McVay … 8/19 … transcript … + podcast interview w/ Peter Schrager

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay, August 19, 2020

(On CB Jalen Ramsey’s play against RB Cam Akers)
“Yeah, I think it’s good. Those guys have a good relationship going back to Florida State and the appreciation they have for their Florida State background. I think (CB) Jalen (Ramsey) cares a lot about (RB) Cam (Akers) and he’s welcomed him to the NFL, if you will. But, those guys, I think it was a good physical, smart, real play — we like those. We just don’t want to take those shots from the side. It was a frontal shot, and that’s what’s made Jalen a really special corner.”

(On QB John Wolford’s hit at the end and his physical play)
“That was not smart. We don’t do that. I told (QB) John (Wolford), and I know it was with the best of intentions, but that’s a really bad place to put a DB when you can’t hit the quarterbacks. You get excited as a competitor around some of those redzone situations, but he’ll be smart. We’re not ever going to lower our shoulder on defenders when they have a red jersey — unless he wants to be tackled.”

(On the limited opportunities of physical practices during training camp)
“That’s one of the things that you educate these guys on. We’ll give our opportunities to push it a little bit, but do it in a smart way. We will do some tackle stuff with some guys to really be able to evaluate them, but you want to be smart with who you allow to do those kind of things. I think that’s one of the things that separates the pros from some of these younger guys as they understand how to practice full speed and they don’t let their emotions get in the way of playing the game the right way under the parameters at which we’re operating in practice.”

(On S Terrell Burgess)
“He’s done a really good job. Smart player, great athleticism for a safety. He has some flexibility to be able to play at the nickel position at the star for us. Really, very conscientious, made some big plays. When he gets his hands on the ball, he’s catching it. That’s one of the things I’ve been really impressed with. Our DB group as a whole, if they’ve gotten their hands on the ball, they’ve pretty much caught it. They’ve caused a lot of turnovers in a short period of time, which is great for our defense and not good for the offense. But, I’ve been very pleased with (S) Terrell (Burgess) and really our backend as a whole.”

(On having the ability to move pieces around in the secondary)
“It’s huge. To be able to have guys that can play in multiple spots, it gives you more depth. It also gives you versatility in some of the personnel groupings you can activate to an offense to cause confusion. We certainly have a lot of depth. I think Coach (Cornerbacks Coach Aubrey) Pleasant and Coach (Safeties Coach Ejiro) Evero have done an excellent job developing that backend. These guys are buying into some of the new principles that we’re implementing coverage-wise and I’ve been very pleased with that group as a whole. I think the leadership from Jalen and from (S) John Johnson (III) has been instrumental. (CB) Troy Hill has played a lot of football, done a lot of really good things and I think those guys are rubbing off on their teammates in a very positive way.”

(On an upcoming scrimmage at SoFi Stadium)
“Yes. You know, as far as the specifics around it, but the first scrimmage we’ll have, which will be the (August) 22nd, and will start around 5 o’clock (p.m.) to simulate a similar kickoff time to Dallas. Then on the (August) 29th, it’ll be around 1 o’clock (p.m.) that we’ll start that to get a feel for what a lot of our home games will feel like. Those are the general times that we’ll end up starting that. But, as far as the specifics around it, I’ll wait until I get the injury report, but it will be a lot of good work. We’ll try to mimic and emulate a game-like situation as much as possible in those two opportunities.”

(On whether the scrimmage will be physical or if the point is to become familiar with the stadium)
“It’s a little bit of both. We still want to practice smart, but we will have some opportunities with specific players, like I mentioned. Play real football, might tackle. Who those guys are is yet to be determined. I think that will provide a real opportunity for us to use and not necessarily use the lack of preseason games as an excuse to not evaluate these guys. Those two opportunities will serve as a chance for some guys that would have gotten a lot of snaps in the preseason to maybe play some real football where we’re tackling and doing things that a real one would entail.”

(On the growth and progression of the offensive line)
“I think they’ve done nice job, they really have. (Offensive Line) Coach (Aaron) Kromer does a great job developing those guys. They’ve got a lot of meaningful snaps. I’ve been particularly impressed with (OL) Austin Corbett and (OL) Joe Noteboom. Joe was really playing good football before he ended up getting injured against the Niners (San Francisco 49ers) early on in the (2019) season. I think he picked up where he left off. Looks very comfortable, looks healthy, looks explosive and strong. Same thing with Austin Corbett, who really has some position flexibility. Both those guys have done a really nice job. I think (OL) Rob Havenstein’s been outstanding, looking like the guy that we know he’s capable of and the command that (OL) Austin Blythe has demonstrated has been exactly what want from the center position. You know ‘Whit’ (OL Andrew Whitworth) is going to continue to do his thing. I think with some of the things that he got cleaned up, he looks as healthy as he’s been since we’ve been together, which is a very, very impressive thing. You’re not surprised by anything from him at this point.”

(On how long he expects S Taylor Rapp to be out)
“I don’t know specifically. I’m hoping that in the next week or so he’ll be able to get back out on the field. I’ll get with (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott). He is making good progress, but I would anticipate in the next week we’ll have some clarity on hopefully him returning to play.”

(On how he would describe Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley out on the field)
“He’s locked in. When you get into some of these competitive periods, I might try to yell across the field to get his attention on something. We talk about being totally present, and he is certainly present. He’s so present, that he can’t hear anything else. He’s got great focus and concentration. Everything that he’s done, he’s checking all of those boxes. We know that we have a long way to go, but his leadership in the meeting room, on the grass, his ability to make corrections in real time. That’s what separates the good coaches from the others, is the ability to quickly identify problems and fix them on the field before you have to wait to get to the tape to do that. He definitely has a feel for what’s going on with all 22 every single snap. And like I said, it’s not exclusive to the interviews with you guys, he’s done a great job, in what’s in my mind, the most important stuff even though I want him to be nice to you guys too (laughs).”

(On RB Darrell Henderson Jr.)
“He’s done a nice job. (RB) Darrell’s (Henderson Jr.) a guy that I think last year, had some unfortunate injuries that led to not maybe getting as much work as we thought he was going to get. But, he did flash some things that got us so excited about taking him out of Memphis. I think he’s taking a real big step in the right direction. He’s showing big picture understanding of everything in all phases – pass game, run game, protection. I continue to go back to just (Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown’s influence on that room as a whole. It’s definitely showing. When you guys get a chance to meet him, you’ll realize why I think he’s such a special coach.”

(On the kicking competition)
“It’s very early on. We’re balancing up. We’re kicking field goals every day. Two guys each day and alternate it. So, one of those guys is getting every third day off. There’s going to be a lot of opportunities for those guys to compete for us to evaluate and figure out which one we feel best about come September 13th.”

(On whether there’s a chance two kickers will be kept on the roster)
“That’s a long way away from making that decision. Ideally, you’d have a guy that you feel really good about, but I certainly don’t want to lock myself into that answer right now.”

(On what he liked from RB Cam Akers today)
“He made a couple of nice runs down in the red area. We had a tight zone, he ended up winding back and you could see the speed to finish and get it in there. I think he’s run tougher the last couple days. You talk about how aggressively these defensive players in this league attack at the football and how important that ball security is. He’s got great natural ability as a runner. I think he sees things, he’s got a great feel and tempo to his game. But, you’ve got to make sure how important that is and I think he’s really been mindful of that. There’s been an increased urgency in him in the last couple days, specifically when the pads have come on, and that’s been very encouraging to us.”

(On the progression of QB John Wolford from last year to this year)
“I think just the ability to get reps. John didn’t get many reps other than running the scout team last year and he was splitting those reps with (QB) Blake Bortles, so you can really see. (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin (O’Connell) and (Quarterbacks Coach) Liam (Coen) have spent a lot of time. He’s put a lot of time in where he’s really got a great understanding and he can articulate and communicate to you exactly what we’re trying to get done and a lot of the different things in our offense. Then just getting the reps. Repetition is the mother of learning. I think he’s really taken advantage of it. I think he’s understanding the tempo of these different concepts. Be able to read with your feet, making quick decisions. Then you see the athleticism, when you get him out in space and you move the launch point, he’s got the ability to make a lot of different athletic throws off platform. He’s an exciting guy and you can see his teammates really enjoy being around him as well.”