Rams QB John Wolford – Postgame Media Availability – January 3, 2021
(On how he was able to bounce back from the early interception)
“That was a bad throw, bad decision. I held my eyes for a second trying to get an in-breaker on some leverage. You can’t make that throw but it was almost like once I threw it, I settled in. Learn from that, watch the film and then move on.”
(On what his experience was like in his first NFL start)
“I had a lot of fun to be honest. A little anxious going in if I’m being 100% honest. Once I got rolling, I was just playing football again. It was fun that we got to the win. There’s obviously a ton of room for improvement. I missed a few throws, got to convert in the red zone, but overall, I’m just happy we got the win. We’re in the playoffs and moving on to the next game.”
(On the third down run shortly after the interception)
“Once I came out after that pick, I felt good. I told them on the sideline ‘Hey, I’m good, don’t worry about me.’ I had that throw to (WR) Van (Jefferson), missed him by a foot but I was seeing the field better and then converted that first down. They were in two man and didn’t have anyone for me. Just got in a rhythm and we were just moving the ball efficiently throughout the day. Obviously, again I keep saying this, we have to convert in the red zone. I felt good out there. I felt comfortable. I didn’t feel overwhelmed.”
(On the frequency of empty backfields in the game plan)
“Yeah I enjoy being in empty. I like being able to see the field, how bodies disperse so that was something we felt like was an advantage for us so we activated it a good amount today and it worked out well.”
(On what family was watching the game and what conversations we like leading up to the game)
“Obviously my parents, my aunt and uncle, who I’m extremely close with, my brother and my sister. I think everyone in my family. I’m the third youngest of 18 cousins. I’m sure everyone was tuned in. I had texts during the week. I have to respond to my texts. I have like 350 texts that I haven’t responded to so I’ll do that on the ride home.”
(On if his mobility helps him settle into games)
“I think getting hit is a good thing sometimes to get you settled into a game. When I activated those runs, got a first down there on that 3rd down, it just felt good. It’s something where I have the athleticism to do it and if it helps us win, I’m going to do it.”
(On his expectations for what happens next week with the starting quarterback situation)
“No. I’m here to do a job. I have no idea where he’s at. I’m just trying to enjoy this win and then I’ll put my head down and work on Seattle starting tomorrow but no info on that.”
(On the celebrations after making the playoffs and if it was different than it would be for any other game)
“Well I’ve never won a game, so I don’t know what the normal congratulations feels like. If that’s my first one, then I’ll use that as a barometer and let you know if it changes.”
(On what gave him the composure to tell his teammates that he was good on the sideline moments after throwing his first interception)
“I just knew that I prepared well. I felt good throwing the ball. The ball was spinning out of my hand and it almost like settled me in, in a weird way. I remember when I was in high school, we were playing a good team and I threw a pick the first play of the game and then came back and played great, so I was kind of thinking about that. That’s football, there is ups and downs, you’re going to make bad decisions. (QB) Jared (Goff) always says this thing to me, he says, ‘Pace, it’s performance after a critical error.’ You just kind of reset yourself and move onto the next play because you can’t change what just happened.”
(On if he can tell how much his teammates rallied around him today)
“Absolutely, yeah. I think the defense played unbelievable.We got a block on special teams, guys were fired up, we had energy throughout the entire game. I’m grateful for all the guys that stepped up and made plays. It was a team win across the board and I just love this organization. I’m happy they have given me a shot.”
(On if he has decided if he’s going to delete his LinkedIn account)
“You know I said that almost as a joke. If I’m being smart, the reality is football ends at some point, hopefully it’s in 20 years. So, I’ll probably keep it active. I’m 1-0 with it active so we’ll just keep it up.”
(On how the team fixes the red zone inefficiency and what was working for him on deep passes to complete three 20-plus yard completions)
“To your first question, red zone efficiency, we’ve got to go back to work. We can’t have penalties, we’re on second-and-1 on the one and then we take two penalties to go to second-and-11. When you get on that 10, 11-yard range, it’s hard because the field condenses and then it’s like, ‘Do you run it on first down and then it’s second-and-8.’ I have to be better down there. I had a misread there. I threw one out the back of the endzone where I had (TE) Gerald (Everett) when they were in cover zero and then there were things that I could have done better to make us more efficient. You go back, you watch the film. You learn from it and then you move on. There were a few times where their corners were a little jumpy on some out-breakers, trying to make some plays off my eyes and I had a pretty good feel for it and I saw them trigger and both times we were able to hit (TE Tyler Higbee) ‘Higgs’ on one and then (RB) Cam (Akers) on the other down the sideline. A few throws I wish I had back, but all in all we got the win and I’m happy with that.”
(On what winning a regular season NFL game with a lot on the line does for his confidence going forward)
“It definitely helps with the anxiety before the game. I just feel like you’re always like, ‘I can play, I can play, I can play.’ But until you do it, there’s a little bit of apprehension, if I’m being candid. I felt great out there, started making plays. It’s one game, but I know the next time I play I’ll have half the amount of nerves and I’m grateful for that to be honest.”