Head Coach Sean McVay – – September 28, 2020

(On any updates to injuries from the weekend)
“(S) Jordan (Fuller) had a shoulder, he’ll be day-to-day. He might be out on Wednesday, but it’s not something that we anticipate being something that’ll keep him out for this week, but we might be smart with him on Wednesday. (RB) Cam Akers will continue to be day-to-day, and then both (DL) Sebastian Joseph-Day and (WR) Josh Reynolds had little ankle tweaks that we might be smart with them on Wednesday, but nothing that we anticipate those guys missing any time. With Cam, we’ll see if he’s ready to go and how he, kind of, progresses throughout the course of the week. He’s really the only one that I would say his status is uncertain. If those guys continue to make progress, those three that I mentioned, that got banged up a little bit yesterday, I don’t anticipate them missing the game this week, but I’ll be able to give you a little bit more clarity on Wednesday.”

(On if there is any consideration to bringing OLB Terrell Lewis off injured reserve)
“Haven’t talked about that yet. Certainly, wouldn’t rule it out, but as of right now, that’s not something that we’ve discussed.”

(On sticking with the running game on Sunday)
“I think when you look at the game, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Bills’ defense, but in a lot of instances, it wasn’t like we were struggling to move the football. We, kind of, ended up having some self-inflicted wounds, and I say that knowing that they created a lot of those things, but you look at the first drive, we moved the ball down the field, we ended up getting the sack on third down, but we get down to their 26 yard line, we ended up having the next drive where they did a nice job making an interception there. Then on our third drive, we ended up going right down the field and, kind of, just trickle out, add some bad calls in the red area that led to us kicking a field goal. Then in the second half, we came out and, really, it was just a result of just some poor play calls. I mean the fourth-down call made you want to vomit, but really, those are things that you can improve on. I didn’t think that there was a need to really get into that mode yet and our guys proved us right on that. I thought the defense got some stops. I mean, when you really look at the defense too, I think a large part of that responsibility, why we were in that hole, falls on me, in terms of, some of the decision making, where they had some short fields. Whether it’s attempting to long field goal early in the game, that fourth-and-four that we went for coming out of the second half that ended up leading to getting it to 28-3. I was in a very similar game in Washington when we played the Bucs and we were down 28-3 and it, kind of, had a very similar feel that it’s like, let’s not press the panic button, and to the guys credit, they just kept competing, kept fighting and I think for us to get out of that hole, it truly was reflective of a team effort where you get two turnovers defensively, offense is able to capitalize, (K) Sam (Sloman) was hitting his kicks deep where it was preventing an opportunity for a really good return on (Billls WR) Andre Roberts to get his chances. Made a couple extra points and you convert on a two-point conversion. That was just kind of what went into that feel and I thought a lot of guys made plays to get us back in it without a doubt.”

(On the reason he had so much faith in the running game)
“I think the running game was going the whole day. It wasn’t like there weren’t good things going in that first half. You just look at the margin for error, how small it is in this league and the difference between punching a couple of those drives in and ending up having 17 and 21 potential points to reflect it. But, that’s where you’ve got to be honest with yourself as a decision maker, especially on the offensive side of the ball and not lose faith and understand that if you do really have that one play at a time mindset and mentality, you can, kind of, chip away as long as everybody’s in it together. I thought we were able to create some explosives in both phases and we were going with some urgency. It wasn’t like we weren’t in an up-tempo offense. We just happened to be able to stay a little bit more balanced in our run and our pass, where you’re not just getting in the gun and you’re in a two-minute mindset and mentality, but we were still going fast and I thought we were able to score quickly and be able to, kind of, switch the momentum fairly quickly, because of a lot of good things that went on for our football team.”

(On if he went back and reviewed the pass interference call against DB Darious Williams and if he spoke to the league)
“No, I think we will always do that on a handful of things. That’s not something that I’m going to dwell on, because the reality is, is that it never comes down to one play. You’re not going to get me to make an excuse about that. In a lot of instances, I think those refs have to make decisions that they feel like they see in live action and it’s not my position to question those things. I think we want to continue to educate our players on how to compete with a mindset that they aren’t able to be restricted, in terms of what they’re doing. So, that’s where we look for the clarity, but there was a lot of things that occurred in that game and it’ll never come down to one play. I think that’s the message and that’s what I genuinely believe.”

(On if he believes it was a defensive pass interference)
“I think that’s not for me to make those decisions. It’s not my place. Clearly that was a play that didn’t go in our favor, but I’m not going to comment on how I saw that.”

(On RB Darrell Henderson Jr.’s progress and is he likely to start this Sunday if Akers is out)
“Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think he’s doing things that’s not surprising, but I am very pleased. He’s a guy that I’ve always had a tremendous amount of confidence in. I think (Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown has done such a good job with that group. But, these are things that we expect from (RB) Darrell (Henderson Jr.) and not to be taken for granted, but I mean, you see, he’s a slash-type runner, but he’s physical. The goal-line run to really punch us over the top against an excellent (Bills) linebacker in Tremaine Edmunds, in the hole where he’s an essence unblocked, it was a big time run. But you felt him all day. He can contribute in a variety of ways. I think the more that he plays, the more he’s available, the better he’s going to get, the more confidence. And what he did was what I would have expected from him building on a really good performance against Philly and translating it against an excellent defense that’s tough and stout against the run. He made a lot of good plays and I think it was a result of some really good stuff from our guys up front and those tight ends and receivers competing without the ball as well.”

(On adjusting to the broadcast being able to hear communication at the line of scrimmage)
“We’re very aware of those things. What do you think the plays mean? There’s a lot of different words that are being picked up, a lot of the same words that a lot of different plays are coming out of, too. So, you tell me if you think you know what water, water and some of those other things really mean, and I’ll tell you, I bet you’re wrong (laughs). We are very aware of that because we know that the defenses look at that stuff and try to pick up on any indicators. Those are things that we will adjust week-to-week, keep the same, or keep different based on what we pick up on those TV audios and that’s been consistent over the last couple of years, especially when you’re at home. But it was definitely one of those broadcasts that it was easier to pick up yesterday, different than the first two, but there were still a handful of things that the Philly and Dallas game reflected when you go back and watch. That’s a big part of what we’re aware of, knowing that these defenses are too good to not try to give themselves an edge. So, we’re very aware of those words.”

(On does he pay more attention to the broadcast being able to hear the line of scrimmage without the crowd noise)
“I wouldn’t say that. I think it’s something that we’ve always paid close attention to because we do change up a lot of the tempos at the line of scrimmage. And, you know, you’re mandated to mic either your center or one of your guards so that they can pick up that audio and dependent upon when you end up utilizing those words at the line of scrimmage or your cadence, is a big thing that gets picked up around the league and even more so now because of the absence of the crowd noise, really, regardless of whether you’re home or away. And so, it’s something that we have to be more (intentional) about because usually it was just in the home atmospheres that it was picked up on. But, for us that’s been something that’s been pretty consistent with just our way of operating offensively. It’s been a big part of it, this year is really no different. We’re just mindful of it on the road even more than you would have been in years past.”

(On what he gives credit to the offensive production)
“I think it’s a collaboration. Here’s the thing I would say is that when we expect our players to be accountable, I expect the same of myself. Part of what I feel like my role is with the preparation throughout the course of the week, where we as a coaching staff, our job is to try to put our players in the right situations and make sure that our plays have answers, and they’re intentful about that. There are some times where you say, ‘Hey, that was a good decision’ and then the guys ultimately made it come to life. The ones that I can’t stomach are when you make decisions where there’s really not a lot of good options for our players to just bail you out of a bad play call. I’m not going run away from those things. I think the ability to be able to acknowledge it helps you move forward. I genuinely mean it. When you think about some of those play calls. Now I’ll be the first to tell you too, it’s always a collaboration, but there’s some good decisions that I think we’ve made as a coaching staff over these first few weeks as well. But, I do think it’s important to acknowledge the bad ones and then you can move forward accordingly.”

(On whether Rams QB Jared Goff is taking a step forward)
“He is. I thought yesterday was his best game. I didn’t think it was even close. I think when you look at the caliber of play, I thought his pocket movement, his ability to navigate and be able to move while keeping his eyes down the field and make some big-time throws was outstanding. The Philly game, it was a really clean operation. He did a great job, but I thought there was a little bit more challenging looks yesterday that forced him to execute. I was really encouraged by some of the known passing downs, some of those third-down conversions, whether it’s the long third-down that he hits (WR) Robert Woods, where they bring pressure on a third-and-8. We had a third down-and-12 to (WR Cooper) Kupp, where he kind of moves. I thought it was a real reflection of all 11. But just his movement, even the great catch (TE) Gerald Everett made on the first play of the drive. If you look at how aggressively he had a hitch to his left, be able to reset his body and make the throw. They’re an aggressive, physical defense and (Bills Head) Coach (Sean) McDermott is a guy that presents a lot of problems. They’ve got great personnel. I thought just the caliber of plays he made and then just the poise that was demonstrated from him as he was bringing us back. I mean, even on the minus three on the drive that we go 97 on for him to hit (WR) Josh Reynolds backed up. Those are high pressure types of throws that he consistently made throughout the course of the day. I think (QB) Jared (Goff) could take a lot from that game yesterday. I thought that was without a doubt, his best performance of the year. I thought his movement was as good as it’s been in a long time.”

(On playing in empty stadiums where fan noise is typically a factor)
“I think the big thing to (a) question earlier, is the ability to use your verbal communication that typically is eliminated in those atmospheres is a big edge offensively. I’ll tell you what, I’ve been really impressed with the energy that teams have brought, whether you’re at home or away. But, you really appreciate the value of a crazy road environment. I love that. I miss people yelling at me and saying stuff. I think that’s one of the things that makes the game special. But, it changes the normal standard operating procedures on the road because every atmosphere is so good. Your ability to communicate verbally really on all phases, because the defenses too. You look at Buffalo’s defense when they’re at home, typically they’re all verbal communication or visual communication, just like the offenses they go against. So, it goes both ways because I think communication is important for both the offense and the defense. But, that energy that those home crowds bring is something that definitely does change the dynamic without a doubt.”

(On if he and Goff feed off each other’s energy throughout games)
“Yeah, I think the people that have been here would say that’s one of (QB) Jared’s (Goff) great traits – his ability to just kind of stay even-keeled throughout. I think it’s really important to do, especially when you go through some adversity that we really faced. We talked about it a little bit at halftime yesterday. I thought I learned a lot about our football team. I’ll never forget one of the things that (Former Rams Special Teams Coordinator Coach) John Fassel said to me that his dad used to do is, when it comes down to the last play like our game did to potentially determine the outcome of it, you pause the tape right before that fourth-and-eight. He said, ‘No matter what happens right here, how do you feel about the team’s performance?’ That gave me a good perspective of how much I learned in a positive way. Of course, we want to come away with the win, that’s always our goal. But the things that led to us getting ourselves in that position when you’re down 28-3, I really am encouraged by this team. I love the look in their eyes after the locker room. I think we were all sick that it didn’t go the way that we wanted, but not discouraged and defeated by knowing what we can accomplish and use that as an opportunity to gather ourselves together and know we’ve got to have a great week of preparation because this is a humbling league. We got to be able to reset our focus and focus it on the Giants moving forward. So, to go back to your original question, that is a great trait of Jared’s. I thought it was instrumental and really in a lot of our players to kind of keep us just being present, being in the moment. I thought that’s what enabled us to be able to just kind of chip away a little bit at a time. And then before you know it, you’re looking up with about four and a half (minutes) left saying, ‘How about that, man?’ We overcame that deficit and there’s a lot of positives to be taken from that even though there’s no moral victories. I think we all can understand what we can gain from that.”

(On how he deals with star players who might miss a play that they are accustomed to making)
“I think you deal with it like all great players. One of the things I think you look at it is, definitely aren’t going to get into the coverage intricacies of different things, but whether it’s (DL) Aaron (Donald), (CB) Jalen (Ramsey), Jared, (WR) Robert Woods, (WR) Cooper Kupp, all these guys. I’ve heard this said by (Spurs Head Coach) Greg Popovich and a lot of guys I respect, ‘All the great ones want to be coached’ and Jalen is no different as is Aaron. They want to be told the truth. They want to be demanded a lot of, because they demand a lot of themselves. When you’re dealing with really special players that are talented and really smart, you can’t “BS” these guys. I think they appreciate being able to keep it real and having high standards. When you can coach those guys as hard as anybody, that becomes the norm. So, we never want to make it like, coaching isn’t criticizing, it’s correcting and it’s helping guys reach their highest potential, and I think that’s part of how we want to do it. What we believe is the best way to do it. And our best guys are no different and that’s the same way that we would correct a rookie mistake is exactly what we would do when one of our elite players that’s been a perennial All-Pro has something that we think he can do better as well.”