McVay, 6/5 … vid & transcript

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – – June 5, 2017

(On CB Trumaine Johnson returning to practice)
“Yeah, Trumaine’s back. We talked with him last week after that first absence – had some things going on. He clearly communicated that to us and it was good to get him back in the building today and working on the field with the guys.”

(On the quarterback competition and what was made of it nationally following last week’s comments)
“We talk about we’re going to constantly evaluate guys. (QB) Jared (Goff) is our guy. We have a lot of confidence in what he’s done. But, we have confidence in (QB) Sean (Mannion) as well. It was certainly just what we preach to our team about – we’re going to play the guys that give us the ability to win football games and the guys that are competing at the highest level. Clearly, Jared has done that so far. It’s a one day at a time process, but what he has done is just picking things up. He’s getting better every single day and he’s definitely commanded that role. He did that again today. I think you guys saw how well he performed in a lot of the different situations. It’s encouraging and that’s why we can’t wait to go back and look at this tape.”

(On how Goff has done compared to McVay’s expectations coming into OTAs)
“It’s hard until you actually work with a guy. You evaluate the traits and the characteristics, but I think what he’s done above the neck in terms of the way that he’s handled the different things and situations that we’ve put him in, been very pleased so far. We know that game-like atmosphere, you try to create that so that you can mimic and emulate those situations in practice. But, until you’re actually live as a quarterback, that’s when you truly get challenged. You’re having to move with the rush, avoid guys that can really tackle you. That’s always the best evaluator. I think he has done a nice job improving every single day and that’s what’s going to give us a chance.”

(On OL Greg Robinson’s absence)
“Greg communicated he had something going on. We knew that he was not going to be here today. He let us know and we knew that he was not going to be here. He did a nice job of letting us know about that.”

(On if Robinson will return this week)
“Yeah, he’ll be back later this week. He had some things he had to take care of and he let us know awhile in advance about that.”

(On the competition level of both the offense and defense at practice)
“It’s been great. I think the guys have done a nice job of responding. Practicing smart, but also, we’re getting great competitive situations. Anytime that there’s a winner and there’s a loser in these situations the guys get amped up about it. It’s been a nice balance. Today was one of those situations where we let (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) ‘Bones’ make some of those decisions, so I don’t have a bias towards the offense. He said it wasn’t a fumble, we kept it rolling and then (WR) Robert (Woods) did a nice job of making a play down the sideline, Jared did a good job finding him.”

(On an update to Johnson’s absence)
“Yeah, he just had some things going on that he had to take care of. But, he let us know about that after that absence on Monday. We appreciate him communicating that to us and we knew he was going to be back ready to roll today.”

(On WR Tavon Austin and how he fits in the wide receiver competition)
“I think it is very competitive. I think you’ve seen some guys that have been here do a nice job adjusting to some of the new verbiage, the new system that we’re putting in place. You bring in a free-agent acquisition like Robert Woods, he’s been exactly what we had hoped. And then these rookies are doing a nice job stepping up. I think Cooper Kupp’s done some really good things being consistent day-in and day-out. You’re seeing improvement from Josh Reynolds. I think with what he can control in the framework of his injury, Tavon is doing really a nice job. He’s active on the sidelines, you see that he’s continuing to try to just perfect his craft with being able to run routes, work on his hand-eye coordination while he can’t fully utilize that wrist. He’s been engaged in meetings. We wish he had him available right now, but I think he’s doing a nice job being able to control what he can and he’s getting better within the framework of that.”

(On what Woods is doing to enhance the competition within the receivers’ room)
“Anytime that you have guys that have had success in this league, they come in and they kind of set the standards with the way that they practice, the way that they prepare, the way they approach every single day as a pro. I think he’s done a really nice job. Then you see it translate where he’s making plays out here consistently, moving around the formations. He’s doing what we had hoped. And I think he’s doing a nice job setting the example for the younger guys around him in that room to show what it looks like.”

(On WR Nelson Spruce and what he’s capable of doing)
“You see a natural football player. He’s got a good feel for the game. I think he’s got good aggressive hands. He was a little bit limited earlier this offseason with some things where we were just being careful with him. Now that he’s been back and he’s moving around, you can see why he was able to make the plays that he did last year. It’s good to see Nelson (Spruce) out here.”

(On his impressions of OL Jamon Brown at the right tackle position)
“I think he’s done a good job. I he’s think an aggressive, physical player. He’s got good athleticism for the position. So, I think his ability to be able to compete in the run and the pass game. Just continuing to get comfortable playing outside. Played inside mostly last year, but he does have some experience playing at that right tackle position where he really played right and left (tackle) at Louisville. He’s a guy that’s really taken in to consideration all of the little things that (Offensive Line) Coach (Aaron) Kromer’s talking about with the technique and you’re seeing it translate and we’ve been pleased with Jamon so far.”

(On Brown remaining at right tackle heading into training camp)
“Yeah, I think so. I think he’s done a nice job and we’re continuing to try to find what the best five guys and what that combination will be. He certainly has put himself in the mix and he’s playing at a very high level right now and we’ve been pleased with what we’ve seen from him.”

(On his impressions of WR Michael Thomas)
“What you like about Mike (Thomas) is he’s a competitive player. He’s got some speed. You’ve got the ability to push the ball down the field with him. I think he’s getting more and more confident with his hands and just becoming a more polished player – with just his routes and increasing that route versatility. What we’ve seen from Mike so far has been encouraging and he’s made plays down the field. You can feel him, he’s got some speed that gives you the ability to stretch the top-shelf of the defense and that’s what he’s done so far.”

(On the potential for growth for a player like Thomas from year one to year two as a wide receiver)
“I think a lot of it is predicated on the experience that you gain and what you’re able to get out of these practices and things like that. Not to mention some of the things that you can do on your own when we’re away from these players before training camp. I can’t speak to last year, but I know in the short amount of time having been around Mike, he’s taking everything that (Wide Receivers) Coach (Eric) Yarber and (Assistant Wide Receivers) Coach (Zac) Taylor are preaching with him and then you see it translate from the meeting room on the field. What we’ve seen from Mike has been good stuff and you really like his demeanor and his disposition. He’s been a joy to be around so far.”

(On how it’s been dealing with player absences as a head coach versus a coordinator)
“I think the biggest thing is that you just want to make sure that there’s clear and open communication. Those guys that have missed, sometimes it’s been exactly what we wanted, sometimes it hasn’t. I think we just keep communicating with the player our expectations, our standards. For the most part, all of these guys have really done a great job with that. As a coach, you’re always going to want the guys here, but you also understand the framework of the way that some of this stuff is setup in the offseason program. I think the guys have really done a good job of kind of understanding, ‘If I’m not here because of some other things that do come up, let’s let it be known.’ We’re flexible with these guys as well. I think each situation kind of dictates a different response. All things being equal, you’d love to say, ‘Let’s get everybody here so that you can get all of the work that you want and guys aren’t missing out on information that’s given.”

(On OLB Connor Barwin’s absence from OTAs)
“(OLB Connor) Barwin has been excellent. I think he’s very similar to kind of what we were saying about Robert Woods and (T) Andrew Whitworth and (C) John Sullivan – a pro’s pro. Had a lot of experience in this league, ultra-conscientious with the way that he takes care of his body. He got married this offseason. He’s got some things going on where we knew that he had communicated that he was going to take care of something just to make sure that he’s ready to roll for training camp and be at his optimal shape. Nothing’s wrong with him, he’s in good shape. It’s just all being really smart and taking care of himself. We knew that was going to be the situation where he wasn’t going to be here today.”

(On his confidence level that he will have full participation in next week’s minicamp)
“I think you always hope for it. Certainly, I think each day you’re kind of ready to take on new challenges and things come up. But, that’s our hope, that’s our expectation and I guess we’ll find out next week.”