“We Are L.A. Strong!”

(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: Rams Defensive Coordinator, Mike Shula, and Offensive Coordinator, Mike LaFleur, held their weekly media availability during game-week #2 preparations and were asked about the performances and readiness of their players before the clash with the Tennessee Titans  (0-1) on Sunday, 9/14. Added to their session were Puka Nacua and Jared Verse.

Here is where our Rams fans can read more in-depth about what all four men had to say in their media availability session that took place after practice last Thursday, 9/11. This is always a most informative time, as they all traditionally undergo their vitally important routines of “on-the-practice-field” workouts in addition to watching a lot of scouting videos, their own game film, and the next opponent’s game film, while the players also attend to any injuries that may require rehab. Both Coaches and players must certainly pay close attention to Coach McVay’s Game Plan and implement it in the Training/practice facility, then execute it judiciously in their next game. A reminder that Sunday’s Kick-off for the Titans is a bright and early 10:00 AM Pacific Time and will be nationally broadcast on CBS.

Rams Transcripts – Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula, Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur, Wide Receiver Puka Nacua, Outside Linebacker Jared Verse – 9/11/25 – Thursday

[Defensive Coordinator,  Chris Shula]

(On the decision to play three cornerbacks and how CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. won the starting job)
“It was one of those things that we knew was a touch point going into training camp. We see ourselves as we have four starting corners. We can do things based off matchups, based off the game. It was decided going into that game. I would say the weekend before game week, where we knew going into game week what our plan was. Forbes has done an excellent job. I’ve really been impressed with him since he got here in the middle of last year. Then when he started really learning our defenses in OTAs and training camp. He’s just been really impressive, the urgency that he plays with and the physicality, the toughness. We just think he can do a lot of really good things.”

(On the improvement he’s seen from Forbes Jr. as a tackler)
“That’s been the most pleasant surprise. I thought when he played in that Seattle game, the last game of the year, he was throwing his body around. You could tell he made a conscious effort to put weight on, get stronger so he could be physical and last all 17 games. Since OTAs, we weren’t wearing pads but in camp he’s made a conscious effort of he’s thudding up the ball carrier. He’s running his feet. He’s wrapping. We notice it and he has gotten better and better because he’s made a conscious effort to do it.”

(On how he works to develop a corner’s tackling ability with practices that are not full contact)
“We thud up the ball carrier that that’s really all you can do. We stay off the ground but even today when we go out and we’re wearing pads, if the ball carriers in proximity we’re thudding up. We’re running our feet and ball attempts. We emphasize it in meetings. We emphasize it in practice and that’s the way you have to practice as a pro. You have to stay on your feet and you have to tackle. If you watch [Safety] Quentin Lake who I think is one of the best tacklers on our team, he’s running and thudding up the ball carrier almost every single play no matter where he is on the field.”

(On his impressions of NT Poona Ford in his first game as a Ram)
“I just think he’s an excellent run player and an underrated pass rusher. You continue to solve that, the knock back of the line of scrimmage and to be able to play stout on the double teams. He’s really smart. He actually runs to the ball very well. I really liked what I saw and just expect him to continue to improve with some of the nuances of the defense going forward.”

(On the decision to use DE Braden Fiske at multiple spots on the defensive line and what about his skills helped this decision)
“He’s so skilled that he’s a versatile guy for us. The nice thing with us now, [Defensive Line Coach/ Run Game Coordinator] Giff [Smith] does such a good job of rotating those guys. We have a lot of depth. A lot of that might be him moving to his best spot or whether it’s the combination of guys that he’s in with or where he just moves around. Giff does such a great job cross training all those guys. Just like we were talking about with the corners, based on the week and the matchups you can really play anywhere up and down the line.”

(On planning around the defenses strengths in the offseason)
“Those guys are continuing to learn, grow and rush together. Sunday definitely wasn’t perfect. You have a more appreciation for straining and finishing in live action. A lot of times like we talked about with the tackling where, hey, it’s a sack and you’re just tagging off on the quarterback, but that quarterback might stay in the pocket a little longer in training camp because they know they’re not getting sacked. They’re not getting hit, they’re getting out a little faster, they’re running away, different things like that. It takes a lot of extra steps to get the guy down that strain, that finish rotating guys to keep it fresh. It was a good step where, hey, we have to keep working our techniques and we expect a big jump in that from game one to game two.”

(On how ILB Nate Landman has fit in with the team from the start)
“Like we love to say he’s a Ram. Whatever you define a Ram as, people that love football, great person, great in the locker room, just a guy you really enjoy talking to. He works hard and loves football. You just knew from really early on that he fit in really well here. Honestly what he did on Sunday, I don’t think was a surprise to anybody on this team, any of the coaches, any of the players. He was doing it all camp. He punched some balls out all throughout training camp. He punched one out in OTAs. He’s been awesome and I was glad to see him do it and get some recognition for him.”

(On how often he looks at college film when preparing for a rookie quarterback this early in the season)
“You definitely do. You have to because you only got 50 something snaps in the preseason and then you obviously have the first game. You definitely do, tendencies of what he likes, what he doesn’t like, all things. I think anybody would…this point in the season, you’re used to that. A lot of guys come from other teams, things like that and we have to do what we did last week. Just what we have to do until we get enough film from this year.”

(On whether he expected all the attention OLB Jared Verse received)
“Kind of, yeah, because of [Texans Offensive Coordinator] Nick Caley knows how good he is and was here every single practice and saw how dominant he is. That’s just something where he’s obviously a great player and a great rusher. That’s something where he’s going to have dictate some attention from the offense and get used to playing like that.”

[Offensive Coordinator, Mike LaFleur]

(On whether there is a specific moment that stands out about WR Puka Nacua’s toughness)
“The first time I met him. You can just tell when someone’s that way. He’s been doing it his whole career and not just on the football field. When you watch him play basketball and stuff like that, he’s a physical dude. That’s his elite trait amongst other really good traits. I guess if you really want me to pinpoint it, that first game verse Seattle in 2023. We were behind the sticks and we were in the red area and we threw what we call this kind of little ‘dough’ route. It’s the inside edge of the numbers at five yards. [Quarterback] Matthew [Stafford] made it happen. It was my first ‘wow’ live moment in a game with Matthew. I was like, ‘How did you fit that in there?’ He [Nacua] takes a play that probably should have gone three or four and got a 14 or 15 [yards]. We ran the ball in on third-and-goal in the one or two on the next play. It was like, there’s something special there. It was his first game. It just keeps on happening. You’re never surprised by anything he does anymore.”

(On where he thinks his toughness comes from)
“I don’t know. That’s probably a question for him and his life experiences. The people that he’s been surrounded with have raised him the right way. His mental toughness, it’s very rare. It takes a village to be as successful as he has been. He’s just a rare dude and we’re lucky to be around him more as a person than even a player.”

(On a couple of the seam routes on Sunday that Nacua ran and how precise they were)
“He has an incredible feel. He’s a very smart football player. Sometimes when the ball is snapped, you really see that next-level stuff that’s just kind of un-coachable. He has great spatial awareness. He knows when people are around him at all times and that’s what special athletes do. When he’s running routes, you got the playbook route, he understands the timing, he understands what Matthew’s thinking and they make it come to life. It’s just special stuff that again, a lot of it is un-coachable.”

(On where Nacua’s understanding has grown)
“I don’t know if it’s grown per se. That’s innately in him, in my opinion, in terms of the things I just talked about. What’s grown is just now he’s in year three. It’s year three of the offense and year three with the speed of the game. Not that he needed that much of an adjustment, but I would imagine he feels more and more comfortable. It sure looks like that way when we get to practice and when we’re in walkthroughs. He’s like, ‘I got this. I got it schematically.’ Then we all know if he has it schematically, which he does, good things are usually going to happen.”

(On what he’s seen from WR Jordan Whittington from year one to year two)
“I don’t want to say more maturity because he’s already at that pinnacle of maturity. He’s just a team guy. Whatever you ask of Jordan Whittington, in any phase of the game… If we needed a nickel he could run out there and probably do it on a whim. That’s just the respect I have for him as a player. He’s tough. He’s authentically himself which is really cool as a person and as a player. I think his player, what you guys see, that’s his personality. He’s just a ‘do whatever it takes guy.’ His best days are still ahead of him, in my opinion.”

(On what he saw from OL Beaux Limmer playing right and left guard on Sunday and what it takes to make that transition mid game)
“It’s tough. Let’s even date it back to last January, he played three interior positions in his last two football games on Sundays. That’s not easy to do. You’re changing your stance. Sometimes you have to snap it, obviously he didn’t in this last game. I have respect for him for doing that. He’s only getting better and better at that guard position. I thought he did a terrific job for us last year in the circumstances that he was dealt in terms of going in there and playing as a rookie as a center, which is not easy in this league in any system. For him to go from left, next thing you know you pop on the screen on Monday and now he’s on the right. It’s a testament to him. Was it perfect? No, it wasn’t perfect. Again, respect and a lot of good stuff to learn from.”

(On what he saw from WR Davante Adams’ first game as a Ram and how he was able to fit into the way they play)
“I think you guys saw that first third down and then what followed after that. He just brings that element of winning one-on-one matchups on the outside doing Davante stuff. I mean, it’s all the same stuff. We’ve seen this throughout his career. He’s able to play on the outside, play big and run the whole route tree. [Texans CB Derek] Stingley is no joke. Typically, they don’t travel in terms of their corners. Typically, not a hundred percent, don’t fact check me on that, but typically they are on each side and that first play of the game, that’s a sign of respect from Houston’s defense and Stingley to a guy like Davante Adams. Rightfully so, you would think that that’s what they’d want to do with their best corner. It’s great to have him out there and we’re just going to continue to gel and improve as we move forward.”

(On using different personnel groupings to build a versatile offense and the pressure that puts on opposing defenses)
“You only have so much time in the day. Whether it is prep or prep from a schematic standpoint as coaches from a meeting and then going on a grass. The more that you can present from a personnel standpoint, the more you present out of that personnel, in theory the harder it is. It was good to get that out there. It’s not like we’re forcing it either. We feel like that’s the best thing for our current team and our roster to get some of those guys out there in those situations. They did a good job.”

(On the conversations between coaches when they saw that Texans’ CB Derek Stingley was traveling with Davante Adams)
“He’s a stud. Stingley is a stud and so is Davante. As an offensive coach, I’m going receiver or the DB so there’s no conversation really to be had. If he’s going to travel with him, you don’t rip up the game plan. It’s like, let’s go. Both of them love that challenge, both Stingley and Davante. The best want to play against the best. They stamped that they’re following him, but the show goes on.”

(On RB Kyren Williams getting a majority of the snaps and carries and whether it’s still important to mix in other RBs)
“To me, it was just more of the flow of the game. The first two drives, we were going to go with Kyren unless he needed a break. That first drive was nine plays, but there wasn’t any explosives or anything like that. It was just working it down. The second drive didn’t go the way we wanted. The third drive was three and out and that was [Running Back] [Blake] Corum’s drive. The next thing you know, you’re in, not a two-minute, but you’re in that under five-minute portion. They ended up having a pretty good drive where they chewed up some clock and got a field goal. It played out like that. Now you’re on the fourth drive, Kyren’s out there, you come out of halftime, you’re going to start your starting running back. Sometimes those things go that way. I know you guys have been hearing for the last six months how much we’re going to get some of these other backs in and that’s the plan, but plans do change based on the circumstances. We’ll see where this next week goes.”

(On the challenges that Titans’ DL Jeffery Simmons presents)
“He’s a stud. He’s been a stud. I had the opportunity, if you will, to play him a few times. It’s not fun, but again, you like going against some of the best and seeing them at their craft. He doesn’t take plays off. This guy is a beast inside, in both phases, the run and the pass game. He sticks out. There’s a reason he’s one of the better interior linemen in this league. He plays the right way.”

[Wide Receiver, Puka Nacua]

(On how his head is feeling today)
“It’s feeling a lot better than it did on Sunday. I’ve been getting some good sleep so I can’t say it’s too bad.”

(On how his understanding of the playbook version of routes sometimes varying from game-like situations and how his understanding of route running in live action during games has evolved)
“Shoot, yeah. I remember being the kid that showed up to OTAs when I first got here and running the paper route. I had a diagonal line and then it straightened back up. It’s the ability to understand timing and then to feel leverages. Then to be in some of the quarterback meetings and talk to guys like [Former Rams Wide Receiver] Cooper Kupp and obviously to be on the same page as a quarterback. When you get live reps there are sometimes where the safety is getting ready to run downhill and the skinny five-step in break doesn’t look the same because of the depth that he plays with. I’m getting some of those in-game reps that definitely change how you run some of those routes through experience. Through practices like today where you mess up a couple plays and you’re like, alright, I know what not to do on Sunday.’”

(On how much of the decision is made at the line of scrimmage versus seeing how the defense reacts post-snap)
“Some of them, with how our offense is set up with them being cans, and understanding where the defense is set up and where we want to attack them. Some of that is post-snap and being like we trust the play call that we have up and then we’re going to be able to get them in the spots that we want to. Sometimes understanding where Coach has us lined up and how that’s going to get our execution done depending on where we may have some motions or just where we’re aligned on the field. I would say it’s a good mixture of about 50/50 and then going out there and trying to play as fast as you can.”

(On teammates hitting the back of his pads during games and where that comes from)
“I’d say it was something in college. Growing up, playing with my older brothers and having their intensity for my little peewee football championship games and being in the car with them and the music, the tone, the intensity and definitely getting hit out of the car as I was running out there for the football field. A part of that takes me back. I think it’s always nice to get a little wake up on the sideline before you officially get hit by somebody else out there.”

(On whether TE Tyler Higbee was the one who hits his back most of the time)
“I’ve had a couple different guys. I know [Former Rams OL Brian Allen] ‘BA’ was my rookie year. AJ Arcuri has been out there. I have a mixture of guys. I want somebody who’s got a good slap in them. I don’t want them to baby me, for sure.”

(On the reactions from teammates when asked to hit him)
“The first one is always three like, ‘Oh go out there, good job buddy.’ I’m like, ‘No, no, no, that’s not at all what I want from you guys.’ The first one normally ends up being six slaps because the first three, they’re like, ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, come on. I didn’t ask you to give me a little pat on the back because I’m a little kid.’”

(On why it’s three slaps)
“I just feel like two is just not really enough. Then the third one, hopefully it’s like, all right now, you kind of hit the same spot. The third one’s like, all right, I’ve got good repetition. They can really tee off on kind of that last one.”

(On whether it just occurs before the game)
“Yeah, before the snaps. Before offense and change of possession.”

(Clarity on whether it’s before every drive)
“Yeah.”

(On how it was playing with WR Davante Adams for the first time)
“I feel like it was exactly how I expected it, for him to be the tone-setter for our offense, especially for our group. I know the game that I love to play is a physical game of football. When you go out there and see, as I’ve mentioned before, somebody that I’ve looked up to as a football player and a wide receiver, to see him take that first third down and to stand up and give that exclamation point of being like, ‘We’re here. We’re going to take your best shot. We’re going to stand up and we’re going to get ready to march the ball forward.’ That was a spark in our offense. To my eyes, it’d be like there’s a toughness that you earn the right to play with in the NFL and he definitely has that. It was super exciting. The ability to see how a defense is going to shift to somebody that they respect and they know can be a game changer. We saw ‘number 24’ [Texans’ CB Derek Stingley] go down and then also come back in and follow ‘number 17’ [Davante Adams] out there. The ability to watch guys and force communication while we’re out there is super fun. Then you’re like, alright, I kind of know what’s going on. We were talking about some of our cans and some of the operation pre-snap of understanding, who are the two guys who are guarding ‘number 17’ [Adams]? I could figure out my matchup in there.”

(On the first time he realized the physicality in the NFL is different than college)
“Training camp, definitely. The first training camp padded practice. We’re down there and you have the tempo and the urgency when you’re in OTAs of like, I have to get my hat in the front of the safeties as they’re coming down the field to hit. I have to get my head across when I’m sifting some of these defensive ends at the line of scrimmage. You feel the weight of a 280-pound guy at the line of scrimmage, you’re like, holy cow, the bench press that we’re doing definitely didn’t prepare me for that. The downhill demeanor and the explosiveness that they have when they’re coming down field and then being like, alright, buckle your chest and your shoulder pads up a little tighter and make sure you got both of them ready to go, so you can hit somebody as square and as firm as you can. I remember that first training camp practice. There was a 12 duo that I definitely wasn’t prepared for.”

(On the saying in the receiving room “You can’t live forever” and whether he takes that to heart with how he plays)
“Yeah, a little bit. It’s definitely something that [Wide Receiver] Coach Yarber talks about if you’re going to go and set the tone with. When you go out there and you catch that one and you take their best shot, it’s definitely going to hurt a little bit but when you catch the ball, you feel better. It demoralizes the defense for sure.”

(On whether he got any feedback from fantasy participants after Week One)
“I know there were a couple messages early. Nobody ever wishes their guys to get hurt early on in the game. There were a couple first half messages and there were a couple second half messages. I think everybody hopefully ended the day pretty happy.”

(On whether it was ever in question that he would return to the game Sunday)
“No, I assumed that there was definitely going to be some testing for the concussion protocol because I’d taken a big shot like that to the head. One, I just wanted to make sure I felt like half of my face had fallen off into my face mask. It was all the way over here [gesture]. I was trying to look out this side of my helmet. Both my arms were attached to me. Both my legs are working. I’m ready to go back out there.”

(On increased Mamba periods during training camp this year and whether he felt more prepared for regular season games)
“Yeah, I’d say it definitely was an advantage for us. It’s fun to go against our defense guys. Guys that understand our stem and understand some of the motion. That’s why there is an advantage of going against these guys in practice and getting some of those extra ‘mamba periods’ make it more fun. The ‘number four’ [CB Ahkello Witherspoon] on our side of the ball is a pretty good cornerback. I think of Cobie Durant and the guys who have helped evolve my game because I get to go against them every day. It definitely pays off when you get somebody who hasn’t seen a flare motion or a slip motion. You get some edges on Sunday, but you definitely get to work some of those tools throughout the week.”

(On how his pregame music taste has evolved)
“I would say my dad definitely played… there was a decent amount of AC/DC going on before we show up to the games. My brothers were big fans of Jay-Z and Kanye [West] growing up. I remember those two being in the mix. There’s a little bit of Drake in there. I think Drake has definitely made his way into my playlist still today. I wouldn’t say there’s too many AC/DC songs. I listen to a little more (inaudible) every once in a while, but I’d say that’s about it.”

[Outside Linebacker, Jared Verse]

(On how Week One went for him individually)
“We won, man it was great. It was great.”

(On the times he looked visibly frustrated throughout the game)
“No, I wasn’t frustrated for myself. I was more frustrated for my team. I know they expect more of me. When I do have the opportunity to get one-on-ones, a clean me versus a tackle or anybody else in the world, my teammates expect me to win. Sometimes when a plan doesn’t go down the way you want it to, I have to just move on to the next play. I feel like I’m letting down my teammates when stuff like that happens.”

(On what he sees and learns after games from film)
“Depending on if I’m watching myself or if I’m watching other people. If I’m watching myself, I’m looking at my tendencies, what I have to fix. If my first step was long enough, if I took enough space up and if I made my move at the right time. But if I’m watching the other people, I watch their tendencies. The tackle, how quick is his first step? Does he like low hands or high hands? Is he a grabber? Does he hold, does he let you go? Is he a strong dude? Does he play through the snap or does he give up easy? Those are the main things I’ll kind of watch out for.”

(On whether he studies backup offensive lineman or whether it’s harder to prepare when injuries occur)
“We are in the NFL. I don’t care if you first [string] or second [string], you’re in the NFL. You get the same treatment no matter who you are. You made it here for a reason and if you go into anything with the mindset of, ‘Oh it’s a backup’ or ‘Oh this is the main thing,’ you’re going to get made an example of really fast.”

(On what it’s like being isolated when in an unbalanced defensive front)
“We have a lot of great rushers. We have [Defensive End Braden] Fiske, [Defensive End] Kobie [Turner], we have them on the opposite low side. You have to respect them, to send four to their side at least. You kind of look at it like, am I going to get a chipper? Is it going to be a pure one-on-one with the tackle? Some people think that their tackles or their offensive line’s good enough to block those guys three for three. I don’t know who’s brave enough to do that (laughter). When that happens, I think, ‘Alright I’m going to do this, it’s my main move.’ If that doesn’t go down the way I want to, how am I going to react to it? If a chipper does come out of nowhere, how do I react to with my main movement?”

(On whether he feels that he was able to diversify his pass rush moves in Week One)
“No I don’t. I feel like the game plan that they had for my moves specifically was to force power. They took up a lot of space. They set back really far and then they forced me to go power. That’s on me. I can do a couple more things. I can tighten up a little bit. I can play with my alignment a little bit better. I can rush a little faster. I think that’s something I needed to give me that example.”

(On whether he expected to receive more attention with being double and triple teams)
“Yeah, I expected that but like I said before, when I do get my one-on-one opportunities, I have to take full advantage because if I am double-teamed then our whole D-line has one on one ops [opportunities].”

(On the in-game benefits of more ‘mamba periods’ throughout training camp and preseason)
“You don’t get nearly as tired because we spent the whole OTAs and camp, basically one-on-ones and good on good. When you are in the late fourth quarter plays, that’s why it was so easy for [Linebacker Nate] Landman to make that play. It’s just what he’s used to. He’s always punching at the ball. He’s used to his fourth quarter plays. We’re playing all practice. We’re going probably 30-40 plays in practice, it feels like a game. It didn’t phase anybody.”

(On Nose Tackle Poona Ford’s impact)
“That dude is strong as hell. He’s strong and he’s stout, you can’t really move him. And you think like, oh, Poona is just a big run stopper or somebody that could just help with the run. That man can rush. When you have him next to you, I put him in like a category of like Fiske and Kobie with if he sees an opportunity, I’m not going to waive him off. I’m going to be like, ‘You see it?’ He’ll be like, ‘Yeah, I do,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay go ahead.’”

(On how well knows himself as a pass rusher compared to his rookie season)
“Last year, I feel like I was still trying to learn myself. I was still trying to learn what I was good at, what I was bad at, what worked, what didn’t. When you come from college, when you’re at certain level you can get away with anything. You have good teammates and the people that you have around you can cover it up. In the league that’s not the reality. You have to be good at everything to be able to make the big impact. I learned what I needed to work on.”

(On whether there was a certain point last year where things began to click for him)
“In the first half of the season I thought I had a good beat on it, but I realized I started to doing power, power, power. Then it came to a couple of games where it was just, everybody’s sitting straight back. I was like, alright, let me throw in a couple of speed rushes. Then I realized, oh, I have to work a lot more on that. But when you’re in the season, now’s not the time to really work moves. This offseason I spent a lot of time to work speed rushes and counters.”

(On the challenges of facing a rookie quarterback in Titans’ QB Cam Ward)
“That’s a number one pick. It doesn’t matter. He’s the number one pick for a reason. It doesn’t matter if you are a rookie quarterback, a backup quarterback, it’s all the same. I’m going to treat you the exact same. It doesn’t change anything in my preparation.”

(On how he’s being more intentional as a leader with what he says on and off the field)
“In games specifically I just let everything loose, but during practice it’s more uplifting, its more loud, more, ‘Hey, I need you to be better in this because I know you expect this from me.’ I’m vocal when I mess up. I’m vocal when other people mess up because I want everybody to have the same standard and for that to be excellence.”

–RAMS–