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Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay
(Opening Remarks)
“Today on the injuries, (TE) Gerald Everett was limited, (CB) Kayvon Webster and (RB) Malcolm Brown did not participate.”
(On if it is more of a physical or mental challenge on a short week)
“I think it’s a combination of both because we’ve got to make sure that while we’re going to be an above the neck approach in terms of that mental, making sure that guys are on the screws with that, taking care of their bodies with the short turnaround. Today was really just all mental reps, things like that and then tomorrow what we’ll do is it’ll be a walk-thru and then we’ll also have a couple things, just a jog-thru type deal where you get a little bit of a blood flow and some different things going like that, so that hopefully these guys will be ready to roll at 5:30 or 5:25 on Thursday.”
(On how difficult it is to judge if the players will be ready to go)
“I think it’s really based on how they feel and making sure they get their rest, proper nutrition leading up to the game and then feeling how they are from a mental standpoint just with that communication, whether it’s in the meeting room, out there in the walk-thrus. I think it’s a combination of both. Both are very important, but it’s very important that our guys feel their best on Thursday, knowing that everything is condensed down into such a short week. Want to try to get these guys as fresh as possible, so that they can perform at their best.”
(On how he thinks the players responded after the loss)
“I think they were great. They responded exactly like you would want them to. Clearly we didn’t get the outcome that we wanted, there’s a lot of things we can clean up, but now, whether you win or lose its time to put that one away, learn from the mistakes, continue to try to do some of the good things as we move forward in San Francisco. But, what you love in the NFL is you can’t dwell on a win or loss too long – it’s got to be that next up mindset and mentality and that’s what our team has right now.”
(On what he personally likes about 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan)
“As a person, I think he’s a great guy. He’s one of my closest friends where you get to know him and really, just have enjoyed spending time with him, getting to know what’s important to him as far as the family, the football, he’s a great dad, great husband, all those different things. But, in terms of a football coach, he sees the game excellent. He’s got a great way about being able to scheme things up, understands football from a 22-man perspective where he understands all the little nuances both offensively and defensively and how to manipulate certain schemes that people are running. Really, he’s had a huge influence on some of the things that we believe in here, philosophically on the offensive side of the football and I think he’s a great coach.”
(On what the communication was like between him and Shanahan during the process of interviewing for head coaching positions)
“He was so busy at the time going through the playoffs and then getting ready for a Super Bowl that I think that’s where his singular focus was and then it kind of came about where it looked like things were going to work out with San Francisco. But, we keep in touch throughout the course of the regular season with texts and things like that, but it’s so difficult once the season rolls to be able to really talk to people on the phone. That’s where the Combine, the Senior Bowl, different things that take place throughout the course of the offseason really offer a unique opportunity to catch up with guys and we’ve done that.”
(On if it’s easier not having a close relationship with coaches that he goes up against)
“I think it’s always fun when you go against people that you know, but it’s about trying to put our players in good spots, making sure that we’re smart and sound with the schemes that we’re implementing. I think there’s a competiveness that comes into play. You look at some of the things from last week’s game and then leading into it, it makes it fun. But, really once that things kicks off, it’s just another game and we have got to try to do a good job of coming away with the win.”
(On if there’s a major turnaround with his playbook because of the short turnaround)
“You try to scale it back. You want to make sure that while you don’t have a chance to get some of the physical reps with maybe new things that the guys need to feel the rhythm and timing of that – you try to be aware of not doing some of those things. But, depending upon the schemes that you’re going against, there might be some carryover, there might not be. There’s a couple of things that we’ll be able to carry over from what they were doing, but they are very different schematically just from a defensive approach to what Washington does to what we’re expecting to see against San Francisco on Thursday.”
(On what his reaction was when rewatching RB Todd Gurley’s hurdle on the touchdown reception)
“That was a great individual effort. I thought it was a great job by (QB) Jared (Goff), getting across the board – that was on the backside of his progression, found Todd and then he created afterwards with the hurdle and great awareness to be able to reach it over to get an 18-yard touchdown. Those are the kinds of plays where I think a lot of people were surprised and while you certainly don’t take for granted what a great individual effort that was, those are the things that you expect to see from Todd because of the confidence that you have in him as a player. So, to say that you’re surprised by that, I wouldn’t say I’m surprised, but you are appreciative that you have such a special player in a position to be able to make plays like that for your offense.”
(On WR Tavon Austin’s number of snaps)
“He’s been part of the gameplans. I think just the game has dictated – first of all, when you look at the Indy game, the game got a little bit where you have kind of a different approach in the second half with the lead that we did have. We had him heavily involved in that. But also that was his first week back from the hamstring, so you don’t want to overload him as he’s getting back to returning punts, doing the different things that we’ll ask him to do offensively. With last week, we had a handful of things, wanted to get involved. When you have 49 snaps you want to try to have some balance, some different things like that. Didn’t get him as involved as we would have liked to, but the flow of the game kind of dictated a different approach that we had because of that.”
(On if he second guesses himself sometimes when he coaches against people who are familiar with him)
“I think what you want to do is you want to make sure that you’re aware of what you’ve done on tape, what they’re preparing for, different things like that. But, you also don’t want to lose sight of what your identity is and what you’re staple or your core base philosophy from an offense, defense or special teams approach is because this is what your players are comfortable with – this is what you’ve done from day one starting in the offseason leading through training camp. You still want to be aware of that, but you also do want to have kind of an approach, a tactical approach that they do have some familiarity with what you’re doing from an offensive standpoint just because knowing of the influence and us working together in the past.”
(On Tavon’s role with the team going forward)
“I think it’s still feeling it out because I think clearly he’s special with the ball in his hands and doing some of the different things you guys have seen with the jet sweeps, playing the running back position and being able to take some screens. But, I think he has a lot more in him just as a complete receiver – running some great routes this past week. We haven’t gotten him those opportunities yet, so we’ve got to do a good job, I’ve got to do a good job of being able to put him in those spots and I think he’s fully capable of that, so I think that’s something that is to be determined and you’d like to see his role grow as the season progresses.”
(On if he remembers his interview with Kyle Shanahan with Washington)
“Oh, yeah. I remember it very well. It was with him and (Former Redskins Head) Coach (Mike) Shanahan and we were talking about a couple different things. I think it was a comfortable rapport that we had right away because you’re talking about football and there were some similarities in terms of our background, both having worked with (Former Tampa Bay Head Coach) Jon Gruden as a quality control coach, so we were able to speak the same verbiage right away. It worked out and it was a great experience working for him.”
(On if he was hired as a quality control coach or an assistant tight end in 2010)
“Quality control. I was quality control, breaking down film, assisting the receivers. I did that really the first part of that first season in Washington and then when (49ers Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends) Jon Embree got the head coaching job at the University of Colorado, Coach Shanahan was great to him and said, ‘Why don’t you get going on that?’ So then the last four games of that season, did both that role and then also was able to coach the tight ends for him.”
(On how being the play caller and the head coach affects how much time he puts into game planning)
“It’s a little bit less sleep than you’re accustomed to, but you got to make sure that you’re more specific in the plays that you’re going to run, kind of tailor down your play list and then be aware of where the players are at from a mental standpoint, so that they can feel comfortable and just go play and not feel like they’re thinking. Everything is condensed down in these weeks. Taking on those different roles – really, what I’ve talked about over and over is that you feel so good about (Defensive Coordinator) Wade (Phillips) and (Special Teams Coordinator) John (Fassel) and really the rest of our staff to be able to alleviate some of those things when you have to take care of the necessary things as a head coach. But, it’s been a good start to the week, we’ll finish it up tomorrow and tie up any loose ends and then be ready to travel to San Francisco and hopefully have a good performance on Thursday.”
(On the keys to tightening up the run defense)
“I think it’s just making sure that we’re sound with gap integrity. Again, you look back at some of the different things and credit to Washington for making some of those plays. But, I think the thing that was encouraging, which Wade will tell you guys this as well, is as the game progressed, guys settled in. Now, what we have to do a good job of is not letting what happened at the early stages of the game happen period. Let’s settle in a little bit sooner, try to alleviate that and we know in this league there’s great players. I’ve got a lot of respect – you look at what (San Francisco RB Carlos) Hyde was able to do last week against an excellent defense in Seattle and then you look at a couple of things that Washington was able to do. The 61-yard run by (Washington RB) Chris Thompson – you’d like to say our run defense, but also, I think it’s important to take into account that was a great individual effort by a great player right there too. It’s a give and take and what we’ve got to do is just make sure that the things that are correctable that we can clean up, we address those and those are things that we’ve done already and the guys have responded the right way.”
(On if his grandfather, former 49ers Executive John McVay is going to be at the game)
“Yeah, I think so. You guys will have to ask him who he’s rooting for.”
(On if he’s still getting used to managing all aspects of the game as the head coach)
“I’ll tell you what the difference is – you always want to try to win anytime you’re part of a team. The difference is, as an offensive coordinator, whatever happens on the defense, it’s not your job to worry about that. Now, when you kind of have that ownership, you’ve got to make sure that you kind of have a command on everything that’s going on. Certainly you never want to be able to see that, but like we talk about, we’ve always got to be ready to respond the right way because whether it’s a 61-yard run that goes for a touchdown or one that goes out at the one-yard line you never know what that next play entails. You look at the previous week where Indy, they end up getting a check down, guys breaks off to the one-yard line, (S) Lamarcus Joyner makes a great effort to knock him out and it results in three instead of that touchdown. What we’re always interested in is that response after something that maybe doesn’t go our way because that’s really all that we can control.”
OC Matt LaFleur
(On the similarities and differences that he sees between Rams Head Coach Sean McVay and 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan)
“First and foremost, both those guys are extremely detailed and two of the most knowledge football minds that I’ve been around. It was a great experience working for both those guys.”
(On their differences personality wise)
“They’re a little bit different personality wise, but again, when it comes down to football, both two of the brighter minds that I’ve ever been around and I feel pretty fortunate that I was able to learn from those guys.”
(On what ways they are different personality wise)
“I just think like anybody, just like I’m different than Sean – I think they’re both fiery and very intense competitors, but they’re their own person at the same time.”
(On his assessment of the Rams offense after Sunday)
“There were some things that I thought we did very well. It’s always tough when after the first quarter we had nine plays and then obviously we had that fumble on the first possession of the second quarter, so it was tough for us to kind of get into a rhythm. I don’t think we moved the ball quite as well as we would have liked to early, but it was great resolve. Our guys showed great resolve and were able to kind of get into a rhythm as the game went on, we were able to make some big plays, but at the end of the day, we didn’t get it done. So, it’s never quite good enough.”
(On if he’s surprised by RB Todd Gurley’s emergence in the passing game)
“I’m not surprised. I think to me, it’s just a credit again to how hard he’s worked. He’s got, obviously he’s a tremendous talent, right? And he’s got really good hands, so we’re going to try to get him the ball any way that we can and fortunately for us, he does have some pass receiving capability.”
(On what his reaction was when Gurley hurdled the Redskins defender near on the touchdown pass on Sunday)
“Well, that was the second time he hurdled somebody in that game, but nonetheless, it was an incredible effort and an incredibly talented play.”
(On if the new mold of an NFL running back is being able to be a receiving threat out of the backfield)
“I don’t think that’s necessarily – I mean every back is a little bit different, but when you do have those guys that are capable like the (Cardinals RB) David Johnson’s, obviously you said (Atlanta RBs Devonta) Freeman and (Tevin) Coleman and (Pittsburgh RB) Le’Veon Bell. I think Todd is right there with those guys. It definitely brings a different dynamic to your offense.”
(On if there is a little bit of overthinking going against a familiar opponent)
“No, I think especially on a short week you’ve got to do what you do. You’ve got to do what the players are comfortable with doing and each defense presents its own problems that you want to attack them in a certain way, but really, especially when you’re on a short week you’ve got to do what these players know.”
(On if he has to fight the tendency to overthink how much he knows the other staff)
“Yeah, you’re always playing the chess game with yourself and obviously we’re very familiar with each other. As a matter of fact, the defense coordinator there, Robert Salah – he and I were roommates together at Central Michigan when we were graduate assistants and then they’re running a very similar system to what I was in with (Atlanta Head Coach) Dan Quinn in Atlanta. So, it all stems from that Seattle, Pete Carroll tree.”
(On mixing up the run and pass with Gurley given how much success he has had in the pass game this season)
“Again, I think it’s just however we can try to get the ball into his hands at the end of the day. If the pass presents itself, then we’re going to do it that way. We got going on the ground against Washington a little bit in the second half and so then you started seeing us hand the ball off to him more.”
(On what he thinks it’s going to take to get WR Tavon Austin fully implemented into the offense)
“Yeah, I think No. 1 is it’s going to take us getting into a good rhythm on offense, just right from the onset of the game. I think we had 49 plays in the last game and so that minimizes those opportunities, unfortunately. We’d like to have the ball 70 plays and then it’s going to get Tavon more (opportunities).
(On getting WR Sammy Watkins more targets)
“Yeah, I think you saw what happened in Week 1 when we were able to distribute the ball. When you’re not doing that, you’re going to be hindered a little bit offensively. That is always the goal, is to spread it out. Again, each play is kind of predicated on what coverage the defense is playing and that really dictates usually where the ball is going to end up going. But, we certainly are trying to target all those guys.”
(On if he sees Austin as more of a situational player at this point)
“I think it’s on us to try to roll those guys through. Like I said before, we’ve got confidence in all six of those receivers, so we’ve got to get them involved, whether it’s rotating them every couple of plays or whatever. But, it’s on us to get them in the game and put them in position to make plays.”
(On if he still sees Austin as a viable deep threat)
“I think there’s nothing that he can’t do. We’ve used him a little bit more on those jet sweeps and ghost actions those last couple of games. But certainly lining him up outside and letting him try to take the top off the coverage is always a possibility for us offensively.”
(On the communication and dynamic between him and McVay)
“I think the communication has been on point from really, collectively, our whole staff, so really pleased with that. Again, we’ve got to do a better job offensively getting these guys going and when their number is called, they have got to make a play.”
(On TE Gerald Everett’s development)
“I think Gerald has done a great job. He’s definitely much more urgent. Like a lot of rookies, naturally I think there is a learning curve and a progression that each one of those guys goes through. But, I think he’s really diligent and urgent in his preparation and I think he’s been able to display that out on the field.”
(On Everett being more urgent)
“Urgency to learn what his responsibilities are on each play.”
(On if it’s going to be awkward coaching against his brother)
“(Laughs) No awkwardness. It will be interesting. This is the first time I’ve ever been in that situation and especially the last two years we were together in Atlanta, it was a great experience, especially when you get to go to a Super Bowl with your brother. Really, I know so many guys on that staff, I’ve coached with a lot of those guys before, whether it was in Houston or in Washington, so I’m sure there will be some mixed feelings because you always want your closest friends and obviously in my brother’s case, I always want them to do well, but not at the cost of our team and what we’re trying to accomplish here.”
(On there will be some trash talk back and forth)
“I’m sure there will be a little bit, but when it comes down to it, it’s really all in fun.”
(On if he thinks Washington was more prepared for the passing game after seeing them on tape against Indianapolis)
“No. Again, I just don’t think we ever got into a good flow offensively. We just didn’t really get into the flow of the game until our backs were up against the wall a little bit and then we started to move the ball.”
DC Wade Phillips
(Opening remarks)
“What’s wrong with the run defense, right? Here we go. We don’t need to say anything about the pass defense. But, yeah we didn’t play the run very well and we’re upset about that, but we’re going to do something about it. I did think we fought back in the second half and played a lot better run defense than we did, obviously, the first quarter kind of shocked us. And they have a good running game. I don’t want to take away anything from them, but that certainly hurt us. I think having both of our corners out at the end of the game hurt us too. When (CB) Trumaine (Johnson) went out – and (CB) Kayvon (Webster) didn’t play. But, we’ve got to play better to win on defense, so the only good thing out if it is, I think we’ll put more emphasis on the running game and we play quickly, so we’re back into San Francisco. Last week’s gone, so that’s the only good thing about it.”
(On why he thinks the defense struggled against Washington)
“You know it’s – guys haven’t played this defense together. They ran a lot of plays that we really hadn’t seen before. They did a good job of that. I mean, this group hadn’t seen. We’ve seen them, I’ve seen them, but it’s a copycat league. They tried to copy all the plays that had any success against Denver or Texans or Philadelphia or New Orleans or Houston or – where else have I been? And, they were successful on those. We actually went into the game – gameplan wise – they had been throwing the ball a whole lot on first down and they hurt us on run plays because we were basically rushing the passer. As far as (DT) Aaron Donald, he showed flashes. But, he was rusty. He’s still – the more he plays the better he’s going to get and the more he practices the better he’s going to get, so we’re looking forward to him playing again this week and maybe get a few more plays. I think he’ll be – I know he’ll be able to make plays. He almost intercepted a pitch out on – you know, nobody does that. Nobody even comes close to doing that, so you see those flashes of the greatness, but it still takes time and work to play football. It’s not an individual game, but I think he’ll be alright.”
(On DT Aaron Donald’s physical shape)
“He was fine. We talked with him all game. He was in good shape. I don’t know if I told you this story, but one year Bruce Smith at Buffalo had the same kind of offseason, I mean regimen. Didn’t practice, didn’t play in one preseason game – played 85 plays the first game of the year in overtime. Sacked the quarterback in overtime, fumble, we recover, kicked the field goal and beat them, so some guys can do more than others. Bruce, obviously was the exception, but I thought Aaron held up physically pretty well.”
(On if he’s concerned with Donald’s ability to quickly turn around)
“No, I think he’s alright. He seemed to feel good. Like I said, he was in a lot better shape than – he was in football-type shape, which was good. That’s why we were able to play him. We wanted to go about 25-30 plays, but he was ready to go. I just think the feel for the game is important for him, too.”
(On how to keep his defense deep against the 49ers since they’re a throwing team)
“Well, the running backs made a lot of explosive plays and they’ve got one receiver that’s a world-class sprinter, so they can throw the deep ball. We played the quarterback (Brian) Hoyer when he was with the Browns and he had thrown for 470 yards the game before, so this guy is capable. He’s got really good receivers and they have a pretty good offensive line. The running back is one of the top running backs in the league. What did he go for one hundred and something against Seattle? And, they have a pretty good defense there, so it’s going to be a challenge for us. They’ve got to be licking their chops. They had 159 yards last week against Seattle and now they’re playing us who gave up two hundred and something,”
(On how LBs Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron performed in the game versus Washington)
“I thought they got better as the game went along. Both of them made like over 15 tackles, so they made a lot of plays, especially as the game went along. I think you look at it now, the second half they had like five runs that were minus yards. So, like I said, we started playing better in the second half, but too little too late – got us too far behind.”
(On how much of the defense’s improvements are on coaching adjustments and player adjustments)
“Well it’s all on coaching – number one. If we didn’t play well – it’s me. Well you always make adjustments, but I think just the feel of where everybody is, especially for linebackers – how to set the edge for the outside backers. (LB) Connor’s (Barwin) done it before, but (OLB) Robert Quinn has never played outside linebacker so I’m talking about him in the running game, he’s always rushed the passer and we had him rushing the passer quite a bit. And the two inside guys have played linebacker, but they haven’t played a 3-4. And even the safeties, I think, you know where to fill – those kind of things. Just took some live action time, unfortunately, we didn’t do as well as we wanted to, but I think we’ll do better.”
(On CB Nickell Robey-Coleman’s performance playing on the outside as a replacement for CB Kayvon Webster)
“He’s not very big is the problem. They had a big receiver on him at the end of the game when…we had (CB) Trumaine (Johnson) on their big receiver. Nickell didn’t get him down really probably the biggest play of the game for us. But he’s a fighter, he can cover well. Tackling wise against a big receiver you’ve got to be careful.”
(On his impression of how OLB Robert Quinn is fitting into the new defense)
“Yeah, Robert gives us some pass rush – that’s what we’re looking for. Like I said in the run game, I thought he played really well the first game against the run, too. I look for him to do well. He faced a really good tackle this last week and got some pressure on the quarterback. I think he’ll keep doing better and better.”
(On what about Quinn’s skillset that makes him naturally a good player)
“He’s big, strong, fast. You know, that’s a pretty good start right there. He’s really athletic. The really good players can accelerate, whether they’re a running back or defensive back, defensive lineman, pass rusher – they can speed up. And it’s harder for the people to judge that they can do that and it makes them better than most players.”
(On what 49ers RB Carlos Hyde did for his team’s offense against Seattle last week)
“Well number one, Hyde is a really good back. Every time I’ve seen him play, he’s done exceptional. Good backs and a good line, a good run blocking line go together and they evidently put that together already.”
(On if having starters sitting out in the preseason correlates to the team taking longer to adjust once the regular season begins)
“Yeah, I don’t really know. I think some of those are baseball stats. At nights and weekends they get so many hits and all that stuff and the first two weeks this happened and well we’ll see what happens for 16 weeks. I just look at the team we’re playing and see how we’re going to do against them. And overall league-wise I’m not sure as to who’s good on offense or defense. We’re just trying to be good on defense. I did a good job on not answering that at all. Basically, I don’t know. (laughs)”
QB Jared Goff
(On how the team is progressing in the short week)
“I think if there’s ever a week to have a short memory, it’s this one. Being on a short week – being in a Thursday night game, you have to move on pretty quickly and I think we have. Got some really good work in today, really good work and we were able to get ourselves ready.”
(On what it means to him to start a regular season game in San Francisco against the 49ers)
“Yeah, it will be big. It’ll be cool. it’ll be fun for myself just being home and probably seeing a lot of people, but at the same time, it’s just like any other game. I’m going to go out there and do the best I can to hopefully get a win.”
(On if people back home talked about him playing in this game against the 49ers during the offseason)
“Not really. Especially because I played in college there. I played in front of my friends and family for so long now that it’s more normal that it is not. But, it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun to be back there and be back in the Bay Area and be able to see all those people for sure.”
(On if he feels pressure any more so than normal)
“No. All the games are on national television. They’re all the same.”
(On what his mindset was last year when he was inactive against the 49ers in Week 1)
“You guys keep wanting to talk about last year, man. We’re done with that. We’re onto this year. Last year was a whole different deal and this year is exciting. We’re excited to get after it this week and excited to go play the 49ers this Thursday.”
(On what he thinks he’s going to be facing when he looks at the 49ers defensive front)
“Yeah. You know, they’ve drafted really well upfront defensively and have consistently for the last few years with (DL Arik) Armstead, you know (DL DeForest) Buckner and the guy they just got with (DL Solomon) Thomas this past year, so those two guys from Oregon are big guys that I’ve played in the past. They do get their hands up and have the ability to knock passes down. It really does make it difficult at times, so it’s something that we’ve got to be aware of. But, at the same time, we’re going to treat them like any other defense and do our thing. As long as we execute, we feel pretty confident in what we can do.”
(On what he sees from the 49ers’ secondary)
“They’re good. We played them last year so I have some experience with some of the guys they’re returning. They’re good, they’re long. They’re long and have good ability to get across the field. They’ve got some big guys in the back half as well in the safeties and have the ability to come down hill pretty strong, so it’ll be a good game. You get guys that I’ve faced once in the past, so I have a little bit of experience with them, but they’ve all improved and it’ll be exciting to play them again.”
(On how the quick turnaround has impacted his preparation)
“I actually thought we got some really good work in today. We were talking about it, we almost get sometimes more mental work because we are on walk-thru and we are installing for so long and so much more mental meetings and so much slower on the field. We do get so much more mental work, so in that aspect, it’s much better. But, in the other aspect, if you want to get your timing right with the receivers and there are some new routes that you want to get with them and you can’t really do that with what we’re doing this week, that’s the downside. But I felt like we mentally we got some really, really good work in today and we were able to get a bunch of plays off.”
(On how QB Joe Montana became his idol as a child)
“Shoot, it was seven-years-old in Pop Warner and I had to pick my jersey number and it was either 12 or 16. My dad was saying, ‘Oh, Joe Montana is 16.’ I had no idea, I was seven and I was like, ‘Alright. I’ll wear 16.’ And just never left it. Then, as time went on, I obviously learned about Joe Montana and made it even more special.”
(On if he has ever had the chance to meet Joe Montana)
“No I haven’t. No.”
(On if he was expecting to be on the same page with his receiving corps this early in the season)
“Yeah, I think so. I think we do a good job of getting different guys involved. I think that’s part of the offense, is spreading it around and you don’t really have one guy that goes for 120 catches, usually, I don’t think in this offense from what I’ve seen. I think the guys have been extremely unselfish and extremely disciplined in what they’re doing, because that’s what gets themselves open and as long as they continue to get open I’ll do my best to get them the ball. So far, they’ve done a really good job and I’ve been pleased with them.”
(On the uniforms for Thursday night’s game)
“Yeah, the jerseys are cool. They’re obviously all yellow so it can be a little bit bright on the eyes, but it’ll be fun. It’ll be exciting, it’ll be my first time wearing the uniform and It’ll be cool.”
(On when the USC-Cal trash talk begins with former Trojans on the Rams roster)
“Oh, it’s began. It began Saturday night when we beat Ole Miss. We went to 3-0. We play them at home up there in Berkley and it’ll be a fun one. It’ll be a really good one. (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers) Joe Barry, our linebackers coach and big SC guy, we talk about how much we’re going to put on it. No, it’s fun.”
(On if he’s going to make it to the USC-Cal game)
“I’m not. No.”
(On why the Joe Roth game is so important to Cal)
It’s exciting. I mean, the Joe Roth game is a really cool thing. It’s always vs the UCLA or USC team at home. And Joe Roth, obviously means so much to the school and so much to Cal Football and it’s a special game. I know the guys will be ready and they’ll have those new uniforms on, it’ll be cool.”
RB Todd Gurley
(On how pleased he is with how quickly the team is bouncing back in such a short period of time)
“I’m not pleased with the loss we had, but that’s the good thing about a short week. You lose and you got to get ready for the other game so you know we just put that behind us. It’s more of a mental week since it’s such a short week and guy’s are still sore. Today’s usually our day off. So, I felt like we did a good job of coming in, gathering a lot of information today – long meetings. Coaches haven’t really been getting any sleep and we’ve been on the go just trying to learn San Fran, obviously we know them, but having a new defensive coordinator this year. I felt we just did a great job today, just locking in and just going out there and just doing what the coaches told us to do.”
(On new things he’s noticed from the 49ers defense)
“I mean obviously their front seven are just big physical, you got (DL DeForest) Buckner and (No.) 99 (DL Arik) Armstead. They’re not your average D-linemen – they’re guys that are 6’7, 270, so you know, long arm guys. Have one of the best linebackers in the league in (LB) NaVorro (Bowman) and (LB) Ray-Ray (Armstrong) beside him and obviously (LB) Reuben (Foster) – I’m not sure if he’s playing or not. But they’ve been flying around to the ball this year, you can definitely tell that for sure. They played Seattle pretty tough at Seattle which is pretty damn hard to do. Obviously we haven’t beat them in the last three tries, so they’re 0-2 so they’re going to be looking for their first win and we’re going to be looking for our first road win and division win, so it’s just something we’re going to have to take care of for sure.”
(On if he anticipates the 49ers’ focus will be on stopping him, similarly to last season)
“Last year when we came up there, they stopped everything. We didn’t get it going, but it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, everybody knows (Packers QB) Aaron Rodgers or (Lions QB) Matthew Stafford are going to throw the ball 50 times, but can you stop them from throwing touchdowns. Everybody knows Dallas (Cowboys) is going to run the ball, but can you stop them. At the end of the day, they know what we’re going to do and we know what they’re going to do. It’s about winning 1-on-1 match-ups and going out there and out-whipping your dude more than he does you.”
(On his play where he hurdled the defender in the Washington game)
“It was cool. It would’ve been better if we weren’t out there fumbling and I would’ve won. It was cool, but it’s a lot better when you win.”
(On if he credits being good at hurdling defenders to his days of running hurdlers in track)
“I don’t know. It just, I don’t know why I do it. It just happens. I don’t really plan on doing it. It just happens and guess I still got a little form left in me.”
(On what contributes to him getting into a rhythm and a flow during games)
“Just coaches. They’re doing a pretty good job and obviously last game we didn’t do a pretty good job of staying on the field and trying to get everybody in the rhythm. You know that’s the one thing, don’t really care about me. If we’re all in the rhythm together, whether they’re giving me the ball, or giving (WR) Cooper (Kupp) the ball, or giving (WR) Sammy (Watkins) the ball. So it’s still early but we’ve been improving, been able to put points on the board so that’s a start from there. And you know, we just got to care of the little things, with the penalties and turnovers to stop hurting ourselves.”
(On if he expects there to be more eyes on him in the backfield from the 49ers defense)
“I don’t think more eyes can be on me than it already is. (laughs) I don’t really know what to say about that but I’m pretty sure that coaches are going to do a good job of stopping the run. If you can stop the run, then 9 times out of 10 you’re probably going to win the game – other than the turnover battle. (Head) Coach (Sean) McVay’s been doing a great job of finding different ways to get me the ball, so I’m just doing my job and trying to go out there and execute.”
(On the Ram’s color rush uniforms)
“I love it. Last year they cheated us on the color rush, so we actually got to go back to…last time we wore those color rushes it was a good night for us. So hopefully it’ll be another good one.”
(On why he loves the color rush uniforms)
“It’s just something different. Obviously just generic jerseys every game for us anyway, because we wear the white jersey’s every game now. (laughs) So it’s like we get to wear something different other than the throwback colors, but it’s just cool man. Seeing Detroit (Lions) have it yesterday and we just like it. It just brings a little bit more swag to the game.”
(On him developing as a receiver in the backfield and if there’s anything new in terms of his expanded role)
“No. Just (Head) Coach (Sean) McVay’s philosophy is he doesn’t care if it’s me, (TE Tyler) Higbee, (WR) Tavon (Austin) – if you can do the route and you can prove that you can do it consistently or whatever that is – he’s going to find a way to get you the ball. I felt like I did pretty good job of just this off-season of just buying in and trying to learn the receiver position or just the little things. Because, like I said, if I can just play 1-on-1 with a guy instead of 11 guys trying to tackle me then, why wouldn’t I do that. So, just been trying to buy in with that and just do what the coaches tell me.”
(On if he’s aware of how his play in the Washington game where he hurdled the defender is consistently highlighted on sports talk television shows and social media)
“Oh yeah, it’s cool man. It’s just like, ‘Aw, you suck!’, you know they show that play a 1,000 times so when you finally do a good play like I did the other day, it makes you feel a lot better. (laughs) I don’t know how I did it, just did it man. But hopefully, I can just keep doing that or obviously they’re probably going to be expecting that now so, guess I got to come out with a new move now.”