Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – September 26, 2021
Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – September 26, 2021
(Opening Statement)
“Great team win. Excellent football team right there. Just some weird stuff, guys. I’m going to tell you. You know, but really pleased with all three phases. You know, that’s a football team that’s, guys, you know, playing as well as anybody. It’s a big step in the right direction for us but it’s just one game. And I was really pleased with it. But it really just means, hey, we’re 3 and 0. We got a great matchup next week that we’ll move forward to. We’ll enjoy this for the rest of the night and then come back, clean up the film and be ready to go but a lot of great individual contributions. I thought it was a great team win. You know, all three phases contributed. They played at the level that we expect. Guys stayed connected, they stayed together. Obviously, Matthew Stafford’s leadership was outstanding today. I thought, you know, he made some really incredible plays, especially on third down. I thought he was outstanding on third down as the game started to unfold where we had that sequence where we had four drives in a row with touchdowns. DeSean (Jackson) made his big plays. Defensively, Aaron (Donald) was all over the place, Jalen (Ramsey). I thought Kenny Young was outstanding today. Responding from a little bit of a setback last week. He handled it perfectly. Took accountability, ownership. I thought Johnny Hekker to have three punts, all of them end up inside the 20. Matt Gay continues to deliver in a big way. I was really pleased with our special teams. I thought they made a step in the right direction. And that was a positive. Pleased with the win. A lot of respect for Coach Arians and that group. And, you know, they’re going to win a lot of games, as we all know.”
(On if this was a measuring stick type of game)
“It means that we’re 3-0 and we played a team that’s the reigning Super Bowl champs. And that was last year, but they have played really well in their first two games. So if you said, ‘Hey, who were the teams who were 3-0 last year or previous years?’ I bet you really couldn;t remember. There’s so many football games to go ahead. We have to have steady improvement. Very pleased with the way the guys handled it. I’m excited about the win, but I also know that it’s, ‘Hey, we got to enjoy it and then move forward.’ Whether we ended up winning or losing that game, you have to be able to move forward in this league so that’s what out guys will do. I have total trust and confidence in the leadership from our team, with our players and then our coaching staff.”
(On his sprint up the sidelines for DeSean Jackson’s long touchdown reception)
“You know what, I think I probably had too much caffeine from Joey Blake. He gave me some extra stuff. And I definitely wasn’t short on energy. I’ll probably catch cramps later today. You know, I don’t know. I didn’t really think about it. I was being in the moment and having fun, enjoying watching these guys do their thing and there was a lot of reasons to be excited for our team today.”
(On the performance of RB Sony Michel)
“He did. It was really great, Maria. I thought he had some really tough, hard-earned yards. I mean, that’s an excellent defense. They’ve been the best at stopping the run for the last few years and, really, ever since Coach Bowles got there. It was tough, hard-earned. You know, he had a couple good runs where we were able to churn out the clock. You know, even the drive that resulted in a field goal, I want to say it was 14 plays or something like that. He had a couple critical runs to keep the clock moving. Really, just, you know, keep us in control of that game. And then he had a great 15-yard run on the one play on the one toss play on the first drive, or on that last drive that we kind of had before we ended up taking a knee. So really pleased with Sony (Michel) and he’s only going to just continue to build off of this.”
(On the defensive effort plays and how the defense complements each other)
“I think you just mentioned it, really, with the question. They are complementing one another. They’re seeing things as one. They’re playing great team defense. They’re making people snap it one more time. I mean, Tom (Brady) has such a good feel, he’s able to read and recognize, ‘All right, what are some of the looks?’ I thought our guys did an outstanding job. So, really, all three levels of the defense, seeing things as one, playing as one, picking one another up. I thought it was outstanding. I thought Raheem (Morris) had a great plan and the defensive coaching staff. And that’s an excellent offense. I mean, they’re going to make some of their plays. I thought we were physical throughout. I thought we were physical, but we were also within the parameters of, you know, being smart and safe. And it was exciting. They did a great job today.”
(On how we got DeSean Jackson involved)
“You know, we got them on the grass. And that was something that, like I said, nobody’s more responsible than I was those first couple weeks. I don’t run away from those excuses because whatever I would say after would be an excuse. But he’s a playmaker. He showed that. But we do need to get that ball security better. I was not kidding about that. He did a great job. It was fun. He’s electric. We had a lot of players that made a lot of plays. I thought (Tyler) Higbee had some critical third down conversions. We mentioned Sony (Michel). Robert Woods, the 20-yard in cut that he caught was a big play. I mean, you talk about a guy who has had some hidden, big time plays in these three weeks. This guy’s a stud. He’s a captain for a reason. Van Jefferson continues to be steady. And then Cooper (Kupp) delivered. Cooper’s so critical of himself, he’s going to be bothered by a couple plays, but he still comes ups with almost 100 (yards) and two touchdowns. And there’s a lot of good things. And the offensive line, these guys are steady, they’re tough, they’re resilient and I love working with these guys.”
(On if this team feels like it has Super Bowl potential)
“Yeah, you just mentioned it Lindsey. It’s three games in. Through three games, we’ve done a good job. We’ve done what we can in terms of being 3-0. It’s weird saying 14 games left. We got 14 games left, that is so much football left. You can’t get complacent. I don’t worry about that at all, like I mentioned to you guys. But we got a tough, I believe an undefeated Arizona Cardinals team that we’re going to see next week. And we’re going to be where our feet are planted. We’re going to enjoy tonight and come back ready to work to get after these guys. It’s going to be a tough challenge.”
(On Justin Hollin’s injury)
“I don’t have an update on him. Sorry about that.”
(On defending Tom Brady in the fourth quarter knowing what he is capable of late in game)
“Yeah, I think it was just the amount of ways that they can beat you and that’s what good offenses do.
I thought we did a good job keeping the ball in front of us. They still made their plays. You got (Mike) Evans, (Chris) Godwin. Those guys are excellent players. (Rob) Gronkowski is going to make his plays, even (Cameron) Brate. And I thought Gio Bernard, you know, is a really good back that I have a tremendous respect for even in his days at Cincinnati. And so, I thought we did a good job making them snap it one more time. They made their plays but, overall, I thought we did a great job. I was really pleased with the effort. And then we really stopped and shut out the run. Which was, you know, an important part of emphasis. Wanted to make them one-dimensional. And then I thought our rush was able to get home and, you know, continue to make them extend drives or get some key critical stops. Really pleased with those guys today.”
(On when he committed to running into the tunnel after DeSean Jackson’s touchdown)
“I don’t know if there was ever really a decision made. I think my hamstrings are already sore. I probably pulled them both. But I think just pure excitement. I’m not really thinking about those things in the moment. Just enjoying it with these guys. The fans were awesome today, too. What an electric atmosphere in this stadium. And the two times we’ve been here in this stadium against the Bears and then today, it was rocking and it was awesome to see our guys put on a good show for the fans.”
(On how Matthew Stafford changes the offense and adds to the excitement)
“What he’s done through three games, I think his resumé speaks for itself, Bill. He’s done a great job through these three games. And that’s all he can really do. I think he’s just seamlessly accommodated himself or really acclimated himself to being in our building. His teammates love him. His coaches love him. And he just goes about his business. He’s so steady, so consistent. And I just thought he got better as the game progressed. And, you know, love working with him. Okay. Thanks, guys.”