Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay talks about his first impressions of the Seattle Seahawks' season so far. Offensive lineman Rob Havenstein and inside linebacker Omar Speights discuss quarterback Matthew Stafford's confidence impacting the offense and defense.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Sean, do you have an update on Davante and
(00:02):
any other injuries you guys dealt with less.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I don't yet. I haven't had a chance to get
with Reggie.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Guys are kind of still trickling in and out, and so,
you know, I was, you know, just talking to DeVante
after the game yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Seemed to be in good spirits, but.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Like kind of like last week, which I appreciate you
guys patience with me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'll have more updates on Wednesday when we reconnect.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
After the game, you said that you that it looks
like Matthew's playing confidently and which ways does that show
up for you?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Well, I think the decision making. I think the ability
to get us in and out of the huddle. I mean,
I think it's reflected in a lot of instances on
every single snap, and every single snap has a different story,
but you know, I think in a lot of instances,
just the way that he's able to manage and navigate
throughout the course of the game. I thought, what was
really cool is that he leads us on three touchdown
(00:50):
drives to start the game. You know, we have the
three and out, then we have a you know, kind
of a two minute type of sequence where you know,
I thought I got a little bit of aggressive and
and then I thought, you know, we kind of settled
back down, and then I thought he regained total command
and control of the game in the second half. And
in a lot of instances, what I thought was great was,
you know, they did a great job of cutting into
(01:11):
a one possession game on two separate occasions. After you
go up twenty one to nothing, you know, they cut
it to twenty one fourteen, then they cut it to
twenty eight twenty, which was a great play by Verse
to block the extra point. But on each of those sequences,
Matthew leads us on touchdown drives, you know, some of
the checks. You know, there's just so many different things.
I could go on and on, Sarah, but I think
it's the overall command, the confidence, the way that he's
(01:34):
getting different people involved, in the way at which he
is getting through progressions or getting the ball where it's
supposed to be based on what the defensive structures elicit.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And you know, I think you guys kind of all
see that as well.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I know you're not actually in the huddle, but either
from talking to some of Matthew's teammates or just from
what you can see, DeVante's explained us that even in
really tense moments, got to have it. He's Matthew's very
calm in the huddle. What do you see about kind
of his presence and how that affects his teammates.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, that's who he is, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I think you in a lot of instances, you take
on the personality of your leader.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
And I think, you know, with him leading the way.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I think, the toughness, the poise, the enjoyment for celebrating
others or just competing, I think that's becoming a lot
of instances, the identity of this football team. And I
think that largely stems from his leadership and his positive
influence and impact on others.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
But I do.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Appreciate, you know, being able to kind of listen to
his communication, whether it's in micd up moments or even
in practice. You know where you know Mike Lafleur will
will kind of send it in and I can kind
of be in closer proximity to the huddle.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
And so that's been who he always is.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
And I just think his vibe gives a confidence and
a command because you know.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
You're kind of looking at him, and he instills a.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Belief that you know, we've got a good chance with
him leading the way.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And then have you guys made a decision about kicker
for this week?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah? You know. Here's what's good is number one.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I think the first thing I want to acknowledge is
how much appreciation I have for Alex Ward's contributions to us.
We've done a really good job over these last few
years and couldn't have handled himself with more class and
just been really that that to me impressed me about him.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
We let him go this morning.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Jake will be our long snapper. As far as the kickers,
we feel really fortunate. I have a lot of belief
in Josh Cardy. I think he's a guy that's gonna
have an incredibly bright future. We're going to continue to
work with him, but in the meantime we will continue
to go with mevs as our kicker.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
And so did a good job going six for six
on the extra points. I was pleased with that.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
But Josh is, you know, again, similar to Alex, Josh
has been a pro about it. He's going to continue
to get better. I think the future is really bright
for him and he'll be.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
On the roster.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
He just will not be kicking against Seattle unless something
unforeseen happens to Mevas, thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
You're welcome, Stu.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
His Shan.
Speaker 6 (04:00):
The you know, selflessness of the team that you were
asked about postgame the other day, feels like the tight
end room especially really encapsulates that. Just I know, obviously
that probably plays a big part in you being able
to do the things you've done, especially in thirteen personnel,
But just what stands out about that group and their
selflessness and just the overall personality of that room.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I think that I think what you just said.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
You know, the thing that I think I love as
much as anything about this team is the and DeVante
talked to you guys a little bit about it after
the game, which is so cool to me, is the
genuine enjoyment for other successes.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You guys can see behind me.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
You know, we talk about the work, you know, with
the wee part of it, and we use acronyms to teach,
but you know, like the enjoyment of other successes, you know,
the enjoyment of the challenges or some of the moments
that you know, being able to persevere through adversity, and
I think that group epitomizes it still, you know, and
how happy they get for one another.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You know, it was really cool for Kolbe to be able.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
To get one yesterday, the general Davis Allen coming up
with one. Higgs makes his plays, ferg makes his plays.
But you know, they've just got a great vibe. Their
coach has a great vibe too. You know, Scooter huff
is an excellent football coach. He's a great teacher, he's
a great coach. But I think he's got kind of
a disposition and a personality that really brings out the
(05:17):
best in those guys. And you know, I love that group,
but I love this team, and I think in a
lot of ways they encapsulate a lot of the cool
shit that this team's about.
Speaker 6 (05:26):
And then at running back, it was a more even
split between Kyron and Blake. I know there are a
lot of factors that go into that. Was does that
signal any change in roles or competition at all? Or
is that more just dictated by the looks the forty
nine ers were giving in the flow of the game.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Oh no, it's we got two backs we feel great about.
You know, kien is the lead dog. But I think
you know, when you look at it, I think our
skilled players have done an excellent job of you know,
no skill player played more than thirty nine snaps. I
want to say yesterday Kyron had thirty nine. I think
kolbe at thirty nine. And so when these guys are
really able to maximize it, you know, but Blake an
excellent job.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
They're both going to play.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I think we're at our best when you're getting tight ends,
receivers and multiple backs involved. We've got great depth, we
got a lot of confidence and all these guys. Kyen's
is starting running back. But man, I got a ton
of confidence in Blake Korm. He's only getting better. And
this is a way of really just being able to
say this is going to be better for Kiren throughout
the course of seventeen games and if you're in the
right to play after. I think Blake has done a
(06:24):
great job. And you know, ron Gould does a really
good job with that group as a whole, and shoot,
if Ronnie needed to get in there, there's a lot
of confidence in Ronnie. But no changes, nothing like that.
I just think the coaches have done an excellent job
of being able to you know, have a rotation that's
in alignment with maximizing you know, the total group, whether
that's Yarbor, Shielhouse and Rob Calbery's with the receivers, whether
(06:46):
that's Scooter with the tight ends, or whether that's Ron
Gould with the runners. You know, and I've really been
pleased with the way that Ryan Windell and Zach Kromer
and Brian Allen have developed the depth of our offensive line.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
You know, knock on wood, we've been able to stay
relatively healthy.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
But you've seen just indeed each play you've seen Bo
Limmera have to play.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Uh, you've seen war mc clennon do a good job.
But I just love the depth of this group.
Speaker 7 (07:08):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah you got it.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Gear.
Speaker 8 (07:12):
Hey Sean, any is there any part of you yesterday
when with with a new kicker with MeVis where you
were getting into situations where you think, let's take let's
let them have a shot at a field goal just
to get hit that out of the way or yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Not not not during the game, you know, because you know,
like I would say this, the last drive that we had,
if we didn't get once we got kind of in
scoring position, you know, you talk about all right, do
you on if you if it comes up to a
fourth down where they kind of jumped off sides or
you know, if we weren't able to get that first
down that allowed us to be able to take a knee,
do you try to get some work for that operation.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
You talk about it, but you're always.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Balancing, you know, your work for also, you know, I
I just think, you know, the classy way to be
able to handle these things, and so talked about it.
It wasn't something so yes, I did think about it,
but we ultimately weren't gonna do it. But yes, that
thought did cross my mind, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
To answer your question.
Speaker 8 (08:13):
The Seahawks, I know you're gonna start diving into them
later this throughout the week, but first impressions of what
they're doing up there.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, sure you mentioned it, you know, Gary kind of
the rhythm is as soon as I finish up with
you guys. But there is complete of team as I've seen,
you know, just from Afar and we've had some crossover film.
But you know, i'd be probably you know, a little
bit out of timing to really dive into it. But
I do know that they're excellent in all three phases,
and uh, it's gonna be a great challenge.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
And this is what you love about this league. And
you know, we'll we'll we'll.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Be ready to go and we'll be excited about our
week of preparation. But complete excellent and all three phases
got great coaching, great personnel, great schemes. So you know
what your what you're looking for, they got, which is
why they're considered one of the best teams, if not
the best team in the league right now.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And we're excited about the challenge.
Speaker 8 (09:08):
When when you came over, you know, initially from Washington,
if I recall, you had a pretty good reputation for
working with tight ends.
Speaker 9 (09:17):
And now you've got four of them.
Speaker 8 (09:18):
I mean, what's that like for you as a guy
who kind of cut his teeth as a play caller,
you know with Washington.
Speaker 9 (09:24):
Uh, to now have four of them at your disposal.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Uh, you know, I think you know the thing that's
cool is it always starts with the players. You know,
everybody wants to make a big narrative, but you just
said it. I'm glad you asked it. The only reason
you can do it is because you have four players
that are capable of doing it, and Tyler Higbee and
Kolby Parkerson, Davis Allen and Terrence Ferguson.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
And then you got a coach who does a great
job with that group.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
And they're smart, they're conscientious, they can play all the
spots and it's it's awesome. You know, I did cut
my teeth, you know, as a tight end coach, Gary,
you know, it was it was.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I was very fortunate to be around some great players,
you know, like the Chris cooleies, Fred Davis, Logan Paulson
was one of my all time favorites, you know, working
with Jordan Reed and Niles Paul so Fernon Davis before I,
you know, the last couple of years. So it was
a lot of fun and it does bring back some
good memories. This league is cyclical, This game is cyclical,
but it's about it's about those four individuals that we
(10:24):
do have and you know, and the coaches have done
a good job of putting together plans. I give Micha
Lafleur and our offensive staff a ton of credit.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
Thanks very much.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
You're welcome.
Speaker 10 (10:34):
What hey, Sean Matthew's been super productive against the Blitz
over the last couple of weeks and really all season.
What makes him, you know, so able to you know,
dissect those blitzes and nowhere to go with.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
The ball you just said it, you know, to be
able to understand, all right, where are my quick element
throws if I need it?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
What are the outlets?
Speaker 3 (10:55):
What are the issues that they're presenting from a protection
and from a coverage contour perspective, But a guy that's
in command, you know, and and I think that's a
big part of it, and you know, before we get
into it, better be ready to handle that stuff this week.
But he's been awesome and it's not exclusive to against
the Blitz. He's been pretty damn good in all phases.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You know, and we're really lucky to be able to
have him lead the way.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
But you know, I think you kind of answered it
with your question wide in terms of recognizing it, deciphering it,
and then understanding what kind of kind of response is
elicited based on you know, what the defense presents from
a pressure from a protection, you know, and how we
need to straighten things up, and then ultimately what they're
doing coverage wise behind it and where the voids and
(11:39):
vacancies are presented if you are going to rush more
than four.
Speaker 10 (11:44):
And you know, despite that success that he's had, teams
seem to, you know, be bringing a lot of pressure regardless.
You know, from your perspective, you know what, why do
you think teams are continuing to do that?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Well?
Speaker 3 (11:56):
I think in a lot of the situations, you know,
some of the numbers get skewed where people play heavy
box counts, and I'd be interested to see exactly, you know,
what the stat is in terms of you know, you
get into some of those tight red areas, you know
that's always going to be considered blitz once you're inside
the five. And when he said, a lot of those
touchdown passes, so you know, there's certain situations that arise
throughout the course of the game where that is kind
(12:18):
of a universal approach or a consistent theme that you
see within the framework of each of the defensive identities.
So I think he's handling the different situations where blitzers
are more likely to occur really well over the last
handful of weeks, and he's handled the other situations where
maybe that's not.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
As prevalent really well also.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
But I think it's as I think, it's really just
a reflection of the you know, the complete.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Body of work that he's had. Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 11 (12:45):
Man, Adam Sean. What did you think of Matthews shimmy yesterday?
And what does that tell you about just kind of
his level of enjoyment right now?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I loved it.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
It was swaggy, it was authentic, and it is unscripted.
You know, we'll have to compare him in Steph. Steph
looks a little looser and in his shoulder shimmy, but
we referenced him a lot in this building with the
respect and reverence, and you know, I've gotten to be
friends with Steve Kerr and so being back in the
Bay Area that might have been a little tip of
the cap to old Steph. But I thought it looked
(13:18):
awesome and it's a great job by him being able
to hit kolbe first fourth.
Speaker 11 (13:22):
Of the day Darius twelve snaps yesterday. Is he's still
kind of playing through that shoulder?
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I think, you know, I think he was.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
You know the answer is probably so where maybe not
quite back up to you know, full speed. Felt like
having him up, even in a limited capacity, was better.
You mentioned it, you know, Forbes and d Kobe took
the majority of the workload.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
That's a physical game.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
He did a nice job with the twelve snaps that
he did have, but that was why it was reflected
in a little bit lesser workload, and we'll hopefully continue
to see that grow a little bit while we maximize
the depth of that group that we have.
Speaker 11 (13:56):
You've talked a lot the last eight months or so
just about how much Cooper is meant to you personally,
But what role did he play in helping to develop
the offense and culture that you were building early in
your tenure here.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, I mean an instrumental role, you know. I mean
you think about when.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
I think seen is better than said, and when you
talk about a guy that you know represented a lot
of the things that have been right that we want
to be able to abide by.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You know, Cooper did that on a day to day basis,
and it wasn't.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
You know, he knew when to be able to speak
up at the right time, but it was through his
work and he modeled the way, and I think that's
really cool. He's got incredible competitive character, He's got incredible
you know, just competitive stamina, and work capacity, you know,
and then who he.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Is as a human being.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
You guys know from getting to know him, what a
special human he was, and there's a certain type of person.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
We want different personalities.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
I think that's what's beautiful about the collection of people
that come together for a football team. But I do
think that when people are thrust into leadership roles, there's
a certain example and there's a certain standard that just
becomes kind of you.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Know, what the norms are and what's expected.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
And he's elevated a lot of people in this building.
I think he'd be the first to tell you got
a chance to really learn from some great guys when
he first came in, whether that was the way that
he and Robert Woods kind of took over that room,
and even watching you know, Brandon Cooks, watching the way
Whitworth led, and then how he organically and authentically just
kind of grew into you know, a guy that was
(15:19):
a captain every single year that you know, was consistently
impacting and influencing positive change.
Speaker 11 (15:25):
I know you've coached a lot of hooched against a
lot of former players, but it's gonna be weird to
just be game planning and seeing him on tape this week.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Yeah, it's it's happened a lot. You know, there's there's
a lot of love. You know, I think this is
about the Rams versus the Seahawks, but you don't deny,
and you're not naive to what this guy's meant to
the franchise, you know, And and his rookie year coincides
with the first year that I was fortunate enough to
get here. So there's a lot of touch points. There's
a lot of love, and so I think you definitely
(15:54):
acknowledged that. But at the end of the day, you
still do have a job and a responsibility the collective
and you know, going to do the best that we
can to try to be able to slow Seattle down,
you know, whether that's offensively, defensively or in the kicking game.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
And you know, he looked good yesterday.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
I saw he had two you know, big catches, the
one that he you know, great run after the catch,
and you know, we'll see if we can prevent things
like that from happening.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Thanks Sean, you got it man.
Speaker 12 (16:18):
Eric Hey, Sean, thanks for doing this as always.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Of course you.
Speaker 12 (16:24):
Mentioned you haven't dove into the tape in terms of
you know the Seahawks and what they're doing this year,
but this is the third time you're going to face
some Mike McDonald defense as the head coach of the Seahawks.
Is there an overarching theme in terms of his approach
on defense and how does that differ from what they
did when Pete was there?
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Well, yeah, I mean, the the overall just foundational philosophies
are different, but they were both sound defenses that are
predicated on physicality, a style of play, being able to
do things fundamentally that are in alignment with consistency over time.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
You know, there he he.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Does a great job, you know, going against him in Baltimore,
what I think you see is what I always respect
when I go against people, is all right, there's a
style of play, there's a way that their group plays
that he's checking that box. And then there's an understanding
of the intent of what you're trying to get done.
I can see an intent of understanding how to disrupt
what the offense is trying to get done, whether that's
on fifty to fifty downs, whether that's on you know,
(17:22):
heavier pass down situations. There's a coordination, there's a collaboration
between all three levels. There's getting guys in favorable opportunities
and situations that accentuate their skill sets. So all the
things that I hold in high regard, that dictates and
I list it's a tough defense to go against in
a well coached and a well coordinated outfit. Mike McDonald's
(17:43):
checking the box on it. You know, Ad and Dirday
does a great job. You know, they're they're really well coached.
They got great players on all three levels, and I
think they use them in a manner that always makes
you feel like you're on your heels offensively, and you know,
and we're looking forward to the challenge.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
I can't wait. Thanks coach, you got it, Dennis the
Maria coach.
Speaker 13 (18:04):
When you when your team get out on top of
an opponent the way you did yesterday against the forty
nine ers, how does that dictate uh, your your schemes
for the rest of the game.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Well, I give them credit. I thought they did a
good job of staympatient. You know, I think you know
how good that team is. It's a great atmosphere and environment.
You know, there's there's gonna be ebbs and flows throughout
the game, and so credit to them. For being able
to cut it to a two possession game and then
ultimately a one possession game with their first drive of
the second half.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
But I love the way that our group responded.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I thought we had some key stops, but to be
able to play complimentary ball, you know, I think we've
seen that each of the last few weeks.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Few weeks which you.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Know, when you jump out to a lead, but then
it's about being able to sustain it and strain through
those sixty minutes or if you've got to play after that.
But to go three and out defensively right off the jump,
you know, offensively, to go score for our for the
defense and for our defense to get the three and
out stop, great job. And then the offense goes and
scores again, you know. And then for land Man when
they have a good positive play, to be able to
(19:05):
play through the echo of the whistle, get the punch
out and then Kitch ends up getting the recovery to
allow us to be able to go up three scores
was big. And then I thought later on, we got
some key stops, but it's big for the momentum. You
want to be able to start fast, finished strong, and
ultimately sustain throughout the middle parts of the game, and
there's always going to be things that we can improve on.
And I think the growth that we still think can
(19:27):
be had with this group is what's fun about, you know,
continuing to seek that out.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
And we got the right kind of guys that are.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Inspired to be able to grow and you know, stay
humble through some of the success, but also you know,
stay stay hungry and understand that you know, it's about
being able to go like this in the follow up.
Speaker 13 (19:43):
Last year, you guys were coming out of finding to
get out of a deficit.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
Now you're playing here.
Speaker 9 (19:49):
What's been the key for your team this season?
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Well, I think, you know, I think ultimately the players
and coaches have done a great job. You know, I
think the players have brought stuff to life. I do
think that, you know, some of those scars that we've had,
whether it's a tough loss against Philly or against San France,
has strengthened us because we have the right kinds of people.
So I've loved that. I think we've been able to
stay healthier. You know, there is an element of you know,
health is a factor. We've we've been healthier. I think
(20:13):
we have some more depth this year, you know. But
but at the end of the day, you know, this
is our players have done an excellent job of being
able to take what the coaches are trying to communicate
and give them clarity. And they've brought these plans to
life and and they're building and they're growing, and they're
continuing to come together. And they love playing together. They
love playing for one another, and they love the challenges
that every single week presents. And this week will be
(20:35):
a continuation of that. But I really enjoy this group
and you know, not necessarily interested in what's happened before,
but you know, how do we be totally and completely
present and have a great week this week? But it
has been fun through the first nine games, uh, because
of the people you're doing it with.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
Thank you, coach, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Maria Hey, Sean Hey, Maria.
Speaker 14 (20:55):
Quick one for you. The calm that you talk about
with Matthew Stafford in the huddle, you look at somebody
like MeVis who had never kicked in an NFL game
before that does the calm kind of rub off on
the players or how do you sort of rein in
all the excitement for somebody like him who it was
his first time.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Yeah, I think, you know, I think you just give
him a confidence and a belief and I think, you know,
he had some good experiences that he could draw on,
you know, going back to his career at Missouri or
even in the UFL. And you know, so I think
I think each of these guys have an understanding. I
think you talk about, you know, what is required for
you to get into the mindset of mentality for you
to be able to execute your job. And what's required
(21:34):
of a quarterback and a kicker is going to be
different than versus.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
B y on the edges or you know, a running back.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
And so what's so unique about football is I think
there's different demeanors, dispositions, and mindsets and mentalities, but there
is a consistent thing theme that exists between all of those.
There's there's a poise, there's an ability to be able
to reload and reset one snap at a time, you know.
And the kicking thing is a little bit different because
it's about, you know, being able to consistently replicate that
(22:01):
with the surrounding factors. And thought he did a heck
of a job going six for six, And.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
I think, you know, I think Matthews.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
You know, demeanor does rub off on a lot of guys,
but I think it's whatever's required. I think part of
that is our job as a coach is to help
them be able to find that and identify that for
themselves as well.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 12 (22:20):
Appreciate you coach.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
When you're in the huddle with Matthew, how would you
describe his demeanor?
Speaker 5 (22:29):
Uh? Panicked? Yeah, he just a guy doesn't know what's
going on.
Speaker 15 (22:32):
He just seems kind of not in the moment, you know,
kind of aloof Uh no, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 16 (22:37):
Uh.
Speaker 15 (22:37):
You know Matthews the uh you know, he's he's the
ultimate competitor. But when he talks, like whenever he's ripping
off some of these play calls, which are a lot
of words, you can tell it's like it's just it's
just muscle memory at this point. And like, you know what,
when he gets in there, whether it's loud or you
know we can hear him or can't hear him or
or anything like that, like you can tell just his
(22:59):
command of the off and I think it it just
kind of has a calming effect on everyone. Beck listening
right this guy has dialed into whatever he's doing. He's
you know, the ultimate professional, and it's just kind of
the way he's been h going about his whole career.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
You guys haven't had to come back in a lot
of games this season, but in the past, it's something
he's done very well in his career. Do you feel
that since of calm you were talking about, especially in
those moments?
Speaker 15 (23:26):
Yeah, absolutely. You know I always go back to that
kind of last driving the super Bowl. You know, it's just,
you know, everything kind of starts with him, and just
the way the way he calls plays, the way he
gets in gets out, kind of gives low reminders on
you know, whether it's formationally or what's supposed to happen
in the play.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Everything just kind of comes off as so.
Speaker 15 (23:47):
Natural where it's, uh, you know, it's you don't really
have a choice but to kind of just calm down
and like, all right, listen, what do I have on
this play? What's my assignment, what's my job, what's by
technique and then try to go execute it to the
best the ability.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
You see him have fun this year, maybe more than
an others.
Speaker 15 (24:02):
Oh yeah, absolutely, you know I think he's feeling good
and you know he's out there and you know he
loves kind of you know, talking his his version of
smack and the way he gets after it and just
you know, he just plays with an enthusiasm that it's
you know, it just kind of reps off on him.
Was like, man, this is a fun thing. You know,
we're out here playing a kids game for you know,
for a reason. I think he's a you know, definitely
(24:23):
one of the one of the only guys I want
to do it with.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
How do you describe his version of smack?
Speaker 15 (24:29):
You're gonna have to ask him, but it's a you know,
it's it's it's just very in the moment. Whatever he
sees coming, whether it's you know, a little shimmy, you know,
you know, a chest pound or whatever it is. You know,
whatever he's feeling at the moment, it just comes out.
Speaker 11 (24:43):
Thank you, Adam, Sianna, Robb's got this, Rob. How does
it feel to no longer be the last Saint Louis Ram?
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Yeah, feels good. Neil, It's definitely.
Speaker 15 (24:57):
Uh, it was definitely good to see uh, you know,
see Jake and the building and you know, kind of
brought back a lot of memories.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
But you know it was it was definitely good to
have him back.
Speaker 11 (25:06):
You had a big clean up block on the screen
to Puka there in the second quarter. Looked like no
issues with ankle on that one. Just kind of how
are you feeling after being back for a couple of weeks?
Speaker 5 (25:15):
Yeah, feel good.
Speaker 15 (25:16):
You know, I think if you asked anybody on a
Monday after a Sunday night game, you know you're always
going to have your little nicks and bruises, but you know,
nothing a sauna and nicoletel can't fix. And you know
we'll be, you know, back out there for a practice,
you know, just working on getting better and better. And
I think with the player referencing, if you go watch
Higbe's block, I think he was taking two guys out
(25:36):
with one. I just happened to be stumbled my way forward,
so it kind of looked like I did a lot,
but it was mainly just Higby.
Speaker 11 (25:45):
There was a clip that went around before Cooper moved
to Seattle of you and several teammates out there at
the warehouse saying goodbye to him on his last workout
before the move, Like what do you remember about kind
of the scene that day, and just kind of the
emotions of it.
Speaker 15 (26:01):
Uh so his last day, I actually was not there.
That was that was God think Coleman and Tyler and
a couple other boys.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
But you know, just.
Speaker 15 (26:12):
It's never seeing goodbye, obviously, but it's you know, obviously
things happen in this league, and you know, guys go,
you know, different places in their career, and so I'm
always going to be a you know, a huge Cooper
Cup fan either way, and so you know, I want
to see him succeed as as as much as he can.
Maybe not as much this next week, but you know
it'll be uh, it'll be great to see him.
Speaker 7 (26:33):
On days like this.
Speaker 11 (26:33):
Do you try to go out of your way to
go make sure you see him before the game or
you wait for after the game? Like how do you
kind of manage you know that those type of reunions.
Speaker 15 (26:43):
Yeah, No, it's you know, I think it's it's business
as usual, as I think as I'm you know, sure,
he's he's going about his you know, his process in
preparation for this game, and you know, I think a
lot of us are going to be you know, doing
that and then after the game it'll be all hugs
and smiles. And great sea and uh, you know him
and you know his family, So it's nothing. But I
(27:05):
think it's you know, business as usual. Thanks from Yep,
Thanks Doe.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Rob.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
A couple of weeks ago, you know, when you came
back from injury, you got the chance to reach your
family on the field pre game. Just what was that
like and just in general, you know, being back after
you know, being sidelined for as long as you were.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
Yeah, no, it was.
Speaker 15 (27:29):
Especially that game is you know, traffic was a little worse,
so they got to the stadium a little later, and
so usually at that time, I'm kind of already in
there and I just hadn't seen him yet, so you know,
she was like, should I still come down? I was like, yeah,
come on down. Uh, you know, it's like at least
say hi to everybody. And they came out in the
little you know, all the matching dresses and it was
you know, obviously super cute and that's, you know, to me,
what it's all about. And so for them to kind
(27:49):
of come down on the field and say hi and
you know, kind of share a moment and it was
pretty cool to have that, uh have that captured and
you know, I it's it's it's something we do every
home game.
Speaker 6 (27:59):
So when we talked to Sean when you were going
through that rehab process, he kind of indicated that you
were you were honest with him about you know, return
to performance versus return to play just as much of
a competitor as you are and as much as you
want to be out there. Like, how difficult was that
for you in terms of just being transparent and having
those conversations.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
Yeah, it's tough.
Speaker 15 (28:19):
You know, I kind of everything in this league and
you know kind of raised and talked to you know,
kind of maybe hold some of that back. But it was,
if anything, it's just a testament to you know, the
environment Sean has created about like listen, I can, I
can be open and honest with you, and that's something
that he preaches. But you know, maybe it's maybe it's
a hard thing to do, but you know I was.
(28:43):
I know Sean's got you know, got my back, you know,
food thick and thin, and you know we've been we've
been at this a long time, me and him. So
I was just you know, completely honest with him about
how it was feeling mentally, physically, spiritually, whatever, you know,
whatever it need be and I think, you know, we
all kind of came up with the best possible plan
to get out there and to play the best ball.
Speaker 6 (29:01):
Appreciate you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Yeah, thanks to what arab.
Speaker 10 (29:06):
Matthew has been super productive against the blitz this year,
and you guys have obviously given him the time in
the pocket to do that. You know, what would you
say has been the key to the offensive line as
a whole, you know, picking up those blitzers successfully.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Number one, it starts with communication.
Speaker 15 (29:22):
I think comes through our center of Colvin, Shelton and
Matthew having a you know, absolute ownership of everything, you know,
whether we're right or wrong on on what we adjust.
I say, we like I'm having anything to do that.
I'm just listening for calls and I haven't understanding what's
going on. At the end of the day, it's between
the center and the quarterback getting this right.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
And they've been, you.
Speaker 15 (29:43):
Know, spot on the whole year, and so a lot
of that's just preparation during the week and going over it.
And same thing with Matthew. Collin plays and Coleman studying
blitzes and just as Matthew does, and so they're on
the same page, they know what's going on, and you know,
that's kind of number one the biggest thing, making sure
everybody's on the same page.
Speaker 10 (30:05):
And does having a veteran quarterback back there and a
line that's you know, played with him before, you know,
across the board help you guys understand you know, the
timing of each individual play and how much time you
guys need to give him.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 15 (30:19):
Absolutely, you know, especially you know the nature of offensive line.
You know, our back is to him, So we just
have to have an understanding or a feel or kind
of know where he's going to be where he wants
to be. Some players are going to be a little
a little deeper, some players a little shallower. Some plays
obvious they're running, you know, pulling up whatever it is.
So it's it just goes into your uh, you know,
(30:42):
your your study, your film study, and then just overall
just experience with the guy about like on certain plays,
on a certain situations, does he want to hang back,
step up late, step up early? Obviously you know some
thing's happened on the football field where it's not going
to be perfect the whole time. But you know, there's
there's nobody better than Matthew to have, you know, standing
behind just slaying that thing, especially.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
The way he's going right now.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 9 (31:06):
Yep, Gary, Rob, you're commanding this video conference like Stafford
commands the huddle.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
It sounds like that's right.
Speaker 8 (31:14):
I got it, you know, with what you said about
being out and how you handled that here at the
midpoint of the season. In retrospect, was that maybe a
little bit of a blessing in disguise in terms of
your ability to stay healthy and feel good through the
rest of the season.
Speaker 15 (31:35):
Yeah, you know, I think there's always a silber line
in things. You know, obviously I don't want to have
to miss those uh was it three games? Three games,
four weeks of the bye week right there? But you know,
you make the you make the best of the situation
you have in front of you. I didn't think I
could go out there and you know, perform well enough
for the uh, for those weeks. We kind of gave
(31:56):
it the the best possible chance to go out, you know,
go out there and kind of get things right. And
then with the you know, the short week, but Thursday
night and then two more games until the bye week,
it just kind of, I guess made more more sense
even though that was probably the you know, one of
the harder parts is, you know, I hate hate being
out there or not out there with the boys out
there when they're grinding, hurting on Monday morning.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
And so.
Speaker 15 (32:20):
Whether it is a blessing or not, it's what happens.
So we're, uh, we're focused on what's coming up next.
Speaker 9 (32:27):
And then what's it like playing next to Kevin Dotson.
Speaker 15 (32:31):
Oh that's awesome. I love dot That is a he's
a big personality. He's a big man. He's uh, you know,
he's a stud. There's there's just you know, that's the
absolutely easiest way.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
To put it. He's a.
Speaker 15 (32:48):
I mean, he's a big man. He's you know, he's
a big strong man. You know, he moves through techniques
and that's kind of the you know, the kind of
running joke about, you know, with me and Colvin. Ye
got about k dot where it's you know, maybe you
know up and goes on and we're just will kind
of put our hands up and be like, hey, listen,
this man still boves three techniques.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
I have to get off his back right now. But
you know it's awesome.
Speaker 15 (33:08):
He's a you can you know, you really tell he's
kind of stepping in and you know, identifying fronds as
we're walking up, so we're all kind of communicating the
same way. And he's out there having fun with it.
And he's just a big, strong, physical presence and you know,
one of the funniest guys on the team. So it's
Al's been having next to next to me. Thanks very much,
Thanks here.
Speaker 11 (33:29):
All right, Thanks guys, appreciate Hey O mar, thanks for
doing this today.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 11 (33:35):
Sure, you know, you guys had a good day against
Christian McCaffrey the first time around, but how nice was
said to be able to limit him in the run
and actually get to enjoy it on the film watch
today after a win.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Uh, it was good.
Speaker 17 (33:51):
It's always good, you know this we've been prouding ourselves
on really like these past couple really like this whostseason
just uh being good against the run, you know, making
teams one dimensional. So but a back like him especially
it's in a team like that is definitely it feels
good to know, like, you know, we we help them
(34:13):
to again under a hunt.
Speaker 11 (34:17):
What would you say is the biggest difference for you
guys and run defense this year?
Speaker 17 (34:24):
I think last year towards the end of the year,
we kind of sound like, kind of found who we
were and like the run like run defense game kind
of found like how we like to play off each
other and stuff like that. And I just think like
throughout the off season and then into this training camp
and in this season, we kind of perfected on you know,
(34:45):
how we play off on one another on the first, second,
and third level.
Speaker 7 (34:48):
So I think it's really just.
Speaker 11 (34:51):
That Yesterday Davis Allen was talking about how he can
kind of feel Matthews energy and impact even on the defense.
I'm curious, like how you guys feel his energy kind
of rub off on your side of the ball.
Speaker 17 (35:09):
Uh yeah, It's it's like, you know, you you got
a chance for you win the ball in nine hands,
you know.
Speaker 7 (35:15):
So it's just you know, having.
Speaker 17 (35:18):
A quarterback like that on your team, like it's always
just a boost. Like it's just a boost, like you
just know, like you always got a chance, Like no matter.
Speaker 11 (35:27):
What, how strange is it going to be, you know,
preparing and then in the moment getting run blocks from
Cooper Cup on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
I think it's going to be. I mean, I was
only with Coop for a year, so I think it'll
be for other guys that have been winning for so long.
Speaker 7 (35:49):
I think it'll be.
Speaker 17 (35:49):
Kind of like weird and kind of you know, they
kind of might have like a little like.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
I don't even know how to explain it, just like
a kind of like a.
Speaker 17 (36:02):
Not a bittersweet moment, but just like fast back to
like dang like he used to be with us, you know.
But I think it'll be fun, you know, just being
able to you know, compete against him, you know, and
it's all love for him no matter what.
Speaker 7 (36:16):
Thanks so much.
Speaker 6 (36:20):
Yeah, Hey, Mark, just where do you feel like you've
grown the most, you know, in your two and and
how has that you know, shown up for you on
the field this year.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
I'd probably say I think I've grown the most and
really just.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Kind of like my.
Speaker 7 (36:45):
Like my patience and my poise.
Speaker 17 (36:46):
Is just you know, just you know, keep keeping the process.
Just kind of like let in the process, let everything
just come to me. You know, I'm not chasing anything,
not something like not trying to choke like the opportunity
or anything out, just like kind of like letting things
come to me, letting things flow and stuff like that,
(37:06):
and just you know, just being present each and every
I don't only each and every game, but like just
each and every snack.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
You mentioned, you know, playing off of one another. What's
it like playing off of or hasn't been like playing
off of Nick Whammon in particular? What's he brought to
the you know, middle of the defense playing alongside.
Speaker 17 (37:26):
You amazing, like his energy and his juice. You know,
it's it's like it's nothing like it, to be honest,
And it's just like we just kind of got like
a it's just so natural between us and how we
just play off each other. Like some plays, I might
be fast and he might be slower and playoff of me.
Or like some plays he might be fast and I
just play off of him and we might just make
(37:50):
each other right on one play, or it might just
like it just all be coming together, and it's just
it's just crazy, like the kind of the chemistry that
we got.
Speaker 7 (37:57):
And then just you know, just you.
Speaker 17 (37:59):
Could tell like the energy that he bring and you know,
like Landman punch and stuff like that.
Speaker 7 (38:04):
It's been good.
Speaker 17 (38:04):
It's been amazing to play against play well, play on
side of him.
Speaker 6 (38:09):
You mentioned those instincts, but what about the communication between
you guys as well? I mean as much as there's
like that natural intuition that you guys have at times
on the field. Like what stands out about the communication
between you two.
Speaker 7 (38:23):
There's really good communication.
Speaker 17 (38:25):
Like I think we both kind of like smart smart
ball players, so like we kind of and in different
situations we kind of think like okay, like like what
we think coming here or something like that, or you know,
even if it's kind of like things throughout the week
that's that we've been.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
You guys can hear me yep, okay, even just things throughout.
Speaker 17 (38:48):
The week, you know, end game that you know, we
just reminded each other about, like hey, watch out for this,
watch out for that.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
And then even like.
Speaker 7 (38:57):
Like post snap and stuff like that.
Speaker 17 (38:59):
Just the just a communication with like different pushes and
coverages or anything like that, or you know, just what
we're seeing and stuff like that. It's been it's been
real good.
Speaker 7 (39:09):
Thank you appreciate the time.
Speaker 8 (39:11):
Yeah, well I'll jump in there, Omart, Thanks, thanks for
thanks for doing this.
Speaker 5 (39:23):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (39:24):
Yeah, uh we know this got this call got pushed
back a little bit, uh because I think.
Speaker 9 (39:30):
You were getting a massage.
Speaker 8 (39:32):
I'm just wondering what have you learned in you know
here your midpoint of season two in terms of taking
care of your body, and if is that any different
than last year or if you taking steps to kind
of put some things in place that will help you,
you know, weather a full season as a starter.
Speaker 17 (39:52):
Yeah, I think I'm really like last year, I kind
of perfected like just like my routine and my schedule,
like especially towards the end.
Speaker 7 (40:01):
Of the year.
Speaker 17 (40:03):
So I think like this year, I've really just been
keeping like the same scheduling routine, maybe like adding like
a little things here and there, but just keeping that
same scheduling routine. Uh, you know, stretching, sauna, cold tub,
hot tub. That the hot tub and cold tub is
one thing that I added because last year I ain't
doing it at all, but this year I added it in,
(40:26):
you know.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
So that's been good for me.
Speaker 17 (40:28):
And the massages too, you know, just keeping my body fresh,
you know, helping my body, helping my body turn over
as fast as possible, as soon as possible.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
That's been you know, just the focus for me for
like from week to week.
Speaker 9 (40:44):
We were talking about Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 8 (40:46):
You guys have played backs like Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor,
the Seahawks. At least looking at their stat sheet from Sunday,
it looks like they do it a little bit more
by committee, not necessarily a kind of a superstar running back.
But in terms of your preparation for a team like
this that doesn't necessarily have that one marquee guy, how
(41:07):
does how does that work? How is that different than
maybe how you prep for a guy like McCaffrey.
Speaker 17 (41:14):
Yeah, I think when you prep prepp for guys like
McCaffrey and different things like that, you might you might
have a couple of things like scheme wise that you
kind of different adjustments and stuff like that. But I think,
like overall, I think just the approach that not only
I take, but I think just you know, our whole
defense take is to you know, like respect upon it.
(41:35):
You know, watch film and you know, know their tendencies
and know what they like to do, you know, try
to you know, get beat some formations and stuff like that.
But I think a lot of it is, you know,
just focusing on ourselves, you know, throughout the week, making
sure we practice in the right way, taking care of
our bodies the right way, and just studying and opponent
the right way. And you know, as long I feel
(41:56):
like I think everybody will say this is I just
feel like, as long as we show up how we're
supposed to show up and play that you play the
way that we're supposed to show up, you know. I
just think that you know, things that go down the
way that we want them to.
Speaker 5 (42:10):
Thanks very much.
Speaker 7 (42:11):
Yeah, and then we'll rap with Sarah Yah.
Speaker 18 (42:16):
I'm just curious.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Have you ever tried to punch the ball out, either
during practice or a game?
Speaker 17 (42:20):
Yeah, Like, I so like I'll be especially like this year,
you see Layman doing it all the time, so like
I do it, like like you try to emulate that
and stuff like that.
Speaker 7 (42:34):
And then but sometimes I just like I just like
getting like big hits.
Speaker 17 (42:39):
So like sometimes I just you know, I just like
putting my paths on people. Sometimes I've been I've been
trying to be more cognizant about throwing the punch.
Speaker 7 (42:47):
In with with with the hit too.
Speaker 17 (42:50):
So hopefully hopefully I get I get I give one
or two, you know, just uh coming up soon.
Speaker 18 (42:56):
What's the challenge of the timing on that and getting
that right.
Speaker 17 (43:05):
It's pretty challenging, Like I think it looks easier than
it actually is.
Speaker 16 (43:09):
But like, like especially if it's just like you on
the tackle, approaching the like the carrier, and then having
that focus to like stay on the back hip and
see the ball and punch accurately at the same time.
Speaker 17 (43:25):
I think it's a pretty good skill that he got,
and I think he's been perfecting it for a while,
so it's not easy.
Speaker 18 (43:34):
What kind of Obviously a turnover, forcing a turnover is
a big deal for any team, but what kind of
I guess when you see it happen multiple times for
Nate getting a turnover that way, what kind of does
that do for the defense and for the team.
Speaker 17 (43:49):
I think it just brings an energy, Like it just
light people up, not only because of like the turnover itself,
but like like you see it come to life, like
you see just like he punching at it all the time,
or he might be talking about a lot, I'm gonna
get one and stuff like that, and like there's been
times where he said like we're gonna get on this
game or we're gonna get on this drive and then
(44:10):
he gonna get one.
Speaker 7 (44:10):
You know. So it's I think.
Speaker 17 (44:12):
It just brings an energy, you know, and a life
to like the whole defense and just it just turned
everybody up to be honest awesome.
Speaker 18 (44:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (44:21):
Yeah, alrighty all set, thanks so more. Yeah, appreciate y'all.
Hey, Sean, do you have an update on Davante and
(00:02):
any other injuries you guys dealt with less.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I don't yet. I haven't had a chance to get
with Reggie.
Speaker 3 (00:06):
Guys are kind of still trickling in and out, and so,
you know, I was, you know, just talking to DeVante
after the game yesterday.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Seemed to be in good spirits, but.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
Like kind of like last week, which I appreciate you
guys patience with me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I'll have more updates on Wednesday when we reconnect.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
After the game, you said that you that it looks
like Matthew's playing confidently and which ways does that show
up for you?
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Well, I think the decision making. I think the ability
to get us in and out of the huddle. I mean,
I think it's reflected in a lot of instances on
every single snap, and every single snap has a different story,
but you know, I think in a lot of instances,
just the way that he's able to manage and navigate
throughout the course of the game. I thought, what was
really cool is that he leads us on three touchdown
(00:50):
drives to start the game. You know, we have the
three and out, then we have a you know, kind
of a two minute type of sequence where you know,
I thought I got a little bit of aggressive and
and then I thought, you know, we kind of settled
back down, and then I thought he regained total command
and control of the game in the second half. And
in a lot of instances, what I thought was great was,
you know, they did a great job of cutting into
(01:11):
a one possession game on two separate occasions. After you
go up twenty one to nothing, you know, they cut
it to twenty one fourteen, then they cut it to
twenty eight twenty, which was a great play by Verse
to block the extra point. But on each of those sequences,
Matthew leads us on touchdown drives, you know, some of
the checks. You know, there's just so many different things.
I could go on and on, Sarah, but I think
it's the overall command, the confidence, the way that he's
(01:34):
getting different people involved, in the way at which he
is getting through progressions or getting the ball where it's
supposed to be based on what the defensive structures elicit.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
And you know, I think you guys kind of all
see that as well.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I know you're not actually in the huddle, but either
from talking to some of Matthew's teammates or just from
what you can see, DeVante's explained us that even in
really tense moments, got to have it. He's Matthew's very
calm in the huddle. What do you see about kind
of his presence and how that affects his teammates.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, that's who he is, you know.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I think you in a lot of instances, you take
on the personality of your leader.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
And I think, you know, with him leading the way.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
I think, the toughness, the poise, the enjoyment for celebrating
others or just competing, I think that's becoming a lot
of instances, the identity of this football team. And I
think that largely stems from his leadership and his positive
influence and impact on others.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
But I do.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
Appreciate, you know, being able to kind of listen to
his communication, whether it's in micd up moments or even
in practice. You know where you know Mike Lafleur will
will kind of send it in and I can kind
of be in closer proximity to the huddle.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
And so that's been who he always is.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
And I just think his vibe gives a confidence and
a command because you know.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
You're kind of looking at him, and he instills a.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Belief that you know, we've got a good chance with
him leading the way.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
And then have you guys made a decision about kicker
for this week?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah? You know. Here's what's good is number one.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
I think the first thing I want to acknowledge is
how much appreciation I have for Alex Ward's contributions to us.
We've done a really good job over these last few
years and couldn't have handled himself with more class and
just been really that that to me impressed me about him.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
We let him go this morning.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Jake will be our long snapper. As far as the kickers,
we feel really fortunate. I have a lot of belief
in Josh Cardy. I think he's a guy that's gonna
have an incredibly bright future. We're going to continue to
work with him, but in the meantime we will continue
to go with mevs as our kicker.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
And so did a good job going six for six
on the extra points. I was pleased with that.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
But Josh is, you know, again, similar to Alex, Josh
has been a pro about it. He's going to continue
to get better. I think the future is really bright
for him and he'll be.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
On the roster.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
He just will not be kicking against Seattle unless something
unforeseen happens to Mevas, thank you.
Speaker 4 (03:56):
You're welcome, Stu.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
His Shan.
Speaker 6 (04:00):
The you know, selflessness of the team that you were
asked about postgame the other day, feels like the tight
end room especially really encapsulates that. Just I know, obviously
that probably plays a big part in you being able
to do the things you've done, especially in thirteen personnel,
But just what stands out about that group and their
selflessness and just the overall personality of that room.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I think that I think what you just said.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
You know, the thing that I think I love as
much as anything about this team is the and DeVante
talked to you guys a little bit about it after
the game, which is so cool to me, is the
genuine enjoyment for other successes.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You guys can see behind me.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
You know, we talk about the work, you know, with
the wee part of it, and we use acronyms to teach,
but you know, like the enjoyment of other successes, you know,
the enjoyment of the challenges or some of the moments
that you know, being able to persevere through adversity, and
I think that group epitomizes it still, you know, and
how happy they get for one another.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
You know, it was really cool for Kolbe to be able.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
To get one yesterday, the general Davis Allen coming up
with one. Higgs makes his plays, ferg makes his plays.
But you know, they've just got a great vibe. Their
coach has a great vibe too. You know, Scooter huff
is an excellent football coach. He's a great teacher, he's
a great coach. But I think he's got kind of
a disposition and a personality that really brings out the
(05:17):
best in those guys. And you know, I love that group,
but I love this team, and I think in a
lot of ways they encapsulate a lot of the cool
shit that this team's about.
Speaker 6 (05:26):
And then at running back, it was a more even
split between Kyron and Blake. I know there are a
lot of factors that go into that. Was does that
signal any change in roles or competition at all? Or
is that more just dictated by the looks the forty
nine ers were giving in the flow of the game.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Oh no, it's we got two backs we feel great about.
You know, kien is the lead dog. But I think
you know, when you look at it, I think our
skilled players have done an excellent job of you know,
no skill player played more than thirty nine snaps. I
want to say yesterday Kyron had thirty nine. I think
kolbe at thirty nine. And so when these guys are
really able to maximize it, you know, but Blake an
excellent job.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
They're both going to play.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
I think we're at our best when you're getting tight ends,
receivers and multiple backs involved. We've got great depth, we
got a lot of confidence and all these guys. Kyen's
is starting running back. But man, I got a ton
of confidence in Blake Korm. He's only getting better. And
this is a way of really just being able to
say this is going to be better for Kiren throughout
the course of seventeen games and if you're in the
right to play after. I think Blake has done a
(06:24):
great job. And you know, ron Gould does a really
good job with that group as a whole, and shoot,
if Ronnie needed to get in there, there's a lot
of confidence in Ronnie. But no changes, nothing like that.
I just think the coaches have done an excellent job
of being able to you know, have a rotation that's
in alignment with maximizing you know, the total group, whether
that's Yarbor, Shielhouse and Rob Calbery's with the receivers, whether
(06:46):
that's Scooter with the tight ends, or whether that's Ron
Gould with the runners. You know, and I've really been
pleased with the way that Ryan Windell and Zach Kromer
and Brian Allen have developed the depth of our offensive line.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
You know, knock on wood, we've been able to stay
relatively healthy.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
But you've seen just indeed each play you've seen Bo
Limmera have to play.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Uh, you've seen war mc clennon do a good job.
But I just love the depth of this group.
Speaker 7 (07:08):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah you got it.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Gear.
Speaker 8 (07:12):
Hey Sean, any is there any part of you yesterday
when with with a new kicker with MeVis where you
were getting into situations where you think, let's take let's
let them have a shot at a field goal just
to get hit that out of the way or yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
Not not not during the game, you know, because you know,
like I would say this, the last drive that we had,
if we didn't get once we got kind of in
scoring position, you know, you talk about all right, do
you on if you if it comes up to a
fourth down where they kind of jumped off sides or
you know, if we weren't able to get that first
down that allowed us to be able to take a knee,
do you try to get some work for that operation.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
You talk about it, but you're always.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Balancing, you know, your work for also, you know, I
I just think, you know, the classy way to be
able to handle these things, and so talked about it.
It wasn't something so yes, I did think about it,
but we ultimately weren't gonna do it. But yes, that
thought did cross my mind, you know.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
To answer your question.
Speaker 8 (08:13):
The Seahawks, I know you're gonna start diving into them
later this throughout the week, but first impressions of what
they're doing up there.
Speaker 3 (08:24):
Yeah, sure you mentioned it, you know, Gary kind of
the rhythm is as soon as I finish up with
you guys. But there is complete of team as I've seen,
you know, just from Afar and we've had some crossover film.
But you know, i'd be probably you know, a little
bit out of timing to really dive into it. But
I do know that they're excellent in all three phases,
and uh, it's gonna be a great challenge.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
And this is what you love about this league. And
you know, we'll we'll we'll.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Be ready to go and we'll be excited about our
week of preparation. But complete excellent and all three phases
got great coaching, great personnel, great schemes. So you know
what your what you're looking for, they got, which is
why they're considered one of the best teams, if not
the best team in the league right now.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And we're excited about the challenge.
Speaker 8 (09:08):
When when you came over, you know, initially from Washington,
if I recall, you had a pretty good reputation for
working with tight ends.
Speaker 9 (09:17):
And now you've got four of them.
Speaker 8 (09:18):
I mean, what's that like for you as a guy
who kind of cut his teeth as a play caller,
you know with Washington.
Speaker 9 (09:24):
Uh, to now have four of them at your disposal.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Uh, you know, I think you know the thing that's
cool is it always starts with the players. You know,
everybody wants to make a big narrative, but you just
said it. I'm glad you asked it. The only reason
you can do it is because you have four players
that are capable of doing it, and Tyler Higbee and
Kolby Parkerson, Davis Allen and Terrence Ferguson.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
And then you got a coach who does a great
job with that group.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
And they're smart, they're conscientious, they can play all the
spots and it's it's awesome. You know, I did cut
my teeth, you know, as a tight end coach, Gary,
you know, it was it was.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
I was very fortunate to be around some great players,
you know, like the Chris cooleies, Fred Davis, Logan Paulson
was one of my all time favorites, you know, working
with Jordan Reed and Niles Paul so Fernon Davis before I,
you know, the last couple of years. So it was
a lot of fun and it does bring back some
good memories. This league is cyclical, This game is cyclical,
but it's about it's about those four individuals that we
(10:24):
do have and you know, and the coaches have done
a good job of putting together plans. I give Micha
Lafleur and our offensive staff a ton of credit.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
Thanks very much.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
You're welcome.
Speaker 10 (10:34):
What hey, Sean Matthew's been super productive against the Blitz
over the last couple of weeks and really all season.
What makes him, you know, so able to you know,
dissect those blitzes and nowhere to go with.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
The ball you just said it, you know, to be
able to understand, all right, where are my quick element
throws if I need it?
Speaker 2 (10:54):
What are the outlets?
Speaker 3 (10:55):
What are the issues that they're presenting from a protection
and from a coverage contour perspective, But a guy that's
in command, you know, and and I think that's a
big part of it, and you know, before we get
into it, better be ready to handle that stuff this week.
But he's been awesome and it's not exclusive to against
the Blitz. He's been pretty damn good in all phases.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You know, and we're really lucky to be able to
have him lead the way.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
But you know, I think you kind of answered it
with your question wide in terms of recognizing it, deciphering it,
and then understanding what kind of kind of response is
elicited based on you know, what the defense presents from
a pressure from a protection, you know, and how we
need to straighten things up, and then ultimately what they're
doing coverage wise behind it and where the voids and
(11:39):
vacancies are presented if you are going to rush more
than four.
Speaker 10 (11:44):
And you know, despite that success that he's had, teams
seem to, you know, be bringing a lot of pressure regardless.
You know, from your perspective, you know what, why do
you think teams are continuing to do that?
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Well?
Speaker 3 (11:56):
I think in a lot of the situations, you know,
some of the numbers get skewed where people play heavy
box counts, and I'd be interested to see exactly, you know,
what the stat is in terms of you know, you
get into some of those tight red areas, you know
that's always going to be considered blitz once you're inside
the five. And when he said, a lot of those
touchdown passes, so you know, there's certain situations that arise
throughout the course of the game where that is kind
(12:18):
of a universal approach or a consistent theme that you
see within the framework of each of the defensive identities.
So I think he's handling the different situations where blitzers
are more likely to occur really well over the last
handful of weeks, and he's handled the other situations where
maybe that's not.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
As prevalent really well also.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
But I think it's as I think, it's really just
a reflection of the you know, the complete.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Body of work that he's had. Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 11 (12:45):
Man, Adam Sean. What did you think of Matthews shimmy yesterday?
And what does that tell you about just kind of
his level of enjoyment right now?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
I loved it.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
It was swaggy, it was authentic, and it is unscripted.
You know, we'll have to compare him in Steph. Steph
looks a little looser and in his shoulder shimmy, but
we referenced him a lot in this building with the
respect and reverence, and you know, I've gotten to be
friends with Steve Kerr and so being back in the
Bay Area that might have been a little tip of
the cap to old Steph. But I thought it looked
(13:18):
awesome and it's a great job by him being able
to hit kolbe first fourth.
Speaker 11 (13:22):
Of the day Darius twelve snaps yesterday. Is he's still
kind of playing through that shoulder?
Speaker 2 (13:28):
I think, you know, I think he was.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
You know the answer is probably so where maybe not
quite back up to you know, full speed. Felt like
having him up, even in a limited capacity, was better.
You mentioned it, you know, Forbes and d Kobe took
the majority of the workload.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
That's a physical game.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
He did a nice job with the twelve snaps that
he did have, but that was why it was reflected
in a little bit lesser workload, and we'll hopefully continue
to see that grow a little bit while we maximize
the depth of that group that we have.
Speaker 11 (13:56):
You've talked a lot the last eight months or so
just about how much Cooper is meant to you personally,
But what role did he play in helping to develop
the offense and culture that you were building early in
your tenure here.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, I mean an instrumental role, you know. I mean
you think about when.
Speaker 3 (14:13):
I think seen is better than said, and when you
talk about a guy that you know represented a lot
of the things that have been right that we want
to be able to abide by.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You know, Cooper did that on a day to day basis,
and it wasn't.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
You know, he knew when to be able to speak
up at the right time, but it was through his
work and he modeled the way, and I think that's
really cool. He's got incredible competitive character, He's got incredible
you know, just competitive stamina, and work capacity, you know,
and then who he.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Is as a human being.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
You guys know from getting to know him, what a
special human he was, and there's a certain type of person.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
We want different personalities.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
I think that's what's beautiful about the collection of people
that come together for a football team. But I do
think that when people are thrust into leadership roles, there's
a certain example and there's a certain standard that just
becomes kind of you.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Know, what the norms are and what's expected.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
And he's elevated a lot of people in this building.
I think he'd be the first to tell you got
a chance to really learn from some great guys when
he first came in, whether that was the way that
he and Robert Woods kind of took over that room,
and even watching you know, Brandon Cooks, watching the way
Whitworth led, and then how he organically and authentically just
kind of grew into you know, a guy that was
(15:19):
a captain every single year that you know, was consistently
impacting and influencing positive change.
Speaker 11 (15:25):
I know you've coached a lot of hooched against a
lot of former players, but it's gonna be weird to
just be game planning and seeing him on tape this week.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
Yeah, it's it's happened a lot. You know, there's there's
a lot of love. You know, I think this is
about the Rams versus the Seahawks, but you don't deny,
and you're not naive to what this guy's meant to
the franchise, you know, And and his rookie year coincides
with the first year that I was fortunate enough to
get here. So there's a lot of touch points. There's
a lot of love, and so I think you definitely
(15:54):
acknowledged that. But at the end of the day, you
still do have a job and a responsibility the collective
and you know, going to do the best that we
can to try to be able to slow Seattle down,
you know, whether that's offensively, defensively or in the kicking game.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
And you know, he looked good yesterday.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
I saw he had two you know, big catches, the
one that he you know, great run after the catch,
and you know, we'll see if we can prevent things
like that from happening.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Thanks Sean, you got it man.
Speaker 12 (16:18):
Eric Hey, Sean, thanks for doing this as always.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Of course you.
Speaker 12 (16:24):
Mentioned you haven't dove into the tape in terms of
you know the Seahawks and what they're doing this year,
but this is the third time you're going to face
some Mike McDonald defense as the head coach of the Seahawks.
Is there an overarching theme in terms of his approach
on defense and how does that differ from what they
did when Pete was there?
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Well, yeah, I mean, the the overall just foundational philosophies
are different, but they were both sound defenses that are
predicated on physicality, a style of play, being able to
do things fundamentally that are in alignment with consistency over time.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
You know, there he he.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Does a great job, you know, going against him in Baltimore,
what I think you see is what I always respect
when I go against people, is all right, there's a
style of play, there's a way that their group plays
that he's checking that box. And then there's an understanding
of the intent of what you're trying to get done.
I can see an intent of understanding how to disrupt
what the offense is trying to get done, whether that's
on fifty to fifty downs, whether that's on you know,
(17:22):
heavier pass down situations. There's a coordination, there's a collaboration
between all three levels. There's getting guys in favorable opportunities
and situations that accentuate their skill sets. So all the
things that I hold in high regard, that dictates and
I list it's a tough defense to go against in
a well coached and a well coordinated outfit. Mike McDonald's
(17:43):
checking the box on it. You know, Ad and Dirday
does a great job. You know, they're they're really well coached.
They got great players on all three levels, and I
think they use them in a manner that always makes
you feel like you're on your heels offensively, and you know,
and we're looking forward to the challenge.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
I can't wait. Thanks coach, you got it, Dennis the
Maria coach.
Speaker 13 (18:04):
When you when your team get out on top of
an opponent the way you did yesterday against the forty
nine ers, how does that dictate uh, your your schemes
for the rest of the game.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
Well, I give them credit. I thought they did a
good job of staympatient. You know, I think you know
how good that team is. It's a great atmosphere and environment.
You know, there's there's gonna be ebbs and flows throughout
the game, and so credit to them. For being able
to cut it to a two possession game and then
ultimately a one possession game with their first drive of
the second half.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
But I love the way that our group responded.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
I thought we had some key stops, but to be
able to play complimentary ball, you know, I think we've
seen that each of the last few weeks.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Few weeks which you.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Know, when you jump out to a lead, but then
it's about being able to sustain it and strain through
those sixty minutes or if you've got to play after that.
But to go three and out defensively right off the jump,
you know, offensively, to go score for our for the
defense and for our defense to get the three and
out stop, great job. And then the offense goes and
scores again, you know. And then for land Man when
they have a good positive play, to be able to
(19:05):
play through the echo of the whistle, get the punch
out and then Kitch ends up getting the recovery to
allow us to be able to go up three scores
was big. And then I thought later on, we got
some key stops, but it's big for the momentum. You
want to be able to start fast, finished strong, and
ultimately sustain throughout the middle parts of the game, and
there's always going to be things that we can improve on.
And I think the growth that we still think can
(19:27):
be had with this group is what's fun about, you know,
continuing to seek that out.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
And we got the right kind of guys that are.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Inspired to be able to grow and you know, stay
humble through some of the success, but also you know,
stay stay hungry and understand that you know, it's about
being able to go like this in the follow up.
Speaker 13 (19:43):
Last year, you guys were coming out of finding to
get out of a deficit.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
Now you're playing here.
Speaker 9 (19:49):
What's been the key for your team this season?
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Well, I think, you know, I think ultimately the players
and coaches have done a great job. You know, I
think the players have brought stuff to life. I do
think that, you know, some of those scars that we've had,
whether it's a tough loss against Philly or against San France,
has strengthened us because we have the right kinds of people.
So I've loved that. I think we've been able to
stay healthier. You know, there is an element of you know,
health is a factor. We've we've been healthier. I think
(20:13):
we have some more depth this year, you know. But
but at the end of the day, you know, this
is our players have done an excellent job of being
able to take what the coaches are trying to communicate
and give them clarity. And they've brought these plans to
life and and they're building and they're growing, and they're
continuing to come together. And they love playing together. They
love playing for one another, and they love the challenges
that every single week presents. And this week will be
(20:35):
a continuation of that. But I really enjoy this group
and you know, not necessarily interested in what's happened before,
but you know, how do we be totally and completely
present and have a great week this week? But it
has been fun through the first nine games, uh, because
of the people you're doing it with.
Speaker 5 (20:50):
Thank you, coach, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
Maria Hey, Sean Hey, Maria.
Speaker 14 (20:55):
Quick one for you. The calm that you talk about
with Matthew Stafford in the huddle, you look at somebody
like MeVis who had never kicked in an NFL game
before that does the calm kind of rub off on
the players or how do you sort of rein in
all the excitement for somebody like him who it was
his first time.
Speaker 3 (21:14):
Yeah, I think, you know, I think you just give
him a confidence and a belief and I think, you know,
he had some good experiences that he could draw on,
you know, going back to his career at Missouri or
even in the UFL. And you know, so I think
I think each of these guys have an understanding. I
think you talk about, you know, what is required for
you to get into the mindset of mentality for you
to be able to execute your job. And what's required
(21:34):
of a quarterback and a kicker is going to be
different than versus.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
B y on the edges or you know, a running back.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
And so what's so unique about football is I think
there's different demeanors, dispositions, and mindsets and mentalities, but there
is a consistent thing theme that exists between all of those.
There's there's a poise, there's an ability to be able
to reload and reset one snap at a time, you know.
And the kicking thing is a little bit different because
it's about, you know, being able to consistently replicate that
(22:01):
with the surrounding factors. And thought he did a heck
of a job going six for six, And.
Speaker 2 (22:06):
I think, you know, I think Matthews.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
You know, demeanor does rub off on a lot of guys,
but I think it's whatever's required. I think part of
that is our job as a coach is to help
them be able to find that and identify that for
themselves as well.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Thank you, You're welcome.
Speaker 12 (22:20):
Appreciate you coach.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Thanks guys.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
When you're in the huddle with Matthew, how would you
describe his demeanor?
Speaker 5 (22:29):
Uh? Panicked? Yeah, he just a guy doesn't know what's
going on.
Speaker 15 (22:32):
He just seems kind of not in the moment, you know,
kind of aloof Uh no, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 16 (22:37):
Uh.
Speaker 15 (22:37):
You know Matthews the uh you know, he's he's the
ultimate competitor. But when he talks, like whenever he's ripping
off some of these play calls, which are a lot
of words, you can tell it's like it's just it's
just muscle memory at this point. And like, you know what,
when he gets in there, whether it's loud or you
know we can hear him or can't hear him or
or anything like that, like you can tell just his
(22:59):
command of the off and I think it it just
kind of has a calming effect on everyone. Beck listening
right this guy has dialed into whatever he's doing. He's
you know, the ultimate professional, and it's just kind of
the way he's been h going about his whole career.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
You guys haven't had to come back in a lot
of games this season, but in the past, it's something
he's done very well in his career. Do you feel
that since of calm you were talking about, especially in
those moments?
Speaker 15 (23:26):
Yeah, absolutely. You know I always go back to that
kind of last driving the super Bowl. You know, it's just,
you know, everything kind of starts with him, and just
the way the way he calls plays, the way he
gets in gets out, kind of gives low reminders on
you know, whether it's formationally or what's supposed to happen
in the play.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Everything just kind of comes off as so.
Speaker 15 (23:47):
Natural where it's, uh, you know, it's you don't really
have a choice but to kind of just calm down
and like, all right, listen, what do I have on
this play? What's my assignment, what's my job, what's by
technique and then try to go execute it to the
best the ability.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
You see him have fun this year, maybe more than
an others.
Speaker 15 (24:02):
Oh yeah, absolutely, you know I think he's feeling good
and you know he's out there and you know he
loves kind of you know, talking his his version of
smack and the way he gets after it and just
you know, he just plays with an enthusiasm that it's
you know, it just kind of reps off on him.
Was like, man, this is a fun thing. You know,
we're out here playing a kids game for you know,
for a reason. I think he's a you know, definitely
(24:23):
one of the one of the only guys I want
to do it with.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
How do you describe his version of smack?
Speaker 15 (24:29):
You're gonna have to ask him, but it's a you know,
it's it's it's just very in the moment. Whatever he
sees coming, whether it's you know, a little shimmy, you know,
you know, a chest pound or whatever it is. You know,
whatever he's feeling at the moment, it just comes out.
Speaker 11 (24:43):
Thank you, Adam, Sianna, Robb's got this, Rob. How does
it feel to no longer be the last Saint Louis Ram?
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Yeah, feels good. Neil, It's definitely.
Speaker 15 (24:57):
Uh, it was definitely good to see uh, you know,
see Jake and the building and you know, kind of
brought back a lot of memories.
Speaker 5 (25:02):
But you know it was it was definitely good to
have him back.
Speaker 11 (25:06):
You had a big clean up block on the screen
to Puka there in the second quarter. Looked like no
issues with ankle on that one. Just kind of how
are you feeling after being back for a couple of weeks?
Speaker 5 (25:15):
Yeah, feel good.
Speaker 15 (25:16):
You know, I think if you asked anybody on a
Monday after a Sunday night game, you know you're always
going to have your little nicks and bruises, but you know,
nothing a sauna and nicoletel can't fix. And you know
we'll be, you know, back out there for a practice,
you know, just working on getting better and better. And
I think with the player referencing, if you go watch
Higbe's block, I think he was taking two guys out
(25:36):
with one. I just happened to be stumbled my way forward,
so it kind of looked like I did a lot,
but it was mainly just Higby.
Speaker 11 (25:45):
There was a clip that went around before Cooper moved
to Seattle of you and several teammates out there at
the warehouse saying goodbye to him on his last workout
before the move, Like what do you remember about kind
of the scene that day, and just kind of the
emotions of it.
Speaker 15 (26:01):
Uh so his last day, I actually was not there.
That was that was God think Coleman and Tyler and
a couple other boys.
Speaker 5 (26:08):
But you know, just.
Speaker 15 (26:12):
It's never seeing goodbye, obviously, but it's you know, obviously
things happen in this league, and you know, guys go,
you know, different places in their career, and so I'm
always going to be a you know, a huge Cooper
Cup fan either way, and so you know, I want
to see him succeed as as as much as he can.
Maybe not as much this next week, but you know
it'll be uh, it'll be great to see him.
Speaker 7 (26:33):
On days like this.
Speaker 11 (26:33):
Do you try to go out of your way to
go make sure you see him before the game or
you wait for after the game? Like how do you
kind of manage you know that those type of reunions.
Speaker 15 (26:43):
Yeah, No, it's you know, I think it's it's business
as usual, as I think as I'm you know, sure,
he's he's going about his you know, his process in
preparation for this game, and you know, I think a
lot of us are going to be you know, doing
that and then after the game it'll be all hugs
and smiles. And great sea and uh, you know him
and you know his family, So it's nothing. But I
(27:05):
think it's you know, business as usual. Thanks from Yep,
Thanks Doe.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Rob.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
A couple of weeks ago, you know, when you came
back from injury, you got the chance to reach your
family on the field pre game. Just what was that
like and just in general, you know, being back after
you know, being sidelined for as long as you were.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
Yeah, no, it was.
Speaker 15 (27:29):
Especially that game is you know, traffic was a little worse,
so they got to the stadium a little later, and
so usually at that time, I'm kind of already in
there and I just hadn't seen him yet, so you know,
she was like, should I still come down? I was like, yeah,
come on down. Uh, you know, it's like at least
say hi to everybody. And they came out in the
little you know, all the matching dresses and it was
you know, obviously super cute and that's, you know, to me,
what it's all about. And so for them to kind
(27:49):
of come down on the field and say hi and
you know, kind of share a moment and it was
pretty cool to have that, uh have that captured and
you know, I it's it's it's something we do every
home game.
Speaker 6 (27:59):
So when we talked to Sean when you were going
through that rehab process, he kind of indicated that you
were you were honest with him about you know, return
to performance versus return to play just as much of
a competitor as you are and as much as you
want to be out there. Like, how difficult was that
for you in terms of just being transparent and having
those conversations.
Speaker 5 (28:19):
Yeah, it's tough.
Speaker 15 (28:19):
You know, I kind of everything in this league and
you know kind of raised and talked to you know,
kind of maybe hold some of that back. But it was,
if anything, it's just a testament to you know, the
environment Sean has created about like listen, I can, I
can be open and honest with you, and that's something
that he preaches. But you know, maybe it's maybe it's
a hard thing to do, but you know I was.
(28:43):
I know Sean's got you know, got my back, you know,
food thick and thin, and you know we've been we've
been at this a long time, me and him. So
I was just you know, completely honest with him about
how it was feeling mentally, physically, spiritually, whatever, you know,
whatever it need be and I think, you know, we
all kind of came up with the best possible plan
to get out there and to play the best ball.
Speaker 6 (29:01):
Appreciate you, thank you.
Speaker 5 (29:02):
Yeah, thanks to what arab.
Speaker 10 (29:06):
Matthew has been super productive against the blitz this year,
and you guys have obviously given him the time in
the pocket to do that. You know, what would you
say has been the key to the offensive line as
a whole, you know, picking up those blitzers successfully.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Number one, it starts with communication.
Speaker 15 (29:22):
I think comes through our center of Colvin, Shelton and
Matthew having a you know, absolute ownership of everything, you know,
whether we're right or wrong on on what we adjust.
I say, we like I'm having anything to do that.
I'm just listening for calls and I haven't understanding what's
going on. At the end of the day, it's between
the center and the quarterback getting this right.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
And they've been, you.
Speaker 15 (29:43):
Know, spot on the whole year, and so a lot
of that's just preparation during the week and going over it.
And same thing with Matthew. Collin plays and Coleman studying
blitzes and just as Matthew does, and so they're on
the same page, they know what's going on, and you know,
that's kind of number one the biggest thing, making sure
everybody's on the same page.
Speaker 10 (30:05):
And does having a veteran quarterback back there and a
line that's you know, played with him before, you know,
across the board help you guys understand you know, the
timing of each individual play and how much time you
guys need to give him.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 15 (30:19):
Absolutely, you know, especially you know the nature of offensive line.
You know, our back is to him, So we just
have to have an understanding or a feel or kind
of know where he's going to be where he wants
to be. Some players are going to be a little
a little deeper, some players a little shallower. Some plays
obvious they're running, you know, pulling up whatever it is.
So it's it just goes into your uh, you know,
(30:42):
your your study, your film study, and then just overall
just experience with the guy about like on certain plays,
on a certain situations, does he want to hang back,
step up late, step up early? Obviously you know some
thing's happened on the football field where it's not going
to be perfect the whole time. But you know, there's
there's nobody better than Matthew to have, you know, standing
behind just slaying that thing, especially.
Speaker 5 (31:03):
The way he's going right now.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 9 (31:06):
Yep, Gary, Rob, you're commanding this video conference like Stafford
commands the huddle.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
It sounds like that's right.
Speaker 8 (31:14):
I got it, you know, with what you said about
being out and how you handled that here at the
midpoint of the season. In retrospect, was that maybe a
little bit of a blessing in disguise in terms of
your ability to stay healthy and feel good through the
rest of the season.
Speaker 15 (31:35):
Yeah, you know, I think there's always a silber line
in things. You know, obviously I don't want to have
to miss those uh was it three games? Three games,
four weeks of the bye week right there? But you know,
you make the you make the best of the situation
you have in front of you. I didn't think I
could go out there and you know, perform well enough
for the uh, for those weeks. We kind of gave
(31:56):
it the the best possible chance to go out, you know,
go out there and kind of get things right. And
then with the you know, the short week, but Thursday
night and then two more games until the bye week,
it just kind of, I guess made more more sense
even though that was probably the you know, one of
the harder parts is, you know, I hate hate being
out there or not out there with the boys out
there when they're grinding, hurting on Monday morning.
Speaker 5 (32:16):
And so.
Speaker 15 (32:20):
Whether it is a blessing or not, it's what happens.
So we're, uh, we're focused on what's coming up next.
Speaker 9 (32:27):
And then what's it like playing next to Kevin Dotson.
Speaker 15 (32:31):
Oh that's awesome. I love dot That is a he's
a big personality. He's a big man. He's uh, you know,
he's a stud. There's there's just you know, that's the
absolutely easiest way.
Speaker 5 (32:43):
To put it. He's a.
Speaker 15 (32:48):
I mean, he's a big man. He's you know, he's
a big strong man. You know, he moves through techniques
and that's kind of the you know, the kind of
running joke about, you know, with me and Colvin. Ye
got about k dot where it's you know, maybe you
know up and goes on and we're just will kind
of put our hands up and be like, hey, listen,
this man still boves three techniques.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
I have to get off his back right now. But
you know it's awesome.
Speaker 15 (33:08):
He's a you can you know, you really tell he's
kind of stepping in and you know, identifying fronds as
we're walking up, so we're all kind of communicating the
same way. And he's out there having fun with it.
And he's just a big, strong, physical presence and you know,
one of the funniest guys on the team. So it's
Al's been having next to next to me. Thanks very much,
Thanks here.
Speaker 11 (33:29):
All right, Thanks guys, appreciate Hey O mar, thanks for
doing this today.
Speaker 5 (33:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 11 (33:35):
Sure, you know, you guys had a good day against
Christian McCaffrey the first time around, but how nice was
said to be able to limit him in the run
and actually get to enjoy it on the film watch
today after a win.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Uh, it was good.
Speaker 17 (33:51):
It's always good, you know this we've been prouding ourselves
on really like these past couple really like this whostseason
just uh being good against the run, you know, making
teams one dimensional. So but a back like him especially
it's in a team like that is definitely it feels
good to know, like, you know, we we help them
(34:13):
to again under a hunt.
Speaker 11 (34:17):
What would you say is the biggest difference for you
guys and run defense this year?
Speaker 17 (34:24):
I think last year towards the end of the year,
we kind of sound like, kind of found who we
were and like the run like run defense game kind
of found like how we like to play off each
other and stuff like that. And I just think like
throughout the off season and then into this training camp
and in this season, we kind of perfected on you know,
(34:45):
how we play off on one another on the first, second,
and third level.
Speaker 7 (34:48):
So I think it's really just.
Speaker 11 (34:51):
That Yesterday Davis Allen was talking about how he can
kind of feel Matthews energy and impact even on the defense.
I'm curious, like how you guys feel his energy kind
of rub off on your side of the ball.
Speaker 17 (35:09):
Uh yeah, It's it's like, you know, you you got
a chance for you win the ball in nine hands,
you know.
Speaker 7 (35:15):
So it's just you know, having.
Speaker 17 (35:18):
A quarterback like that on your team, like it's always
just a boost. Like it's just a boost, like you
just know, like you always got a chance, Like no matter.
Speaker 11 (35:27):
What, how strange is it going to be, you know,
preparing and then in the moment getting run blocks from
Cooper Cup on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (35:39):
I think it's going to be. I mean, I was
only with Coop for a year, so I think it'll
be for other guys that have been winning for so long.
Speaker 7 (35:49):
I think it'll be.
Speaker 17 (35:49):
Kind of like weird and kind of you know, they
kind of might have like a little like.
Speaker 4 (35:58):
I don't even know how to explain it, just like
a kind of like a.
Speaker 17 (36:02):
Not a bittersweet moment, but just like fast back to
like dang like he used to be with us, you know.
But I think it'll be fun, you know, just being
able to you know, compete against him, you know, and
it's all love for him no matter what.
Speaker 7 (36:16):
Thanks so much.
Speaker 6 (36:20):
Yeah, Hey, Mark, just where do you feel like you've
grown the most, you know, in your two and and
how has that you know, shown up for you on
the field this year.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
I'd probably say I think I've grown the most and
really just.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Kind of like my.
Speaker 7 (36:45):
Like my patience and my poise.
Speaker 17 (36:46):
Is just you know, just you know, keep keeping the process.
Just kind of like let in the process, let everything
just come to me. You know, I'm not chasing anything,
not something like not trying to choke like the opportunity
or anything out, just like kind of like letting things
come to me, letting things flow and stuff like that,
(37:06):
and just you know, just being present each and every
I don't only each and every game, but like just
each and every snack.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
You mentioned, you know, playing off of one another. What's
it like playing off of or hasn't been like playing
off of Nick Whammon in particular? What's he brought to
the you know, middle of the defense playing alongside.
Speaker 17 (37:26):
You amazing, like his energy and his juice. You know,
it's it's like it's nothing like it, to be honest,
And it's just like we just kind of got like
a it's just so natural between us and how we
just play off each other. Like some plays, I might
be fast and he might be slower and playoff of me.
Or like some plays he might be fast and I
just play off of him and we might just make
(37:50):
each other right on one play, or it might just
like it just all be coming together, and it's just
it's just crazy, like the kind of the chemistry that
we got.
Speaker 7 (37:57):
And then just you know, just you.
Speaker 17 (37:59):
Could tell like the energy that he bring and you know,
like Landman punch and stuff like that.
Speaker 7 (38:04):
It's been good.
Speaker 17 (38:04):
It's been amazing to play against play well, play on
side of him.
Speaker 6 (38:09):
You mentioned those instincts, but what about the communication between
you guys as well? I mean as much as there's
like that natural intuition that you guys have at times
on the field. Like what stands out about the communication
between you two.
Speaker 7 (38:23):
There's really good communication.
Speaker 17 (38:25):
Like I think we both kind of like smart smart
ball players, so like we kind of and in different
situations we kind of think like okay, like like what
we think coming here or something like that, or you know,
even if it's kind of like things throughout the week
that's that we've been.
Speaker 4 (38:43):
You guys can hear me yep, okay, even just things throughout.
Speaker 17 (38:48):
The week, you know, end game that you know, we
just reminded each other about, like hey, watch out for this,
watch out for that.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
And then even like.
Speaker 7 (38:57):
Like post snap and stuff like that.
Speaker 17 (38:59):
Just the just a communication with like different pushes and
coverages or anything like that, or you know, just what
we're seeing and stuff like that. It's been it's been
real good.
Speaker 7 (39:09):
Thank you appreciate the time.
Speaker 8 (39:11):
Yeah, well I'll jump in there, Omart, Thanks, thanks for
thanks for doing this.
Speaker 5 (39:23):
Appreciate it.
Speaker 8 (39:24):
Yeah, uh we know this got this call got pushed
back a little bit, uh because I think.
Speaker 9 (39:30):
You were getting a massage.
Speaker 8 (39:32):
I'm just wondering what have you learned in you know
here your midpoint of season two in terms of taking
care of your body, and if is that any different
than last year or if you taking steps to kind
of put some things in place that will help you,
you know, weather a full season as a starter.
Speaker 17 (39:52):
Yeah, I think I'm really like last year, I kind
of perfected like just like my routine and my schedule,
like especially towards the end.
Speaker 7 (40:01):
Of the year.
Speaker 17 (40:03):
So I think like this year, I've really just been
keeping like the same scheduling routine, maybe like adding like
a little things here and there, but just keeping that
same scheduling routine. Uh, you know, stretching, sauna, cold tub,
hot tub. That the hot tub and cold tub is
one thing that I added because last year I ain't
doing it at all, but this year I added it in,
(40:26):
you know.
Speaker 7 (40:26):
So that's been good for me.
Speaker 17 (40:28):
And the massages too, you know, just keeping my body fresh,
you know, helping my body, helping my body turn over
as fast as possible, as soon as possible.
Speaker 4 (40:38):
That's been you know, just the focus for me for
like from week to week.
Speaker 9 (40:44):
We were talking about Christian McCaffrey.
Speaker 8 (40:46):
You guys have played backs like Saquon Barkley, Jonathan Taylor,
the Seahawks. At least looking at their stat sheet from Sunday,
it looks like they do it a little bit more
by committee, not necessarily a kind of a superstar running back.
But in terms of your preparation for a team like
this that doesn't necessarily have that one marquee guy, how
(41:07):
does how does that work? How is that different than
maybe how you prep for a guy like McCaffrey.
Speaker 17 (41:14):
Yeah, I think when you prep prepp for guys like
McCaffrey and different things like that, you might you might
have a couple of things like scheme wise that you
kind of different adjustments and stuff like that. But I think,
like overall, I think just the approach that not only
I take, but I think just you know, our whole
defense take is to you know, like respect upon it.
(41:35):
You know, watch film and you know, know their tendencies
and know what they like to do, you know, try
to you know, get beat some formations and stuff like that.
But I think a lot of it is, you know,
just focusing on ourselves, you know, throughout the week, making
sure we practice in the right way, taking care of
our bodies the right way, and just studying and opponent
the right way. And you know, as long I feel
(41:56):
like I think everybody will say this is I just
feel like, as long as we show up how we're
supposed to show up and play that you play the
way that we're supposed to show up, you know. I
just think that you know, things that go down the
way that we want them to.
Speaker 5 (42:10):
Thanks very much.
Speaker 7 (42:11):
Yeah, and then we'll rap with Sarah Yah.
Speaker 18 (42:16):
I'm just curious.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
Have you ever tried to punch the ball out, either
during practice or a game?
Speaker 17 (42:20):
Yeah, Like, I so like I'll be especially like this year,
you see Layman doing it all the time, so like
I do it, like like you try to emulate that
and stuff like that.
Speaker 7 (42:34):
And then but sometimes I just like I just like
getting like big hits.
Speaker 17 (42:39):
So like sometimes I just you know, I just like
putting my paths on people. Sometimes I've been I've been
trying to be more cognizant about throwing the punch.
Speaker 7 (42:47):
In with with with the hit too.
Speaker 17 (42:50):
So hopefully hopefully I get I get I give one
or two, you know, just uh coming up soon.
Speaker 18 (42:56):
What's the challenge of the timing on that and getting
that right.
Speaker 17 (43:05):
It's pretty challenging, Like I think it looks easier than
it actually is.
Speaker 16 (43:09):
But like, like especially if it's just like you on
the tackle, approaching the like the carrier, and then having
that focus to like stay on the back hip and
see the ball and punch accurately at the same time.
Speaker 17 (43:25):
I think it's a pretty good skill that he got,
and I think he's been perfecting it for a while,
so it's not easy.
Speaker 18 (43:34):
What kind of Obviously a turnover, forcing a turnover is
a big deal for any team, but what kind of
I guess when you see it happen multiple times for
Nate getting a turnover that way, what kind of does
that do for the defense and for the team.
Speaker 17 (43:49):
I think it just brings an energy, Like it just
light people up, not only because of like the turnover itself,
but like like you see it come to life, like
you see just like he punching at it all the time,
or he might be talking about a lot, I'm gonna
get one and stuff like that, and like there's been
times where he said like we're gonna get on this
game or we're gonna get on this drive and then
(44:10):
he gonna get one.
Speaker 7 (44:10):
You know. So it's I think.
Speaker 17 (44:12):
It just brings an energy, you know, and a life
to like the whole defense and just it just turned
everybody up to be honest awesome.
Speaker 18 (44:20):
Thank you.
Speaker 7 (44:21):
Yeah, alrighty all set, thanks so more. Yeah, appreciate y'all.
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