(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The Rams Training Camp at Loyola Marymount was quite a new experience for all parties working in the organization. From the training camp facilities layout to receiving the fans from the young to the elderly, the players, the media, special guests, the community-based organization leaders, and oh, not to forget about the transition into finding a parking spot, all was extremely good in Rams Nation for this very important change in plans. It just takes a matter of quick time for everyone to get adapted and then move on from there.
With that, we now bring you Head Coach Sean McVay’s “Meet The Press” Post-Practice session with the media who cover the Rams during its Training Camp period. Per his usual hosting of the media, Coach begins with an Opening statement which is always followed by a very open and healthy question & answer period. Read what Coach McVay had to say about having Training Camp at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) this year and much more.
Rams Transcripts – Head Coach Sean McVay – 8/3/24
[Head Coach Sean McVay]
(Opening Statement)…”It was really fast. Seems like we just got here, but there was a lot of good work. The fans were excellent. I even appreciate Gary’s [reporter] etiquette towards me the last couple of weeks. I’m just kidding. [I’ve] Really been pleased with our group. Loyola Marymount was excellent. We’ll obviously be here next year. As you guys know, we’ll be moving to Woodland Hills, but not quite yet. They’re still in the midst of finishing that up so we’ll go back to [California Lutheran University] ‘Cal Lu’… no [office] window and all, and I’m going to love every second of it. They’re doing a great job of being able to expedite that construction. The most important thing was making sure that when we do move into Woodland Hills, our players have everything that they need so that it doesn’t take away from our preparation. Fortunately, our support staff has done an amazing job of allowing us to have the flexibility of being at ‘Cal Lu’ for these next couple weeks, and then hopefully when we get back from Houston, that’ll kind of be… the temporary timeline or date that we’ll set to move over there [Woodland Hills]. As long as we have the film, a field, and the guys have everything that they need, that’s all we really care about as coaches. With that, I’ll open up to questions.”
(On whether the delay for moving to Woodland Hills was surprising)…”I would say no. I think when you look at just some of the things… there’s so many layers to it. I know that everybody’s doing everything they can to urgently be able to finish it up. That’s what’s great about having ‘Cal Lu’ where we can go back there temporarily. Like I said, I think the most important thing is that it doesn’t take away from our ability to prepare for the season. I don’t anticipate this affecting us at all.”
(On whether he is concerned about everyone having to acclimate to a new facility just before the start of the regular season)…”No, because I think it’s as big a deal as we make it. As long as the guys have everything that they need, I kind of like… it’s a very lively area. There’s a lot of stuff going on there… for guys to be able to go to dinner [and] different things like that. For coaches to be able to do the same. I don’t worry about it, but what I do want to make sure is [that] the functionality in terms of everything we need to be able to prepare. You look at it, whether it’s here or when we’ve traveled for a couple of days at a time on the road. I mentioned our support staff. They’ve done an incredible job of allowing us to be able to kind of pick up everything that we need, make it comfortable for the players, and still be able to give them the treatment and all the things that are in alignment with putting them in a position to be at their best. I don’t anticipate it being anything that will affect us.”
(On OL Rob Havenstein’s injury status)…“It’s his ankle. He’ll be week-to-week, kind of similar to Jonah [Jackson] with his shoulder.”
(On OL Rob Havenstein’s injury potentially being season-ending)…”No.”
(On whether joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers is strictly business or whether there is an added competitive spirit due to both teams being in Los Angeles)…”It’s the first part. Certainly, it’s a great opportunity to compete against another really good team and I’ve got a bunch of respect for Coach [Jim] Harbaugh [and] the way he does things. What I think is great about these opportunities is we get a chance to practice against three separate teams… none of which are on our schedule. They’re all really different schematically, offensively, defensively and really in the kicking game. These are great opportunities for us to be able to test our rules, to be able to compete but do it in a smart way where we’re minimizing the risk for injury. I’ve always really enjoyed these and I feel really good about talking with Coach Harbaugh [about] kind of the rules of engagement. They’re very much in alignment with how they practice, is how we practice and our guys know how important it’s for us to be able to go get that work. This is about that time when you’re tired of going against one another. There’s a certain familiarity and I think it’ll be healthy for us to be able to see another team. The L.A. thing doesn’t really have anything to do with it for us as long as we’re just looking forward to getting some good work and really testing our rules. Fortunately, if we have some things that don’t go down the way that we want, there’s no consequences and we’ll be able to learn from it and be better for it.”
(On DL Desjuan Johnson’s performance during training camp)…”Yeah, that was a great play by ‘Dez’. We ended up having a simulated pressure. He was looping for contain right there and tips it up and ends up kind of bobbling it about fifteen times towards the other end zone, but it was a great play. I think he’s done a great job. [Defensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator] Giff Smith and [Assistant Defensive Line Coach] AC Carter [are] excellent coaches that have really helped ‘Dez’ take some steps in the right direction. He’s always been a guy that has some twitch and upper-body explosiveness. I think he’s starting to really understand how to be a complete player in both the run and when we get into some of those opportunities to be able to rush the passer. I’ve been pleased with ‘Dez’.”
(On LB Ernest Jones and his development as a leader)…”I think the thing about Ernest is there’s certain guys that have a magnetism, a charisma, and a presence about him where it’s just easy. You feel his presence on the field and he has such a physical style to his game, but he also has a swagger [and] a confidence. He carries himself where he is mature beyond his years. He brings a toughness to our group. We didn’t have him throughout the spring, but then as soon as he was out here, even as we were kind of just building up his workload… I love Ernest. He’s a great leader and I’ve really been pleased with [Inside Linebackers Coach] Greg Williams. He’s done an outstanding job with that group as a whole. You’re seeing Ernest take steps in the right direction. I think a lot of the things that make him special are not necessarily what you can see during these types of settings because of the physicality. The ability to read and recognize plays where you’re taking guys to the ground. Some of the ways that you can utilize him being able to go forward. But I think he’s also taken some big steps in coverage. I love Ernest [and I’ve] been really pleased with him as a leader.”
(On whether OL Alaric Jackson will see action in the joint practice against the Chargers)…”I don’t think so. We want to be smart. It was a weird deal where he kind of just rolled up his ankle. It’s nothing that we expect to be long-term. It was day-to-day. Now it’s kind of week-to-week, but I thought he was having a great camp and I think the worst thing we can do is rush him back. In the meantime, we’re going to learn about some guys. I mean it’s a rolodex of guys that are in there right now, even with that first group. It’s only going to force those guys to mature and accelerate their learning process, especially with just some of the ways that we operate with Matthew [Stafford] at the switch.”
(On what a joint practice allows them to do that may not be feasible in a normal practice setting against your own team)…”I wouldn’t say anything in that regard, but what it does is you get an opportunity to see things that maybe we wouldn’t do offensively. There is an element of being involved with the offense the way that I am… I do feel like a contribution I give to the defense is making sure that you see a bunch of different stuff. It’s well-documented that we are a heavy 11-personnel outfit. What I think’s great about the Chargers with [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Greg] Roman and [Head] Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, they’ll mix personnel groupings. They’ll do some things that are maybe a little bit different, but very successful in its own right. That’s what I like about it. You’ll get an opportunity to go against [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Jesse] Minter and you see what a great job he did at Michigan. There are some similarities, but big differences. When you get a chance to match up against some of their players, that’s always a real benefit. Seeing different schemes… obviously we want to identify teams that aren’t necessarily on the schedule. That’s what we were able to do with all three of the teams that we’re practicing against this year.”
(On whether he’s curious how certain players or groups respond to practicing against the Chargers)…“I think really all of them. I’m interested in seeing just how our team takes steps. There are certain spots right now that based on some of the injuries that we are a little bit, I don’t even know if thinner is the right word, but you’re having guys play that maybe we didn’t count on at this point with some of the first groups. I’m looking forward to just seeing how our team handles it and it’s an opportunity to take a step in the right direction. We won’t make it anything more than what it is and it’s another practice, but it’s an opportunity to compete and think we want to create good stress in these atmospheres and environments because that’s what game day is and that’s what we try to simulate as much as possible.”
(On OL Steve Avila’s ability to play both guard and center and the importance of continuing to get him reps with Stafford at center and moving guys in and out of position)…“It is important, but I think also what we have to be able to plan for are some of the unforeseen things. God forbid if, whether it’s a Kevin Dotson or you know, however long Jonah [Williams] is out, if we deem that whoever can plug in that center gives us a better opportunity for him to play at guard, then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll find the best five. It’s really important. He’s gotten a bunch of reps and I think he understands there’s a lot of nuances to play that spot, but there is a lot of nuances to play in the left guard spot as well. I think we want to be able to pick and choose, but we want to keep him at center. If we have to move him to guard, that’s not something we’re afraid to do either.”
(On DB Tre’Davious White and what he’s shown throughout camp to potentially earn a starting role)…“You watch these guys, and you know I’m a big fan of his game, and his game is well-documented as a competitor. Even when you just watch the tape, his pre-snap, alignment, stance… I mean, he looks like a guy. He’s freaking ready to go and I love that about him. Then, you get in there and you spend a couple of hours with myself, [Defensive Backs Coach] Aubrey [Pleasant], and [Defensive Coordinator] Chris [Shula], and the guy loves football. Aubrey’s taken him through, and Chris has taken him through some of the things that we would do. What’s the vision for him? I think it really helped to be able to have [Team Physician] Neal [ElAttrache] here to be able to kind of give him advice as he’s working through coming back from the Achilles. Obviously, [Head Athletic Trainer] Reggie [Scott] was a big advantage, but this is a guy that’s passionate about a lot of the things that we’re passionate about, leadership, football, family. He’s a special guy and I was really fortunate, and I was really happy when he decided that he wanted to come play for us because he had a lot of options. A lot of teams that saw what we did and he’s getting more and more comfortable. You can see the competitiveness and he had a couple of opportunities to be able to make some picks. I was joking with him that we got to be able to finish, but his concept recognition…you show him the same play twice, he’s going to be all over it. I’ve really been pleased with him. I think he’s done a great job and you can see he’s getting more comfortable, really testing and exploding off of his lower half, whether it be the Achilles or even the knee from a couple of years ago.”
