“We Are L.A. Strong!”

(East Los Angeles, CA) ]From The Editor’s Desk]: Season’s Greetings/Saludos Cordiales To All Rams fans! The Christmas week of preparations for their Week 17 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons continued on with Head Coach Sean McVay’s and QB Matthew Stafford’s post-practice media availability this past Christmas Eve. 

For the ardent Rams’ fanbase who like to follow the weekly series of transcript coverage, keep coming to our site and  learn more about the team by reading the comments directly attributed to those designated coaches and players alike. This edition features both Head Coach McVay and QB Matthew Stafford, and they always have much to say to the reporters who cover the team. Now, let’s bring everyone up to date with this two very important transcripts.

Just a quick reminder that the Monday Night Football (MNF) game will be televised by ESPN, with kick-off set for 5;15 PM local time. ¡Vamos Rams!

Rams Transcripts – Head Coach Sean McVay and QB Matthew Stafford – 12/24/25, Wednesday

[Head Coach Sean McVay]

(On whether he expects Offensive Lineman (OL) Kevin Dotson or Wide Receiver (WR) Davante Adams to be available for Monday Night Football against the Falcons)
“We’ll see. I’ll have an injury update tomorrow, but the good thing is, all of these guys are making good progress.”

(On Corner Back (CB) Roger McCreary’s injury status)
“We’ll start his clock, with the intentions of him being able to play. He’s done a good job in the meantime and I’m looking forward to getting him out there.”

(On Safety, Quentin Lake’s progress and whether he will be available in the first playoff game)
“Yeah, that’s the plan. What’s most likely is, we’ll start his clock next week with the expectations of him being ready worst case in the playoffs. Then we’ll see what that looks like for whoever we play in the last game. He’s making great progress. He’s ready to go.”

(On four players being selected to the Pro Bowl)
“I’m really happy for those guys. I think there were a lot of guys that were also recognized as alternates. I thought there were some guys that weren’t, that are very well deserving. I think the best thing about football is that it’s the greatest team sport that there is. Really well deserved and I’m happy for [Quarterback] Matthew [Stafford], [Wide Receiver] Puka [Nacua], [Outside Linebacker] Byron [Young] and [Outside Linebacker] Jared [Verse]. I think the strength of our team is our team. There are a lot of other guys that have done an excellent job of being vital parts of the collective. I’m looking forward to us continuing to show the strength of this group with another, hopefully great week of preparation and a great challenge against the Falcons on Monday night.”

(On whether he’s surprised that Stafford has only been named to three Pro Bowl appearances)
“Yes. What’s interesting is there are a lot of layers to the Pro Bowl stuff, but when you talk to the real football people, I don’t think he’s seen that way. I think he’s seen as a guy that’s one of the best to ever do it. I think that’s been very well acknowledged this year, but I think it’s probably overdue. I think you guys have asked me a lot about the level that he’s playing at, but I also think that’s pretty consistent with what he’s done. Sometimes the numbers can reflect really good play and sometimes they don’t. I know this, since he got here in ‘21, he’s elevated everybody that he’s around. He’s elevated the situations that he’s a part of and every single time that he takes the field, our team has a belief because of him leading the way. I can’t say enough good things about him. I’m really happy for him to be able to get some of that stuff. I think the best part about Matthew is that he has this great humility. Those aren’t the things that move the needle. What he cares about is the respect of his teammates, his coaches and the people that he’s playing against. I think when you talk to those who know, he has great respect and admiration for the way that he competes, the way he goes about it and what type of player he is.”

(On how the team’s approach has changed with practicing at SoFi Stadium this week)
“It hasn’t changed anything. It’ll just make the day a little bit longer. Fortunately for us, we will be able to give the guys off tomorrow for Christmas with us playing on Monday to be with their family and their loved ones. We’ll get our work in today. I think coming off the Thursday game, there was some time off. We need to be able to get that work. Typically, this time of the year, you’re usually using what’s reserved for your Wednesday prep for walkthroughs, but because of where our Thursday game was situated, we’re able to get a good workload. We just had a good walkthrough, we’ll have good practice, it won’t be anything too crazy, but I think it’ll be important for us to be able to move around and get some good work in. Then they’ll have off tomorrow and then we’ll probably be back here on Friday just based on the way that those fields look right now. It is what it is. Our guys are awesome about being able to adjust and adapt. I’m very grateful for that. I think they all know that it’s with the best intentions for our preparation to be in alignment, to go play with a quieted mind.”

(On whether there is a possibility that the team practices at SoFi Stadium on Saturday)
“Saturday we wouldn’t just because of the approach. I think the logistics of traveling all the way out here for the minimal amount of reps that we get…if we had to adjust and adapt over at our facilities, that’s what we’ll do. But because Friday is another really important workday, it’s most likely that we’ll be over here.”

(On what Stafford is able to take off of his teammates plates with how smart he is mentally)
“He’s so knowledgeable. I think when you’re breaking the huddle and you’re able to have command over, ‘Alright, what’s the intent?’ You’re able to give little tidbits and coaching points. You’re able to recognize some of the different things that maybe the prep has helped with relative to some of the defensive structures. I say he’s a coach on the field, but I think that’s almost minimizing it. He just gives everybody a calm. I think the way that he’s able to communicate the play call in the huddle, but then also any of the added little points, the way he’s able to utilize cadence, the way he’s able to use our audible system because of his ownership. It’s tremendously valuable. I don’t know that you could really put a measure on it but man, is it damn important to me and it’s important to his teammates. I think you can’t say enough about what you do to elevate people around you. I’ve said it a couple times before, but when you talk about an igniter, that’s what he is. He ignites people around him. He elevates them. That to me is what a legacy’s about. I think sometimes people think of the word legacy as a selfish connotation. I look at it as what do you do for others, how do you elevate people, how do you make situations and people you’re around better? I think that’s a great example of leadership and legacy. That’s what this guy does. Every single day, every single play and I think that’s been on display pretty frequently this year.”

(On how he uses every second of the play clock to communicate the little things effectively)
“I think it’s dependent upon whatever the intent is. I think he understands the different, ‘Do I need to use it all the way down to that last second? Do I have enough information where I’m going to snap it a little bit earlier?’ That ownership and autonomy, there are so many little semantics, both situationally and then play dependent. Sometimes we’ll call multiple plays in the huddle. Whatever it is, he has total command on being able to say, ‘Alright, one of the advantages you do have offensively is that you decide when that ball is snapped within the 40 second play clock or the 25 second play clock if we’re out of a quarter or timeout or stoppage. That’s where he’s really special. It’s one thing to be able to coach it, it’s another thing to be able to take the onus and the ownership and really the accumulation of knowledge that has built up over time because of how intentional he is. It’s special. It’s why five years from the day that he finishes up, he’s going to be putting a gold jacket on in Canton. I’d love to have that debate with anybody that thinks otherwise.”

(On the viral video of Stafford receiving the long play call)
“That one video that circulates from the New Orleans game, that’s like three years old. Part of it too, I’m screwing with him a little bit too because the best part about it is he can’t talk back to me [laughter]. That video will never get old. It’s like the get back coach. Those two things just circulate. They never get old. I think if you asked him, my mic etiquette is better now and more considerate to him.”

[QB Matthew Stafford]

(On whether his routine changes with practices moving from the facility to SoFi Stadium due to the weather)
“Yeah. I mean obviously, it’s a little bit different. It was not too bad on the way down here though. The bus got here in about 45-50 minutes, so we’ll take it. We did this a couple of years ago. We had to for various weather reasons. It is what it is. We just go practice and figure it out from there.”

(On being named to the Pro Bowl and whether he has felt overlooked over the course of his career when it came to Pro Bowl honors)
“It’s great. It’s a great honor to get. Fans are involved, players are involved, coaches… whoever’s involved is involved. I appreciate it. I play this game to try to play at a high level and get respect from the people that you do it with and play against. That part of it is really cool. Are there instances [where he’s felt overlooked]? In 2011, I thought I had a chance. I wasn’t even close, so at that point I kind of reserved myself to just go play and have fun. Whatever happens, happens, but it is cool to be a part of it.”

On how quickly he turns the page when he has 10 days in between games)
“Pretty quick, but then there’s that long delay and a little bit of a long weekend. It is nice to get your mind off of it for a little bit. Put the last game behind you, that’s fine. Here we go and get ready for the next one, but also have a little bit of downtime in there where you can enjoy family. Obviously, it’s a busy week coming up for a lot of people out there. My kids were fired up to have me around and I was happy to be there.”

(On what has made WR Puka Nacua so valuable in the last three games)
“I think it’s been the same thing he’s done all season. Certain games present more opportunities than others. We had a lot of plays and a lot of snaps the last couple of games, which just by sheer volume you’re going to have more attempts at it. We were able to connect on some of those and make some big plays, but same stuff he’s always done. He runs great routes and plays really tough with and without the football. He is physical at the catch point. You saw his run after catch really come to life last week. It’s just everything he always does. We’re happy to have him.”

(On his thoughts about Nacua’s controversial comments from last week)
“I spoke to it a little bit earlier in the week in some other things that I had. We have opportunities to have a positive message out there both for our team, for the game, for the fans, for himself and everybody. We continue to learn and try to make sure that when we do say things or when we do have opportunities to be involved in media and all that, that positive stuff comes from that. He’s understanding of that and he’s obviously never going to be perfect, nobody is. We’ve all had things that we wish we had maybe handled a little bit differently, but he’s still our brother. We love him and we’ll continue to support him and try to help him out as best we can.”

(On whether he would agree that Head Coach Sean McVay’s mic etiquette has improved over the years)
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t think it’s ever been bad. It’s just who he is as a person. He is an excited guy. He loves coaching. He loves being involved in this game. Ever since I’ve been on the receiving end of what he’s saying, it’s been great. I’ve loved playing quarterback when he’s calling the plays and this year’s been no different.”

(On how McVay is different now as a coach, leader and person than in previous years)
“I think just his overall demeanor. I think having a kid and now two, it’s going to put a lot of things into perspective for you and help you understand life a little bit better. I think like all of us, he’s doing everything he can to try to continue to grow and be as good of a person, leader and a coach that he can be. I hope that he thinks that I’ve gotten better as a leader, person, player and all those things. I know that he has as a coach as well.”

(On getting communication from McVay and relaying it to his teammates and how he helps take weight off of them)
“It’s easier to do with experience and understanding of what we’re trying to get done the more and more I play in this system. It morphs every year, sometimes week to week, in what we’re trying to do. The more I can help communicate and let those guys play fast and free, and if it doesn’t slow me down or bog me down, then why not?”

(On whether he has ever lost his train of thought in the middle of a play call or forgotten a play call)
“On gameday, probably not. I can’t recall one. Sometimes early in the week, you’re getting new information and you’re like, ‘Ah, did he call that one or that one?’ And I might be like, ‘Hey, give me that one again or one more time.’ But, I usually feel like I’m pretty good in the games at operating and getting in and out of the huddle. Sometimes you need a formation tweak or readjustment, ‘Hey give me that one, one more time.’ For the most part, I try to be on it and understanding of what he’s trying to do, what he’s trying to get done as an offense and just try to go out there and make it happen.”

–RAMS–