(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The Rams, now with a much better looking (5-5) overall record continue to prepare diligently and purposefully for their Sunday Night Football (SNF) national prime-time game against the Philadelphia Eagles who arrive with an (8-2) overall record. The game will be televised on KNBC, Channel 4, and kick-off is set for 5:20 pm. It will be the NFL’s Week #11.

We now bring you what Head Coach, Sean McVay, and his Quarterback, Matthew Stafford, had to say to the press in separate interviews, during the traditional Wednesday media availability at the team’s Training Facility.

As usual, Coach McVay had much to say during his reply to the questions he received about the team injuries, his basic game plan, his outlook for this difficult showdown with the Eagles, their much-talked-about “tush push” strategy, and the potent running skills of Saquon Barkley. Matt Stafford also has very good answers to the many questions and scenarios that are always posed to him by the press corps in attendance, including here in this media availability, his preparing for a test from a formidable opponent to his reaction as he climbs the ladder of quarterbacking success in the NFL. . 

Head Coach Sean McVay]

(Opening Statement)…”As far as injuries, Charles Woods did not participate. Rob Havenstein did not participate. We had a couple of guys that were limited. As far as Rob is concerned, he’s making good progress. We’ll see how the week kind of continues to progress and Charles Woods, the same thing with his ankle.”

(On Offensive Lineman, KT Leveston, returning to practice)…”I would say this, he’s looked good. We just decided to be able to start his clock, obviously with Geron [Christian] getting an opportunity to go back to Cleveland. He’s been a guy that we were excited about, ended up getting injured, and now we’ll get a chance to see him on the practice field so that’ll be good.”

(On the challenges of stopping the Eagles ‘Tush Push’)…”Where do you want me to start? I think the biggest thing is just the momentum, the techniques, and the fundamentals. Everybody tries to run it, but they do it at a little bit different clip. You hear people talk about [Eagles Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach] Jeff Stoutland, is a guy who is one of the great coaches in this league. There’s an understanding of leverage angles, get off, a rapport that’s been established, and they’ve been doing it for a long time. Obviously, [Eagles QB] Jalen [Hurts] has a great feel for being able to kind of ride that wave, if you will. There are a lot of challenges.”

On Eagles’ Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio mentioning he took time in the offseason to evolve his defensive scheme and whether there are any noticeable changes he’s seen)…”I think it’s situationally dependent. The biggest thing that I would say that makes Vic a great coach is he’s going to adjust, adapt, and figure out what is going to be best given the circumstances. There’s still a foundational philosophy. There’s a way of making people play in an understanding of how to try to limit what people are trying to get done and the illusion of what it really looks like and that is on display. I think they’ve really done an excellent job. They’ve obviously played great football as a team the last six weeks, but you can see guys are comfortable. He’s working with some rookies that are playing really well and some younger players. They’re one of the best defenses in the league and by a lot of metrics, they’re arguably the best. I think the thing that you appreciate is just the evolution and the adaptability. The answer is yes, there’s some different stuff but also you see a willingness to adjust to what fits for that team. You can see he has a big picture, head coaching perspective from it not exclusively just through a defensive lens. I think that’s one of the things that I admire and respect the most about this team is they play as a team instead of separate entities, offense, defense, and [special] teams.”

(On how the Eagles offensive has changed with RB Saquon Barkley joining the team in the offseason)…”He’s been outstanding and I think they’ve embraced him. He’s a huge energy spark plug for them. He’s explosive, he’s getting tough, hard-earned yards. If you give him a vertical seam… I mean, he’s so explosive that before you know it, it’s a downhill inside zone run and he’s 60 yards out the gate. He’s been really productive in the passing game, and I think that he fits really well with what they’re trying to do. He fits in any scheme, but he’s playing great, looks great. They’re doing a great job of giving him a variety of opportunities and he is surrounded by a bunch of really good players. Similar to what was asked about their defense, they’ve hit their stride and it’s no mistake why they’ve won six games in a row. They’re finding their identity and certainly Saquon is in the middle of a lot of really good stuff that they’re doing.”

(On whether they can do anything different with their personnel to stop the “Tush Push”)…”Yeah, you need to be able to cover those gaps and that situation arises in short yardage and the tight red area. Hopefully, you’re efficient enough that you don’t get to too many of those situations where it’s a big advantage for them and they’ve created that advantage. There are a lot of different things. I don’t want to get too far into it. The hard thing too is once you get at this point of the year to simulate what that would actually be like and some of those rugby scrum-type of settings, that’s difficult. It’s why they’re one of one. A lot of people try to emulate that, but they’re the ones that have done it at such a high level and it’s been really difficult for people to stop.”

(On what he remembers about last year’s game against the Eagles)…”I just remember that they do a great job of controlling the game. Before you know it, you’re up 14-10 and then the next thing you know, they take a two-minute drive right down the field and they score right before the end of the half. Even though it was a great job by Ahkello [Witherspoon] getting the turnover, it felt like they never really relinquished control of the game. Jalen made some unbelievable plays off-schedule by being able to create with his legs and then they have great skill players. They were able to make us pay in some different coverage contours and some different matchups. Offensively, we weren’t able to capitalize on some opportunities and the possessions were limited. They shortened the game and that’s been a consistent theme that they do an excellent job of. I remember feeling like that’s a good team and we had our chances, but they certainly made it difficult for us and they earned that win.”

(On the task of developing young players in the secondary and the system they utilize to make it as seamless as possible)…”Yeah, it’s a good question. First of all, obviously it’s about the player first and foremost. Do they have the capacity, the understanding, and the abilities to then be able to translate it into all the different things that they’re seeing and the adjustments that need to be made within the different coverages that you’re asking guys to play? I think that’s a tremendous reflection on the players, number one, but then the ability to teach it. You look at [Eagles Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach] Christian Parker, you look at Vic Fangio, those guys have been doing it for a really long time in terms of helping players reach and realize their highest potential, especially as it relates to the back end. It’s no different than us with guys like [Pass Game Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach] Aubrey [Pleasant], [Safeties Coach] Chris Beake, and [Defensive Assistant] Mike Harris being able to help some of our players get up to speed, get reacclimated or watch them continue to grow. That’s been illustrated from the corner and the safety position for us and the same thing for them. It’s a really sound defense that takes smart players and then obviously they have some guys that have great concept trigger and great natural abilities as is, but there’s an understanding… I think you really see them play seven as one. They understand, what are the different things that teams are trying to do to attack different coverages? A lot of times they’re playing a certain coverage and you don’t know what coverage it is unless certain routes distribute accordingly. They have tools that they can activate and it’s why they’re really good and it’s why the system that really foundationally was started with Coach Fangio has tried to be emulated and replicated for a handful of years.”

[QB Matthew Stafford]

(On what stands out about Eagles’ Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense)…“I think it starts with their personnel. Their personnel is as good as it gets, as far as we’ve seen. Their front is really disruptive. They play physical, fast and aggressive. I think they play that way from the front line to the back seven. I think it starts with those guys. They bring it to life. I’m familiar with the scheme and a lot of the players. I just watched them from afar. It’s impressive what you see on tape. They do a really nice job of disguising their looks and giving you a bunch of things to look at. They’re not wasting players in any kind of coverage or anything like that. They don’t have somebody to cover an area of grass just to cover an area of grass if nobody’s over there. They’re always trying to buy back defenders and do a great job of using the guys that they have on the field. That’s what makes this defense a challenging one.”

(On realizing his status with the all-time great quarterbacks as he continues to climb up statistical rankings)…“I don’t really ever think about it, to be honest with you. I didn’t before this year. I didn’t really know that before I felt like I got asked about it from you guys or talked about it with you guys. It’s humbling. I do love playing this game. I love competing. I love the history of it. I love being a part of it. It’s cool to be a part of it in that regard.”

On whether he keeps an eye on the other teams in the NFC West as they’re all within a game of each other)…“I’m not. I’m solely focused on what we have to do this week. None of that stuff matters if we don’t take care of our own business. I know that’s our mindset here. Just do everything that we can to give ourselves the best chance to win week in and week out and figure it out from there.”

(On Tight End,  Colby Parkinson’s touchdown reception)…“That was great. I had a little bit of a feeling pre-snap that they might try to play a little bit of an aggressive front. We had been running the ball really recently in that drive and the drive before. I figured they might be playing us a little bit tighter and it was a great call by [Head Coach] Sean [McVay]. I got in the huddle, told everybody to be alive here and we got a chance. He did a great job sneaking through and making a great catch. If I had to do it over again, maybe a foot shorter so he’s not reaching. It was a hell of a catch to hold onto it and get both feet down.”

(On whether he gets amped up before big games)…“I think the biggest thing is you work all offseason, you work all training camp, and all in the beginning of the season to get to points like this. You’re still in your divisional race and you’re playing a primetime opponent on a big stage. Yeah, absolutely, it’s an exciting game. There’s going to be a lot of buzz around this one. They’re a hell of a football team. Their roster, top to bottom, is as good as it gets in this league, if not the best. It’s really impressive what they do when you look at them on tape. It’ll be a big challenge for us at home. We’ll see if we can go out there and give them a good shot.”

(On whether he’s tapped into a different personality since playing in more prime-time games since arriving in Los Angeles)…“I don’t know, that’s kind of always been there. I feel like in the game and the coverage, they have more camera angles now than they used to. I’ve always enjoyed playing. I’ve always been excited for guys on our team when we do well, score points, get plays on defense, or whatever it is. It’s just meant to be fun. When you go out there, you execute like you’re supposed to, you make a play and you help your team do something successful, you should be excited about it. I definitely love that. I love being in those crunch-time moments. Sometimes it works out for us and sometimes it doesn’t, but I definitely love putting myself out there and going for it.”

(On how his responsibility changes when there’s a change at the center position)…“I think that, as a coaching staff, they do a great job of trying to expose him to as much as they possibly can during the week. I help him talk through all that kind of stuff during the week. I think [Offensive Line Coach Ryan Wendell] ‘Wendy’ does a hell of a job getting all those guys ready to play. Being a center himself, he has that experience in what Beaux [Limmer] is having to deal with and all of our centers. I think ‘Wendy’ does a hell of a job getting them ready. Then on game day, you can’t be out there thinking. You have to go out there, cut it loose, trust yourself and trust the guys around you. I think all our guys did a really nice job of that last week. We’ll look to carry that over into this week.”

(On whether he has more dialogue with his offensive linemen when there’s a new player thrust into the starting lineup)…“Sometimes yes and sometimes no. There’s a lot of stuff that he’s really well equipped to go out there and handle and then there are certain times where I’ll step in and make sure that we are doing something that I think we need to be doing.”

##RAMS##