Press Conferences 9/1: McVay, Everett, Floyd, & Hopkins; + McV transcript

Coach Sean McVay – September 1, 2020

(Opening Statement)
“All right guys, starting out, had a good walk-thru, we’ll have practice this afternoon starting to get into a normal rhythm and routine that will be in alignment with the schedule in season, even though we’re kind of still in that camp mode, like we talked about. Also, an update on ‘T Howard’ (LB Travin Howard) – unfortunately he did tear his meniscus. He’ll have surgery and will miss the remainder of the year. It’s really unfortunate for a guy that’s put in a lot of work, put himself in position to be a huge impact player for us. Have total trust that he’ll come back stronger and continue to be a big part of our organization moving forward. But, guys will be asked to step up in his absence.”

(On whether he will look to bring in any external players or if he’s happy with the current depth)
“Yeah, we feel good about the guys we have in-house. Not looking outside, just continuing to look at seeing these guys maximize opportunities. Like we talked about, there’s been a lot of bright spots from that group under (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers) Coach (Joe) Barry’s guidance and leadership. But, it’s a big loss because of how well he had been playing. Feel terrible for him.”

(On whether the injury occurred during practice)
“He did. He did it in practice, that’s why he had missed the last couple days. It’s kind of a weird deal, where he said he felt something but it didn’t seem like it was anything significant. Then when you look at it, he’d gotten that meniscus and we’ve got to go in there an get it fixed. It’s going to be few months and unfortunately that’s the case for him.”

(On who he expects to step up in Howard’s role)
“I think we’ve talked about those three guys, when you look at (LB) Micah (Kiser), (LB) Kenny (Young) and (LB) Troy Reeder. Those guys have done a nice job. Really, when you add in ‘T Howard’, those four have had played really good football throughout. We’re going to ask some younger guys to step up. That’s where you just hate it for ‘T Howard’, but it does present an opportunity for some other guys to see if they’re capable and fill the void. Those will be the main guys that we’re looking at right now.”

(On whether he watched the Dallas Cowboys scrimmage and any challenges considering they didn’t wear jersey numbers)
“They didn’t show any plays. It was no jerseys, no plays. We’ve got to be ready to go. But, I think it’s like anything else, this is such a unique year without any preseason games and especially with them being a new staff, I didn’t anticipate them showing anything. We didn’t show anything in our scrimmages, unless you guys are tweeting out too much stuff (laughs).”

(On how the pandemic will impact scouting this season)
“That’s a good question. I’m not sure exactly. I know the league is working through all that stuff. I’m not exactly sure how those guys (scouts) will be affected. There’s so many different parameters in place and I can only be where my feet are planted. But, it definitely affects being able to what the normal preseason allows being able to scout the other 31 teams’ guys. This is where you truly rely on a lot of your draft preparation with some of the draftable guys or college free agents if they do become available. That’s why I kind of mentioned earlier, I would imagine there will be less movement in terms of roster shuffling than what the last few years has been, just because of the limited exposure you have to other team’s rosters.”

(On whether this will apply to midseason trades as well)
“That’s a good question. I think it’s a little bit different just because you’ll at least have some inventory to go off of for this year. I don’t expect that to be affected as quite as much as the initial releasing of the rosters and what people’s 53 look like.”

(On whether there is interest in pursuing RB Leonard Fournette)
“He’s a good player. But we feel good about the guys we have in-house. Not looking to add anybody externally. I’ve been very pleased with our (running) backs. I’ve talked a lot about what a great job (Running Backs) Coach (Thomas) Brown has done. I think (RB) Malcolm Brown’s leadership has been outstanding for that group and those younger players we feel good about. So, that won’t be something that we’ll be looking into.”

(On if the practice squad becomes more tactical than a back-up due to a healthy team)
“I think it’s both. It’s extremely important to get the looks, but then you hope that you’re able to stay healthy and nobody has any issues and they’re making smart decisions off the field and doing the right things when they’re here. I think that was a part of the expansion of the practice squad and you definitely want to maximize it, if the worst-case scenario ends up happening to your ball club.”

(On developing players on the practice squad rather than using it for depth)
“I think that’s always the approach you take with the practice squad, is these guys have a role to be able to give great looks for what the opponent is doing as we get ready throughout the week, but there’s also still an accumulation of knowledge, because these players, they’re in the defensive and offensive meetings, they’re learning the system. Coaches spend extra time after practice is done and they’re still a part of the individual work. You have guys on the practice squad for the same reasons that you’re talking about with the goal of developing them, building from within and having them be part of your team and contributing on one of your three phases, hopefully sooner than later. That’s always, kind of, our approach with the practice squad guys.”

(On nobody being able to steal the practice squad players this season)
“It provides some insurance, yes. Those are the guys that you really want to pay close attention to, but where you’re a little bit thinner at some other positions are where you’d be a little bit more apt to use that, kind of, protection mechanism.”

(On assessing S Taylor Rapp coming back from injury)
“It’s a day-by-day thing. Anytime that you’re coming off an injury, you plan on wanting to go from zero to 100, but you want to be able to kind of acclimate these guys and on board them in a way that’s in alignment with a good progression. I think we’ve seen a little bit of steady progress. He’s been out there for the walk-thrus, he’s been able to do some individual. We’ll take it a little bit at a time and hopefully that will lead to him feeling ready to roll for the 13th.”

(On how he has been impressed with Rapp’s mental approach)
“He’s stayed engaged. I think (Safeties) Coach (Ejiro) Evero’s done an excellent job, but Taylor’s really smart, he loves football, he’s instinctual, he’s stayed engaged in the meetings, he’s been involved on the field at practice. That was one of the reasons why you love him so much coming out of Washington, is the instincts, the football acumen and all that stuff is a benefit for why you’re hopeful and optimistic that he’ll return to performing sooner than later. It’s just a matter of that knee feeling totally good.”

(On the balance between preparing for Dallas and creating as many competitive situations before Saturday)
“It is a balance. I think these next three days, our practice is kind of reflective of that and it’s not necessarily, like we talked about yesterday, ‘Dallas looks’. It’s maybe just some looks that we haven’t seen from each other’s offense or defense or some of the trends around the league and that might be reflective of what we can anticipate seeing from the opposing teams in the first month of the season. We’re still in that training camp mode. I think the competitive work is the most important thing you can get, but you also do want to get some looks at some different front structures, some different coverage contours, some different schemes, run-games, some different formations and pass concepts, so that’s kind of what this week will be and then you’ll really start to see us trim our focus towards Dallas, towards the later part of the week.”

(On Gerald Everett’s Twitter post about his contract)
“(TE) Gerald (Everett) knows he’s a big part of what we’re doing. He’s going to be a very important piece for us. Waiting on anything is going to be a great season from Gerald Everett for the Rams. That’s what you can wait on. We’re very glad he’s here. He’s in a good place. He’s done a great job throughout camp. He’s versatility is a real winning edge for our football team and you’re going to see that this coming season.”

(On how to scout for Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy and Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore)
“It’s a combination of both, because they did a great job offensively. I would imagine that their offense will be reflective of a collaboration of both. (Cowboys Head Coach) Mike McCarthy has been a great offensive coach for a long time in this league. (Offensive Coordinator) Kellen (Moore) did a great job as a coordinator last year, their offensive numbers are reflective of that. So, you have to be mindful and be prepared for both parts of it.”

(On if QB John Wolford ran practice squad last year)
“Yeah he did. And he’ll give our guys great looks, but he will also be ready to roll, making sure that he stays up to date with our information and things that are going on. But, he and (Former Rams QB) Blake (Bortles) kind of split those roles last year.”

(On will Wolford be back in that role this year)
“Yeah. John has done a great job. John has established himself as a clear-cut guy, that we feel confident in, behind (QB) Jared (Goff). The most important thing is be ready to role in a tough situation, if that occurs. But he will definitely be a part of that ‘looks squad’, when we end up having our defense and being able to give them a look. As well as (QB) Bryce (Perkins), which is the three quarterbacks we have in hand right now. ”

(On has he decided his starting five for the offensive line)
“Yeah, it’s an ongoing evaluation. I think it’s getting a feel. I mean, you get a lot of work in, even before you can truly start the practices. But, like we have talked about in the last couple of years, we’re moving guys around. We want to be able to establish that depth, make sure guys are comfortable playing in multiple spots and on multiple sides of the line. So, I wouldn’t say anything is fully decided. That’s just part of our evaluation process.”

(On what ILB Kenny Young brings to the defense)
“I think, speed, explosion. He’s one of those players on defense you feel. I thought he had a couple nice plays where he found an opening, triggered, and was able to make some TFLs. He has athleticism in coverage. I think he’s picking up the system well. I think just overall, the athleticism and ability to cover ground and be able to kind of see plays and make them, that quick reaction is something that stood out to me from him the other day. I thought he did a really nice job and I was very encouraged with (ILB) Kenny’s (Young) play.”

(On does K Lirim Hajrullahu experience in the CFL give him an advantage as the backup punter)
“Not unless (P Johnny) Hekker is going to miss a lot of games. You know, Johnny is going to be our punter. He’s healthy, he was with his family, which was the most important thing, no doubt about it. Congratulations to he and his wife on their second baby. But no we’re strictly evaluating kickers and that won’t change our evaluation based on him catching a couple of long snaps the other day (laughs).”