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September 14, 2026 at 9:47 pm in reply to: interviews & podcasts, 9/14 – ? … starting w/ McVay on 60 min… #166089
znModeratorSean McVay Talks Byron Young’s Growth, Staying Present, Aaron Donald’s Leadership & More
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay joins J.B. Long on The Coach McVay Show after the Rams’ Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Together, they discuss the impact of outside linebackers Byron Young, Josaiah Stewart & Desjuan Johnson, staying present in the face of adversity, defensive end Aaron Donald’s foundational leadership, and more.
01:07 Week 1 vs. the San Francisco 49ers
04:16 Aspirations vs. expectations
06:37 Update on Myles Garrett
09:31 Linebacker depth
10:46 Aaron Donald’s leadership
13:01 Lessons learned for Week 2
19:23 Backup quarterbackznModeratorIn Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Stewart played 28 of 64 total defensive snaps. Garrett and Young were on the field for 40 and 47, respectively… In a small sample size, Stewart finished with the third-highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade on defense at 75.9.
Stu Jackson@StuJRams
With Josaiah Stewart potentially due for a bigger role in Myles Garrett’s absence, asked Sean McVay what he’s seen in Stewart since Stewart arrived in LA (2025 3rd round pick):“I’ve seen consistent growth. I thought he did a lot of good things the other day. I think he’s a complete player that can really be a positive contributor in both phases, defending the run, rushing the passer. He’ll be asked to step up, as will everybody in that group.”
znModeratorWhy surgery became Rams’ best option for star pass rusher Myles Garrett
Nate Atkins
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams will be without their best defensive player for the next month, and possibly longer.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett is undergoing surgery Monday on the knee he injured early in training camp and is headed to injured reserve. That will keep him out for at least the next four games, and coach Sean McVay isn’t willing to put a timetable on when his star edge rusher will return.
“I think it’s all contingent upon how did things go today,” McVay said. “You feel good about it, but I think it’d be unfair to him without having the totality of all the information to put any sort of timeline on it. We know that he’ll be available in four weeks potentially, and we’ll take that a day at a time.”
Garrett first started experiencing knee soreness on July 29, which led to a trip to the trainer’s room at Loyola Marymount University and delayed his first training camp news conference by more than an hour. He took two practices off before returning on a maintenance schedule that carried over until shortly after the team returned to its facility in Woodland Hills on Aug. 8.
“I’m allowed to get sore,” Garrett, 30, said at the time. “I’m a little old.”
Then, suddenly, he was barely practicing as joint sessions with the Dallas Cowboys and the New Orleans Saints began. McVay said after the Cowboys joint practice that Garrett estimated that he was at around 85 percent of his normal abilities at the time.
Garrett finally returned to practice Sept. 6 as the Rams transitioned into regular-season mode with a game on tap against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia. He practiced four out of five days that week, with full sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, and McVay described Garrett’s status as full-go.
But then the game arrived, and Garrett played 40 of the team’s 65 defensive snaps in addition to six plays between the punt and field goal block teams. Against the 49ers, Garrett rotated in and out at different times and couldn’t find any rhythm. He finished with zero sacks, zero tackles and zero quarterback hits.
The Rams blitzed on just 11.1 percent of plays, per TruMedia. They banked on Garrett and three rushers to get home, but they logged just two quarterback hits and zero sacks on 39 dropbacks from Brock Purdy in the 27-7 loss.
“This was the worst version of myself that I’ve put out there,” Garrett said after the game. “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to find a way to recover and get back to the player I know that I can be and that I’ve shown I’ve been before. … When I was out there, I was a little bit more focused on myself and trying to stay healthy than what they were doing, and it showed. I wasn’t where I needed to be for my team.”
Asked about his goals for Week 2 against the New York Giants on “Monday Night Football,” Garrett could only talk about the knee.
“Getting healthy,” Garrett said. “That’s the main thing.”
That night, McVay and Garrett discussed his knee and decided they needed to explore another avenue. The time off in training camp didn’t give him the freshness they wanted, and the version he showed was a long way from the one who set the NFL’s all-time single-season sacks record with 23 last season for the Cleveland Browns.
“I thought we would take an approach where he’d be feeling good enough to go, contribute positive change and be the player that he’s capable of,” McVay said. “That wasn’t the case, and so the next right thing for us is to be able to get this thing fixed.”
The Rams opted against having Garrett undergo surgery after the initial injury scare, hoping a maintenance plan could get him to the regular season. If they had done so in early August, Garrett could be more than a month into recovery. That’s the amount of time he must now miss on IR that will keep him out of games against the Giants, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills in arguably the toughest stretch of the Rams’ schedule. It will be the longest stretch of missed games in his career, as he had only missed five total in the previous nine seasons.
The Rams also opted not to have Garrett stay home for the trip to Australia, a decision they did make for Aaron Donald, who is healthy but ramping back into football shape after two years of retirement.
“The direction that we went with Myles and the direction we went with Aaron are totally separate situations and circumstances,” McVay said. “With Myles, it was more along the lines of we had been aware of this, thought it was something that he would be able to work through. Obviously being out there and playing in a real game, you learn, hey, maybe that’s not the case, so let’s change course with that, and then Aaron is more just getting him up to speed.”
Ultimately, the Rams did not see one week off as making the difference for Garrett’s knee, given that he’s had plenty of time off over the past month. Garrett did spend around 32 hours on the flight, though the team plane featured laydown beds for each player.
It creates an unfortunate blow to a defense that needs to rebound from a disappointing performance against the 49ers and a team that needs to dig out of a 0-1 hole. After all, the Rams traded Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse to the Browns in order to acquire Garrett as an upgrade.
The Rams could receive a major reinforcement this week if Donald is ready to make his debut for the home opener at SoFi Stadium. McVay wasn’t ready to commit to a timeline for Donald.
“He’s going to continue to work his process, and we’ll see what that looks like,” McVay said.
Donald decided to return to the Rams, in part, because of Garrett. The blockbuster trade for Garrett came right before Donald embarked on what he called a 14-week journey to train and think like an NFL player again.
The potential was alluring, as Garrett and Donald combine for five Defensive Player of the Year awards and can create the first pass rusher tandem in NFL history with 100 career sacks and a 20-sack season for each.
The Rams hope that day can come in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, if Garrett can recover from surgery by then.
In the meantime, they’ll hope Donald can provide some of the impact and attention Garrett demands from opposing offensive lines, and they’ll look to Pro Bowl edge rusher Byron Young as well as second-year outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart to provide their edge presence. Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske are also options to play the edge on run downs.
znModeratorl, I think it was ‘more’ reckless to let him play that game on a bad knee, than to take care of it with surgery a month ago
They did not know he had a “bad knee” that could not be played on, until he played.
That’s the nature of this kind of injury.
For years this is the team and medical staff that got us used to the idea that player x was being held out “to err on the side of caution.” They rested him for a month. If he felt pain before a game he would not have played. Then they just needed to find out if he COULD play…and playing him was the only way to find that out.
They did not know he needed surgery, until they found out.
Again. This is not structural knee damage to a tendon or ligament. It’s something more elusive and easier to fix. The dumber thing to do would be to lay him up with surgery if he didn’t need it. Playing him after a month’s rest was the only way to find out he needed it.
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znModeratorNate Atkins@NateAtkins_
Myles Garrett’s knee was a situation they’ve managed for weeks since the initial injury. Sean McVay said they hoped he could play through it and learned in the game that he wasn’t nearly himself.They did not consider leaving him in L.A. like they did with Aaron Donald.
znModeratorThat just seems a little weird to me. That they all waited until the first game to figure out Garrett couldnt play. Why wasn’t this evident in the practices with other teams?
It makes perfect sense. Whatever issue he had, they knew it was one that could heal. Which tells you right away what it could be–my guess is loose fragments in the knee’s fluid, which can cause pain and swelling. So it whatever it is, it is something that could heal–but just didn’t. They could only find out it didn’t by him playing.
The reason it was not evident in the pre-season is because the minute Garrett starting hurting, they kept him out of all scrimmages and practices. He was sidelined for a month.
This is not a team that’s reckless with issues of health and injury. Remember, they kept Donald out. So how is it they would be cautious with Donald but careless with Garrett? The obvious answer is that they were consistent–they did not recklessly expose Garrett out of medical stupidity, rather it really was the case that the only way to find out he couldn’t play was by playing him.
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znModeratorStu Jackson@StuJRams
Other injury updates from Sean McVay:S Kam Curl (ankle) “is good,” just had some ankle soreness
ILB Nate Landman “got his shoulder and his thumb.” Team will be smart with him this week, but expects him to be ready to go for MNF vs. Giants
TE Davis Allen returned to game
znModeratorSarah Barshop@sarahbarshop
Sean McVay said the thought was Myles Garrett’s injury. was “something that he would be able to work through.”“Obviously being out there and playing in a real game, you learn like, ‘Hey, maybe that’s not the case.’ So let’s change course with that.”
McVay on Myles Garrett’s injury: “Thought we would take an approach where he’d be feeling good enough to go contribute positive change and be the player that he’s capable of. That wasn’t the case. And so the next right thing for us is to be able to get this thing fixed.”
Stu Jackson@StuJRams
Sean McVay said he isn’t sure how long Myles Garrett will be out after knee surgery, partly because he didn’t want to put a timeline on it until he has all the information post-surgery. Garrett will miss at least the next four games on Injured Reserve.znModeratorRyan Paganetti@RyanPaganetti
#IDontWantToOverreactBUT the return of the fullback, huge jump in 13 personnel, highest under center usage since 2012 are all bringing football back to the glory days. Run. The. Damn. Ball.Rams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Minus the fullback usage (which has showed up from time to time in the McVay era), Rams were ahead of all these trends.Now it’s time for the to STAY ahead of them, master it all and continue to mix in what has made the Rams great from 2021-today.
znModeratorznModerator…if we apply the “never waste a good crisis” logic we can find some silver linings. One of the developments to monitor will be how second-year EDGE rusher Josaiah Stewart fares in a larger role.
…
I wrote the following about the 2025 third-round pick back in June:
What if I told you Stewart was as effective as a pass rusher as last year’s third overall selection in Abdul Carter? They both led all rookie EDGE rushers in pass rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), at 14.7%. This would rank around 22nd among all players at the same position with at least 318 pass rushing snaps.
It makes sense that Stewart’s role would increase in 2026 despite Myles Garrett joining the team. You can never have too many quality EDGE rushers, and Stewart does bring a physical presence whereas Byron Young is a straight speedster. The Rams did not shy away from using Stewart in all facets a year ago: his run versus pass rushing snaps were evenly divided and he also dropped into coverage nearly a quarter of the time. There is no stronger endorsement of a rookie than asking him to do it all.
In Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Stewart played 28 of 64 total defensive snaps. Garrett and Young were on the field for 40 and 47, respectively… In a small sample size, Stewart finished with the third-highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade on defense at 75.9.
September 14, 2026 at 9:40 am in reply to: interviews & podcasts, 9/14 – ? … starting w/ McVay on 60 min… #166072znModeratorI’m trying to think of a top-coach who wasn’t kindof-an-asshole.
Vermeil.
He wasn’t always nimble in his policies, like trying to stick with players he shouldn’t have. But he was never an asshole. IMO.
znModeratorSosa Kremenjas@QBsMVP
Pressure rate, per @SumerSports:
Myles Garrett with 1 leg – 11.1%
Jared Verse – 6.7%@speed_kills@speedk1lls
Ominous? Other teams lose star players and they continue to win. You people keep telling us Sean McVay is the best coach in football. Well now he’s gonna have to prove it. Josiah Stewart is up.znModeratorAdam Schefter@AdamSchefter
When the Rams play next Monday night vs. the Giants, they will be without Myles Garrett but they very well could have back Aaron Donald.LA Rams Super Fan@LARamsSuperFan1
I hope McVay and the entire squad are watching this game right now and taking notes.The NYG are not pushovers this year
znModeratorNate Atkins@NateAtkins_
They’ve played one game and still have a really loaded roster. It’s all still in their grasp, as much as it was before the season.But some adversity is hitting early this time.
znModeratorField Yates@FieldYates
The two biggest trades of the offseason were Myles Garrett to the Rams and AJ Brown to the Patriots.Both players have been placed on IR after just one game played.
Tough starts.
znModeratorTurns out John Harbaugh’s Giants might not be the pushovers they were last year. They beat Dallas in game one, and that included Jason Dart completing 23/29 for 3 TDs, no INTs, and a qb rating of 134.2. They also ran for 165 yards while holding Dallas to 69 yards rushing.
Jaxson Dart’s best plays from 230-yard game vs. Cowboys | Week 1
znModeratorAlbert Breer@AlbertBreer
Myles Garrett landing on injured reserve, and needing knee surgery this early on in the season, is part of the risk of taking on a player—no matter how great—after he turns 30. But taking care of it aggressively is smart.Tough blow for the Rams, regardless.
znModeratorSo far, they are not reporting a ligament or tendon or cartilage injury.
It’s a “lingering” issue which suggests the kind of situation where small pieces of bone or cartilage break off and float or get trapped in the joint fluid, causing pain and/or swelling.
Comparison for the sake of clarifying–Max Crosby is no parallel to this. Crosby had surgery to repair a torn meniscus. That’s a whole other level compared to Garrett. Baltimore for example rightly questioned whether Crosby could play on a surgically repaired knee without risking more damage.
Garrett has never had major knee surgery the way Crosby did.
We could learn more but right now it looks like an arthroscopic clean up. Not major surgery to repair a structurally damaged, torn knee.
znModeratorRams star Myles Garrett to undergo knee surgery, will be placed on injured reserve
Gary Klein
https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2026-09-13/rams-myles-garrett-to-have-knee-surgery-ir
Rams’ blockbuster acquisition Myles Garrett will undergo knee surgery and will be placed injured reserve after a quiet debut in a 27-7 loss to the 49ers in Australia.
The two-time NFL defensive player of the year, acquired for Jared Verse and multiple high draft picks, missed most of camp with knee issues and struggled badly in the opener.
Garrett must sit at least four games, leaving a suddenly vulnerable Rams pass rush to rely on Byron Young and others while awaiting Aaron Donald’s anticipated return against the New York Giants.
The Rams, already reeling from an embarrassing season-opening defeat in Australia, suffered another major loss Sunday.
Star edge rusher Myles Garrett will have surgery on his left knee and be placed on injured reserve, a team official said.
Garrett must sit out a minimum of four games. The Rams’ next four opponents are the New York Giants, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
The impact of Garrett’s absence could be lessened if Aaron Donald makes his season debut when the Rams return to action Sept. 21 for their home opener. The future Hall of Fame lineman rejoined the Rams after a two-year retirement — in part to play alongside Garrett — but did not travel to Australia for the opener.
Regardless, Garrett’s surgery is another blow for a Rams team that opened the season as the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI.
One of the biggest reasons for that status was Garrett, a two-time NFL defensive player of the year who amassed 125½ sacks in nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns, including an NFL-record 23 last season.
The Rams acquired Garrett in a June trade that sent third-year edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick and two more picks to the Browns. Garrett missed most of training camp because of an unspecified knee issue that severely limited him in a 27-7 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers on Friday.
The seven-time All-Pro played 40 of 65 snaps and, for only the fourth time in his career, did not make a tackle. Afterward, Garrett described his performance as “the worst version of myself.” He said there were times he was thinking about his health rather than what the 49ers were doing on offense.
The Rams did not record a sack and hit 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy only two times.
In the opener, Garrett started opposite Byron Young, a fourth-year pro who had 12 sacks last season and made the Pro Bowl.
Josaiah Stewart, Desjuan Johnson and rookie Wesley Bailey are the other outside linebackers on the roster. Stewart, a second-year pro, had six tackles and one quarterback hit against the 49ers. Johnson, a fourth-year pro, moved from end to outside linebacker last season. He had one tackle against the 49ers. Bailey was the only undrafted free agent to make the Rams’ roster. He played two snaps on special teams in the opener.
znModeratorMcVay has a head for designing schemes. So does Shanahan. Shanahan, though, is also a great play caller. McVay averages out to be a pretty good play caller.
znModeratorOn This Day: @kurt13warner makes his NFL debut in 1999, throwing for 309 yards with 3 touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/hg4iFYffQv
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 12, 2026
znModeratorKyle Shanahan, on the very first drive, as Mike Silver @MikeSilver wrote "the why is everything" Shanahan's shifts and motions aren't just window dressing, they have a specific purpose and reason. Everything is intentional. pic.twitter.com/KKbYipZolP
— JonnyDel's Backup (@SulligentHUB) September 12, 2026
znModeratorWhy the 2026 NFC West Is Likely to Win the Super Bowl Again
The NFC West Enters the 2026 Season With Three Teams Capable of Making a Serious Super Bowl RunScott Kacsmar
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https://www.betus.com.pa/nfl/news/why-the-2026-nfc-west-is-likely-to-win-the-super-bowl-again/The NFL has gotten off to a low-scoring start after three top Super Bowl contenders in the NFC West played their first game. The Seattle Seahawks started their title defense with another win over the Patriots, then the 49ers upset the not-so-super Rams, 27-7, in Australia.
💡 Key Takeaways: NFC West Super Bowl Contenders
The NFC West should play a significant role in who wins Super Bowl LXI with three of the best teams (sorry, Arizona).
The Rams opened as Super Bowl odds favorites (+500) but suffered a rough 20-point loss in Australia after losing five games in 2025 by a combined 17 points.
Brock Purdy’s stats included three touchdowns, with one to veteran Mike Evans in his team debut.
The Seahawks seem to have avoided a season-ending hip injury to quarterback Sam Darnold.
The NFC West already made history in 2025 as the first division to have three teams win 12-plus NFL games before the Seahawks vanquished the 49ers and Rams in the playoffs to reach Super Bowl LX.
The Rams Humbled Abroad
The Los Angeles Rams opened the season with the best NFL odds (+500) to win the Super Bowl this season after acquiring players like Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and bringing Aaron Donald out of retirement.
But their first game was a total dud as they scored the fewest points (7) in a game with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford at quarterback, and Garrett, looking sluggish, failed to register a single pressure for the first time since 2018. Donald was inactive.
Was it due to the travel plan that saw the Rams arrive almost a week after the 49ers did? We’ll find out when they host the Giants next Monday night, but the Rams were humbled immediately by Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers, who have been a thorn in their side over the years.
Reminder: The last 20 teams with +500 or better preseason Super Bowl odds failed to win the Super Bowl. Sean McVay’s got work to do.
The 49ers Look Great
After tons of off-field NFL news this offseason, the 49ers looked sharp and ready in Australia. Mike Evans made key third-down catches and caught a touchdown, Deebo Samuel scored in his return game, left tackle Trent Williams handled Myles Garrett, and linebacker Fred Warner looked like the best linebacker in the NFL again.
The 49ers are sure to be one of the biggest risers in the Super Bowl odds after this 20-point win. With the Dolphins and Cardinals up next, a 3-0 start is very possible. Not bad for a team thought to be on the decline with aging stars George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey.
Seattle Still Has the Top Defense
Lest we forget, the Seahawks are the defending champions. Their top-ranked defense had to be great after quarterback Sam Darnold (hip) was injured on the opening drive. Fortunately, he could only miss a game or two.
But Seattle’s defense intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter, and backup Drew Lock made enough plays to get the 13-10 win. Darnold should be back before Week 5 vs. the 49ers, and Seattle doesn’t meet the Rams until Christmas.
The NFL betting odds still favor all three teams in 2026, so there’s a decent chance this division, which plays the stacked AFC West, determines the winner of Super Bowl LXI too
znModeratorYeah I figured, but I can’t find the part you refer to, and today as it happens I can’t listen to the entire vid!
“I’m too busy to do my homework. My mom wants you to call her.”
I got no class. I got no principles.
I can’t even think of a word that rhymes.znModeratorAdam Archuleta@AdamArchuleta
Majoring in man coverage with all the motions and shifts the 49ers have can be a nightmare and lead to major assignment errors, especially with the new shifts and motions they showed. Not to mention, the NFL as a whole is trending hard toward zone coverage and split-safety principles.znModeratorIts up there in the game vids thread. I think its titled ’49ers make myles garrett disappear’.
Yeah I figured, but I can’t find the part you refer to, and today as it happens I can’t listen to the entire vid!
znModeratorThey’ll now try to flush this game from their memory before turning their attention to the New York Giants in Week 2, but before we look ahead, it’s time to reflect on this loss with Pro Football Focus grades.
Below are the best and worst performers from the Rams’ loss to the 49ers.
Top 5 offense
LG Steve Avila: 84.9
C Coleman Shelton: 83.2
WR Puka Nacua: 76.0
RB Blake Corum: 70.3
LT Alaric Jackson: 67.9Your fantasy edge starts here Sync your league for custom roster advice, projections, and tools to win your matchups every week.
Avila allowed two pressures, one of which was a hit on Stafford, and he was outstanding in the run game with a team-high grade of 90.3.
Shelton also dominated as a run blocker with a grade of 88.2, allowing only one pressure. Jackson was just OK in this one as the starting left tackle, allowing three pressures with a grade of 65.9 in the run game.
Nacua led the team with 74 yards receiving, 48 more than any other player.
Corum was the Rams’ leading rusher with 54 yards on the ground on just 10 carries.
Top 5 defense
CB Trent McDuffie: 83.4
DB Quentin Lake: 78.8
OLB Josaiah Stewart: 75.9
DT Kobie Turner: 75.3
S Kam Curl: 70.8The Rams didn’t get the win but McDuffie’s debut went well. He only allowed one catch for 13 yards on three targets, breaking up two passes with one tackle for a loss.
Lake was picked on throughout the game, seeing 10 passes thrown his way. He allowed seven catches but they went for a total of just 54 yards. He also had an interception and a quality pass breakup in man coverage.
Stewart made five tackles and had one QB hit, which was one of just two landed on Purdy all game long; Nate Landman had the other.
Turner didn’t have any pressures but he batted one pass and had seven total tackles.
Curl left the game early but he had three tackles and gave up just 13 yards in coverage before exiting.
znModeratorpcking23@mgmoney50
Stafford lost that game yesterday. They score after the interception it’s 14-3 and the entire game flips. He scores on the sneak the game changes again. Two game changing plays and Stafford failed on both. He has to help the defense out. The team is built to play with a lead -
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