McVay … 11/23 … transcript

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – – Nov. 23, 2019

(On WR Robert Woods’ status)
“It’s looking good, but like we’ve said and kind of like he said the other day, ‘We’re just taking it a day at a time.’ It’s been great having him back around here. I know everybody feeds off his energy. He’s had a good week of practice, really, a good two days I should say. We’re just taking it one day at a time right now. That’s what he and I had discussed and that’s what we are doing.”

(On if it’s about Woods’ physical condition that he may not play)
“No. He is good physically. It’s just making sure that’s the No. 1 priority – that situation. That’s just kind of taking it a day at a time with that.”

(On if it means if Woods is fully locked in on football)
“No. It just means that we’re just taking it one day at a time with the situation that he’s dealing with. Things are looking good, but out of respect for him, with everything that is going on we just said, ‘Let’s just take it one day at a time, keep the main thing your family. That’s the No. 1 priority, football comes next.’ If it means that nothing ends up inhibiting his ability to take care of both and he can be a part of this thing on Monday night, we are a better football team and that would be good for all of us.”

(On if RB Malcolm Brown is good to play against the Ravens)
“Yeah, he’s good – he’s feeling good. He had a baby girl, I’m really happy for (RB) Malcolm (Brown). That’s exciting.”

(On the players that were listed with an illness on the injury report)
“They are feeling good. (LB) Natrez Patrick was a guy that missed practice today. He ended up getting sick. It kind of went around, a couple guys. (WR) Josh (Reynolds) and (P) Johnny (Hekker), who were both sick the other day, are feeling better. I think yesterday having that day off, so, really given them a full 48 hours was beneficial and they look good.”

(On having a reputation for using his tight ends in Washington and if using tight end sets is something he expects to do more as the season progresses)
“I think what’s been good about this year, is you can see that we’ve got the ability to play with a couple different personnel groupings if we feel like that’s what the game dictates. It was (TE) Johnny (Mundt) and (TE) Tyler Higbee that did a great job stepping up. We’ve seen (TE) Gerald (Everett) be able to play. With Tyler, we’ve seen all three of those guys on the field. There is a lot made about just being in 11-personnel as much as we’ve been over the last couple of years. I would just say, we’re continuing to really just identify week in and week out what we feel like is the best way to try to attack the opposing defense, but it is also about your players first. That’s kind of a thing that just ends up being adjusted and adapted by the week.”

(On how he thinks practice went on Saturday)
“I thought it was good. The guys felt good, we were able to do a little bit more with them coming off a day off than what we are typically accustomed to doing on in-season, normal Sunday game, Friday routine. It was a sharp, crisp day and that’s exactly what we expected.”

(On coming off a Super Bowl appearance and knowing the team’s talent how curious he is to see how the Rams stack against a team like the Ravens)
“I think it’s exciting. It’s a great opportunity for us. There is challenges week in and week out in the NFL, but when you look at just the momentum, the way that these guys (the Ravens) have played – especially over the last month – really going back to wining six in a row, it is an awesome opportunity, really for our football team to play a great game at home and see how we do. I know the guys are excited about competing and those opportunities, you cherish those, and you look forward to it.”

(On if he likes playing in the Monday Night Football environment)
“I would say this – it’s fun being the only game on, but for us it really doesn’t change anything. It’s about getting ready for a game. The only thing that I think sometimes you prefer, it’s a long day waiting around. The benefit is, you have your day where you get a chance to see a little bit of football – being a fan of the game – and watching the day before but, you feel like Monday is an eternity. I think all things being equal, me as a coach, you’d prefer to stay on a regulated rhythm, because once that thing kicks off, it’s a normal football game. To be able to play on national television, the atmospheres that we’ve had at night, especially at the Coliseum, those always bring out some fun environments for the guys to be able to compete in.”

(On if he will watch the 49ers and Packers game)
“I’ll be watching that, I’ll be watching a lot of games, unless we are having our meetings. That’s what you like about when you have the bye or a Thursday game or, even a Monday night game, you get a chance to really see some stuff in live action, instead of just watching from the highlights.”

(On if it will be fun to watch 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur coach against one another)
“Yeah, I think it’s really because they are two good football teams. Obviously, those are two friends of mine, but I’m excited just to see those guys go at it. Those are two of the best teams in the NFC right now, so it’ll be a good matchup.”

(On how it feels the field will be for the game on Monday following a USC game on Saturday)
“I think our guys in equipment do a great job of kind of educating our players. You could even see last Sunday, it gets to be slippery, there’s some moisture on the field and you want to make sure that you’ve got your footing. Really, I’ll probably be able to tell you after the game, see how messed up it ends up getting. Usually, (Head of Equipment) Brendan Burger and his staff do a great job of putting our players in a position to make sure they are ready to go equipment-wise.”

(On if he is watching the games as a fan on NFL Sunday Ticket or NFL RedZone)
“You’ve got the RedZone and you’ve got the ability to click on any of the other things. It’s like warp speed, going from one thing to the other. Typically, RedZone.”