(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The Rams 2023 Training Camp has begun and is now preparing for its fans to start arriving as is the custom for every pre-season. They will be headed to the UC Irvine Campus for this fun-filled and fans’ dream to watch their favorite NFL team under the very watchful and discerning eye of Head Coach Sean McVay, and his Coaching Staff. All fans are advised that they must register to attend Training Camp at therams.com/trainingcamp. An important reminder to all, several dates have already been “sold-out.” Make your plans accordingly by going to the link to register.

Here are the first transcripts published by the Rams Communications staff that focus on the answers to the wide range of questions by the local media in attendance, as they were presented separately to both Coach Sean McVay, and his QB Matthew Stafford, as the camp just gets underway.

 Rams Transcripts – Head Coach Sean McVay & QB Matthew Stafford – 7/26/23 

[Head Coach Sean McVay]

(On if the energy on the field gives him a sense of freedom as a coach to be different)…“I don’t necessarily know different, but it’s energizing for us just to see the way that…And I thought there was a good amount of energy on both sides. I love the way guys responded, whether it was a positive or a negative play and so that was consistent with what you guys saw when you came out and saw us in the spring. I was really pleased to see that we picked up where we left off in those things. And there’s a lot of stuff that we can clean up, which is to be expected, but we got to continue to see improvement. But I do love the energy of this football team and it certainly makes it fun for us for sure.”

(On his impressions so far of the defense)…“I think it’s the energy level. You got a lot of guys that have some youthful energy, that have great competitiveness about themselves and then it was good to get 99 (Aaron Donald) out here. He is certainly somebody that has to be accounted for on every single snap. I love the steps that we’ve seen from (LB) Ernest Jones. It was great to be able to get (DB) Ahkello Witherspoon out there and watch him move around—a guy that’s very comfortable and has played in a lot of bigtime games and like I mentioned, loved the springs that (DC Derion) ‘DK’ (Kendrick) had and (DC) Cobie Durant and those guys shined again today, and it was good to be able to see a lot of young guys making plays and I thought the safeties, you could feel their presence as well.”

(On what he’s seen from LB Ochaun Mathis, LB Nick Hampton and LB Byron Young)…“Good energy. I think all three of those guys have complementary skillsets and (Outside Linebackers Coach) Joe Coniglio does a great job of rotating guys through. That’s such a young group, particularly at that outside linebacker position, and so you’ll see guys rolling through a bunch of different groups. I wouldn’t make too much of who’s rolling with the ones who’s rolling with the twos early on in camp. We just want to see these guys get reps in these actual 11-on-11 settings. (I’m) seeing a lot of improvement from those guys and they all bring a little bit different skill sets to the table that it’s almost like it makes it hard for those offensive linemen to settle in. It’s like a pitcher changing up his pitches when you’ve got different guys you got to account for, different skillsets that can play the run and the pass and so can’t say enough about the job Joe Coniglio has done with those three young guys. Also watching (DE) Michael Hoecht continue to get comfortable at that spot as well as (LB) Daniel Hardy being healthy and so, excited about that group.”

(On what he wants to see from the left tackle and center position competitions)…“I think you want to see competition across the board, but when you look at it, you’ve got four players that are competing or rotating at those spots right now that have all played in bigtime games and started for us. When you look at (OT) Alaric Jackson, you look at (OT) Joe Noteboom at the left tackle spot, you look at (OC) Brian Allen and (OG) Coleman Shelton from the center spot, those are guys that have played a lot of football for us. I do believe competition brings out the best in guys. And so, whether or not those guys are always at those spots, that’s to be determined, but I do think that they’ll positively push each other and get the most out of each other and that’s what we’re looking at early on in camp. I’m looking forward to seeing those battles unfold and there’s a lot of those on our team in general.”

(On what he’s looking for in Noteboom considering the significant amount of time he missed from his injury)…“I think you just want to see him cut it loose. I think you want to see production snap in and snap out. So specific in the run game, you want to see the execution coming off, trusting his athleticism to be able to get removal. You want to be able to see when we start to activate some different run concepts, being able to get that horizontal and vertical movement at the point of attack dependent upon the types of schemes and then you want to see efficiency and protection, stunt and switch awareness, understanding are you on the man slide? The slide side? How does that affect your angles of departure and where is your presence? Are you getting a nudge presence? Different things like that and so there’s a lot of intricacies that go on up front, but I think it’s the communication, I think it’s the consistency snap in and snap out because those guys are asked to do so much, but it is so specific within the framework of what are we doing offensively? What are they presenting defensively and what are the different situations that come up throughout the course of the game, as you know. So mainly, you just want to see him be himself when he’s been at his best and trust to be able to let it go because he’s done a great job with that rehab. And his first practice out, it certainly looked like he was moving well.”

(On who he’s feeling optimistic about behind WR Cooper Kupp and WR Van Jefferson)…“I think it’s really early, like you mentioned, but (WR) Tutu Atwell is a guy that’s really done an excellent job. He’s super smart. Obviously he’s well known for his speed, but he’s really done a great job in this offseason and it showed up today of really establishing himself, playing with aggressive hands, understanding the nuances of how we want to work edges and separate where he fits within the concepts. And then (WR) Puka Nacua is another guy, (WR) Ben Skowronek’s played football for us, you saw (WR) DeMarcus Robinson and (WR) Tyler Johnson make plays. So the beauty of this team in general, for the people that you guys have covered us for the last handful of years, there truly is competition and that’s something for us to really evaluate and be good about finding who are the best 11 guys on offense, defense, special teams, and what are the different rotations that we can come up with as we navigate training camp? But I was encouraged, I was ready to just answer a couple guys and then I start thinking about practice and a lot of guys really made plays and are worthy of being mentioned and so that’s certainly a good problem for us to have right now.”

(On if the Rams received or entertained any trade offers for Stafford) …“No, I think that was addressed earlier. What happened…I wasn’t a part of those specific conversations, but I do know this. There was a consistent and unanimous dialogue and understanding of when that March deadline came in, in terms of him being due the bonus that he’s deserved and that he’s earned, we were all in unanimous agreement that we wanted him to be the quarterback. There were certainly some teams that had reached out, as (Chief Operating Officer) Kevin (Demoff) and both (General Manager) Les (Snead) had mentioned, but there was not anything that…I know I can certainly speak for all of us and say we’re excited as hell about Matthew Stafford. It’s been great to see him feeling good and I’m certainly really glad he’s our quarterback and that’s where we’re at.”

(On if there was any contact with Stafford or his agent about renegotiating or restructuring his contract)…“We always really just keep some of that stuff in-house. There’s always constant dialogue between Matthew and myself, and I think he knows how appreciated he is from this organization and that we’re ready to move forward with him leading the way just like he’s done. And I feel really good about that.”

(On if he feels the need to reestablish the culture since there are a lot of new players on the team)…“I think in general, you always have to reestablish that. If I’m being honest with you, I think that was one of the things just doing a critical reflection on the job that I want to do is, are you really, when you come off a year like we did a couple years ago, is there that intentional focus and concentration that’s required to know that every single year is a new year. And you really believe it, know it and have to really commit to it. And so, I think that’s something that’s really important every single year, but I think it’s especially heightened because of the youth. The best thing that these guys can do is model the way. And when you’ve got guys like (OT) Rob Havenstein, you got guys like Matthew, (WR) Cooper (Kupp) mentioned Van (Jefferson) who’s done a great job, (TE) Tyler Higbee, (OG) Coleman (Shelton) and (OC) Brian (Allen). You got examples of what it looks like to do it right and I think that’s more powerful than any of the words that I can say, but I think it is always a strive. You’re always striving to constantly find solutions, have a productive paranoia about kind of getting out in front of some different things, really in all phases. But the thing that I think we could all see out here is it’s fun. (I) want to continue to do that and I think that’s when you get the best out of people is when there’s the focused energy that’s in the right space but it allows guys to be able to go cut it loose and play free and that’s what we want to see when we’re out there competing in practice or in games.”

(On if he can protect Stafford by play calling and schemes)…“Absolutely. I think in a lot of instances, similar to the question you were asking earlier about the tackle position, what type of pass play are we activating when we’re trying to protect him? Are we doing a good enough job of being able to move the spot? Who are the five guys? Or if we ask other guys to be a part of that protection, what does it look like and how are we being mindful of, just like you want to try to attack coverage, contours, different things like that…How are you being mindful of trying to get the math and the numbers in your favor, and get favorable positions in situations and matchups up front? And sometimes it’s easier said than done. But if we keep that guy upright good things happen for us because he’s a special player and we’ve all seen that when you’re able to do the right kind of things around him and I think we’re going to work our ass off to try to figure that out. I can promise you that.”

(On if it’s difficult having so many rookies at training camp)…“No, it’s fun. What was great about it is we got an opportunity in the offseason to get a lot more work than what we normally would’ve or what we have since 2018 that I’ve kind of mentioned a couple times. So, you at least could have some full speed 11-on-11 settings. Even though you’re a little bit more limited in regards to what you can do in the offseason but it makes it fun. It’s an outstanding challenge. You got a great amount of energy, like I’ve kind of consistently talked about to you guys today and throughout the offseason and that’s what coaching is. You want to be able to inspire and good productive change, and you want to be able to try to help these guys reach and realize their highest potential and figure out how we can come together as a team. And that’s why you get into this is to try to help these guys and this is a beautiful challenge for us.”

(On how he empowers the younger players on defense to take on leadership roles)…“It’s a great question. I think a lot of those guys do have natural leadership traits and characteristics. A guy that stands out immediately, obviously we know Aaron Donald. He’s well documented, but I think (LB) Ernest Jones is a special leader just by being who he is. (DB) Jordan Fuller’s been a special leader. So all three of the levels of the defense, and then you’re starting to see (DB Derion) DK (Kendrick), you’re starting to see (DB) Cobie Durant. I’m excited to continue to get to know (DB) Ahkello Witherspoon. I’m excited to see how (OLB) Michael Hoecht now that he’s got a chance to play at that outside linebacker position. And so, I think what you’re looking for is guys being able to be themselves and I think there’s a lot of guys on that side of the football that have some natural skills and natural leadership ability to bring people with them and elevate those around them. I don’t want anybody to have to feel like they have to be anybody other than themselves. You’re not going to replace a (Former Rams DB) Jalen Ramsey and what a special player that he was for us. And nobody’s going to be like (Former Rams LB) Bobby Wagner, but I want them to be the best versions of themself. And if they do that, I am confident that good things can happen. (Former Rams OLB) Leonard Floyd’s another great one that we lost. But I want these guys to be themselves and to really challenge themselves to elevate their play, but also the people around them by the way they just model the way every single day.”

[Quarterback Matthew Stafford]

(On having WR Cooper Kupp back and their work leading up to training camp)…“It’s great having him out here. It’s great having a lot of guys that kind of ended the season either banged up or had a little bit of an abbreviated season last year. So, it’s nice to have them out here. We worked a bunch in the offseason in between both the OTA period and now I got a bunch of work in with a bunch of the guys so it was nice to get out here, do it against the defense, see our guys run around executing plays. It was a lot of fun.”

(On what has been different for him coming into this training camp versus last season)…“I feel a lot better physically. I feel really healthy compared to where I was at this point last year, so that’s fun for me. I was able to get the work in that I wanted to get in coming into this and that makes it a whole lot more fun for me and just excited to be out here.”

(On working with WR Van Jefferson and re-establishing that connection)…“Yeah, he had a nice day today. He and I got a bunch of work. He was in town quite a bit this offseason as well, so I was able to work with him after that OTA period kind of ended. I got a bunch of work with a lot of the guys, but it’s great to have (WR) Van (Jefferson) back out here running around, flying around, making plays.”

(On his early impressions of the offensive line over the past two days)…“We don’t have any pads on, any of that kind of stuff at this point. There’s competition in all kinds of spots, which I think is great for our team. If you look across the board, not only at the o-line room, but in positions all over our team, there’s great competition, guys pushing each other for spots. I think that’s going to serve us well in the end. I think those guys come out every day with a great attitude to try and get better. They got to communicate, they got to get on the same page, but we’re a talented group up there. Got a lot of depth guys that either through college or through last year, got a lot of playing time so I feel good about that.”

(On offseason trade discussions and if he knows about these discussions beforehand)…“I don’t react to it at all, to be honest with you. I’m too busy chasing around four kids, but, no, I hear that stuff. I have contact with them all the time. I’m not sitting in on all those calls, but I get to know most of the details. I see it as flattering, I guess, that other teams would want to reach out and have me come play for them. I just know that I’m really happy where I am playing for this team, playing for this coach and these fans.”

(On if the Rams reached out to his agent or him directly about restructuring his contract)…“I’m always in contact with them again on everything in those regards. They did and I’ll keep all that kind of stuff, those kinds of conversations in house. I’ll just leave it at that.”

(On the fun energy of training camp)…“It’s fun. It’s wild. These young guys bring a bunch of juice and it’s a lot of fun, both offensively and defensively. Both sides of the football had some big plays today, which was great. We’re going to need to continue to bring that energy and then continue to kind of fine tune the football aspect of it as well. So, it’s great. It’s good competition, good energy, that’s fun to be around.”

(On if the Rams did ask to restructure his contract)…“I don’t know what the technical term of it is, but we had conversations on that kind of stuff, and I’ll leave it at that.”

(On if he feels as though the Rams have his short-term and long-term future in mind in terms of injuries and being protected)…“Yeah, definitely. I think that’s the name of the game is to try to keep your quarterback healthy, let them go out there and make plays. It’s a business. Let’s go make plays, let’s go win. That’s what I’m trying to do here is help cultivate an atmosphere of winning. But yeah, I definitely think that that’s the smart thing is to try to keep your signal caller healthy and let them go out there and make plays.”

(On competition along the offensive line and how it impacts and changes his approach)…“At this point it’s not a ton right now. I think as training camps go and this time of year, those kind of things kind of handle themselves and I know we’re going to have a bunch of guys that are competent and ready to go play and play at a high level for us. So that makes me feel good that they’re getting a lot of reps and competing. We’ll figure that stuff out when we need to. At this point, we’re all working to be as best as we can be as individual football players while coming together as a team. That’s what training camp is about and I have no doubt that all those guys are doing that. I think if anything, it forces communication at a higher level because you might be playing with somebody new next to you at a guard spot or a center spot that you’re not used to. So, it forces that communication not only from those guys up front, but for me as well from the back. So it’s been good for us.”

(On his relationship with rookie QB Stetson Bennett)…“It’s been good. I think he’s a talented kid. Obviously really athletic, throws it around, made some nice plays on the move today, kind of scrambling after the play. I think there’s always a lot to learn as a rookie to feel comfortable in an offense, especially in your first time on an NFL field in a training camp practice but I thought he handled himself well.”

(On whether he has a chip on his shoulder due to the way the season finished last year) …“I think the biggest thing, I’ve been around, played the game for a little bit. If you’re not out here trying to prove yourself every single time you step out here, (you’re) probably not in the right spot. Whether you’ve played a long time, this is your first snap as a player on the field, whatever it is, if you’re not out here trying to prove yourself as a player and as a team every time, this is an unforgiving game and so you have to come out here and bring it every single time. Injuries, things like that, things you can’t control, those happen. But if you’re not chin strapped, buckled up ready to go to prove what you’re all about and what your team is going to be all about, then you’re in the wrong business and I feel like at this point, we got a bunch of guys that are setting their jaw in the right way.”

(On playing against DT Aaron Donald in practice)…“No more fun than it was last time I saw him on the other side (laughter). He is still a special player. I have so much respect for him, and he’s battled back from some things too. So just happy to have him back out there. He brings just a confidence to our defense that is obvious and warranted. So it’s great to have him back out there.”

(On relationship with Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur so far)…“It’s been great. I think he and (Head Coach) Sean (McVay) get along really well. They have spent time together, know each other well and so that’s a positive for us. He is bringing us some new things, some things that we hadn’t done in the past and then at the same time, really doing a great job of teaching and collaborating. Obviously, we have some new guys in the, even in our room, that have a learning curve with three new guys to the building. So it’s been good to watch him kind of get up there and do his thing. And it’s been fun to work with him.”

–RAMS–