“We Are L.A. Strong!”
(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The month of September has finally arrived, and with it always comes the start of a new NFL season. In that healthy mix of 32 teams, there are, of course, the Los Angeles Rams, and we start this week with the customary and very important Monday media availability with Head Coach Sean McVay, now going into his 8th season with the team.
This posting will definitely provide great insight into how Head Coach McVay and his team, during this countdown period, are preparing for the much-awaited home opener this coming Sunday, September 7th, when the Houston Texans arrive in our City and head to SoFi Stadium for all of the excitement and expectations involving the highly supportive fanbases of both teams.
But first, here’s your opportunity to learn first-hand from Coach McVay’s transcripts regarding the status of QB Matthew Stafford, other key players, wide receivers, Davante Adams, Puka Nakua, offensive lineman Alaric Jackson, and cornerback Darious Williams. He also gives his assessment of the Texans. There’s a lot more to learn as well. Be sure to bookmark this so you can make a quick reference at your leisure.
Rams Transcripts – Head Coach Sean McVay – 9/1/25, Monday
[HC Sean McVay]
(On whether he expects QB Matthew Stafford to start against the Texans)
“I do, yeah. He’ll be good.”
(On whether Stafford will participate in the full week of practice)
“Yep.”
(On whether Offesnive Lineman/ OL Alaric Jackson practiced today)
“He did. He looked good and everybody was out there and accounted for. I’ll have the full injury report for you guys on Wednesday but expect everybody to be ready to go.”
(On what it was like to see Jackson at practice today)
“It was great. Obviously, we didn’t have pads on so it was a bonus Monday. He’s taking great care of himself and he’s put himself in a rare position that I do believe to step in and play at a good clip. He’s been able to do a lot of stuff above the neck. He’s taken great care of himself, tried to simulate a lot of these types of things. There’s nothing like actually playing real football, as we all know, but today was a great step in the right direction, and more importantly, it was awesome for him with the work that he’s put in to be in this position.”
(On whether Jackson returning to practice means he’s progressed through his blood clot issue)
“No, it’s always something that you have to manage. He’s in great shape. We’ve got a great plan in place. One of the doctors that’s been instrumental in helping facilitate this process was here what seems like an eternity ago, last Thursday. He seemed to be really positive and optimistic about the plan we have in place and all the checkpoints that we wanted to be able to hit. I certainly don’t think you minimize, but you manage this. We have a plan in place. He’s in a great position and it’s a huge credit to him and to the medical team behind the scenes.”
(On whether he feels that Jackson will start Week One)
“We will get a gauge to see how he feels. The answer is, yeah, that’s the plan. We want to make sure that we’re taking it a step at a time throughout the course of the week. He earned the right to be in the position where you pay him. He was a huge priority for us to get him back. He’s done everything in his power to be ready to go. This has always been the end goal in mind, is to be ready to go against the Texans. It’s a great challenge. We know what a great team they have as a whole and especially great defense, but I do believe that we’ll be at our best with him out there.”
(On whether practicing starters against starters during camp is in response to slow starts to the regular season in recent years)
“I think it was more of what we thought was best. I think the important thing is we always try to do what we think is best. I think there are a lot of reasons for why things have started that way. What you don’t want to do is overreach for certain things, but you always want to make sure that you are flexible and you have the agility to do what you think is best on a year to year basis. I think what was best is for us to go as much good on good as possible. I think you callous each other in the right way. I think that was a reflection of our approach in the preseason as well. I thought the guys did a great job. Ultimately, once this thing gets kicked off there’ll be a lot of great opportunities for us to respond to adversity the right way. We can’t wait to lean into those, but certainly we hope that we start off better than what we have each of the last couple years. We’ll take it a game at a time and a day at a time.”
(On whether the simulated game last week exposed any callouses)
“I thought it was good, high-caliber football. That’s what we’re looking for, but also I think our guys are conditioned the right way. You never know, defensively you’re going to get ready to have to play 15 plays on a drive or you might earn the right to go three and out or it might be a sudden change if you force a turnover. And then the same thing on the flip side offensively. I think the goal for us is to put ourselves in mental, physical, and emotional, the best state that we can be in going into the September 7th great challenge that we have against the Texans. Every single thing that we’ve done has been in alignment to try to be able to do that. Then also be equipped to be able to handle the inevitable adversity that this season will take us on. I don’t know when it’s going to occur, but I do know it’s going to occur at some point and our ability to be able to handle that has got to be a separator for us.”
(On how and when ‘Mamba periods’ were implemented to honor Kobe Bryant)
“It started in the COVID year. Obviously in reference to him. He was a guy that I had a ton of respect for as a competitor. I think there was a lot of stuff that he was in the midst of doing too, that his second half of his story was, was in the midst of being even cooler than his first, which certainly says a lot. It really is a tip of the cap to him and it started in that COVID year which was shortly after his passing.”
(On how he would evaluate the Texans)
“They’re a great team. I think they take on the personality of their head coach and [Texans Head Coach] DeMeco [Ryan’s] is a guy…they’re physical, tough. They play smart. They toe the line. I think that’s reflected in all three phases. They have continuity in the defense and on the special teams where they’ve been excellent. Then I think they’ve been really dang good the last couple years on offense. Obviously took a little bit of a step back, but we know what a great coach [Texans Offensive Coordinator] Nick Caley is. They kept a lot of their great coaches that were already in place. He and [Senior Offensive Assistant/ Pass Game Specialist] Jerry Schuplinski are really the only new guys as far as I know. It’s excellent personnel. There’s a style of play. There’s a reason why they’ve been a top eight team each of the last couple years. Winning their division and then being able to advance into the Divisional Round. They are excellent. We got a chance to practice against them a year ago, but everything that they are about is what I respect. That’s why we know it’ll be such a great challenge and that’s what you love about the league.”
(On how he would describe WR Puka Nacua and WR Davante Adams operating in the same offense)
“I think they’re two great players. It’s really about how we come together as a team. We’ve talked a lot about what Puka has been able to do his first couple years. I think he’s gotten better each of the last couple years. He had a great rookie year. He didn’t play as many games last year, but he played more efficient football. He took a step in the right direction. I think he’s in the midst of being able to do that going into year three. I don’t always think that’s reflected in the stats. You’d say as a rookie, he had better stats but he played better as a sophomore. I think that was reflected in some of the efficiency metrics that we look at. I’m not sure of some of the stuff that’s out there, but I thought he played really good, clean football in both phases. Davante is a special player. His resume speaks for itself. He’s not limited in any way that you can use him and we’re very excited about adding him. Really the other four receivers that we have we feel really good about. I think top to bottom it’s a really deep group that I have a ton of trust in every single one of those guys. Our top two guys are Davante and Puka when you look at it. [Wide Receiver] Tutu Atwell is a really good football player. I think [Wide Receiver] Jordan Whittington is continuing to show more and more confidence. I have a ton of trust in him to play all over the formation. [Wide Receiver] [Konata Mumpfield] ‘Mump’ is a really mature rookie. [Wide Receiver] Xavier Smith is one of those guys that as soon as you want to bet against him, he’ll just prove you wrong. He can do so many things for our football team. I love this receiving group. We have to do a good job of putting them in good spots to have successful outcomes and that’ll be a big focal point for us.”
(On how he prepares to play Texans’ Safety, C.J. Gardner-Johnson)
“You feel him. When he played Philly last year, he made a bunch of big time plays in some critical situations. He’s really productive in both phases. I think he’s got a great concept trigger. There’s a toughness that fits what they’ve done each of the last couple years. What they do is play their style of play at a really high level. [Texans Head Coach] DeMeco [Ryans] does an excellent job with [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Matt] Burke of being able to mix it up. They play connected, 11 as one. They play tough. They fly to the football. They attack at the football and this guy will be a great extension of that. Even though he might not have a lot of representative clips, we know what kind of player this guy is. I got a lot of respect for him. He made some big-time plays in that divisional loss last year for Philly.”
(On how Cornerback/CB Darious Williams has been so far)
“He’s a stud. I’ve mentioned it before, we’ve got four guys that we feel really good about at the outside corner spot. Darious [Williams] is a guy that’s played a lot of football. He’s got a great concept trigger, really good short space quickness and lateral agility. If he gets his hands on the football, he’s catching it. I love everything Darious is about as a human being, most importantly. It’s been great reconnecting with him. He obviously had the hamstring injury last year that forced him to miss a lot of time early on and have to start from behind when he ended up getting his hamstring. It was a real hamstring pull early on. I think it was the first day of training camp. He’s healthier. I think [Assistant Head Coach/Pass Game Coordinator] Aubrey [Pleasant], [Safeties] Coach [Chris] Beake, [Defensive Assistant] Mike Harris, [Defensive Coordinator] Coach [Chris] Shula, they do such a great job with that backend as a whole. I love what Darious is for our football team.”
(On coaching against Demeco Ryans while he was in San Francisco and whether it’s helped prepare for this game)
“I think it helps. Both of us, we certainly try to evolve and adapt. Every single year is a new year, but there’s a familiarity. I think if anything, it just gives you that much more respect for what his teams play like and how they take on his personality, like I mentioned. There’s a commitment to a philosophy, but there’s enough complimentary mixers to keep you honest. That’s why they’ve always been one of the best teams and one of the best defenses, whether he was a coordinator or as a head coach calling the plays, working with Coach Burke. They’re an excellent defense. They’re excellent on teams. I expect them to be outstanding on offense as well just like they’ve been the last couple years.”
(On Adams’ ability to change speed on his routes and his communication with him about how to match that ability with the offensive concepts)
“It’s a great question and I think you answered it by asking it. He understands the timing and rhythm of all these plays. He’s always in sync with the quarterback and while he does have great ability to be able to change his paces and false accelerate, he’s on time and in rhythm with whatever that concept dictates and determines. That’s part of what makes him so unique. He’s obviously really gifted to be able to separate, but he’s really gifted above the neck in understanding how our pass game is tied up with the quarterback’s drops. What does that internal clock go off in his head? Are there different things where he’s got a couple different decisions that he can make? I think it’s really what makes him so special is he understands how to be able to play within the timing and rhythm while also being able to create separation and make those catches so that it can be aligned with how we coach a lot of these concepts up. His ability to be able to do that is one of the things that makes him a unique player that I think is a hall of famer.”
–RAMS–
