McVay … 8/4 … transcript

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – August 4, 2019

(On how he would sum up training camp)

“I think we got a lot of good work in. Really, what we just said to the team is even though we’re leaving Irvine we’re not breaking camp. We are still in camp mode for the next, really, week and a half or so. We got to continue to get great work day-in and day-out. We’re looking forward to two good days of work against the Raiders next week. Guys will have the day off tomorrow. We’ll come back, we’ll have some meetings and some mental, above the neck stuff on what I guess it will be Tuesday. Then, we’ll travel that same day and have great work against the Raiders. It will be good.”

(On not letting up during camp)

“I think, that’s just all of us working together. We want to make sure we’re operating at a high level. The things that you can control in these walk-thru settings are important and we want to make sure we’re emphasizing those things. You know, sometimes I can get a little bit short on patience.”

(On DT Aaron Donald not being at practice today)

“Everything is good. He had something that he was taking care of with his family. But he’s good, accounted for and something that we knew ahead of time, so everything is great with Aaron.”

(On if anything he noticed looking at the film from practice yesterday)

“I thought there was a lot of good stuff, you know, really on both sides. To the guys credit, like we said about the offense, I thought they finished the day really well. There were some things we expect to do at a higher level. I thought the defense was pretty sound all day. We had great energy, good communication. That’s an excellent offense that they were going against and made a lot of plays, forced some turnovers. It was great work for us.”

(On if there are any rookies who jumped out at him during camp)

“I think you’re seeing some of these guys step up. I think (T) David Edwards has really done a nice job up front making an impression, being able to move around. You can just see what a smart player he is. I think (S) Taylor Rapp is continuing to get more and more comfortable as is David Long (Jr.) playing in the secondary. But those are some guys who have done a nice job.”

(On WR Cooper Kupp)

“I think just what great shape he’s in. I think physically you don’t see any effects of the knee injury. I think it’s more just getting your feet underneath you and playing the game. I think he’s gotten better every single day. I thought yesterday (practice with the Chargers) was great for him to get out in a competitive setting. There was some physical hits and he ended up getting down on the ground and ended up taking some shots, but it was good for him to kind of have that confidence and experience those things. Every day has represented a growing opportunity for him and he’s been outstanding. I’m really glad to have Cooper back.”

(On Rapp and where LB Cory Littleton fits in the defense)

“Cory (Littleton) has been outstanding. Cory’s done a great job playing our MO linebacker spot in base and then he’s able to seamlessly adjust and play the MIKE (linebacker spot) in some of our sub packages. He’s got great instincts, great awareness. Cory had a great season last year where he really demonstrated that he’s a big-time linebacker and can really play on all three downs. His versatility is the same kind of reason why we like Taylor Rapp. Taylor’s done a nice job. He’s playing some different situations in the sub defense, he’s still playing the safety in some of our base (defenses). He’s done really good. I think he’s getting more and more comfortable. We’ve got some intricacies to the defense that are not easy and we try to challenge them. I’d like to think that our offense poses some difficult situations and definitely the (Los Angeles) Chargers did. He took some steps in the right direction, he showed up on the field. He’s so conscientious he’s going to keep getting better every day.”

(On LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo)

“He’s been banged up. We’re hopeful to get him back sooner than later. He has been banged up.”

(On what he expects from his rookies in camp and how his rookies performed this training camp)

“I think you expect them to just really learn from the veteran players, make sure that you’re not making the same mistake twice – as we expect from all of our players – and capitalize on the opportunities you do have. There’s minimal opportunities and we expect those guys to maximize it and make sure they’re up to speed with some of the installs as we continue to accumulate those.”

(On DT Greg Gaines)

“(DT) Greg (Gaines) has done a great job. He’s another rookie – you guys asked about it earlier – he’s shown up. I think (Defensive Line) Coach (Eric) Henderson and (Assistant Defensive Line) Coach (Thad) Bogardus have done a great job where you’re seeing him get more and more comfortable. He’s playing physical. I thought he had two good days of work against the Chargers and I’m looking forward to seeing him build on that against the Raiders, but I’ve been really pleased with Greg.”