomenal job of really being able to develop the entirety of the roster. Kind of like I've mentioned before, that's a real credit to the collaboration that exists between coaches and our personnel with (General Manager) Les (Snead) and his group. Then ultimately the players being able to go get it done. That's a big part of it and that's a vital part of what you want to establish with a good culture and it really ends up being all about those players.”
(On what’s the best he can hope for from the players and coaches being mentally prepared for the upcoming game at this level)
“I think the guys are ready. There is familiarity with the opponent. There are a couple of wrinkles, just like I know they'll have in each of the three phases. The way that we break up the week is incrementally based on different situations that arise and it's a build as you get closer to Sunday. We're in the midst of wrapping that up, where you get the entirety of your game plan in by the end of today. Tomorrow represents cleaning it up, any little last reminders. You want to make sure that you use all the time that you have without overloading guys unnecessarily. If you will, usually kind of the haze in the barn by the end of today and then you're just making little tweaks and adjustments leading up to kickoff. Both our players and coaches have done an outstanding job.”
(On what it says about DL Aaron Donald that his teammates what the win so badly for Donald and what Donald brings to the team)
“He's got such a great impact, influence in affecting people in a positive way. This guy is so special. The way that he goes about his business consistently, the competitiveness, but also the care for his teammates, the way he brings people with him. What epitomizes what's so great about (DL) Aaron (Donald) is he's got all these amazing individual accomplishments and accolades, but he's been steady and consistent in wanting to win a championship. Not only for his teammates, for himself, but as a competitor and football is the greatest team sport there is. He is such a phenomenal, special player. Anytime you're around somebody that consistently approaches and attacks every single day, they've got the character, they've got the capacity, the competitiveness, he checks the boxes in every single way. You can't help but love him. I know for his teammates and the coaches, there are a lot of reasons and a lot of people that you want to try to do this for, but he's right up at the top of the list because of how special he is and how much he means to me and everybody in this building.”
(On what has stood out most in this season’s journey)
“The mental toughness, the trust in themselves and the people around them that our players and our coaches have displayed in the midst of some of those adverse moments. The ability to be able to respond. To get back up. To try to find a way to learn from your mistakes. Take extreme ownership and accountability within the framework of each individual role and responsibility, and then be better moving forward for the collective. Those are the things that stand out. It seems like it was a long time ago when we were sitting in that Green Bay locker room, having had that disappointment of losing three straight. Our guys bounced back the right way, reeled off a handful of wins and then I love the way that we've responded from a very disappointing loss against the Niners to end the regular season. You use those as learning opportunities. We know the stakes are greater when you get into the playoffs. Our guys have done an outstanding job of putting themselves in a position to be in a Conference Championship when you know how difficult and competitive this league is.”
(On if Whitworth is on the list of guys he wants to win this upcoming game for)
“It's amazing. What a great job he did of being such a great leader, great player, productive player, and doing so many things for the Bengals. Then he's done exactly that and more here for us. He's been so important. These players, the ones that you love and care about so much, like those two, like the Whitworths of the world, the Aaron Donalds. They are really that easy extra motivation to make sure that you're doing everything in your power to help put them in good positions with the little things that we can control. There's no question. I’m so grateful and fortunate. It's the damndest thing ever that this guy's still doing it at the age of 40. It's awesome.”
(On if he thought Andrew Whitworth would still be playing five years after signing him)
“When you get around him, you're not as surprised, but I can remember after that first year spending some time with him and their family. His wife Melissa, told me there's no way he's even playing past the second year. And here he is, a couple more contracts after that initial three-year deal. He is certainly the exception to the rule.”
(On what would be the best way of explaining the offense when it goes all the way back to the source of Mike Shanahan)
“It starts with having a commitment to a philosophy, how you want to run the football and then the different ways that you can throw it off of those similar actions where you have stuff. That marriage of the run and the pass, plays that start out looking the same that are different. There are different things, whether it's the play actions, the bootlegs, the screens off of that you can just kind of continuously try to create that conflict. I think in its simplest form, that would be one of the ways I would articulate that to you.”
(On what he has noticed different about the hiring process with hiring new head coaches in the league)
“It’s a good point. What's changed over the last couple of years that was even kind of new since I had gone through the process a hand full of years ago is the ability to communicate with some of these candidates through Zoom. So, you can have a more expanded search, you can get a chance to kind of get your initial connections with people, get a feel for them and then start to trim your list. But, it has seemed like it's been the most patient process in regards to usually when those jobs open up, they quickly get filled. It's great because in a lot of instances you don't want guys to be punished as a result of them being a part of a successful team when you're advancing the way that things are set up and some of the rules. For me, it’s been such a blessing to be in this role and to be able to have some of our great coaches that have been instrumental in the success we've had this year, get an opportunity to do that is a really great thing and we've got great coaches that I think are more than capable of doing an outstanding job as head coaches.”
(On what stands out the most about Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor’s coaching this year and what he likes the most about what the Bengals do on offense)
“It's awesome. (Bengals Head Coach) Zac (Taylor)'s a great coach. I think the resilience, the mental toughness, the things that they've gone through to get to this point is great. I think it's such credit to his leadership. I love Zac Taylor. I'm so happy for him. I think that team plays with a swagger and a confidence similar to the way Zac carries himself. He's so steady. He's always so neutral. You look at the way that (QB Joe) Burrow plays. He never flinches, he's always confident in his ability to be able to respond and I think they thrive off of that. They’ve got great players and I’m so happy for Zac. What they've done offensively– they've done a great job really putting their players in a position to have their best traits and characteristics come to life and doing an excellent job of putting a lot of stress on people and being able to throw it. They've done a great job being able to utilize mixing in the run game and the screens. I’m so happy for Zac. He and (Bengals Offensive Coordinator) Brian Callahan have done a great job with that offense.”
(On if McVay has embraced the big emphasis of winning championships in LA and if he thinks the team embraces that challenge)
“In LA there's a history and a legacy of great teams, championship-caliber teams. That's kind of the standard that's been set when you look at some of the organizations and franchises and other sports industries that are in this market. That's the thing that our guy’s love. If you're going to compete, you want to do it at the highest level and never run away from the expectations. We understand that you have to be able to earn that confidence. With the players that we have, there is a swagger, there's a confidence and you love that and love this city and everything that it entails in terms of the expectations that come with that. That's something that we fully embrace.”
(On reflecting on what Matthew Stafford has accomplished this year and how having Stafford has fostered the ‘all-in’ approach the Rams have taken this season)
“He's done such a great job of being able to just take it a day at a time. He's so refreshingly secure in himself. It's amazing how intelligent he is. He's so smart. He has such a great feel for people. The game comes really naturally to him and then he is obviously an extremely gifted football player. Just watching the trajectory of the year and everything that he's done, not to mention moving your family, four little girls, wife Kelly, and all the transition… it's just been incredible. They're a special family. He’s such a special leader for us. I've really loved building and developing that relationship with him over the last year. We're only going to get closer as time goes on, but he's been a huge part of why we're in this position. I don't necessarily know if you look at it as an ‘all in’ or ‘hey, this is what we felt like was the best chance to be able to upgrade our football team’ and he's done a great job getting us into this position.”
--RAMS--
| Subject | Author | Views | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Shaky | 258 | January 28, 2022 02:16PM |
