McVay … 9/2 … transcript

Head Coach Sean McVay – September 2, 2020

(On how S Taylor Rapp’s first practice was)
“He did great. It was good to be able to have him out there. He was excited, he looked comfortable. He said he felt good. So, it was great to be able to get (S) Taylor (Rapp) back out there yesterday.”

(On what’s going on with OLB Terrell Lewis)
“We are working through some things, trying to figure out what is going on with his knee. Doing some tests, some different things like that. I don’t have any updates, but that’s why he’s missed. We are just getting some things figured out. (Vice President, Sports Medicine & Performance) Reggie (Scott) and our group are working through somethings with his knee, is what we are trying to get figured out right now.”

(On if Lewis’ knee is just sore or aggravated)
“I’d rather wait until we get these tests back. He’s got something going on, we don’t really know what it is, but it’s a little aggravated. Hopefully, I will have a little bit more information for you guys once we get those results back.”

(On if he thinks Rapp will be ready to play Week 1 vs. Dallas after seeing him back on the field)
“Oh yeah, he’ll be ready. He will be ready to go. He practiced yesterday, he looked good, he’s making progress that we anticipate. He’ll be ready to go for Dallas.”

(On if there’s anyone else he anticipates not practicing today either due to rest or monitoring a physical situation)
“The only guy that will be in a limited capacity, again, will be (WR) Cooper (Kupp). Other than that, guys are feeling pretty good. We’ve been able to stay relatively healthy. That’s always a positive throughout camp.”

(On Rapp’s 10,000-calorie diet during the offseason and if he was aware of it)
“It was impressive. That was a long day. A lot of calories on the bike burned, it seemed like. It’s impressive. We commended him for it when it happened in the offseason – that seems like that was about three years ago now. It was definitely an impressive feat – I think as much physically as it was mentally with the length that it took to be able to get all of those calories burned. I guess the pool didn’t do it, so he had to get back on the bike, right.”

(On if there could be a connection to Rapp’s 10,000-calorie diet and what happened to his knee during training camp)
“I don’t think so. I think, Reggie (Scott) and our group, they do a great job of monitoring. I don’t think that would have anything to do unless there is a significant amount of knee injuries with cyclists.”

(On Rapp’s response and maturity following last year’s game in San Francisco and how he likes to see young players respond to similar tough situations – shrug it off, move on or try to grow from it in some way)
“Yeah, I think all of the things that you mention. For you to be able to have the strength in being vulnerable and have that extreme ownership, that is something we want all our players to embody. I mean mistakes are inevitable in this game. If you don’t have the ability to acknowledge it and keep it moving with a mentally tough approach, this probably isn’t for you. And so, bad plays are going to happen. If you show me anybody that has been great at anything, I’ll show you someone that has overcome a lot of adversity and then doesn’t flinch and doesn’t blink when they do. They just came back and let it be a learning opportunity for them that doesn’t hinder their confidence but makes them more motivated to learn and that’s exactly what Taylor did. I loved his response, he’s the kind of guy that represents exactly what we want in our locker room and I would expect from all of our players though. When we talk about accountability and coachability, I think both those situations represented exactly what we want with our football character that he embodied there.”

(On what Rapp should have learned from that play against San Francisco)
“There were a lot of things. I could go into detail about it. I think more than anything, it’s just being able to own some of the things and be able to keep it moving, but that wasn’t exclusively him in those situations. There’s a lot of things that go into it, but situational awareness, just accumulating running reps, that’s the biggest thing. Then, ‘Hey, if I could have played a half-field technique a little bit better there, when (Emmanuel) Sanders ends up going to the post and, kind of, being able to please it back,’ those are things that he’ll be able to do and he demonstrated that with some things that occurred in the Arizona game the week after.”

(On if the team is any closer to an extension with CB Jalen Ramsey)
“I don’t have any updates on that. I know that there’s dialogue going on behind the scenes and that’s something that, once we get information, you guys will probably tweet about it before we get a chance to tell you about it anyways.”

(On using his corners in run support and how Ramsey seems to relish that style of play and how helpful is it to have corners that like to tackle)
“Yeah, it’s huge. I think the best defense is all-eleven tackle, on the best defenses. When you look at it, even in his first game with us last year, he came up in run support on a toss crack play against the Falcons, forces a fumble with (Former Falcons RB) Devonta Freeman. Those kinds of plays ignite your whole team and that’s why he’s a complete player. He can do everything. He can play man-to-man, he can play off-zone with vision to the quarterback, he can play different coverage contours, he can come up and tackle, he’s got great ball skills. So, there’s nothing this guy can’t do and that physical run support or if he’s a crack replace corner dependent upon the coverage we’re playing, it’s something that’s a winning edge for your defense, because these offenses are too good now, that there’s going to be some times that when receivers take out a safety, that corner’s got to be able to come up and tackle and Jalen is as physical of a corner as you’ll find and that’s why he’s so special. One of the many reasons he’s so special.”

(On if it’s a goal to statistically improve at containing the run outside year over year)
“I think in a lot of instances, it depends on if the play gets sprung out or bounced out to the corner. In a lot of situations, usually the concept that an offense runs, dictates if that specific corner has to get involved in run support, like you’re talking about, and usually it is some of those downhill runs that wind back or some of those wide zone perimeter type plays. There’s a handful of schemes that we do ask our corners to get involved in and when he’s been involved in that, he’s definitely made his presence felt. Just like you guys saw our first day in pads, when (RB) Cam (Akers) got bounced out to the sideline and he did a great job squaring him up and being able to, same foot, same shoulder, great tackle mechanics like we talk about.”

(On the growth of S John Johnson III)
“He’s been a special player all along. You look at when he got an opportunity and made his presence felt. His first significant playing time was in Dallas, Week 4. He ends up making the tackle that stops them on a fourth down in a two-minute situation to win the game, makes a pick the next week against Seattle. He’s got great ball awareness, great instincts. He’s a great short-spaced tackler. His ability to just navigate and negotiate traffic in tight quarters and be able to make sure-fire tackles is one of his special traits. I think his understanding of concepts and his ability to communicate, especially with the amount of information we put on him. He has been a huge bright spot. He’s one of those leaders on defense that’s really taken charge and I think he’s confidence, his command, his charisma, for those of you guys that have met him, all of those things end up being real positives for us. Like (Defensive Coordinator) Brandon (Staley) said, he’s been outstanding and he’s only getting better and his versatility’s a huge plus for us.”

(On if Johnson has learned a lot from rehabbing and watching from the sideline)
“I think so, but he’s always been so smart and he’s got elite awareness, as well. He’s had some veteran players in the secondary with him. When you look at (Former Rams S) Eric Weddle, (Former Rams CB) Aqib Talib, the (Ravens CB Marcus) Peters, and then being able to get his opportunity, you can really see, he and Jalen are really leading that back end and so much of our communication on defense comes from those guys. He’s really done a great job. I’ve been very pleased with John.”

(On the defense pursuing all-eleven and if it has been more of a point of emphasis this year)
“Yeah, I think you mentioned it. It’s definitely a point of emphasis for every defense. You want to attack the football and you want to get eleven hats to the football on every single snap. Those things that take no talent to accomplish, are things that we’ll relentlessly coach. Those intangibles, with the effort. Our burst, speed and finish and our guys have embodied that and I think that’s a credit to the character they have, but also the coaches emphasizing it, because we’ve got such great guys. If you emphasize, then usually it’s going to show up on the film and that’s what’s good about the collaboration between our coaches and players on the defensive side.”

(On how big of an asset Molly Higgins, Rams VP of Community Affairs and Engagement, has been)
“She’s been a huge asset. I got a chance to spend a lot more time – I have gotten to know her over the last couple of years. But you talk about somebody that lives for the right things. This is her passion, this is what she spends all of her time doing, because that’s just what’s on her heart. And that’s a perfect person to be in a lead role for our organization because she is so passionate about it, she’s well connected. She does such a great job of facilitating opportunities, whether it be for us as coaches or players, to get involved in things that are on their heart. I can’t say enough about the leadership. She got an award last week that she was extremely deserving of. The more I spend time with Molly, the more I am just impressed with just her selflessness and that’s something that is a very rare trait these days, unfortunately, but it’s why she is the perfect person for the job.”

(On evaluating what kind of camp QB Jared Goff has had)
“I think, (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin O’Connell and (Assistant Quarterbacks) Liam (Coen) have done a great job of focusing on the little things. I think the last week and a half, he’s really had his best days. That’s what you want to see. You want to see that trajectory going in the upward direction, as you get closer to the games that count, and that’s what his practices have been reflective of. I’ve been very pleased with his decision-making, his ownership, his command of the offense. I think he’s doing a nice job of reading with his feet, feeling rushes and negotiating the pocket even though it’s hard to truly say because you can’t get tackled. I think he’s just playing faster and things are slowing down on the other side for him, which is always a thing you want to see and now let’s see it translate on the 13th (of September), which we are very confident it will.”

(On if he is where he wants to be a week and a half out from the first game)
“Yeah, I think we’ve still got a little bit of work. I think we are in a good place as a team, want to continue to stay healthy, but we need to get good work in. We know it is going to be a great challenge on the 13th (of September). It is hard to believe, but it does feel like it’s starting to get real when you just look at the schedule and some of the things that we have to do preparation wise. You start tailoring back a little bit, from all the competitive work that we’ve done, but we will be excited about getting an opportunity to play at SoFi (Stadium), even if it will be empty with the crowd noise pumping (laughs).”

(On if his transition to closing out training camp and entering into Week 1 game-planning is different this year given the unusual nature of this year’s training camp)
“Yeah, it is different. You want to try to keep a consistent routine because I do think it is important to still focus on your team, making sure you’re evaluating your roster, identifying the right guys for the right spots when we do get to the games that count like we’re talking about. I’ll try to keep a similar rhythm and some of our coaches have kind of started to lay the groundwork. You do want to be careful sometimes as a coach, I know I’m guilty of this more so than anyone, is if you have too much time, you can kind of overthink stuff, especially in a year where you’ve got a new staff, new coordinator on defense. You’ve got (Dallas Head) Coach (Mike) McCarthy and (Dallas Offensive Coordinator) Kellen Moore collaborating with the offense and so it’s about playing good football, but you don’t have a whole lot of stuff to go off of, especially with (Dallas Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Mike) Nolan. But, all those guys have had significant opportunities and lead roles and you use that as a guide, but you also want to make sure it’s about putting together a good plan that’s around your guys’ best strengths and not necessarily focusing too much on stuff where you don’t have as much inventory as you’re accustomed to.”

(On last night’s Hard Knocks episode where his three clocks – Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nice – were seen in his office and why he has a clock from Nice)
“I have no idea. I honestly, I think it’s because it’s somewhere relevant to where I got engaged, but when we got back from the trip when we were in Atlanta and London last year, they had redone my office and those were the three clocks. But that’s a hell of a question that I have no idea (laughs).”