McVay, Staley, Goff, Edwards … 10/8 … vids + transcripts

Head Coach Sean McVay, Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley, QB Jared Goff

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Head Coach Sean McVay

(On if he thinks there will be punishment for teams that violate the COVID-19 protocols)
“Oh, yeah. There’s some very strict policies that the league is serious about implementing and I think we all realize how volatile this thing is. So, to answer your question, yes.”

(On what a fair punishment would be for teams that have disregarded the league’s protocols)
“I don’t know that.”

(On if it’s frustrating as a head coach to see other teams not take the COVID-19 protocols as seriously given the measures that the Rams have taken)
“You know what, that’s not for me to comment on. I think what’s important is I think everybody, all 32 teams would say that the goal is to be able to have a season, keep our players and all their families and everybody in each organization safe from this coronavirus and do everything that we can to be able to keep this season rolling and have a full season and ultimately be able to get to the playoffs and get through crowning Super Bowl champs. So, that’s where our focus and concentration is, is doing those things the right way. Then getting ready for the – man, I had to correct myself – Washington Football Team this week. Old habits are hard to break. Almost said it.”

(On Washington making a change at quarterback and how that impacts their preparations)
“It doesn’t change much. You go back and you look at the 12 games that he (Washington QB Kyle Allen) played for Carolina last year. A lot of good tape on him. He did a lot of good things. He’s got some comfort and familiarity with (Washington Offensive Coordinator) Scott Turner and running the system that they want to be able to activate. So, Kyle was a good football player. We’ll be ready. It doesn’t change too much except for you’re going to go back and you’re going to look at that inventory more than maybe you would have otherwise.”

(On if it surprises him that Washington Head Coach Ron Rivera made that move)
“I would say this, I don’t know the history of everything that’s gone on with (Washington QB) Dwayne (Haskins). I just know that they’ve got two capable quarterbacks, really, three if you include – we know what a great player (Washington QB) Alex Smith has been in this league as well. So, we’re just going to get ready for the guy that they’re planning on playing, but you also have to have a plan for Dwayne Haskins as well.”

(On what it means for him emotionally to go back to Washington and what were some of his greatest memories)
“I had a great experience there. A large part of the growth of my coaching career occurred there and so many people that were so good to me that I care a lot about. Unfortunately, a significant amount of them aren’t there anymore. So, it really doesn’t change much for me. I genuinely say that because so many of the people that were so important to me, there’s still a couple people that are there. But, a large group of the people that I worked so closely with, they’re really not there anymore. I don’t know a lot of these players. I don’t know a lot of these coaches and it’s definitely not going to be like going back and playing in front of the hometown crowd either. It’s important for us to go get our fourth win. We know that we’re going to have to have a great week of preparation and that’s the honest to God truth.”

(On injury updates and whether LB Terrell Lewis will be activated this week)
“Yeah, we’re going to wait and see on that. We’re going to see how today goes, how tomorrow goes and be able to make a decision a little bit later this week. (OL) Bobby Evans will be out today as will (LB) Kenny Young and (LB) Michael Kiser. We’ll be smart and hold those guys back. Then (OL Andrew) Whitworth and (DL) Aaron (Donald) will have rest days, veteran rest days.”

(On what strikes him about OL David Edwards and his personality)
“He’s got a great demeanor about himself. This guy understands football. I think it really came natural to him. You could see he’s been trained the right way, going back to his college days. And the versatility I think has been really impressive. He got a lot of experience playing on the right and the left side last year. When we brought him in, he was playing all over the place, but I think he’s really settled in. I think left guard is his most natural spot. I think he’s played outstanding since he stepped into the lineup against Philly. He’s really done a great job of continuing to improve from last year. Used that experience, having a good training camp and he’s playing at a really high level. I love (OL) David (Edwards) out there at the left guard spot for us.”

(On the versatility of Edwards who has experience playing at multiple spots on the O-Line as well as tight end and quarterback, and if he has ever seen an offensive lineman with his resume)
“You’ll have to tell him that, it’ll make him feel good, man. He’s a long time from playing quarterback (laughs). He’ll run around and look like an athlete and throw it around in any case. But you do see the natural athleticism with a guy that’s played skilled positions with the ball in his hands, but I think he’s settled in pretty nice at the left guard spot.”

(On if he has any theories on why teams are scoring at a higher rate this season)
“You know, it’s hard to say. I think when you look at four games, it’ll be a better sample size once you get a little bit more through the season and have a bigger inventory. But I do think it’s a big deal that the absence of having to use your silent cadence and some of the get off. I think so much of defensive football is predicated on that energy from sometimes the stadium. If you said, what’s the main difference why I think you want to wait until we get a little bit more of an inventory to see. But, if I had to put my thumb on something in particular, I think it’s the ability to use your verbal cadence and not have to use your silent count on some of these tough road atmospheres that ends up being a big deal that offenses aren’t having to deal with.”

(On how he noticed Offensive Coordinator Kevin O’Connell reaching out to QB Jared Goff and the rest of the quarterbacks in order to start building personal relationships in that regard)
“I think that’s probably something that he did on his own. You guys are getting to know (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin (O’Connell), he’s extremely personable, got a really warm engaging way about himself, but a command in a capacity for the game of football. So, I just think he’s a guy that’s easy to get along with. He’s a great person, really smart, and he’s got a great humility about himself too. So, I think time is the best way that you can build and develop relationships, and I know that he spent a lot of time away from things that I’ve even been exposed from just developing a rapport with those quarterbacks and you can see it’s showing up with the way that they’re playing on the field as well.”

(On how much they prepare for Washington QB Alex Smith and thoughts on him being able to play based on what he’s already gone through with the injuries)
“You always have to be ready for the players that are one play away. When I hear the specifics of what went on, especially when you talk about listening to Kevin or have a good relationship with (QB) Colt McCoy who was there. I’m not sure if you guys saw the E:60 special on him. What an unbelievable man this guy is. You talk about – similar to what we were talking about with (Head) Coach (Ron) Rivera – I mean, to overcome some of the things that he’s overcome to put himself in a position to just be able to have full utilization of that leg, let alone be playing NFL football. All I can really say is, wow. The respect I have for this guy is through the roof. I don’t know him personally, but everybody that I respect and that I really hold their opinion in high regard, just loves this guy and can’t say enough good things about him.”

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Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley

(On how he is preparing for Washington QB Kyle Allen)
“Not a lot’s going to change. You’re still defending an offense. I think that they still have an offense that you have to defend. Certainly stylistically, he’s a different player than (Washington QB) Dwayne (Haskins Jr.), so you just have to go back and inventory his career in Carolina and there will be elements that are different, stylistically between the two players, but from an offensive standpoint, you still have to defend the other 10 guys and you, kind of, have an inventory of 12 games from Carolina to see how he was featured within that offense and then just move forward from there.”

(On how he would assess how the defense is doing so far)
“I think my comments after the Dallas game would still prove true, we are encouraged, but far from satisfied. I think we’ve shown a lot of good moments in all four of these games. I’m excited about the type of group that we have, the type of men that we have on our defense. I think that we’ve experienced a lot of close games. All four of our games have come down to the last quarter and some to the last drive of the game. So, I think we’ve found out a lot about the caliber of people that we have – coaches and players – but I think there’s just so much work to be done. There’s so much that we’re seeing and experiencing for the first time and you can never stop learning, you can never stop improving. I think that after four games, that’s probably the truest statement, is that there’s a lot to cover. There’s a lot of ground that we have to cover together and we’re excited to keep doing that.”

(On breaking down specifics that he would like the defense to get better at)
“I think that we can get more comfortable with some of our alignments within all the different packages that we play. I think being able to see more of the run and pass concepts from around the league, I think that’s one of the things without the preseason, is you’re not seeing a lot of the NFL. You’re not practicing against anybody. You’re not playing against anybody. So, every game you’re seeing something for the first time. We get so used to playing against our people and (Head Coach) Sean (McVay)’s inventory is obviously being widely used around the NFL, but there’s a lot of things each week that are specific, that we’re seeing for the first time. But I think that just the little things – just alignments, little fundamentals within each play. It’s not anything big, it’s just these little things that add up to a lot of big things. We’re just trying to fine tune all those little things, so that we can continue to execute and perform to our capabilities.”

(On rotating the defensive line)
“We want to be good in the fourth quarter. I think for front guys, we want to be good in the fourth quarter when it counts. The more guys that you can play up front, I think is an advantage. We kind of look at the front like a basketball team. The more rotations that you can have, it’s going to allow new guys to come in. I think it’s stressful on the offensive line, because you’re getting guys that are different speeds. You can get used to blocking the same guy the entire game. Sometimes when you have to block a different guy, that just changes the pace on an offensive lineman, but certainly the depth creates, I think, strength later in the game, more energy. Then I think the more depth you have, the more you can isolate match-ups, kind of the game within the game, use the personnel groupings that you feel like are best in that game. So, we feel like that’s a strength of ours and we’re going to continue to do it. (Defensive Line Coach) Eric Henderson and (Outside Linebackers Coach) Chris Shula do both an outstanding job with that.”

(On DL Morgan Fox’s NFL journey so far)
“I think we have special places in our heart for good players, that have good makeup like him. He just embodies all the things that you would want in a football player – his toughness, his football acumen. I think his dedication to his teammates, he’s a great teammate, guys love being around him and I think that when you see guys like (DL Michael) Mike Brokers and (DL) Aaron Donald, guys who’ve been around a lot, they’ve seen a lot, the way they are with Morgan Fox will tell you all you need to know, because those guys are no-nonsense guys and they’ve seen it all in the NFL. I think Morgan just has a really great way about him and then as a football player, it’s been exciting, I think, for him and for us, is he’s healthy, you can see that his knees feeling great. I think he’s been able to express himself as a player, probably to his full potential and we’re just excited. He does a lot of things for us. He can play a lot of different positions and gives us really a lot of options in there. So, he’s been a joy to coach and I’m excited to continue to see him improve.”

(On how to coach the mentality to close out a game)
“I think you’ve got to train really hard. You have to take walk-thrus, meetings, practices very seriously and that’s what we do here. We don’t operate like it’s some big situation, because we do it all the time in practice. That practice, performance, equaling game reality, we really believe in that here with Sean and in our football program. So, we’ll just try to put our guys through as many experiences and practice as possible, so that they’re comfortable in those ‘got to have it’ situations. I think our players will tell you that we put those guys through a lot of those situations the best we can, so that they can be themselves and play to their full capacity, because so much of those situations, is just you being able to execute your assignment and technique at a high level, understanding how the opponent’s trying to attack you. It’s one of those things where we’ve been in a bunch of those situations and I’ve been pleased with the way the guys have handled it.”

(On DB Darious Williams’ progress and his thoughts on giving S John Johnson III signal calling duties)
“To answer your first part about (DB) Darious (Williams), I think when I got here, I was attracted to his play style. I thought that this guy has a lot of tools at corner that you’re looking for. I think he’s got outstanding cover skills. He’s got movement, he’s got deep speed, meaning he can run with these guys that can really get it on the outside. He’s a really great leaper. He’s not a tall guy, but he’s got an outstanding vertical jump. He feels bigger than his height and he’s a confident guy. He’s calm. You’ve got to have that outside and I think what he’s shown everybody through the first four games, is he also has ball skills. He can also finish plays. He can get you the football, which is rare on the outside. So, he’s a young player. Every single day, this guy sees more, he improves and we think he’s got a bright future and I think he’s showing the NFL what he’s capable of, but the purest measurement of success is consistency and him being able to establish that, down in and down out, every single day, that’s going to be the key to see how far he can take this, but certainly excited about the way he’s playing and what a way to finish that last game. Then your part to John Johnson, I think that every team is just a little bit different. You’ve got to go with what you feel like, who you feel like is best to run the show for your team. The way we play, there was some things with the linebacker situations we didn’t know exactly is one linebacker going to be the game all the time. So, I think that we knew John Johnson is going to be in the game the whole time and I think that when you meet this guy, he’s got all the qualities that you could ever want in a signal caller. I know I’ve been telling you guys, but I love talking to John Johnson on that headset. All right, it gives me so much confidence knowing that he’s on the other end of that line and he’s so steady, he’s so calm. He’s such a competitor, can take the game plan and the way you say it to the guys matters, too. Sometimes it’s coming into the headset, you guys could probably imagine Sean McVay, how he sounds sometimes and me sometimes – sometimes it’s translating that with the right spirit, the right emotion, and being able to say things the right way and give that last extra reminder to the guys. He’s just been awesome. I can tell you that I’m surprised and that would not be the truth because he’s just, he’s the best and has given us a big lift in that role.”

(On the offensive line rotation and if that is always the plan going into the game)
“I think that’s an excellent point. I think that certainly you get a feel for it during the game, the amount of possessions that you have to defend and certainly at halftime, you take a look at it and then the flow of the game. Some of those longer drives like, ‘Hey, if this is a 12 play drive, you need to be able to, kind of, recalibrate, maybe within that series’, and then certainly the next drive, like, ‘Hey, if these guys had to play a bunch that the last series, Hey, we need to get a fresh set of guys in here,’ you know? Certainly, knowing that you want to be your best at the end. That’s something that as coaches, you constantly have to be communicating with your players and with one another, coach to coach, and we’re certainly searching for that right balance. I think if you look at those snap totals from that game, it’s reflective of that balance that we shoot for and we certainly needed it the other day playing 33 minutes in that game. We needed all those guys fresh for the end.”

(On further thoughts on DL Morgan Fox and the snap counts with OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and OLB Samson Ebukam)
“With Morgan, I think this guy’s got real toughness. This guy’s a tough sucker, now. I would describe him as that, and then from a skillset standpoint, he gives you a lot of quickness inside. Guards aren’t used to dealing with a guy with his type of quickness and obviously, Aaron has that as well. Usually you’re dealing with maybe a bigger, stronger guy. Morgan’s got really good quickness in there and he’s got really good pass rush ability from the inside, so I think that that’s something that he does really well. He also knows how to play off people. You’ll hear me say that a lot – the guys that know how to figure it out on the field, cause it’s not perfect, he can fix problems up there in the front. He’s a problem solver and that’s always very helpful, as a defense, to have a guy like that. As it relates to (OLB Ogbonnia Okoronwko) Obo and (OLB) Samson (Ebukam), that’s just the way it worked out. Obo’s been practicing well, and we feel like he gives us something different off the edge. Those guys are competing, and we feel good about both of them and the more Obo plays, the better he gets. Samson has been playing his tail off, too, improving, So we’re just going to keep that healthy competition going and we’re going to need all those guys to be successful.”

(On the thought on why teams are scoring at a higher rate this season)
“I think these players in this league are really good and I think defending offensive football is tough nowadays, with the advent of these quarterbacks, with how talented these quarterbacks are from a movement standpoint. These guys aren’t a sitting target, these guys are a moving target and they’re difficult to defend with all the motion, with all the personnel variations. I think it’s just tough with some of the rules with contact and things like that. But the players, they’re difficult to defend in this league and I think that that’s what you’re seeing more than ever. And then, when you don’t have the offseason, Spring, Summer, bunch of practice, bunch of experience to get connected at the beginning, I’m sure that that factors into it some, too. It’s a combination, of course, but I think that you’ve got to tip your cap to some of the players in this league and they’re tough.”

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QB Jared Goff

(On what he can take and build on from the first four games of the season)
“I thought upfront, we were so good. We were really good upfront, both in the run and in the pass. I think that’s one area that I know those guys take a lot of pride in and that they want to be known as one of the best in the league and I think up to this point, they have been. They’ve been really good and anytime that happens, it makes my job a lot easier. It makes our running backs jobs a lot easier and they’ve done a great job.”

(On what Offensive Coordinator Kevin O’Connell did to initiate relationships with the players especially during the virtual part of the offseason)
“We stayed in touch pretty regularly when he got hired. Obviously, we weren’t allowed to be in person much, but stayed in touch over text and over calls and obviously over FaceTime for OTAs and whatnot, but he did a good job setting up different meetings on Zoom to stay in contact with us and keep that dialogue open.”

(On if O’Connell is a small talk guy or keeps it professional and if they will be able to have a friendship)
“Yeah, I think for sure. I think he’s definitely demanding of a lot, which I love and keeps the high standard for me, which is awesome, but at the same time, he’s able to keep it light and we’re able to joke around and have fun. We’re both from California. We know a lot of the same people and we have a good time.”

(On if there’s one moment where he thought, ‘Wow, Coach McVay is a football degenerate’)
“I’m not really sure what that means. I hope that’s a compliment (laughs).”

(On when he realized that Coach McVay is crazy about football)
“Oh, sure. Yeah. He is. God, one particular moment? No, I can think of a hundred over the years, and I’m sure we’ll have a hundred more over the span of our career together, hopefully. He’s great. He obviously loves it. He’s obviously way into it. There’s a reason he’s one of the best head coaches in this league and, he cares so deeply, not only about the game, but about each and every one of us and coaches us hard and keeps us accountable. But yeah, he is a football degenerate, I guess, and is obsessed. Absolutely.”

(On how much he and the offense has grown over the last four weeks to where the team is now)
“Yeah, I feel good. I think we’ve come a long way. I think, you know, from that Dallas game until last week – we obviously didn’t play our best – but even through the Buffalo week, we grew a lot. We found some things that we like to do. We found a little bit of an identity for ourselves offensively. I feel like I’ve moved the ball down the field pretty well. Our receivers are playing well up front and talked about how good they’re playing. I think the main thing is, is the identity that we’ve found, you know, in ourselves in both the run and in the pass, and a lot of stuff to keep getting better with, which is the best part. We’re 3-1 with a lot of room to improve, and it’s exciting.”

(On what it takes mentally and physically to close out close games and get a score when needed)
“I think it’s just a matter of having a group that believes in each other and we do. We’re a veteran group at this point and we know at any point our offense can kind of pop and explode. You know, like last week we’re in that last drive and I said to everyone, ‘You know, I don’t care what’s happened up to this point. Let’s go out and let’s score to win the game here.’ And we did. I mean, we got it when we needed to, and ultimately that’s not how you always want to finish games. You’d like to win by more than that. But, at the end of the day, we were our best when our best was required. Something that Sean (McVay) talked about on Monday, and, we got it done.”

(On challenges he sees from Washington’s defense)
“Yeah, they’re good upfront. They’re really good upfront, we’ll see if (Washington DE) Chase Young plays. He’s a great player. He provides a lot of challenges for us, but the rest of their D-line is also challenging and provides, you know, plenty of thoughts for us on where we want to go and how we want to handle it, but they do a good job. They’re good in the secondary, they’re good at linebacker. They’re a really good defense and it’ll be a challenge for us.”

(On not taking a deep shot down the field and if the reason is due to the situations presented in the game and by the opposing defense or a personal decision by the team not to do so)
“Yeah, I would say just situationally. We haven’t really had the ops that we we’d really like to. I mean, we missed the one last week. I missed the (WR) Van (Jefferson) just a little bit outside of him, that would have been probably a 40-yard gain. But yeah, I just haven’t had necessarily the opportunities there. We hope to, but, haven’t had to up to this point.”

(On Washington Head Coach Ron Rivera comparing Goff’s relationship with McVay to other NFL quarterback-head coach relationships such as Sean Payton-Drew Brees and Tom Brady-Bill Belichick, and if he agrees and sees that happening)
“Yeah, that’s a huge compliment coming from him, and I appreciate that. Yeah, we’ve got a long way to go. Those guys have obviously won Super Bowls together. Me and Sean have to win one first and then we can start, you know, hopefully having a long career together. But we’ve got a lot of work to do and we feel good about where we’re at. I’ve obviously loved Sean as my head coach, and I feel he feels the same way about me, but it’s been great, and we hope to keep growing.”

(On if the start to this season feels like the start of the 2018 season)
“Yeah, no doubt. I think that’s part of it – every year you look at those close games and it’s either one or two plays that people mostly point to that are the difference. And usually it’s a culmination of plays throughout the whole game but when you’re able to tip the scales one way consistently, that’s kind of the science of a good team. Right now, we’re 3-1 it’s so early to even think that we are there yet. But, we have displayed that and a lot of these games that have been close, we have displayed tipping the scales that way, for one reason or another, whether it’s a defensive play, whether it’s an offensive drive, whatever we’ve done. We have shown that and that’s good.”

(What’s been working for him personally and areas he’d like to still grow)
“I feel like my feet have been so much better through these four games, than really anytime my career. Just the consistency with my feet and the consistency with my eyes. A lot of that is credit to the O-line. I know you just asked to not talk about them, but it is truly about them being able to provide that pocket and doing such a great job there. But yeah, I feel good. I feel like we’ve made some strides offensively and I feel like I’m just trying to do my part and, and keep it going.”

(On this 3-1 feeling different than last year’s 3-1)
“I think we’re just playing a lot better at every spot, like every phase. Last year, I can’t even remember what the first four games were, but we got beat pretty bad by Tampa on both sides of the ball. And right now through four games, we really haven’t had something like that. Buffalo took care of us in the first half and then we came right back and played well. Us and the Giants were close, all night and then we finished it. We came out with a drive and finished it. Us and Philly, we were pretty close all game and we came out and finished it. The same thing with Dallas. So that’s probably the difference is that each game we’ve had that opportunity go out there and put ourselves in a position to win and we have. I know last year we had the same record at this point, but I just believe that the way we were winning the games is differently.”

(On picking up the tempo on the final scoring drive and if they’d done that earlier in the game)
“We had maybe done it a time or two earlier in the game, but that was the first time we’d done it probably for that many plays in a row, yeah.”