(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The Rams are once again the talk of the NFL as they have rebounded and re-gathered from their very rough start to this season. Now that they have reclaimed their prominence in the NFC West by rising to the top of the standings and playing exceptionally well down the critical regular-season homestretch to the looming playoffs, the fandom and our City of the Angels have enjoyed watching Head Coach Sean McVay lead his troops on to those much-appreciated victories.

We’ve also included Puka Nakua and Cooper Kupp availabilities. Here is their most recent joint transcript from Thursday in preparation for the Cardinals game. As usual, there’s much to read, but so much to learn about Coach McVay, the players. and the whole team. as the loyal Rams fans you all are. Many thanks for your coming to us to read these very-important season-long transcripts.

Rams Transcripts – Head Coach McVay, Receivers Cooper Kupp & Puka Nacua – Thurs. 12/26/24

[Head Coach Sean McVay]

(Opening Statement)…”Hopefully everybody had good holidays. As far as the injuries are concerned, Rob Havenstein will be listed as limited. We typically give him a veteran day off. He got his shoulder banged up so we’ll see what his status looks like and then Alaric [Jackson] will have a veteran rest day.”

(On whether OL Rob Havenstein injured his shoulder in practice yesterday)…”It happened yesterday, yeah.”

(On whether he expects Havenstein to play on Saturday)…”I’m hopeful. We’ll see.”

(On whether today is considered a “rest day” for Havenstein)…”He would not practice today. He typically has a veteran rest day on Fridays, but he would not be able to practice if that wasn’t the case just based on his injury today.”

(On some of the pitfalls the team has to be aware of as the season comes to an end and playoffs are in sight)…”What’s been really good about our football team is these guys have just been in the moment. You’re not naive to what’s possibly at stake, but I think our guys have played their best football and they’ve just focused on… Hey, let’s go cut it loose. Let’s play to the best of our ability. Let’s have a great week of preparation and then let’s be totally and completely present in that three-hour window that we’re allotted, and let’s enjoy doing it. This has been a really fun team to be able to work with and I think there’s been a lot of growth that’s taken place. There have been a lot of experiences that I think have calloused us in the right way to be equipped to be able to play whatever game is necessary. We have a ton of respect for this opponent that’s coming in. Obviously we had a really humbling experience against them in week two, but I like the looking guy’s eye. I like to focus and the concentration. We want to wrap up the week the right way and then let’s be ready to go Saturday night.”

(On what’s fun about this team)…”They’re fun. It’s a bunch of fun guys. I think this team is growing closer. I think there’s more of a connection. I always tell these guys, ‘I see better than I hear,’ and when you look at the way that they celebrate one another, you look at the way that the offense gets excited for the defense, the defense for the offense or the kicking game making a big play for us and the way that they stay even-keeled throughout the course of games. I was just talking to the production crew about the moment for Tyler Higbee last week. That kind of epitomizes one of the things that’s special about this team. How much love, appreciation, and respect this guy has and then the genuine and authentic excitement when he goes and makes a play that’s critical for our team, but because of who he is as a human being. We have a lot of different personalities, but I think that’s what makes this team special. A lot of different experiences and it’s been a fun journey.”

(On where he’s hoping to see the team grow over the final two weeks of the regular season)…”I think it’s always about consistency. We’ve talked a lot about whether it’s starting faster offensively or minimizing some different things defensively. I think it’s how do we really play as well as we possibly can in all three phases and be able to put it together? Now, the enemy has a say in that as well, but you’re just looking for the quality of football to continuously improve. When things do come up, how quickly can we address it and then be able to minimize its impact in a negative way on our football team? I do see a toughness. I see a resolve and I see a resilience that’s been developed in this group, but if I were to say in its simplest form to answer your question, it’d be consistency across the board.”

(On who would fill in for Havenstein if he’s unable to play on Saturday)…”I think Joe [Noteboom] would be the guy that’d be ready to go. Warren [McClendon] has done a lot of really good stuff this year, but Joe’s played in a lot of games for us, a lot of big-time games and has done a great job of being able to play on either side. It’s a good option. It’s a good problem to be able to have, but Joe would be the guy.”

(On what the team needs to do to execute better in the first quarter of games)…”I think it’s just that, it’s execution. Certainly, we always have a say. Are we giving them the best opportunity to execute with some of the plays and situations we’re putting them in? I look at when we’ve done it, it’s been a pretty good movie, and then when we haven’t, it’s correctable things. Football is the ultimate team sport. It takes all eleven [players], especially offensively when you’re looking to do some of the things that we’ve really tried to do. When it’s been right, it’s a really cool thing and then when it’s not, I like the way that our guys have responded to be able to get it corrected.”

(On whether the success of the team is because of their chemistry with each other)…“Yeah, I think it’s the team coming together. I think we’re learning through those experiences. I think that they’ve been callous in the right way from some of the challenging adversities that we faced early on. Certainly, there’ll be adversity that comes up on Saturday night and how we handle that is a key and critical factor to who we want to continuously become and be as a football team. I would just say it’s the consistency of their approach and their love for this game.”

(On his evaluation of NT Bobby Brown III this season)…“A lot of growth. Bobby is a really mentally tough guy and he can take hard coaching because he knows that [Defensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator] Giff [Smith] loves him. I think one of the best parts about Giff Smith is that those guys enable him to be able to coach them hard because they know he loves them, so it comes from the right place. Giff, he was hard on him, but he’s also hard on himself too. There’s a shared responsibility that they have to one another to try to say, ‘Let’s go do better.’ When Bobby is right and when Bobby’s playing the way that he’s capable of, it can be really special. We’ve seen what a positive impact [he has]. Bobby has a great way about himself and I know he’s up for the challenge. It’s a great challenge based on some of the things these guys do. We have tremendous respect, but he’s responded well. I think he has played really good, quality football for us and that’s what we’re going to need on Saturday night.”

(On when he can sense one of his coaches is able to really reach and connect with a player)…“I think it always starts with connection. Is there a connection between the coach and the player? Does the player know two things. Number one, does he care about me as a human being? And number two, is the information he’s giving me in alignment with being able to solve problems and ultimately play better snap in and snap out? Giff can check both those boxes. He’s consistent. I think that consistency, in terms of how Giff goes about it, leads to trust. I think that’s always at the foundation of everything that’s important between coach and player relationships.”

(On what stands out about QB Matthew Stafford during crunch time in December)…“I think he’s clutch. I think he has an understanding where he really thinks like a coach. He understands what’s going to be required. How do I need to be able to play this game to help our team? The best part about Matthew Stafford is he has all these amazing numbers and stats that he has put up and he’s this special quarterback. He wants to win. I think he understands what it takes, especially in that month when that’s such a critical time for you to be able to try to peak at the right time if you’re going to get an opportunity to get into the tournament. Him being an extension of the coaching staff and I think making the critical plays when he has to. You look at it, amazing against Buffalo… I don’t think a lot of people make the play that he makes to find Colby Parkinson on the seam against San Francisco where they end up bumping the coverage the wrong way on a motion, he finds them. That wasn’t the intent of that play, but he recognizes it because of the way he can process it. Hopefully, [we can] keep calling him Mr. December.”

[Receiver Cooper Kupp]

(On whether he feels like he’s where he wants to be leading into this game)…“I think the coaches do a good job getting a good plan together for the week and making sure that we do the stuff we need to do. Obviously, you lose a day, you have Christmas in the middle of things, but it’s the nature of the business. You’re coming in on Christmas and getting the work that you need to get in. I feel good about where we’re at.”

(On why he thinks QB Matthew Stafford is elite during December)…“I don’t know. I think it’s just the years of living in Detroit, facing the cold and all that stuff he’s got to do in Detroit. It just weathered him. I don’t know. We’ve done a good job over the last few years of finding ways to win in these meaningful times. I’ve been really thankful for most of those years having those be meaningful games as well. I think that’s a nod to the coaches, the guys that we’ve had here, the culture that guys have built here, the process of continuing to grow and continuing to get better and knowing that the beginning of the season is not who you’re going to be at the end. I think we’ve done a good job of continuing to grow as players throughout the course of the season.”

(On how the coaches go about their developmental plans during the course of the season and what they do to make sure players are still improving at this point in the season)…“I’m not sure what it is. I think it’s more of an emphasis on the coaching and understanding that there’s still development that’s happening during the season. I think you can get caught up sometimes feeling like there’s all this game planning and stuff that’s going on, but at the end of the day you’re practicing football. You’re trying to hone your craft and trying to become a better football player in the midst of all that stuff. Part of that is coaches allowing you to do stuff at practice that let’s that happen, trying new things, challenging yourself and practicing with an intensity and an urgency that stresses you, puts your body in a position where it has to adapt and has to move, being able to play with the speed out there that your mind has to process what’s happening. I think because we do that, guys continue to get better during the course of the year. I think that’s why you’ve seen what we’ve done in December.”

(On the team’s chemistry, continuity and ability to stick together during the winning streak)…“I think that’s been the mantra we’ve had. Even when things weren’t going well early on and we weren’t able to get the results that we wanted, the process has always been there, counting on each other, no finger pointing. It’s just hey, how we can be better for the guy next to us? And because of that process, because of the way that we approach each week and each game and the way that guys do play for each other… We’ve preached it all the time, it’s allowed us to get to this point. It’s really easy in those times when things aren’t going well to start pointing fingers and feel like you’re on your own. We’ve done a good job being able to weather those storms and get to this place here.”

(On what the team can do to execute better early in games)…”I mean that’s what it is, you find a way to execute. We don’t have a magic button that you just press and you get to start the game off hot. The defense has a say on these things too and we have to do a better job adapting and finding ways to execute and knowing that early on there… I think we’ve had a few times where it’s been like hey, we’ve been moving the ball or it seems like we get something going and then there’s a penalty or something that puts us behind the sticks and makes it tough to overcome. We’ve been able to overcome that sometimes and thankfully we’ve been able to find ways still even in the midst of slow starts to be able to get ‘W’s’. I think that tells you a lot about this team. Obviously, everyone wants to start fast, do great in the middle, and finish strong but we don’t have a magic button that makes it happen. You just have to be able to move through the game and continue to adapt.”

(On how he was injured in Week 2 vs. Arizona and his memories about that game)…”Just memories of the game… obviously man, we don’t convert on fourth down early which I felt like really fell on me being able to find a way to get across the first down line and keep the drive going. We set up the defense in a bad spot. We had not run too many plays offensively and we just weren’t able to get things going. It seemed like before we ran 18-something plays and you’re down 21-0. That’s a tough place to play from, for anyone. I do remember that defense. It’s a different defense in most defenses in the league in terms of their scheme. We have to do a good job of being able to have a plan for that, combat it, and match their energy. Obviously when you play you get hurt. [I was] just trying to make a play and someone slides into your ankle, and it is what it is. It’s football.”

(On whether urgency has been a main factor in practice and meetings)…”I do think that urgency’ is something we talk about all the time. [Head Coach] Sean [McVay] seems like he finds a way to put ‘urgent’ into every certain sentence he has in the team meeting. We do try to play with an urgency here. While you’re able to enjoy the things that you’re doing here… Everyone’s better here when they’re enjoying being here, but there is an intensity and an urgency that you do have to play with. I do appreciate that. You step in the building here there’s an understanding that you’re not wasting time when you’re here.”

[Receiver Puka Nacua]

(On watching the first matchup against the Cardinals while injured)…“To think back it was definitely like a weird feeling knowing the team was traveling and I’m at home watching the game for the first time on TV live and thinking, ‘Oh, this is what’s going on.’ I was just worried about how our execution was. I feel like we went for it early in the game. I just think of simple things of execution when we look at the tape and being able to get connected to guys in the run game and the way they play defense. I think the confidence in how we move now as a team has definitely grown since then.”

(On whether he felt helpless sitting at home watching the game on TV)…“Not necessarily because when we come back, we watch the tape and we make the corrections. It’s things that we’re capable of doing and we didn’t feel like they were presenting us with things that we couldn’t attack.”

(On how he feels at this point in the season and how he’s progressing)…“I feel really good, especially after Christmas. I feel like I got some good sweets and stuff like that. We had our weigh-ins and our body comp check-ins. It gives you kind of a measuring stick to see where you are compared to the rest of the year and stuff like that. That came out. It actually made me feel a lot more confident. I feel like I had the nicks and bruises and you’re trying to find a routine coming back from injury and stuff like that. What works or what doesn’t work? I’m still just trying to figure out what I feel makes me the most comfortable on Sunday. As of right now, I feel like the locker room and everybody feels good. We’re moving really well and it’s exciting. I know we’re talking about playing our best football in December. Everybody’s standing strong with all their pieces together, so that’s even better.”

(On what the group needs to do to execute better early in games)…“I think it comes in the week of being on the same page and how we move as a unit, just some of the small things like getting to a line of scrimmage, how we get a break, making sure we’re all understanding the assignment or getting to hear the complete play call. It comes down to, I think, some of those smaller minor details.”