CELEBRATE OUR

Through October 15th

(

East L.A. Sports Scene Productions

(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: After their Bye week off, the Rams have come back on track for their upcoming clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 20th. Here is Head Coach, Sean McVay’s transcript from today’s Monday morning media availability at their Training Camp site now located in Woodlands Hills, CA.

As always, he had a lot to say as he gathered his team for a week of hard preparation which would optimistically bring a much-needed second victory of the season in this much-awaited encounter with the Raiders. Much of what he had to say to the media in attendance centered on the return of injured superstar wide receivers, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. He also mentions the status of  Tre White, Joe Noteboom, Matthew Stafford, and offensive line starter, Steve Avila. 

Here is our basic reminder to all who read the Rams transcripts upon our publishing of them. Try to set aside ample time to fully digest what Coach McVay has to say about the team and the all-around situational awareness it takes to be as prepared as possible to compete “week-in and week-out” in the toughest league in the sports world today, the NFL. 

Rams Transcript: Coach McVay, 10/14/24

[Head Coach Sean McVay]

(Opening Statement)
“First of all, it’s good to be back. The bye did come at a good time for us where had a chance to reflect, get recharged, get refreshed, get rejuvenated in a lot of instances where we say, ‘Let’s look at this film, let’s take a step back, let’s give our guys a vision of how we’re going to move forward, [and] how we’re going to do it with the right spirit.’ Today provides an opportunity to be able to get an extra day’s worth of work. I know you guys are going to be curious about a lot of our guys. Today will be a big day for guys like Cooper Kupp. We’ll see how he’s doing. He’s making good progress. I’ll have an injury update in regard to how today goes for him [and] what that affects. There is a possibility he could be ready this week. There is also a possibility that he might not be ready so today is a big day for him. Joe Noteboom is really the only other guy in that ‘IR’ category that you would talk about. He has a big workout schedule that maybe you would think about starting his [designated to return] window. Really, we’ll get an opportunity… Matthew’s [Stafford] back is feeling really good. I know that when I brought that up to you guys just kind of being like Ron Burgundy reading off the injury report… that was a lot of things but he’s doing great [and] he’s not going to miss any time and we’ll get an opportunity to get out here with the guys today.”

(On whether WR Cooper Kupp will practice today)
“He’s working with [Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance] Reggie [Scott] and his group. He won’t practice today, but he’s going to work with Reggie and his group. It’s a big workout that will then dictate alright, what does that look like for his availability on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday if he’s going to play this week?”

(On what Kupp’s workout entails)
“Game-like movements [and] running routes. He has such a good ability to be able to provide feedback. Whether you look at it as fortunately or unfortunately, he’s an experienced player [and] he knows what it looks like to have his body in alignment to return to performance, not just return to play. We do want to be smart with that. Is there a possibility of weighing in the short turnaround with a Thursday game? Ultimately, it’s about when is he ready to go and be the guy that that we’ve been accustomed to seeing. We’ll be excited about whenever that opportunity is and I’ll be kind of interested, just like you guys are, in how this is going. But even talking with him earlier today, he’s feeling good, he’s feeling optimistic, but he’s also very aware of what that looks like to be ready to roll and to maybe not quite be there yet so today will be a big day.”

(On whether playing on the turf at SoFi Stadium plays into whether Kupp will return during this home game stretch)
“I hadn’t really thought about that just because that’s the situation that we’re in. I can’t control that. That would probably be a better question for him. It’s more about, alright, where is his ankle? Is it ready to go? And is he ready to be the Cooper Kupp that we’re accustomed to seeing?”

(On whether he expects to see WR Puka Nacua and OL Steve Avila practice this week)
“Do not expect to see those guys. They’re still a little bit of ways away. Exactly what that timeline is… Kind of like what I’ve told you, Reggie and his group are working tirelessly to get those guys back. We’ll be really excited when that window of opportunity opens up for those guys to start to practice and then to figure out, what does it look like for them to be implemented back into potentially competing and doing their thing for us? In the meantime, the only guys that kind of really fit under that… I know Cooper wasn’t placed on IR, but Cooper’s the guy that has a possibility and then Joe Noteboom, of the group that is currently on IR, is the one that comes to mind.”

(On whether he had the opportunity to call plays as an assistant coach in preseason games)
“I did get that opportunity and that was what was stimulated. My first opportunity came in the preseason when I was… [Former Commanders Head Coach] Jay Gruden my first year as offensive coordinator was the primary play caller. He gave me an opportunity to call those preseasons. I think they’re great opportunities for growth and development. I like to look at it as a developmental staff. I was fortunate to be poured into when I was a younger coach and there’s nothing like getting those settings and situations in a less… I don’t want to say less competitive, but it is simulating real-time with the play clock [and] different things of that nature. It was a reflection of some of the ways that I was treated that I thought was really cool. Then when I actually did start calling plays my second year as coordinator in Washington, you were at least better prepared for it. You always like to try to put yourself in those positions to prepare, but there’s nothing quite like getting those reps.”

(On Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell’s growth during his time with the Rams and what he remembers about telling him that he was going to be a head coach one day)
“He has a great presence about himself. There are certain guys… I met Kevin at a camp a long time ago and I knew who he was as a player. It’s a small fraternity of people in coaching and I was always really impressed with the way that he had handled himself. And then we got connected and you could hear the capacity, the character of the human being, and his ability to relate in an authentic way to a bunch of different people. When you have an opportunity to really… it wasn’t even an interview, it was more of an opportunity to say, ‘Alright, we’d like to have you come here in 2020.’ You could immediately feel there’s a leadership, there’s a connection, there’s a capacity for the game, there are different experiences that he had, whether it was as a player or as a coach, that he accelerated his progress. I’m not in the least bit surprised. He’s a special guy and I think even just watching the way that he’s navigated his first two and a half years, you can’t help but say what a great leader he is. You listen to the way that his staff talks about him and none of that is surprising to me in the least bit.”

(On Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor feeling like he was a head coach during his time with the Rams due to his involvement and whether he consciously makes his assistant coaches feel that way)
“I think we just try to be an open environment. A lot of the ways that we do things are a reflection of where I felt like I was treated really fairly and really well in terms of the inclusivity that you can provide for everybody. I also think opening up the communication and the dialogue for guys to be able to have the comfort in disagreeing too. It’s not just me… when we say it and you mean it, a lot of these guys have gone on to get other leadership roles outside of this building, you miss them tremendously, but they also contribute tremendously to what goes on in here. Whether that’s guys that you’re asking about [Falcons Head Coach] Raheem [Morris], [Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator] Liam [Coen], Zac… you’re watching all those guys [and Falcons Defensive Coordinator] Jimmy Lake do a great job yesterday as you sit there as a fan and watch. It’s all part of the journey and you use those things constantly. The most important thing is let’s continuously improve and let’s make impacts. Those guys impacted me and I hope their experience here impacted them as well.”

(On whether they’re sticking with the changes to the depth chart)
“I do. I would say some of those things specific to different personnel groupings were specific to the Packers [and] exactly how we approached the Raiders. In terms of getting Darious [Williams] back, having some of those things with Cobie Durant at the outside corner, those guys did a nice job. We’ll move forward with that.”

(On whether he anticipates other personnel changes)
“There’ll be some. I’ll talk to you guys about that. There’ll be some different things that we’ll look at. I do think where it’s available, competition brings out the best in guys. [It] might be some different things you see offensively that we will explore to see guys compete and then defensively it’s the same sort of thing [or] looking at ways to get guys involved. Those are definitely things that you’ll see.”

(On whether injuries accelerated the process for CB Tre White’s return timeline)
“Oh yeah, it did. Yeah, first things first, when you talk about Tre White, what an impressive human being, A pro’s pro. A guy that has continuously responded and shown the work capacity [and] the character capacity to be able to handle a lot of different situations. I think you always have plans. A lot of the plans that we had relative to this team or as it relates to what you’re asking about were very different from what’s unfolded. That’s our reality. Because we were so injury prone at that spot, defensively in particular [and] some other spots offensively, that did accelerate the amount of snaps that he was going to play. He did a great job of being ready to go and he’s a competitor. Ultimately, [I] can’t say enough good things about him and we’re really looking at it alright, what’s the best thing for the Rams? Tre White’s a pro in every sense of the word. It did unfold a little bit differently as a result of those injuries to answer your question.”

(On whether he saw some things going well that the team can build on despite having a 1-4 record)
“Here’s the thing, with the exception of one game, we had opportunities where there are moments to be able to execute [and] to come out with different results in three of our four losses. That’s true because the film illustrates that. You find a way to get over the hump and get it done against San Francisco. The gap isn’t as far away. Ultimately, this league is about margins and so how do we really do that? Whether you look at it as a positive or negative, we’ve been in this situation before. What we are going to choose to do is swing and continue to focus on the things that we can improve and identify those things to give guys a vision of, what does it look like if this is a positive and if we’re making some of these mistakes on things that we’ve already done at a high clip, how do we create that clarity? How do we understand the competitive stamina that’s necessary through four quarters? How are we accelerating some of the progress of some guys that are being asked to do things that maybe they didn’t anticipate doing this early in the season? I do know this,  it was great for me [and] for our coaches. I got the right sense from our players that we got a lot of guys that are mentally wired the right way to go attack an opportunity to respond and know that the season doesn’t end after five games. Inevitably every single year somebody does a good job of not allowing the current circumstances to elicit their ability to be able to move forward and progress and I choose to believe that that’s exactly why we’re going to try to do everything in our power to do that and then ultimately, we have to be able to do it.”