(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: As one NFL week rapidly follows the previous, we move on with the Rams now (3-5), and their next opponent, the Green Bay Packers (2-5), this coming Sunday, 11/5, on the road at the famous “Lambeau Field.”  We’ve gathered our coverage resources via the team’s transcripts to hear from Head Coach Sean McVay on the game-day preparations that he and his Coaching Staff  have designed for the team. You’ll also read what reserve QB, Brett Rypien, has to say about the pending status he will face on Sunday. The game will be televised on FOX with “kick-off” set for 10:00 am PST. Radio followers can listen on ESPN LA 710 AM | KWKW 1330 | 93.1 JACK FM.

Now, as we’ve been encouraging all of our Rams’ fans, pull up that comfortable chair at home, or perhaps get to the Starbuck’s of your choice, and read what Coach McVay has to say about the weekly injury report, as well as the “day-to-day” status of starting QB, Matthew Stafford. There’s also a lot to digest on the recent trade deadline and Coach’s current evaluation of the 2023 Rookie Class. 

Transcripts: Sean McVay & QB Brett Rypien, Wed. 11/1/23 

[Head Coach Sean McVay] 

(Opening remarks)…“Okay guys, injury report today, guys that will not participate: (OL) Rob Havenstein with his calf, (QB) Matthew (Stafford) with his right thumb and (LB) Ernest (Jones) with his knee. Then (DT) Larrell Murchison, (DB) Cobie Durant, (WR) Puka Nacua, (WR) Austin Trammell, (WR) Ben Skowronek, and (P) Ethan Evans will all be limited.”

(On the status of Stafford’s thumb)…“Yeah, we’re just taking it a day at a time. He’s really trying to take care of all of those types of things. We’ll continue to monitor it and he’ll be day to day. Obviously, he won’t participate today and we’ll have contingency plans for both situations that could potentially arise.”

(On if Stafford has been officially ruled out for Sunday)…“No, I have not.”

(On if Stafford not participating in practice this week would rule him out for Sunday)…“No, it’s one of those deals that you give him up until right before the game. You use all the time necessary for a player like him.”

(On if a last-minute decision can be made due to his veteran status)…“A hundred percent, absolutely.”

(On a lot of players being limited in practice and how that affects the week of preparation)…“I would say this, there’s a handful of guys that are limited. Some of that is rep modification, some of it can be a little bit semantical. It does challenge you a little bit, but once you get to this part in the season you’ve got to be creative with how you navigate through Wednesdays in general. This is kind of no different and we’ll do a great job of adjusting and adapting accordingly.”

(On the thought process for bringing QB Dresser Winn back)…“Just his familiarity and some of the things that he had done earlier with us a couple months back.”

(On if they explored bringing Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB John Wolford back)…“Yes.”

(On how the conversations unfolded with bringing Wolford back)…“Well, he ended up signing with Tampa. He’s been there. They ended up putting him on their active roster. That’s usually kind of what occurs when a player is already at another place.”

(On if they explored trading for a QB)…“No.”

(On what he’s learned about QB Brett Rypien as he prepares to possibly start on Sunday)…“He’s done a great job just in general. I think really, he’s one of those guys that you can see he’s a pro’s pro. He’s always preparing himself as if he understands that there’s one situation or he’s one snap away from having to go into the game and that came to fruition last Sunday. So he did a really good job and I think whether he was preparing to start or whether he was preparing to be the backup, I think his consistent approach is something that’s a good thing for him. I don’t really see much change. I see a guy that came in, handled the walkthrough excellent just like he’s kind of done from the jump and been really pleased with Brett.”

(On how Rypien’s practice workload changes this week) …“Well, today because (QB) Matthew’s (Stafford) not going he ends up taking the reps with the starters. (QB) Dresser (Winn) will end up giving the looks for the scout team and so that’s really the biggest change is with Matthew being out, Matthew will basically serve as an extension of the coaching staff. Those two have a great rapport and relationship and so he’ll end up taking the team reps that would typically be allocated to Matthew.”

(On not being active during the trade deadline and how that affects the team moving forward) …“Not in the least bit. I feel really good about a lot of the things that are going on. It always is about, okay, if there’s an interest and then is there somebody that we’re interested in or vice versa. So it takes two parties to be involved in things like that, but the nature of some of the situations with us in general that you’re familiar with, limited in terms of all right, going out and actually bringing people in and I feel good about this. I feel good about a lot of the things that I think we’re capable of doing. Obviously, we’re not pleased with where we’re at through eight games, but I can see through and I see a lot of light in regards to some of the things that you’re not just saying it’s a false hope. You can see tangible evidence on the film that’s reflective of, I know we can be better in some of these areas and I know I’ve said that to you guys before. But that’s where you feel really excited about this opportunity this week, get the bye, and then you come back for the last eight games and see what we can do with it where there’s a lot of football left to be played.”

(On if they fielded trade inquiries from other teams)…“Yeah, during this time of year because my focus and concentration is on the Packers, you have to wait to talk to (General Manager) Les (Snead) about that one.”

(On how he feels about this year’s draft class through Week 8)…“I’ve been really pleased with them. I think there are a lot of guys that are doing an excellent job contributing. A handful of them are starters that are playing a lot of the reps and I think they’ve continued to mature throughout these first eight games. I have been really pleased with those guys. It’s been a real positive and I think we’ve found some guys that can be cornerstones or guys that are going to continue to be building blocks for years to come. I’m sure you kind of know who those guys are that I’m talking about.”

(On what he’s learned about the process of evaluating backup quarterbacks and how he has learned to prepare for the unexpected)…“Yeah, I think you want to learn from everything. These are situations where there are some limited resources in regard to okay, how do you onboard outside of those avenues whether it be the draft, and fortunately a guy like (QB) Brett Rypien was available for us to be able to bring in-house. I think you want to use every opportunity as a learning experience and some situations create a little bit more urgency based on unforeseen things that could come down the pipe but I think what you’re always trying to do is have a plan but more importantly, plan for the unexpected. I remember Terry Hoeppner, my former Head Coach at (the University of) Miami used to say, ‘That you have a plan, you work the plan, but you got to plan for the unexpected.’ Sometimes these situations arise and there’s no excuses but we got to do a better job.”

(On TE Hunter Long’s 21-day window and how far away he is from being activated)…“He’s doing good. I think we’ll see how this week goes and we’ll see as the game plan comes together what that really looks like and we’ll go from there. But been pleased with what he did last week and it’s good to be able to have him back out there.”

(On if there’s a chance Stafford will go on IR)…“No.”

(On if he feels handcuffed as a play caller without Stafford and his abilities on the field)…“I don’t think that’s fair to say to Brett that you would do that, but you know that Matthew is a unique player that can do so many special things. It’s why he’s got the resume throughout the course of his career. It’s why he is who he is and so to say that you can operate exactly the same way, I think that’d be a little silly, but we do have confidence in Brett to be able to operate our offense and the normal downs and the pass downs and that’s been reflected from what he’s done with us. So we’ll see exactly how this week unfolds, but I think you do have to have a plan for either or.”

[Quarterback Brett Rypien]

(On how today went)…“Day went good, yeah. It was nice to get to some reps finally with those guys and just start to feel the timing, get into the huddle, start communicating. I do it every single week in the back with (Quarterbacks Coach Zac Robinson) ‘Z Rob’. But it’s a little bit different getting in there, actually calling the play and getting up to the line of scrimmage so it was good.”

(On what his progression looks like throughout the week working on the timing of everything)…“Yeah, I think it’s just knowing the timing and the play. Obviously, there’s a timing and there’s a rhythm aspect to our position at quarterback where it’s different for any other position. You’re trying to go a hundred percent speed as fast as you possibly can most of the time if you’re playing receiver, o-line, whatever, right? For us, it’s like okay, this could be a quick three drop back. This could be kind of a tempo five step drop back. So there’s some different intricacies as far as like footwork and timing and it could depend on the look you’re getting on defense too. If it’s zone coverage, maybe you slow your feet down, whereas if it’s man you might have to get it out a little bit quicker. It’s just getting those reps again with those guys and feeling how they see certain things and I’ll definitely be better for it this week.”

(On if anything changes for him personally in terms of the way he conducts himself with teammates)…“Yeah, I don’t think so. I think I just try to take the same approach as I’ve done every game that I’ve started. I was fortunate to start a lot of games in high school, start four years in college. This will be, if it is my fourth in the NFL, then just try to take the same approach that I have. I think that the guys feed off of that.”

(On if there’s anyone he’s been leaning on this week) …“Yeah, (QB) Matthew (Stafford) and I communicate all the time. He’s been such a tremendous leader for me to learn from and a guy that I think doesn’t get as much credit as he should for how good of a player he is and how good of a leader he is and how good of a guy he is. So it’s been wonderful to work with him. Great to have (QB) Dresser (Winn) back as well, so I’ll be leaning on those guys.”

(On what he takes from his previous starts with the Broncos) …“Yeah, I think you take something different from each one, right? Like every single one of those games was completely different. My first start was during the COVID year in New York and there were no fans. So that was an interesting experience and got the win there and then played the Jets again last year and then the Cardinals. So every game is different. I think you just take each snap as it is and the one thing I have learned is there’s no let off in this league at any point. You got to play however many snaps there are. If there’s 50 snaps, 70 snaps, you got to play them all to the best of your ability and be locked in on each one because they’re all so important.”

(On how he keeps receiver tendencies and the way they see certain plays in his head) …“Yeah, I think it’s just the conversations. (WR) Coop’s (Kupp) in our room a lot, so number one, it’s a great sounding board to have and I’ve known him for seven years now going back to Eastern Washington. So it’s nice to have a relationship there, especially with a guy that’s a tremendous leader and a big voice in the locker room and a big voice in the receiver room as well. So I can just kind of communicate with him, communicate with all the guys that are out there with anything that they may see a certain way. And there’s really not the whole lot that comes up, just maybe one certain thing on a route or stuff like that.”

(On if there’s any significance with his first potential start with the Rams being at Lambeau Field) …“Yeah, I think that’s something obviously that’s really cool. I didn’t really think about it like that until now, but obviously Lambeau is a special place and a lot of cool moments have happened there. I’ve watched (Former Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers growing up for years and saw a lot of good football there so it is a special place. I’ve been fortunate to be there once on the sideline, didn’t play. But yeah, I’m excited for it.”

(On if he knows when the starter will be named for Sunday’s game)…“I have no idea. We’ll kind of see how the week progresses and see how Matthew’s feeling.”

(On if it would matter to him if McVay named him the starter right before the game)…“No, I think that whenever they tell me… I’m going to prepare like I’m the starter either way this week. That’s what you do all the time, but especially when a guy is dealing with an injury and he is not practicing it definitely heightens that level of awareness and you’re getting ready to go.”

(On how he’s handled flux and change throughout his career)…“I think that in my five years in the NFL, I’ve kind of been through every type of situation that you can possibly go through during training camp. I’ve been the third string active. I’ve been the backup. I’ve had moments where I’ve played obviously, had three starts. I think the one consistent that I’ve taken from it all is you just have to try to find a way to get better each week and just continue to focus on the task at hand and that’s your job as a football player and trying to learn and get better. A lot of times as a backup, you don’t get to see the rewards of that. You don’t get to reap the rewards of that when you’re not seeing a tangible result on Sundays but you get the respect from your teammates and stuff like that by the way that you prepare every single day. You come in and be the same guy and you practice hard and that’s what I try to do.”

(On the difficulty with the transition from backup during the week and on gameday to preparing as a starter throughout the week and processing pre-snap and post-snap on gameday)…“I think it’s not as difficult as you would think. Again, I’m trying to do this as much as I possibly can every single day. (Quarterbacks Coach/Pass Game Coordinator) Zac’s (Robinson) back there with me acting like he’s in the huddle and I’m calling the play to him. That’s just kind of how I’ve done things since I’ve been in the NFL. It’s just the emotions of it all, getting into the huddle, actually feeling a live pass rush. It feels good to get hit to be honest with you. Like the first couple hits you take, I think kind of get you back into the rhythm of feeling the pocket a little bit better and knowing when guys are getting really close to you versus when they’re maybe not that close and you might get rid of it a little too quick.”

(On if there are plays that exist that help him understand his pocket mobility and manipulation early in the game rather than having to feel his way through the script)…“I don’t think so. I mean, honestly, I think the best way that we can simulate it is getting Zac out there with the crayons and hitting me all week (laughs). That’s what we did today, that’s what we’ll do tomorrow when we get full pads on and just got to keep repping it.”

(On if he prefers the pads over DT Aaron Donald)…“Yeah, well, that’s been helpful too, going on a scout team against AD.”

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