Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Nov. 18, 2019

(On an update regarding WR Robert Woods)
“There’s no update. He’s (WR Robert Woods) still handling that personal matter and we’ll probably have a little bit more of an update on that later on in the week.”

(On if he expects WR Brandin Cooks to return this week)
“We do. He’s (WR Brandin Cooks) been in great spirits, he’s been in good shape. The anticipation is that he will be able to play this week.”

(On injury updates following Sunday’s game)
“Came out pretty good. Your typical bumps and bruises, but the tight ends that were banged up going into it, they came out in good shape. For the most part, ‘Brock’ (DL Michael Brockers) had his little elbow deal, but he ended up coming back into the game. It was as healthy as we’ve come out of a game with all the guys that did play.”

(On OLB Dante Fowler Jr. exiting late in Sunday’s game)
“I think it was probably more of just catching his (OLB Dante Fowler Jr.) wind. He’s good.”

(On what Brockers’ injury was)
“He just irritated his elbow. Not exactly sure what it was. As soon as I went out there – I think, probably, one of those deals where it kind of just scares you initially more than anything. Once you kind of settle in you realize, ‘All right, you’re okay,’ and he came back and he did a great job to finish it out.”

(On him going out on the field to check on Brockers)
“If a guy stays down there, usually I end up going out there just to make sure they’re okay and just kind of check on them. That was the case and as soon as we got out there, you felt pretty good just based on the feedback he was able to give to us.”

(On if T Rob Havenstein will be available this week)
“I would say he’s (T Rob Havenstein) probably going to be doubtful for this week. He is making good progress. To have a finite answer on exactly when he’ll play a week from today is difficult. I think the anticipation – just originally with that injury – was that it’s probably going to be a couple weeks. That’s why he’ll most likely be doubtful, but you don’t want to rule him out quite yet.”

(On QB Jared Goff saying Sunday was one of his favorite wins as a Ram and if he can relate to that feeling)
“Any win is a good win. We’ll certainly take that – it was the most recent one, so it was certainly a fun one. I think all the things that went on and the way that our team continues to stick together through the good, though the bad and all those different types of things – I think the mental toughness, the resilience that they really embody and personify is something that I think is really powerful. I love the way that our guys just hung tough. I love the way that yesterday provided a lot of opportunities for guys that didn’t expect to be in some of the positions they were in last night. To show that the game’s not too big for them and I love the way that we found a way to win as a team, which is always the goal.”

(On if there are circumstances that took place on Sunday that may translate to future games or if it was a one-off)
“I think it’s a combination of both. Obviously, when you end up having a late adjustment because of something that occurred with a player that’s a big-time contributor – but then you always talk about, ‘How do you want to win games as a team? What do we feel like the best way to put all three phases together?’ I think what we’re all learning is that the ways that we do that with this year’s team is maybe different than what we’ve seen. The most important thing is what’s the best way for this team to be able to win football games. I think that’s something that we’re continuing to learn. Each week based on the opponent we play might look like a different answer in terms of the matchups, but I think yesterday was a good indicator of some things that you might want to see moving forward.”

(On if the team felt a little bit of a relief or if there were extra emotions after winning Sunday’s game)
“I think the guys would be better served to answer that than me. I was really pleased with just the amount of different things that went on – the guys found a way to bond together and win a football game. Whether that be overcoming injuries, whether that be opportunities for some guys that hadn’t played to step up, whether that be some things that are way bigger than football going on, I think there is a lot of different things. Anytime that you’re coming off of a disappointing outcome the previous week – especially when it was the bye – you have a tendency to feel like, ‘Man, it’s been so long since we’ve played a good game.’ But, because of the two-week stretch since we had won coming off the bye, then you don’t get the result you want. I think there was a lot of things that went into it, but I think the guys were pleased with the win, to answer your question.”

(On if the tight end usage was something he planned coming in or if it was exacerbated by not having Woods)
“It’s a little bit of both. They do a good job of mixing some of their personnel groupings and we wanted to be able to run the football. Some of the run concepts that we felt like would give us the best chance to be able to move the football consistently and do some things that we wanted to do against that front structure. We felt like the best way to do that would be out of the two-tight-end personnel grouping. Obviously, there is going to be some adjustments when one of your starting receivers that’s a main contributor for you ends up not going right before kickoff.”

(On what it says about the tight ends and offensive tackles to be able to keep Bears LB Khalil Mack off the stat sheet)
“It says they did a great job. He is a game wrecker, he is a big-time, special, unique player. I thought the ability to be able to kind of consistently stay patient with the runs, consistently move the ball – I think we’ve got to be better in some of those third-down situations when we do run it, but I thought just the commitment overall. Then what we were able to get in terms of some of the ways we were limited in having to throw the football outside of a few drop backs here and there, limits really the ‘opps’ that he has and I think that’s a credit to those guys that you just mentioned.”

(On what he remembers about Ravens QB Lamar Jackson from when the team had training camp practices with the Ravens in 2018 and what he thinks about what Jackson is doing this season)
“As you’re just diving into the initial part of getting familiar with the Ravens, I think you saw a dynamic athlete, you saw a guy that was just getting used to…I mean, you think about the early stages of where you’re at in your development as a rookie quarterback right in the beginning of training camp. That’s a lot of stuff that those guys are getting accustomed to. You could see the athleticism, but then when you look at what he’s done so far, it has been impressive in terms of the ability to put pressure on defenses with the way that he can beat you in a couple different ways. I think (Ravens Offensive Coordinator) Greg Roman has done an outstanding job. They’re one of the best offenses. They’re on track to have less punts than anybody in the history of the league over the course of a season. I think they had zero punts yesterday. Dynamic playmaker, builds the guys around him, have a confidence because of his swagger and confidence. When he is delivering the football, he’s throwing the ball accurately. In a lot of instances, they’re dictating structures because they’re able to be so efficient and such a threat of the run and the pass that can come off of it.”

(On how CB Troy Hill has done since taking over the starting position and if that role became increasingly difficult for him after adding CB Jalen Ramey to the other side knowing that quarterbacks would want to avoid Ramsey)
“Yeah. I think in some instances, if that’s what a team wants to do, you typically say, ‘All right you might see a little bit more work.’ But I think (CB) Troy (Hill) has done a great job continuing to improve. (Cornerbacks) Coach Pleasant does an outstanding job with those guys as a whole. Helping really to fine-tune the fundamentals, the techniques. Troy has always had the skill set in terms of his lateral agility, his just body control, overall speed. I think you’re seeing him play at a really high level. He ends up having a pick yesterday, gets a sack on the one that gets flushed out on the sideline, he’s making tackles. I think he’s playing really good football right now. Really, I thought our secondary as whole did a great job last night. To minimize – where you talk about the biggest gain they had was on a 19-yard gain where we ended up dropping a coverage responsibility in a man pressure we had. I think that’s a real credit to those guys and I thought it was a real positive to see (CB) David Long (Jr.) play his first extensive action – 15 snaps, did a great job. That’s a reflection of those guys on the backend with (Safeties) Coach ‘E’ (Ejiro Evero) and Coach Aubrey doing a great job coaching those guys up.”

(On how much harder the challenge is against Baltimore)
“When you look at just the production that they’ve had offensively, it is getting increasingly difficult. I think that’s something that you embrace as a competitor. I know our guys will be excited about the challenge and the opportunity to compete against one of the best and most productive offenses in the league this year.”

(On when the defense is playing really well and if that changes or impacts anything he does as a playcaller)
“Yeah, it certainly does. At the end of the day, the goal is to win the football game. Regardless of how you end up doing it, a win is a win. Now, certainly, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to be efficient and operate with consistency offensively, but I think it does enable you to feel like…I don’t necessarily know if conservative is the word. But you want to play a smart, complementary game. I think yesterday indicated our ability to approach the game like that. There are still some instances where, as a whole, as good as the defense played there’s some things we talked about that we expect them to do at a really high level. Same thing with the offense and the special teams, and like anything else we expect to get better from this. I think it’s always easier to be able to teach and have guys learn from it when you do get the result that you want. But we do want to continue to focus on that process.”

(On how RB Todd Gurley was feeling today and if he will continue to use him in the same way in which he did in yesterday’s game or if it’ll be a game-to-game evaluation)
“I think if he’s feeling good. That’s what you want. Obviously, that was the most work that he got this season. I think the thing that we had discussed that we talked about it last week, don’t miss the opportunity if he’s feeling good and getting into the flow like he was in Pittsburgh. I think more than anything he can really draw on that, feel good. So, yes if that’s something that he continues to feel good, with his body responds the right way, which every inclination that I have is he’s feeling good. That is something that you’d like to see because when the ball is in (RB) Todd’s (Gurley) hands good things happen. I love as much as anything the way he responded after what happened on the first touch.”

(On after watching the film how he felt about the offensive line’s performance)
“Just physical. You saw a lot of downhill, direct runs. I just thought you could feel, especially for a lot of guys making their first extended action, wasn’t too big going against a great front with a bunch of different play-makers on that front. I just thought that they played with a consistent physicality, a toughness, the way they were finishing. I thought there was a good energy in and out of the huddle. Obviously, able to keep Jared clean where he wasn’t getting hit. They did a very, very good job. I thought (Run Game Coordinator) Coach (Aaron) Kromer’s guidance, and then you talk about (T) Andrew Whitworth’s leadership, (C) Austin Blythe’s command at the center spot with those two big guards, and then (T) Bobby Evans doing a nice job stepping in at the right tackle position.”

(On how he goes about trying to simulate Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s mobility and option concepts they run during practice this week)
“That’s a hell of a question. That is something that we’ve started to discuss as a group with our defensive staff. It’s hard to find somebody that has the skill set, in terms of the athleticism, to put the pressure on your defense, but then can also throw the football. Those are some things that we’re working through. But typically you would like to say, ‘All right, is it maybe even something where you explore a really unique athlete that can throw it?’ Because you don’t want it to be so predictable if you just put a guy in there. We’ve got some guys that might be capable of mimicking and emulating him, but he is certainly the man and playing at this rate for a reason. It’s hard to truly do that.”

(On if there is any concern for the wellbeing of Woods)
“No, we feel good. He’s in a good place. We feel good about where the situation is at and his wellbeing, and that’s very, very important to us.”

Rams Postgame Quotes – November 17, 2019

***

Head Coach Sean McVay

(Opening Remarks)
“First and foremost, with (WR) Robert Woods not being there tonight – it was a personal matter. That’s all we are going to say about that. We love him, respect him, we are with him and his family all the way and that’s really where we will leave that at. As far as the game tonight, really pleased with our team. To be able to find a way to win as a team, that was the goal, that always is the goal. It was a little bit different than typically what we are accustomed to seeing, but a win is a win, we will take that. I love this group, love the way that they continue to battle. I thought our coaching staff did a great job. Hats off to the Bears. They are a tough, physical football team. We were pleased to come away with a win tonight.”

(On what point did he know Woods wasn’t going to play today)
“A couple hours before the game.”

(On if he made a conscientious effort to put the ball in RB Todd Gurley II hands)
“That was part of the gameplan tonight and I thought he did a great job. What I loved the most about what (RB) Todd (Gurley II) did, is after we put the first carry on the ground, he didn’t flinch, he came back and had some good, tough, physical runs and made some good catches out of the backfield and he was a big-time contributor tonight. I thought our offensive line as a whole – I can’t say enough about (TE) Johnny Mundt and (TE) Tyler Higbee battling through, where they were banged up, they were questionable coming in to the game. For Johnny Mundt to be able to play really his first extensive action like that and do a great job battling against a really physical front – with some of the personnel groupings that they were playing on defense – I thought was a real impressive night for those guys. Just kind of grinding it out had to be patient and a lot of that is a result of being able to play as good of defense as we did tonight as well.”

(On holding the Bears to seven points and how good the defense played tonight)
“Unbelievable. They continued to make stop after stop. I though (DB) Troy Hill’s interception was big. The thing that I thought was as big as anything is when offensively, when we turn it over the first two possessions – for the defense to be able to stand up and not let any points come off those turnovers was huge. Really, our defense was outstanding and that’s what we expect from them. I thought they did a great job.”

(On if he was committed to more of a conservative approach on offense)
“Yes, and really I thought at the most timely spots our guys rose up. To be able to see (WR) Josh Reynolds make some timely catches, I thought the third down, where he ended up having poor leverage on (Bears CB Kyle) Fuller, broke that leverage, (QB) Jared (Goff) delivers him a good ball. What a play by Jared Goff in the empty formation to recognize kind of a trap-type coverage where Fuller comes off on the out-break from Josh and he opens up the hole shot from (Tight End) Gerald (Everett). I hate that the one big play to Josh came back, but really I loved the way that our guys overcame it. To see (RB) Malcolm (Brown) end up punching that one in was big and then to be able to close out the game in a four-minute situation and be able to take a knee, that’s always a good thing for us.”

(On if he expected this good of a performance from the offensive line)
“Yeah, it is. That’s what we expected. That was the type of game that we thought it would be and I thought those guys did a great job. Until you go back and look at the tape, it’s hard for us to say but I did think there was a lot of situations where you are a little bit more conservative. I thought they did a great job just continuing to battle. It was a physical football game and really pleased with those guys as a whole.”

(On which point in the week he decided he was going to use Gurley heavily in this game)
“I think you always have a plan as the week evolves, but you certainly never know exactly how a game’s going to unfold and sometimes it changes. I thought our ability to stay in some manageable situations, the efficiency we had specifically early on in the game was critical for that, and like we talked about, I didn’t think I did a good enough job against the Steelers of kind of recognizing the way that he was running and you don’t want to make the same mistake twice.”

(On if he recognizes the way that Gurley is running now, and if we will see him featured more during the remainder of the season)
“I think so. That’s an ideal situation, but we’ll continue to look at this film and we’ll see how we want to put together our next game plan. Anytime you get Todd involved like that, it’s usually always a good thing for our offense.”

(On what he liked about CB Troy Hill’s performance, which included six tackles, a sack, and an interception)
“All those things you just mentioned, and I thought he just continued to compete. He’s a complete corner and if he gets his opportunities, he’s got the ball skills to be able to deliver. That was a big play right there if he’s coming up in run support, but a lot of different coverage principles that we activated tonight and I thought (CB) Troy (Hill) did a great job in addition to really the 10 (players) around him and all the different personnel groupings we activated.”

(On if he expects to get some clarity on when WR Robert Woods will return in the next day or two)
“Yeah, it’s hard to say. I don’t want to give a finite answer on that. I most importantly want to be able to talk to him afterwards. I talked to him before the game, but want to be able to check with him and out of respect for his family, that’s why we’re just kind of leaving it at what it is.”

***

QB Jared Goff

(On Rams Head Coach Sean McVay putting the ball in RB Todd Gurley II hands to control the offense)
“I think we kind of knew what type of game it was going to be. That was the type of game it was it was to run the ball and it was specifically (RB) Todd (Gurley II) the way he was moving the ball and the way he was moving, it worked. It worked really well. I just couldn’t be more proud of the guys who stepped up today. It doesn’t happen everywhere in the league where you have two O-linemen go down, you have (TE) Johnny Mundt, who’s banged up you have (TE) Tyler Higbee who’s banged up and we are going to play you guys the entire game almost. They stepped up and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

(On what was the challenge knowing WR Robert Woods wasn’t going to be available for the game)
“He’s a stud for us and we want him out there. We are thinking about him right now, but I thought (WR) Josh (Reynolds) and (WR) Cooper (Kupp), the same reason. We learned before the game what was going on and needed those guys to step up and they didn’t flinch. I can’t stress enough of how proud I am of my teammates – specifically the guys that had to step up today.”

(On Kupp not having a catch last week and how nice was it to have him contribute to the offense this game)
“Anytime I can connect with him is great. We were able to get a little bit more on the same page this week, we weren’t throwing the ball as much as we usually do. It was the way to win the game today. We had to handle it that way and I thought he did a great job.”

(On how he was able to turn it around and keep it together after back-to-back turnovers)
“It’s never ideal and never something you want. I was really kicking myself – just knowing that, like I spoke about, that was the type of game it’s just, ‘Don’t turn the ball over and take care of the football.’ Just a bad throw by me. Again, I can’t stress enough the ability to overcome and how you see these guys just consistently fight, and fight, and fight. And those young guys in the huddle the way that they are locked in, it’s so special. It was a big win for us.”

(On if he could sense a feeling of urgency around the team knowing they needed a win to stay in the playoff hunt)
“I don’t think we’re thinking that big-picture right now. We were really focused on beating the Bears today and I think that you could feel the urgency with that coming off last week’s disappointment, just knowing that we needed to get this done today a few plays go here, there, the other, you never know what happens. We were able to make somethings happen and those guys up front stepped up and did their thing. We were able to run the ball and you could see what happens when we get that going.”

(On McVay’s ability to adjust his gameplan based on what the team had going)
“It was tremendous. Again, I think he is only going to continue to grow as a coach and I think tonight was a perfect example of him knowing what type of game it was going to be. Really relying on Todd and really relying on me to make good decisions and I let him down on that one. Just consistently taking care of the ball. Again, knowing what type of game it was going to be we wanted to do that, and I thought he did a great job.”

(On the interception he threw in double coverage and how he puts plays like that behind him)
“That one was tough, that was just a blatant bad decision and bad throw. It’s going to happen, you don’t want them to happen, but it’s bound to. I think, for me personally, I’ve always had a good way about myself to get over that stuff pretty quickly, but that one ate at me for a little bit. Like I spoke about, I knew this game was just take care of the football and we would win the game. As soon as I did that, I’m like, ‘What are you doing? throw the ball away.’ Glad I learned from it, made some good plays the end of the game. I just been doing it my whole life and have to. You have no other choice.”

(On if the defense playing well gives him confidence that he is going to have a chance)
“I think the way that they’ve been playing – specifically the last few games – like you’ve mentioned, it’s given us so much confidence and given us so much ability to go down the field and try to make plays and do different things. We need to be better for them, there is no doubt about that. I think tonight was a unique game and I think we’ve could have been a lot better, especially early on. I think the way that we kept responding, kept responding, we would go three-and-out, we’d punt it away, het the ball back and maybe again, and eventually, kept chipping away, kept chipping away, kept chipping away, and I think that last drive we got our mojo back, we were rolling. It felt like how we usually are on offense and it’s a good feeling right now.”

(On if him saying how he usually is involved Gurley II)
“I’m speaking more specifically in the pass game, of course the way he’s playing was tremendous. I think on that last drive, we don’t have the best look and we’re just getting open and I’m able to make some throws to the guys and they are making great catches and we are making stuff a little bit off-schedule. That’s how we should play, that’s the rhythm we need to play in and I think that Todd, like you mentioned, being able to run like he did, was able to get us into that rhythm.”

(On him being emotion with Gurley II coming off the field)
“I told him he fights, he fights, man. He’s been through the ringer and that dude fights and I couldn’t be more proud to be his teammate.”

(On Gurley II getting a season-high number of touches and how that affects the passing game)
“Yeah, anytime we can run the ball like that it’s going to open things up, especially in the play-action game, and I think that’s kind of what you’ve seen from us the last few years – when we’re at our best is when we’re running the ball really well, and there have been games where we haven’t and we’ve overcome it throwing for a million yards, but that’s not usually how we want to do it. Today was a game where we leaned heavily on him, leaned heavily on him and (RB) Malcolm (Brown) and I thought they both stepped up. You see the type of players they are and the type of people they are. It’s special and again, couldn’t be prouder.”

(On how good the offensive line was given the changes made in the lineup)
“Huge. Huge. Can’t stress it enough. You think about (T) Bobby Evans making his first start against (Bears OLB) Khalil Mack, who’s arguably the best rush-end in the league and it was a non-factor. He did his thing. He stepped up, he did his thing. We were doing different things to help them out, but not that much, to the point where he was just playing well. And then (OL) David Edwards continues to get better, continues to do his thing. I thought (OL) Austin Blythe directed the offense, directed the O-Line like a champ up front, and then (OL) Austin Corbett stepped in as well. Last week was his first time playing, and this week to just come in there, the way that all of them are just so non-reactive, every single play is just so dialed, so focused, so steely-eyed, and just ready to go. And obviously (T Andrew) Whitworth is who he is and we know that, but I just thought those guys just stepped up so well and I couldn’t be prouder. Couldn’t be prouder.”

(On if winning with only 11 completions was the way he wanted to win the game)
“It’s one of my favorite wins as a Ram, no doubt. I think with all the circumstances, being at home in front of our home fans and the way that the game was going, I don’t care how many times I throw the ball, how many times we run the ball, how many completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, interceptions. The way that game went, and the way that we fought, and the way that we continued to fight all the way until the end in that last drive, the way that that exemplifies that, I think it’s up there in the top of my head as one of my favorite wins as a Ram, and again I couldn’t be prouder with the guys on this team.”

***

WR Cooper Kupp

(On what they need to do to see more of an explosive offense)
“We just got to seize the opportunities. They’re there we just have to do a better job executing, starts with us at receiver. There’s some stuff that we did today, I mean even me specifically. There’s some stuff that I did that cost teams games and at the end of the day that’s what it is. You talk about being process driven over results driven. It’s really easy for us to walk out of here feeling good because we got a W. Obviously, you love getting a W. If we’d be process driven and understand the things that we did today, some of the things that I did today really cost teams games and the things that I can not do are inexcusable.”

(On if he feels extra pressure to help out the defense that’s been play so well)
“No, no pressure. We don’t have to make a push or anything like that. They’re playing lights out. I love seeing those guys compete. We just have to go out there and execute. That’s the bottom line. We keep saying, ‘We got to be better, we got to be better.’ We will be better, well it’s time for us to be better. We just have to execute. We have to execute, the stuff’s there. We just have to be better.”

(On how great it was to see RB Todd Gurley back playing)
“Man, that was great. You see the O-line, some of those guys stepped up huge, especially early on the run game was popping. Getting some good chunks. you see that kind of stuff should open up things in the pass game as well with play actions. It was great to be able to move the ball like that. We love being able to run down hill and see Todd lowering his shoulder again. It’s fun stuff.”

***

CB Jalen Ramsey

(On his perception on how the Rams got the win against the Bears)
“I think the team played well — enough to get the win, basically. The defense played extremely well. We’ve been stacking up some good performances lately – tonight was another good performance. We let them get one ‘tud’ (touchdown), but that was OK. We never doubted, we had confidence throughout the whole game, through all the adversity. We had the offenses is back and then the offense came up big towards the end of the game to, you know, finish out the win, basically. It was a good team win.”

(On how much the Rams needed to win tonight’s game to stay in playoff contention)
“We weren’t really thinking about it. It was just the next game on the schedule and the most important because it was the game that was right in front of us. That’s about it.”

(On how much of an accomplishment for the defense it was to hold the Browns to seven points)
“Yeah, I would think so. In the past however many weeks, we’ve played well defensively. I feel like since I’ve been here — not saying it’s because of me – but I’m saying since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed the defense is really good. The defense performs well and we are just going to keep on trying to build off of that.”

***

DT Aaron Donald

(On holding the Bears to seven points)
“We just played good as a defense, everybody flying around and, you know, played solid football. We gave up two plays, but at the end, I feel like we played strong.”

(On if they had a different mentality going into the game as a defense considering all of the personnel changes on the offense)
“Well our mindset every week as a defense is to try to dominate and do everything we can. I feel like we’ve been doing that week to week. We’ve got to continue to do it, clean up the little things we’ve been having mistakes with. But overall, I feel like we’ve been playing good football.”

(On what he liked from the defensive effort against the Bears)
“I feel like we made good plays. We got the ball back to the offense, we had turnovers, we made big plays when we needed to do it, and we came away with a win.”

I read an old article on Martz. I dunno why.

He was such an odd one. Such a bundle of strengths and weaknesses.

Who the hell else could have gotten Mike Furrey to catch 98 passes. 98.

Faulk said Martz was not a failure in Detroit, btw.

w
v

=================
martz:https://www.mercurynews.com/2008/01/10/49ers-another-view-of-mike-martz-2/

Each agreed to give The Mercury News a scouting report on the offensive coordinator hired by the 49ers this week. The consensus? The big winner with Martz’s arrival is Gore – although not for the reasons you might think.

Faulk, for example, said Gore would flourish not by doing more but by doing less. He said Martz’s knack for relying on other playmakers means defenses will stop loading up on the 49ers’ lone threat.

“The one thing Mike does is find multiple ways to win games,” said Faulk, from Culver City, where he was preparing to go on air as an analyst for the NFL Network.

“There will be times when the defense will be focused on Frank, and that’s the time of the game when you find out whether your third or fourth options were paying attention in practice.

“Are those players prepared? Can they handle the pressure? With Mike, it’s in the details and he’ll find as many ways as he can to win.’

In other words, there will be no repeat of what happened when the 49ers played at Seattle Nov. 12. On fourth-and-1, everybody knew Gore would get the ball. The Seahawks pummeled him for no gain.

“Mike will move him around,” Warner said from his home in Arizona, where he now serves as quarterback for the Cardinals. “Mike will get the most of Frank because Gore is a tremendous player, and he finds creative ways to use his playmakers.”

Martz used Faulk all over the field, frequently lining him up as a split end. That’s how the runner wound up joining former 49ers star Roger Craig as the only backs to amass 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.

Gore has decent hands (114 catches over the past few seasons), although it’s tough to imagine him being as nimble a receiver as Faulk. No matter, Faulk said, because Martz will capitalize on Gore’s other skills.

“Frank is a much better inside runner than I ever was,” Faulk said. “That’s good for Mike because it gives him another weapon.”

Of course, Gore’s performance will be wasted again if the 49ers can’t get more out of their moribund passing game. Alex Smith and Shaun Hill are expected to compete for the starting job, a competition that Coach Mike Nolan has indicated will be left to Martz.

“Mike is the expert on quarterback play, let’s not kid ourselves,” Nolan said.

Regardless of who wins the job, Warner said both quarterbacks will essentially be starting from scratch. He recalled being shocked – and a tad bit offended – when Martz began working with him on basic fundamentals.

“He changed the way I’d been dropping back my whole life,” Warner said.

Most coaches, Warner said, put an emphasis on big strides and getting depth from the line of scrimmage. Martz worried more about rhythm. The coach wanted the ball out at the “top of the drop,” Warner said, and in practice Martz rarely concerned himself with the result of the play. He just wanted to make sure the footwork was correct.

“Every once in a while, you’d like to get credit for making a good throw,” Warner recalled with a laugh. “But it was all about timing.”

Martz had terrific receivers to work with in St. Louis, namely Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.

The 49ers have – well, no one like that. Their top wideout, Arnaz Battle, ranked 62nd in the NFL for receptions.

But Warner and Faulk insisted that Martz could find untapped potential in some players. The previously obscure Mike Furrey, for example, caught 98 passes for 1,086 yards after Martz arrived in Detroit in 2006.

“I think what I liked most was his ability to instill confidence in the players,” Warner said. “He had confidence in us no matter what, that he was going to put the ball in our hands. His philosophy was, ‘You guys dictate the outcome of the game.’ When he put that confidence in us, we wanted to reward him.”

Confidence, incidentally, is not something Martz lacks in himself. His famously brash personality already has raised questions about whether he can coexist with Nolan, who isn’t exactly the poster boy for humility.

Martz’s ego is no myth. Warner and Faulk both stressed that the coach wants things done precisely his way, right down to the small stuff.

For all Martz’s bluster, though, Faulk said the coach won over the locker room by never criticizing a player in the media. Instead, Martz freely shouldered the blame for his own mistakes.

“He’s a very confident coach, but he’s accountable,” Faulk said. “He would stand before players and say, ‘I messed that up. I should have made a better call there.’ Most coaches just don’t do that.”

Martz apparently did his fair share of messing up in Detroit. He was fired as the offensive coordinator after two seasons.

He had resurrected the Lions’ passing game, taking a unit that ranked No. 26 in 2005 and delivering two top-10 finishes. But Martz’s running game was horrible both seasons, finishing 32nd in ’06 and 31st in ’07.

Why didn’t it work out for Martz in Detroit?

“Who said it didn’t work out,” Faulk protested. “It was very difficult for the offense because the defense wasn’t getting off the field. The Lions had the feeling that they had to score, that they had to push it, that they had to put the ball in the air.

“In San Francisco, it won’t be like that. He’ll have more time to be patient with the running game.’

Warner, too, predicted things would work for Martz and the 49ers. That’s a bittersweet reaction for someone who happens to play in the same division.

“He’ll get it going,” Warner said. “I just hope it takes him a few years.”

Rams’ run game, with or without Todd Gurley, searches for identity

Lindsey Thiry

https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/40779/rams-run-game-with-or-without-todd-gurley-searches-for-identity

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Throughout the offseason, coach Sean McVay remained adamant that running back Todd Gurley would remain the focal point of the Los Angeles Rams offense.

But through five games, the Rams’ former NFL Offensive Player of the Year is just another player in an offense that has appeared in flux throughout a 3-2 start.

“What we are trying to figure out is what’s the best identity for this 2019 Rams football team and ultimately the offense,” said McVay, when asked if his offense has appeared how he envisioned before the season. “It’s really about us finding ways to just be efficient.”

The Rams’ challenge in establishing the run could grow Sunday, when they face an undefeated San Francisco 49ers team with a top-five rushing defense that is holding opponents to an average of 82 rushing yards per game.

Uncertainty remains about the status of Gurley, who suffered a thigh contusion in last Thursday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

“What’s today — Thursday?” Gurley asked, on Thursday. “I got Friday, Saturday. But just worrying about trying to just get back right and make that decision when the time comes.”

This season, the Rams have been slow to commit to the run and quick to rely on the arm of quarterback Jared Goff, who has passed for 1,649 yards and seven touchdowns, with seven interceptions. The Rams’ passing offense ranks second in the league with 317.4 yards per game, while ranking 22nd in rushing yards with 96.2 per game. Last season they ranked fifth in passing (281.7) and third in rushing (139.4).

“As a quarterback you love throwing the ball,” Goff said. “But you do know, especially in the NFL, it’s not the best recipe for success to be throwing it so many times.”

The offense has accounted for 222 pass plays to 115 runs plays.

“A lot of instances, what I’m most interested in for our offense is efficiency, scoring points and moving the football,” said McVay, when asked about the play discrepancy. “You’d like to be able to have a balance, but our job is to move the ball and score points.”

Before the season, the Rams stockpiled running backs. Along with Gurley, who last season signed a four-year, $60-million extension with $45 million guaranteed, the Rams matched an offer sheet from the Detroit Lions to bring back restricted free agent Malcolm Brown for two years and $3.3 million. They also selected Darrell Henderson in the third round from Memphis.

Even if Gurley assumed a decreased role in an attempt to keep him fresh, it appeared that the Rams’ running game would remain robust.

That hasn’t necessarily been the case, in part, because of circumstance — the Rams trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21-0 in the second quarter of a Week 4 loss and abandoned the run — but also by design.

This season, the Rams have gone with a designed run on 31 percent of their plays, which ranks 28th in the NFL and is down from McVay’s first two seasons as the Rams coach when he went with a designed run 42 percent of the time.

In the first half of games, they are going with a designed run 28 percent of the time, a higher rate than only the Kansas City Chiefs, who are at 24 percent, according to ESPN Stats and Information Research.

Gurley is coming off arguably his best game of the season in the loss to the Seahawks, when he rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. McVay wasted no time getting Gurley into a rhythm, calling for runs on the first two plays.

“We wanted to get him going,” McVay said, adding later, “That opened up some things in the pass game.”

Despite playing an average of four fewer snaps per game than last season, Gurley has maintained a lion’s share of the workload. In five games, he has rushed for 270 yards and five touchdowns on 64 carries.

But he has been spelled at a more frequent rate than in past seasons. Brown is averaging five more snaps per game than in 2018 and has rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.

“I think,” Brown said, with a chuckle, when asked to assess the running game, “it’s been cool. We just go out there and run the plays that are being called, for real. That’s it.”

Henderson, who in April McVay called the “change-of-pace back” he’s been searching for, has played two offensive snaps, both in the season opener.

“That’s one of those things that we’re going to look at and are evaluating,” McVay said about Henderson’s role. “It’s our job and it’s my job to make sure we find a way to continue to develop him and give him an opportunity, because I think he is a guy who can help us, whether it’s immediately or whether it’s later on in the season.”

Said Henderson: “It’s all about being patient. I’m just being patient, waiting my time and making sure I’m ready whenever my number is called.”

Whoever is playing, however many run plays are called, Gurley said there’s only one bottom line.

“As long as you’re winning games, that’s all that really matters.”

I found this very interesting.

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20191001-the-bias-behind-the-worlds-greatest-catastrophes

The outcome bias erodes your sense of risk and makes you blind to error, explaining everything from fatal plane crashes to the Columbia crash and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

By David Robson
2nd October 2019

Imagine a pilot is taking a familiar flight along a known route, during which the weather takes a turn for the worst. She knows that flying through the storm comes with some serious risks – and according to her training, she should take a detour or return. But she has flown the same route before, in similar weather – and she hadn’t experienced any problems then. Should she continue? Or should she turn back?

If you believe that she is safe to fly on, then you have fallen for a cognitive quirk known as the “outcome bias”. Studies have shown that we often judge the quality of a decision or behaviour by its endpoint, while ignoring the many mitigating factors that might have contributed to success or failure – and that this can render us oblivious to potentially catastrophic errors in our thinking.

In this example, the decision to take the previous flight was itself very risky – and the pilot may have only avoided an accident through a combination of lucky circumstances. But thanks to the outcome bias, she might ignore this possibility and assume that either the dangers had been overrated, or that it was her extraordinary skill that got her through, leading her to feel even happier taking the risk again in the future. And the more she does it, the less concerned about the danger she becomes.

Besides leading us to become increasingly risky in our decision-making, the outcome bias can lead us to ignore incompetence and unethical behaviour in our colleagues. And the consequences can be truly terrifying, with studies suggesting that it has contributed to many famous catastrophes, including the crash of Nasa’s Columbia shuttle and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The end, not the means

Like much of our understanding of human irrationality, the outcome bias was first observed in the 1980s, with a seminal study of medical decision-making.

Participants were given descriptions of various scenarios, including the risks and benefits of the different procedures, and then asked to rate the quality of the doctors’ judgement.

The participants were told about a doctor’s choice to offer a patient a heart bypass, for instance – potentially adding many more years of good health, but with a small chance of death during the operation. Perhaps predictably, the participants judged the doctor’s decision far more harshly if they were told the patient subsequently died than when they were told that the patient lived – even though the benefits and risks were exactly the same in each case.

The outcome bias is so deeply ingrained in our brains that it’s easy to understand why they would feel that the doctor should be punished for the patient’s death. Yet the participants’ reasoning is not logical, since there would have been no better way for the doctor to have weighed up that evidence – at the time of making the decision there was every chance the operation would have been a success. Once you know about the tragedy, however, it’s hard to escape that nagging feeling that the doctor was nevertheless at fault – leading the participants to question his competence.

Negative results lead us to blame someone for events that were clearly beyond their control, even when we know all the facts that excuse their decision-making

“We just have a hard time dissociating the random events that, along with the quality of the decision, jointly contribute to the outcome,” explains Krishna Savani at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

The finding, published in 1988, has been replicated many times, showing that negative results lead us to blame someone for events that were clearly beyond their control, even when we know all the facts that excuse their decision-making. And we now know that the opposite is also true: thanks to the outcome bias, a positive result can lead us to ignore flawed decision-making that should be kept in check, giving people a free pass for unacceptable behaviour.

In one experiment by Francesca Gino at Harvard Business School, participants were told a story about a scientist who fudged their results to prove the efficacy of a drug they were testing. Gino found that the participants were less critical of the scientist’s behaviour if the drug turned out to be safe and effective than if it turned out to have dangerous side effects. Ideally, of course, you would judge both situations equally harshly – since an employee who behaves so irresponsibly could be a serious liability in the future.

Such flawed thinking is a serious issue when considering things like promotion. It means that an investor, say, could be rewarded for a lucky streak in their performance even if there is clear evidence of incompetent or unethical behaviour, since their boss is unable to disconnect their decision-making from their results. Conversely, it shows how a failure can subtly harm your reputation even if there is clear evidence that you had acted appropriately based on the information at hand.

“It’s a big problem that people are either being praised, or being blamed, for events that were largely determined by chance,” says Savani. “And this is relevant for government policy makers, for business managers – for anyone who’s making a decision.”

The outcome bias may even affect our understand of sport. Arturo Rodriguez at the University of Chile recently examined pundits’ ratings of footballers on Goal.com. In games that had to be decided by penalty shootouts, he found that the results of those few short minutes at the end of the game swayed the experts’ judgements of the players’ performance throughout the whole match. Crucially, that was even true for the players who hadn’t scored any goals. “The result of the shoot-out had a significant impact on the individual evaluation of the players – even if they didn’t participate in it,” Rodriguez says. They could simply bask in the victory of others.

Near misses

The outcome bias’s most serious consequences, however, concern our perceptions of risk.

One study of general aviation, for instance, examined pilots’ evaluations of flying under perilous weather conditions with poor visibility. It found that pilots were more likely to underestimate the dangers of the flight if they had just heard that another pilot had successfully made it through the same route. In reality, there is no guarantee that their success would mean a safe passage for the second flight – they may have only made it through by luck – but the outcome bias means that the pilots overlooked this fact.

Catherine Tinsley, at Georgetown University, has found a similar pattern in people’s responses to natural disasters like hurricanes. If someone weathers one storm unscathed, they become less likely to purchase flood insurance before the next disaster, for instance.

Tinsley’s later research suggests that this phenomenon may explain many organisational failings and catastrophes too. The crash of Nasa’s Columbia shuttle was caused by foam insulation breaking off an external tank during the launch, creating debris that struck a hole through the wing of the orbiter. The foam had broken from the insulation on many previous flights, however – but due to lucky circumstance it had never before created enough damage to cause a crash.

Inspired by these findings, Tinsley’s team asked participants to consider a hypothetical mission with a near miss and to rate the project leader’s competence. She found that emphasising factors like safety, and the organisation’s visibility, meant that people were more likely to spot the event as a warning sign of a potential danger. The participants were also more conscious of the latent danger if they were told they would have to explain their judgement to a senior manager. Given these findings, organisations should emphasise everyone’s responsibility for spotting latent risks and reward people for reporting them.

Savani agrees that we can protect ourselves from the outcome bias. He has found, for instance, that priming people to think more carefully about the context surrounding a decision or behaviour can render them less susceptible to the outcome effect. The aim should be to think about the particular circumstances in which it was made and to recognise the factors, including chance, that might have contributed to the end result.

One way to do this is to engage in counter-factual thinking when assessing your or someone else’s performance, he says. What factors might have caused that different outcome? And would you still rate the decision or process the same way, if that had occurred?

Consider that case of the scientist who was fudging their drug results. Even if the drug was safe in the end, imagining the worst-case scenario – with patient deaths – would make you more conscious of the risks he was taking. Similarly, if you were that pilot who chose to fly in unsuitable conditions, you might look at each flight to examine any risks you were taking and to think through how that might have played out in different circumstances.

Whether you are an investor, a pilot or a Nasa scientist, these strategies to avoid the outcome bias will help prevent a chance success from blinding you to dangers in front of your eyes. Life is a gamble, but you can at least stack the odds in your favour, rather than allowing your mind to lull you into a false sense of security.

—

David Robson is a writer based in London and Barcelona. His first book, The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things, is out now. He is d_a_robson on Twitter.



Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay Conference Call – Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The last time you guys played (it was a) pretty high stakes, high emotion type of ending. Does that matter at all in your mind this week with the Saints coming back to L.A.?
“No. I think if anything, what it does is it continues to give you a great amount of respect for the caliber of football team that they are. Well coached, great players all over the place. I think really more than anything, just having played them twice last year, just makes you realize what a great football team it is coming in at our place and what a high level of game we’re going to need to play to compete with them.”

The Saints and Rams have played three times now in the past two years – four if you include a preseason game. Does that familiarity, I mean, is it almost like a division game at this point, just with the amount of times you guys have played each other lately?
“Well, we’ve seen each other a lot, but I think this is a great football team. They’ve done an excellent job. They’ve had some consistency and continuity on both sides of the ball in terms of obviously with Sean (Payton) running the offense and then coach (Dennis) Allen running the defense, transition with coach (Darren) Rizzi on the special teams. But one of the things that you see that’s consistent in all three phases, (they are) very sound, fundamentals, techniques, good schemes, great coaching and great players. You see why they’re the reigning No. 1 seed in the NFC and why they were one of the best teams in football and why they still are this year.”

The Saints are getting David Onyemata back from a suspension. You guys saw a lot of him last year. Do you have to account for that this week when you’re preparing for a team that Week 1 you didn’t see any of that guy in there?
“Absolutely. Yeah. He’s a really productive player. I think when you just look at their front across the board, you see why they were one of the top rush defenses in the league. And really when you look at the latter half of the year starting when we played them and then going on until the end of the season, they were one of the best defenses in the NFL. I thought they played at a really high level. They’re physical. Coach Allen does a great job mixing it up and then when you got great players to match it, it’s a great challenge and getting David back will definitely give them a boost on the interior for sure.”

We haven’t really necessarily been following it too closely with Todd (Gurley) and the whole knee thing, but it looked like he played pretty well last week. How would you kind of assess that performance for him?
“He played well. It was good to get him in the flow. I thought he did a great job closing out the game right under a hundred yards. He was productive, but there’s always some things we can improve on. It was great to be able to have Todd out there looking like the Todd that we all know and love.”

When you’re watching Alvin Kamara either from afar or up-close, what’s kind of the one thing, if there is one thing, that really kind of separates him from other people? What makes him special in your eyes?
“The versatility and the elite balance. You talk about a guy that’s got an unbelievable forward body lean. He’s always breaking tackles going forward. I’ve heard somebody refer to him that he’s like a kickstand guy. It’s like he’s got an extra leg. He’s able to just stay so balanced and so grounded. He’s got incredible hands. He’s got a great feel for space. And when he’s running the football, he’s one of the best in the league for a reason and one of the most versatile and he’s one of the best players in this league. And it shows up week in and week out.”

Have you ever had a chance to sit down and talk football with Drew Brees and just kind of pick a brain that’s been around the game for 20 years now?
“You know what? I really haven’t and I’ve heard so many great things about him from guys like Aaron Kromer and obviously when I talked to coach Payton about him and you can just see from afar, he is somebody that I have an unbelievable amount of respect for the way he handles himself, the way he leads and obviously the way he plays his game. I am a coach but I’m also a fan of this game and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a huge fan of Drew Brees.”

***

Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay, September 11 press conference

(On if he has an update on S Eric Weddle’s injury)

“He (S Eric Weddle) is feeling good. I think he was asymptomatic, so he’s on track. He has to go through everything as far as passing everything that we need. I anticipate him being ready to go (on Sunday).”

(On if Weddle will practice on Wednesday)

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to (Senior Director, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) about that yet.”

(On if Weddle has to change his helmet following the injury)

“That would be something, really as much as anything, for the laceration. Just to make sure because he got some stitches in his head. Those are things we’ll make sure we get squared away, so hopefully that’s not an issue that comes up in the future.”

(On if he sat down and spoke with CB Nickell Robey-Coleman about the controversial play in the 2018 NFC Championship game)

“Not really. We kind of talked about it as a team. It was something that, we all know what it looked like. Obviously, nobody’s going to sit here and say that wasn’t a pass interference and that’s why it led to some rules being changed. I think everybody, even though that play benefitted our team, nobody wants anything but a fair game. Those clear and obvious plays that we can avoid, we want to be able to do that and that’s exactly how we feel as a team, too.”

(On him saying the team wouldn’t complain when a missed call benefits his team)

“We’re not going to complain either way. That happened to end up working to our advantage. We talked about it all the time, ‘It’s got to be that next play mindset mentality.’ That was one that definitely benefitted us. But, there’s a lot of plays in a game and I think it’s good that the competition committee made the effort to be able to try to avoid some of those things happening in the future, and that’s exactly what we all want.”

(On the emotions surrounding Sunday’s game against New Orleans and if he has experience with more emotionally-filled games)

“It’s game two. It’s a great team coming in. For us, we play each game as its own entity. This is a great football team – they were the one-seed in the NFC for a reason, had a great win against a really good football team on Monday night where you can see they’re a resilient football team. They’re very well coached, they’ve got great players. It’s going to be a great challenge and we’re excited about it.”

(On if coaches and players view Sunday’s game differently than fans)

“I’m not sure. It’s hard to say. I think our players, our coaches know the level of urgency that’s going to be needed for us to be at our best in order to give ourselves a chance to compete and hopefully come out of this thing 2-0.”

(On if he watched the end of New Orleans’ Week 1 game and if he was surprised with how Saints QB Drew Brees played at the end of the game)

“I thought it was a really impressive operation. Whether it be (Saints Head) Coach (Sean) Payton managing the clock, (Saints QB) Drew’s (Brees) command, his ability to recognize the structure where No. 2 (Saints receiver) is kind of off and outside and bang it to (Saints WR Ted) Ginn (Jr.) in the slot and be able to get down and be able to use that timeout. It was a really sharp team executing at a high level in a crunch time moment. All you can do is really tip your hat to them and say, ‘That was an impressive operation right there.’”

(On if he will change the approach during practice this week for RB Todd Gurley II)

“It’ll be kind of that every other day. We’ll keep a similar deal. He (RB Todd Gurley II) is going to go – he just went in the walk-thru and he’s feeling good. A lot of it is predicated on – if it’s a normal three-day work week, he’ll work two out of those three days. That was kind of the plan that we had going in. Most importantly is how he’s feeling. He’s feeling good, I thought that he got stronger as the game progressed. It’s like anything else – and it’s not exclusive to Todd – really, our team just getting in football shape. Especially when you look at the approach that we took, playing the amount of snaps that we did in the kind of weather. I thought that was a great first opportunity for us to kind of get ourselves in game shape. You can’t ever really recreate those types of situations that occur when you’re playing live football and the guys that we’re counting on playing 65 to 70 snaps. This week’s going to be a great challenge as well.”

(On what he believes happened with Gurley in the 2018 NFC Championship game)

“What I remember the most is how much respect I had for the way that he (RB Todd Gurley II) handled it. I think that’s what separates really elite people, is being able to handle adversity and take ownership for it. Know that there’s some things that I could have done better for him, he could have done better overall. I thought he made a key touchdown run in the two-minute situation at the end of the first half. He had some unbelievably timely pick-ups at the end of the game when we’re driving to get into field goal range. What is as impressive as anything is you’re talking about a guy that’s a first team All-Pro, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year the year before, and just says, ‘Hey, I didn’t play up to the level that I expect to. My teammates lifted me up.’ You can’t say anything but, ‘Man, I respect Todd Gurley for the way he handled that.’”

(On what kind of mindset rookie S Taylor Rapp has brought to the team)

“I would say he (S Taylor Rapp) is a rookie mature beyond his years, and that was one of the things that we liked so much about him coming out. You could just see the versatility, the instincts, the short-spaced quickness, just the feel for the game that he had with the way that they utilized him at (the University of) Washington. He’s gotten more and more comfortable. He’s a guy that we consistently talked about because he deserved to be talked about based on just getting better every single day. The best way that you could articulate what he is, he’s a rookie that’s not playing like a rookie. He’s a mature player and he’s just a good football player that has a great feel for the game and that you trust in those situations and he delivered in a big way.”

(On what he sees from Saints RB Alvin Kamara and if previously facing Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey prepares them for facing Kamara)

“You’re talking about two of the most complete backs in the league (Saints RB Alvin Kamara and Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey). The versatility, what a great job McCaffrey did. You can see – and really, Kamara is the same type of deal. You look at some of the runs that he’s making, you look at the way that he’s able to be a threat out of the backfield. These are, arguably, two of the most complete backs in the NFL. Unbelievable challenge again for us and they (New Orleans) do a great job utilizing him (Kamara) getting him in space. (Saints QB) Drew’s (Brees) is going to find him, they’ve got creative run schemes to get him involved and then they’ll move him all over the formation. It’s like finding ‘Where’s Waldo?’ (Saints Head) Coach (Sean) Payton does an excellent job with that.”

(On how he defines success against players like Kamara and McCaffrey)

“That’s a good question. I would answer that differently, based on each play and the situation. I think, ultimately, we want to protect them from scoring points and try to limit the explosives. This is a great football team, a great offense coming in. First-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback – it’s a great system that they run and they’ve elite playmakers. It’s going to be a great challenge. Their operation is as impressive as what you’ll see, too, in terms of the different personnel groupings, the way that they stress you. They understand exactly what they’re doing and that’s why they’ve been at the top of the league, really, since (Saints Head Coach) Sean (Payton) and (Saints QB) Drew (Brees) have been there for the last handful of years.”

(On how DT Aaron Donald opens up opportunities for other players on the Rams’ defense)

“Really, you kind of just mentioned it. When somebody’s going to influence and affect that much attention, it’s going to create some solo opportunities. Some of the movements – one of (OLB) Dante’s (Fowler Jr.) sacks came on a two-man game between those two, where (DT) Aaron (Donald) basically occupied the guard and the tackle and did a great job of accelerating underneath and being able to finish that play. Aaron is a special player and I think a lot of his affect on the game might not even be determined based on him getting the sacks and the production, but what he does to make other people’s job a little bit easier and that’s what makes him great.”

(On Donald being frustrated following the game and if he has to talk to Donald to help him understand his impact on the game)

“I think he (DT Aaron Donald) is one of the best in the world at what he does. He’s always looking to get better. I think he was pleased with the win. He’s the ultimate team player, he was pleased with the win, but he has a high level of expectation for himself and what he demands of himself snap in and snap out. I think what’s so special about Aaron, is I don’t think anybody has higher expectations for Aaron than Aaron does. I’m never going to pull back on what he’s been doing, especially when it’s always with the right intentions and the right approach, and I think that’s one of the elite traits that he does have.”

(On what stood out about the offensive drive at the end of the last year’s game against the Saints)

“It was a bunch of big-time, crunch-time throws. You look at a big-time play by (TE) Gerald Everett, (WR) Josh Reynolds had a couple big catches. I thought (QB) Jared (Goff) did a great job being able to move in the pocket. Had a big third down-and-three conversion to (WR) Robert Woods breaking over the middle. Then, a situation where at the end, they kind of zeroed us. Fortunately, it went incomplete and then (K) Greg’s (Zuerlein) able to come in and knock it through and send it into overtime. It was blur, I remember just from watching the tape. The fans were going crazy, it was an unbelievable atmosphere. It was a great job by our players demonstrating poise in a crunch time moment.”

(On how hard it is to execute in game situations like last year’s offensive drive at the end of the NFC Championship game)

“I think it’s really hard. Especially when you’re in the absence of your verbal communication. Everything’s visual right there. All 11 being on the same page, that’s a stressful environment that our players handled really well right there.”

(On when he talked to the team about the controversy)

“Right after. You address it. You could ask (CB) Nickell Robey(-Coleman). He knows that was a pass interference. In the moment that was kind of what was officiated and you’ve got to just kind of play those next snaps and there was a lot of snaps after that as well.”

(On what the point of talking to the players was)

“It was, ‘Hey, we know exactly what occurred. Fortunately, that worked out for us, but let’s not make any bigger deal than what it is. All we can do is control what we can control and those things are out of our control.’ You don’t run away from the fact that that was a call that did benefit us. You address it and then you keep it moving.”

(On if he has seen Robey-Coleman improve)

“He’s always been a good player. That was one of those situations that they quick snapped the rail from the…the backs running a rail or the receivers running a rail route out of the backfield and he was just kind of urgently reacting to the play and kind of collided with him right there. I don’t think he intentionally ran into him before. He’s been a really competitive nickel all along. We want to try to avoid those clear and obvious and the egregious penalties.”

(On if he thought that Goff’s performance in overtime with directing those drives got a little lost)

“I do. I agree. I think so. It can’t be understated what a tough atmosphere, what elements that he was dealing with to be able to even be able to get some yards. They’re a really good defense too. For him to make some of the plays, I definitely think was a big-time representation of him and the ability to handle some of those tough moments. All games don’t always go our way, but that was a great example and reflection of a guy that’s mentally tough and did a great job. Without a lot of the plays he makes, we don’t end up winning that game for sure.”

***

Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff, September 11 press conference

(On what he took away from the season opener against Carolina and which aspects of his game he thinks he need to improve moving forward)

“I’d like to be a little bit better in a lot of different places. I think it was a good start for our team and a good win for us to start off the year. Personally, I could knock some rust off and be a little better than that.”

(On what he wants to work on when ‘knocking the rust off’)

“Everything. I think it’s never one thing in particular, it’s always just trying to get better, trying to continue to put the ball in my receivers’ hands and just continue to get better.”

(On how he has grown since his first meeting against Saints QB Drew Brees)

“I think I’ve talked about this, but, the first time we played them, you’re kind of in awe of playing (Saints QB) Drew Brees and everything that goes along with it when I was a rookie – how great he is, how great his career has been. I think at this point now, I feel like we’re more peers. I think at the Pro Bowl with him we were able to experience that with him. Me and him have become friends and I’m a big fan of his.”

(On if he saw the end of the Saints game on Monday)

“It was great.”

(If he expected Brees to bring the Saints back down the field to win the game)

“Yeah. It was a tough situation, but he did it and that’s why he’s so great. They’re never out of it and I think we know that. With him behind center, they’re never out of it. Have to try to score a lot of points to beat them.”

(On what was going through his head when he took the field before leading the Rams to a game-tying drive in the NFC Championship game)

“I really wanted to score a touchdown, honestly. I wanted to go down there and punch one in and finish the game down there with less than 30 seconds and not give them much of a chance to get anything back. But, we had to settle with a field goal and (K Greg Zuerlein) hit a long one and the rest is history. Just tried to go out there and execute.”

(On if he remembers where he was on the sideline when S John Johnson III recorded an interception in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship game)

“Yeah, I remember being on the sideline and you feel pretty helpless that you’re kind of at the mercy of whatever they do offensively. But, (I was) so confident in our defense. At that time they had been playing so well in the second half and were kind of so close to a turnover for so long. You kind of felt like, ‘Okay, we might have a chance to get one here.’ Sure enough, the ball went up in the air – and that was a chance – and ‘John-John’ (S John Johnson III) made a play. Again, (K) Greg (Zuerlein) knocks in the field goal and the rest of history.”

(On what it was like seeing OLB Dante Fowler Jr. hit the quarterback before the interception)

“It’s great. (OLB) Dante (Fowler Jr.) is a great player for us, was able to get in there and is someone we were happy to add halfway through the year and has made a lot of great plays since he’s been here.”

(On how the Rams approach the game with the Saints on Sunday)

“We’re trying to go 2-0. I think that would be their mindset as well. They’re trying to win the game just like we are. There’s nothing that we’re taking from last year as motivation, if they are, great. It’s just another game for us and it’s our home opener after not being at home in a long time. Excited to see our fans, it’ll be a big one and it’ll be a lot of fun.”

(On if he feels the Rams benefitted from facing Carolina’s zone defense approach in Week 1)

“I think it was a game that was testing our patience for sure. It was something where they were getting a lot of depth in the secondary and for whatever reason we had a hard time getting over the top. Just had to continue to take the completions underneath. If that’s what is helping us move the offense forward and win the game, I’m all for it and last week it was. Just continue to stay patient and I thought for myself, me and (Rams Head Coach) Sean (McVay) joked about it earlier in the week, but it was a mature game for both him and myself, just taking what they gave us and not getting impatient.”

(On what makes his receiving core quiet achievers)

“They are all just extremely hard workers and understand a bigger goal. I think I’m very lucky to have all three, really all four of them and everything that they do. I think it’s a very unique situation where all three of them are unselfish. I’ve never been on a team where is like that. Where one guy goes for 150 (yards) and one guy has one catch, and the one guy with one catch couldn’t care. If we win the game, he doesn’t care at all about the numbers. It’s a very unique situation where I think, all three of them individually, on their own, growing up through football have always been that way and we happened to get them all on the same team. They feed off each other, they work each other, and I think on the practice field you see it every day. I’ve experienced a few different receiver groups, but I can’t imagine another receiver group that works as hard as they do every day.”

(On if it takes a load off his shoulders as a quarterback when he has receivers that work as hard as they do)

“I don’t have to push them. I don’t have to say ‘Hey I need you to run harder here. I need you to work harder here.’ There’s never been any of that. It definitely takes a big weight off my shoulders and off the team’s shoulders. I think when you look out and you see them working hard, it brings everyone along. Those guys are three of the silent leaders of the team, I think.”

(On if he appreciates not having drama with his wide receiver group)

“Yeah, again, I think I’m just very lucky to be in a unique situation with those three. I try to show my gratefulness every day. I do realize it is rare, very rare to have three guys that, not only work that hard, but are of their talent level and are as selfless as they are. They want to block. They want to win and don’t care about their numbers and they want to other person to succeed. It’s very rare, I’m very lucky.”

(On what it’s like having WR Cooper Kupp back)

“He looked great, I thought he did a great job. For me personally, he’s always been a guy I’ve enjoyed throwing to. He looked great and I’m glad he’s back out there.”

(On if he had anything to say to RB Todd Gurley after last season’s NFC Championship game)

“Not anything that I wouldn’t normally. It was just very normal. I think I’ve stressed it before, but he’s such a great teammate and great person. He handles everything with such class and the way that you’re supposed to. I couldn’t be more proud of him for the way he’s handled everything over the last year. I’m glad he came out and did his thing the other day. I expect the same moving forward, I know he does too. I think he feels pretty good.”

McVay, Shanahan, LaFleur on QBs, playbooks, learning in D.C.

John Keim
ESPN

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27447121/mcvay-shanahan-lafleur-qbs-playbooks-learning-dc

When Kyle Shanahan became the Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator in 2010 under his father, Mike, he brought in young offensive minds Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur. Now that all three are NFL head coaches, the former Redskins assistants will have a big say in who wins the NFC.

Shanahan, now the San Francisco 49ers coach, might have provided key breaks for his former colleagues, but it’s McVay who has accomplished the most thus far. The Los Angeles Rams coach has 24 regular-season wins, two postseason appearances and a Super Bowl trip in two seasons. LaFleur got his big break this offseason when he was named coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Intrigue surrounds all three this season: McVay, 33, is coming off a Super Bowl appearance; Shanahan, 39, hopes to get a full season with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo; and LaFleur, 39, will be working with 35-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Here’s what they had to say on a variety of topics, including their start in Washington:

Together in Washington

Could you tell you had a special group in Washington?

Shanahan: Definitely. We were all young, but we kept up with each other. We were all eager. We weren’t just studying what we were doing — our own plays — we were always trying to push the envelope and do different things and challenge each other. I would get so frustrated when everyone acted like I brought my friends here. It drove me crazy. These are all guys who got jobs and were really good. That’s why my dad and I needed them.

McVay: The biggest thing I knew right away is that you could see coach [Mike] Shanahan had so much experience, and his record and what he had done spoke for itself. Then you’re around Kyle and realize the next-level knowledge, the way he’s looking at the game in a very sophisticated way. He’s not seeing 11 pieces move, he’s seeing all 22 and understanding the intricacies of what they’re all doing. In a good way it pushes you. I was pretty green at the time and had a long way to go to be at their level.

Did you ever envision all three of you being head coaches?

LaFleur: No. I was just trying to be the best quarterback coach I could be. We had some really good coaches on the staff, not only Kyle but his dad taught me so much in terms of defensive football. In order to be the best coach, you have to learn both sides of the ball.

McVay: I don’t know if you ever look at it like that. I was a quality control coach. If you said, “Would you ever want to be a head coach?” I’d say sure. But you try to produce in the present. But if you said, “Would it shock you if Kyle and Matt are head coaches?” No. Kyle was always on a fast track and the more you’re around Matt, you realize what a great coach he was.

Working with the Redskins taught me _____ .

Shanahan: This league is very tough. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, you have to go through these situations. Things don’t always work out. You need to realize all you can do is do as good as you can. You can’t have your self-worth built in with this. People will judge you left and right. You have to be confident in yourself. Things were so easy for me in Houston. Then I went to Washington and was thinking it would be the same way and you have to do things totally different and fight some extreme uphill battles. [The Redskins went 24-40 and 0-1 in the playoffs during Shanahan’s four seasons.] It was all very hard and at times you don’t think it’s worth it. But man, Washington helped me become who I am.

McVay: There are so many different things you learn; it’s really a way of doing things weekly — how you study tape, how you put together a game plan, how you have philosophies and have flexibility knowing it’s about your players. I’m so lucky in a short amount of time to be around great coaches you can emulate. I don’t think you realize you’re picking it up until you see how you game plan and see what they’re looking at and what are their core beliefs that show up Sundays when you’re in crunch situations.

Dealing with QBs

With QBs, what is your deal-breaker — the trait you can’t tolerate?

Shanahan: If a guy is scared to get hit, he has no chance to play in this league. You have to use your brain, and there’s so much going on in the heat of battle, your mind has to be so clear when the ball is snapped, to understand coverages and throw the ball in tight windows to get the ball to the right spots.

LaFleur: I look for natural throwers, just smooth, fluid deliveries. The greatest throwers of all time all do it in their own way. There’s a natural throwing ability among most of the greatest ever to play the position — the [Tom] Bradys, the Rodgerses. That’s one thing when I start evaluating college quarterbacks coming out, I look and see if they have a natural throwing motion. If they don’t, I lose interest pretty quickly.

McVay: The biggest thing is consistent accuracy. I’m looking for accuracy, timing and location and give guys a chance to run after the catch and being able to change arm angles. That’s No. 1.

The most difficult thing to get rookie QBs to learn is _____ .

Shanahan: How to play in the pocket, especially for guys now. A lot of guys don’t hold on to the ball long in college. You don’t do as much play-action, especially in the spread systems, and the defensive lines don’t even rush except at a few of these big schools because they’re so tired and there are so many plays.

McVay: The intricacies of what a defense could present and how it affects decision-making based on situations. The game has so many. A game usually has 65 to 75 snaps and the amount of different things based on the situation and the defensive coordinator is a lot of information.

LaFleur: You get in this league and now you have to step in the huddle and depending on the system, the playcalls can get verbose. That challenge of trying to teach them the command that needs to happen within the huddle and being a master of cadence. A lot now use silent counts or claps when they want the football. We always talk about this, that the cadence for an offense is a weapon. It’s an art and it’s an art you learn over time. How do you become a master of a cadence?

The most important aspect of a QB/coach relationship is _____ .

LaFleur: Communication. What do you like? What do you feel comfortable with and what don’t you like? This is the toughest position in sports so the guy better be comfortable pulling the trigger. If you’re not comfortable, you won’t be confident, and if you’re not confident, the play will die.

Trends, screwups and adding plays…What trends are coming on offense?

McVay: Motion has always been a core part of the offense. There have been increases in the use of jet-fly motion. The biggest thing we saw a change in was the increase and utilization of the fake jet or jet sweep motion.

Shanahan: The jet sweep and fake jet is what changed so much the last couple years to where people are doing a ridiculous amount of that in particular. That’s making it hard on defenses. If you’re in a 3 [WR] by 1 [RB] set and you do jet and now it’s really a 2 by 2. So it’s the amount of different calls on a defense … it really messes up a lot of rules. That, to me, makes the defense have to simplify more, which [they] don’t want to do because then an offense knows too much of what they’re doing.

Five years from now, NFL offenses will all have ____ in common

McVay: The league goes in trends and I don’t think five years ago I would have been able to tell you fly motion would be a big part of the league and the zone-read in 2012. … But fundamentally in this league it’s about running the ball well, being able to protect up front and spacing and timing and rhythm in the pass game.

What’s your process for adding to your playbook?

Shanahan: It’s funny how guys look at that because everyone pictures it’s like “Waterboy,” like we’re carrying around this yellow notebook with all our secret plays drawn up on it. There are only so many ways you can move five eligibles and there are only so many coverages, whether it’s zone or man. How many ways do you want to disperse the field? I rarely think there’s some new thing. You don’t want to just be that person that wakes up on Monday and watches everyone else’s offense and then comes in to the players and says, “I have these 80 plays that are awesome. Let’s run them!” It’s how does it fit into your team and what are you trying to do? Does this play set up another play? That to me is everything I do.

McVay: A lot of plays we run are the product of what someone else did and we maybe put our own flavor on it. We see a lot of the same stuff show up week in, week out. We’ll watch a lot of other teams that are having success. If they’re doing something that works, you’re not afraid to steal a good idea. Off the top of my head, the teams that consistently operate at a high level the last couple years you look at are the Chiefs, the Saints, the Patriots.

The time I screwed up the most calling plays, I learned _____ .

Shanahan: The first playcall I made for Rex Grossman when we benched Donovan [McNabb] in Detroit [in 2010]. We were getting frustrated not moving the ball and Rex’s first play I called a seven-step drop. We made an aggressive decision and the first play I called is such an aggressive play. I forgot who it was, but the defensive end beat our tackle and stripped him and they got a fumble for a touchdown and it was like, “Holy crap, did that end fast.” I should have called a screen to start. I should have been more patient.

LaFleur: Last year [at] Buffalo we went into that game … with almost a play-not-to-lose mentality. The Bills’ defense doesn’t get enough recognition; they’re much better than I thought. Extremely sound. My mindset is: How do we win as a team. Sometimes you know you have to score a bunch of points. Sometimes it’s, “Hey, if we take care of the ball, I like our chances.” That was one of those games for me. They had a rookie quarterback [Josh Allen]. We went in with the mindset of, “Let’s not turn it over.” We turned it over three times. [But] you don’t get explosive plays unless you call shot plays. If you don’t call them, you probably won’t get them. You’ve still got to be aggressive.

McVay: I remember the first year calling the plays when we played the Jets and we fell behind and I didn’t have a great plan for a lot of the known passing situations, mixing up concepts. I felt I was calling the same thing and you become predictable.

The craziest place/time where I thought of a play

McVay: Sometimes the best ideas come to you when you’re driving, when you’re not pressing as hard. Sometimes you’re reaching so hard for an idea that it doesn’t come organically. Or sometimes you get these crazy ideas when you’re delirious, too. I’ve had some really dumb ideas late at night throwing s— off the wall and seeing what sticks. This past year we came up with the crazy reverse action that Josh Reynolds had a 19-yard run [on] in the NFC Championship Game. We used it at a big moment. That came late at night when you’re throwing s— off the wall. That’s one idea that actually [worked].

Adversaries, mentors and peers

Which coach’s defense is the toughest to read and attack?

LaFleur: There are so many guys and every system is different, but I look at Vic Fangio. Just the fronts and the multiple looks you get from him. That’s incredibly difficult. Shoot, Indianapolis last year we knew exactly what they were going to do to us and we didn’t have a lot of success because they were so sound. They stuffed the run out of a two-safety defense and played extremely fast.

Shanahan: My hardest has probably always been Vic Fangio. He does so many things with his personnel groupings that he puts you in a bind with protections. He ties a lot of stuff together. Playing against him, I feel he packages stuff very similar to how I would think. [Bill] Belichick is very similar. They do it in a different style. You know they don’t just run their defenses. They figure out what you’re doing and then they think about how to stop what you’re doing and that’s very similar to how I am. I don’t just run my offense. I have no idea what I’m going to call until I know what defense I’m visualizing and trying to attack. It’s fun.

McVay: For us, I think Fangio and the Bears did an outstanding job of a sound scheme with versatility mixed with great players. And clearly what New England did down the stretch was impressive. Those are the two defenses that gave us the most trouble. I thought the Saints were excellent as well.

The person I go to for advice or use as a sounding board is ____ .

Shanahan: My dad. He’s the guy I talk to for advice, but it’s also the people I work with. Those are the guys I bounce everything off of all the time. Matt LaFleur for the longest time. Sean McVay when we were in Washington. Mike McDaniel has been with me the longest and the guy I probably bounce the most stuff off. The line coaches you work with. Chris Foerster is a guy I always respected for his football knowledge. But it’s always my dad.

LaFleur: I still use the guys I’m closest with — Sean and Kyle, Zac Taylor. I’m always talking to guys on my staff, Nathaniel Hackett and Mike Pettine, who sat in this seat. But there’s really no former coach. I will say it was great this summer because I worked a camp in California and I ran into Mike Shanahan and I was peppering him with questions all night long.

McVay: Usually it’s relevant who the opponent is. I’d share more with Kyle if we didn’t play them twice a year. Dick Vermeil has been a great mentor and resource for me. The coolest thing about being a head coach is the platform it provides to meet unique people. I’ve gotten to know Doc Rivers a little bit. Being in L.A., you meet guys like Al Michaels; he’s so impressive. You get a chance to meet people who can help you in a leadership role. With Doc, we naturally crossed paths because we’d be at the same restaurants and we connected a little. He’s an impressive guy. I’ve had a chance to connect to a few NBA coaches. What I learned is the same things I learn from any great coach: It’s always about relationships and how you manage personalities and how you handle adversity and what are your core principles.

What a Pediatrician Saw Inside a Border Patrol Warehouse
Dolly Lucio Sevier evaluated dozens of sick children at a facility in South Texas. She found evidence of infection, malnutrition, and psychological trauma.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/border-patrols-oversight-sick-migrant-children/593224/?utm_content=edit-promo&utm_medium=social&utm_term=2019-07-03T16%3A52%3A36&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0Zp9fYbMKIzVdSX9r8jJz92WDnj1AiTohHYzZQML-9bhD8pqTXiITgd4k

MCALLEN, Texas—Inside the Border Patrol warehouse on Ursula Avenue, Dolly Lucio Sevier saw a baby who’d been fed from the same unwashed bottle for days; children showing signs of malnutrition and dehydration; and several kids who, in her medical opinion, were exhibiting clear evidence of psychological trauma. More than 1,000 migrant children sat in the detention facility here, and Sevier, a local pediatrician, had been examining as many as she could, one at a time. But she wasn’t permitted to enter the area where they were being held, many of them in cages, and find the sickest kids to examine. Instead, in a nearby room, she manually reviewed a 50-page printout of that day’s detainees, and highlighted the names of children with a 2019 birth date—the babies—before moving on to the toddlers.

When it was almost time to leave, Sevier asked to see a 3-year-old girl, and then two other children. But by that point, the friendly and accommodating Border Patrol agent assisting her earlier in the day had been replaced by a dour guard, wearing a surgical mask, who claimed that he couldn’t find the toddler. “We can wait,” Sevier said, as she recalled to me in an interview. Her tone was polite but firm; she knew that she had the right under a federal court settlement to examine whomever she liked.

“She’s having a bath,” Sevier recalled the guard as saying, a luxury one official told her is available only to babies removed from their guardians. In the facility’s standard cages, there is no soap or showering for the kids. Though 72 hours is the longest a minor can be legally confined in such a facility, some had been there almost a month. Sevier waited.

Finally, the guard returned with news. He had found the girls after all. “We located the bodies,” he said, in paramilitary slang. “I’ll bring them right in.”

Ivisited sevier’s medical practice last week in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, 60 miles from the Ursula facility, where she’d been a few days before. In mid-June, a team of immigration attorneys had asked Sevier to come with them to their next appointment in Ursula, after they’d had an alarming visit there earlier in the month. They wanted a doctor to evaluate the children and then use the findings to force the government to improve conditions in Texas immigration facilities. It wasn’t the kind of work Sevier usually does.

Sevier grew up in Brownsville, and to Rio Grande Valley kids like her, then as now, the border was not a crisis but a culture. Sevier went to nearby Matamoros, Mexico, for dinner, dentist appointments, weddings, and baptisms. Each year on All Saints’ Day, she scrubbed relatives’ tombstones in Matamoros with soap and water, then shot BB guns with her cousins at the cemetery. She had American classmates who lived in Mexico and commuted to school over the international bridge.

She left the area for college and medical school. From afar, she told me, she began to understand that she had grown up in one of the poorest places in the United States, where low-quality, high-calorie food leaves kids both hungry and obese. Diabetes is widespread, and because access to health care is so limited, diabetic amputations are far more common than in the rest of the country. She thought that here was a place in need of a doctor like the one she was becoming. So after she completed her pediatric residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in Dallas, five years ago, she returned home.

The morning I visited, Sevier’s pediatric clinic was bustling. A mural with characters from the Disney movie Inside Out, about the emotional lives of children, brightened the hallway. For Sevier, the role of a pediatrician includes “being the voice for the kid, the advocate.” In some families, she explained, children’s experiences “are just not valued.” A child who is overweight or has a preteen crush may be the subject of ridicule, not attention and understanding. “I get to chip away at that in my office,” Sevier told me.

She tried to take this same approach in Ursula. Neighboring the immigration facility are cold-storage warehouses that keep produce fresh despite the oppressive Texas sun and triple-digit temperatures outside. Opened under former President Barack Obama, the Border Patrol warehouse is chilly too; migrants have long referred to it as the hielera, or ice box. Even its official name sounds agricultural: the Centralized Processing Center. But while the crisp produce moves swiftly across the border, a reminder of the close ties between Mexico and the United States that Sevier knows so well, the migrants inside Ursula spend their first nights in America stuck beneath lights that never turn off, shivering under sheets of Mylar.

Sevier set up a makeshift clinic—stethoscope, thermometer, blood-pressure cuffs—in a room, lined with computer stations, that agents use for paperwork. Each of the agent stations had its own bottle of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. But when Sevier asked the 38 children she examined that day about sanitation, they all said they weren’t allowed to wash their hands or brush their teeth. This was “tantamount to intentionally causing the spread of disease,” she later wrote in a medical declaration about the visit, the document that the lawyers filed in federal court and also shared with me. (Asked for comment on this story, a Customs and Border Protection official wrote in an email that the agency aims to “provide the best care possible to those in our custody, especially children.” The agency’s “short-term holding facilities were not designed to hold vulnerable populations,” the official added, “and we urgently need additional humanitarian funding to manage this crisis.”)

As agents brought in the children she requested, Sevier said, the smell of sweat and soiled clothing filled the room. They had not been allowed to bathe or change since crossing the Rio Grande and turning themselves over to officials. Sevier found that about two-thirds of the kids she examined had symptoms of respiratory infection. The guards wore surgical masks, but the detainees breathed the air unfiltered. As the children filed in, Sevier said she found evidence of sleep deprivation, dehydration, and malnutrition too.

Beyond the children’s physical ailments, Sevier also began to worry about their mental health. She asked to see a 2-year-old from Honduras along with his teenage brother, who she hoped could provide the baby’s medical history. The older boy was excited because officials had kept them separate for more than two weeks. But when the guards brought the toddler over from the “day care” where the littlest detainees are held, he stared with wide eyes, Sevier recalled, and began panting heavily, hoarsely, and persistently for the rest of the encounter.

During the exam, she noticed that the toddler behaved differently from the kids his age she sees every day. In an exam room at her clinic decorated with a Lion King mural, I watched her do a routine checkup on a slightly younger boy. This toddler pulled back when Sevier touched him, but was easily soothed by his mother. The reaction was normal—“a small oscillation between worried and okay,” Sevier explained. A little shyness is typical, she said, but toddlers “shouldn’t be fearful of a stranger.” When they are afraid—when the memory of their last shots is fresh in their mind, for instance—they resist Sevier by crying, clinging to their caregiver, or squirming beneath her stethoscope.

At Ursula, however, the children Sevier examined—like the panting 2-year-old—were “totally fearful, but then entirely subdued,” she told me. She could read the fear in their faces, but they were perfectly submissive to her authority. “I can only explain it by trauma, because that is such an unusual behavior,” she said. Sevier had brought along Mickey Mouse toys to break the ice, and the kids seem to enjoy playing with them. Yet none resisted, she said, when she took them away at the end of the exam. “At some point,” Sevier mused, “you’re broken and you stop fighting.”

Sevier made her way down the list of names. A 15-month-old baby with a fever had been in detention for three weeks. His uncle had fed him from the same dirty formula bottle for days on end, until a guard replaced it with a new one. Because “all parents want the best health for their infant,” Sevier later wrote in the medical declaration, denying them “the ability to wash their infant’s bottles is unconscionable and could be considered intentional mental and emotional abuse.” Before her visit, the uncle had asked for medical attention because the baby was wheezing. In response, a guard had touched the baby’s head with his hand and concluded, “He’s not hot,” the uncle told Sevier.

“Denied access,” Sevier wrote. “Status: ACUTE.”

At her workstation, Sevier saw some quiet displays of resilience. A 17-year-old girl, with long black hair and a flat affect, entered the room carrying a green plastic bundle—her four-month-old son, wrapped in the kind of bed pad used for incontinent patients in a hospital. The mother explained that the boy had had diarrhea for several days and had soiled his clothes. Guards declined to provide clean baby clothes, she told Sevier, so she managed to obtain two extra diapers and flatten them out into rectangles—one for the baby’s back, one for his chest. She had connected them like a disposable tunic, then wrapped him in the plastic pad. Inside the package, the baby was dirty and sticky, Sevier said. Diaper fluff clung to his hands, his armpits, and the folds of his neck. He wore no socks.

“I carry my baby super close to me to keep his little body warm,” the mother told Jodi Goodwin, one of the attorneys with Sevier, who interviewed her the same day. Goodwin included her testimony in the court filing, which was a request for a temporary restraining order against the government on the migrants’ behalf. On Friday, a federal judge read her testimony, among others, in court and ordered the government to work with a mediator to improve Border Patrol holding facilities “post haste.”

These aren’t even the sickest children in the government’s care—those kids are quarantined at a different station, in Weslaco, Texas. When the team of lawyers visited Ursula without Sevier, “every single kid was sick,” Goodwin told me. When they returned three days later with the doctor, Goodwin asked to see four kids whom another attorney had previously flagged to the guards as especially sick. But they were already gone. The guards told Goodwin that their illnesses were severe enough that they had been admitted to the intensive-care unit at a local hospital.

The source of illness in a facility like Ursula is largely the facility itself, though the idea that immigrants carry infectious diseases is a durable conspiracy theory that even the American president has perpetuated. It is the filth, sleep deprivation, cold, and “toxic stress” of these human warehouses that diminish the body’s capacity to fight illness, Julie Linton, a co-chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Immigrant Health Special Interest Group, told me. Linton, a South Carolina–based pediatrician, visited Ursula last June and later testified before Congress to urge better access for health-care providers to children in detention.

Border Patrol has long maintained that it is not equipped to handle children, who are supposed to be transferred into the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement within three days. After that, many kids are housed in licensed child-care facilities that look more like the average public school than a jail. The federal government has attributed slow transfers to the sharp uptick in the number of migrants at the southern border; in May, 144,200 migrants were taken into custody—the highest monthly total in 13 years.

Days before Sevier’s visit, reports of poor conditions at a similar facility in Clint, Texas, drew outrage around the country. Kevin McAleenan, the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, told reporters the outcry was based on “unsubstantiated allegations regarding a single Border Patrol facility.”

But his own agency’s watchdogs soon contradicted him—the problems are not restricted to Clint. Ahead of Sevier’s visit, government inspectors toured Border Patrol camps in South Texas, including Ursula. Their report, released Monday, described “dangerous overcrowding and prolonged detention of children and adults in the Rio Grande Valley.” One Border Patrol supervisor, according to the report, called his holding facility “a ticking time bomb.” Congress last week authorized an additional $4.6 billion for Border Patrol and other agencies, despite the objections of progressive lawmakers, who said the bill did not go far enough to protect children in government custody.

Sevier spent years cultivating a physician’s empathetic-but-detached habits of mind. During her medical residency, an 8-year-old rescued from near-drowning arrived at the hospital. For the first time, Sevier had to insert a breathing tube down a child’s throat. Vomit began filling his esophagus and lungs. “Suction,” she commanded without missing a beat, surprising even herself, she told me. It’s what she was supposed to do—how she was supposed to act.

At Ursula, traumatized children with untreated illnesses sat before her. She probed, pressed, and listened. She took notes; she entered their data into a spreadsheet; she compartmentalized. She thought about a social event she’d promised to attend at 6 o’clock.

At 5:53, the guard with the surgical mask brought in the 3-year-old Sevier had requested to see, holding her by the armpits, like a puppy. Thin and subdued, the girl was crying but didn’t turn away. “Underweight, fearful child in no acute distress,” Sevier wrote. “Only concern is severe trauma being suffered from being removed from primary caregiver.”

After the exam, the child lingered, and Sevier offered to hold her. She climbed into the doctor’s lap and fell asleep in less than a minute. The squalor, the lighting, the agents, and the event that evening fell away from Sevier’s consciousness. As if in rebellion against her careful training, her mind shut down, she told me. And for what seemed like an eternity, she sat in vacant silence with the child.