Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay discusses injury updates following their Week 11 win over the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield's brief stint and impact in LA, and the team's plan to improve on early downs.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, can you give us an update on Quinton Lake.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I have not gotten that update, but you know, I'll
have more for you on Wednesday. But you know how
tough he is, I think, uh, it might be a
little bit of time for him.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
What what was kind of the initial diagnosis.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I know you're waiting. He got it. He got his elbow.
You know, it kind of looked like his elbow is
caught in a weird spot getting an MRI and uh
and see what that says. But uh, you know, I
think because of how tough he is, the feelings are
that it might be some time and not not great
for you know, our captain and leader and bummed out
for him.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Uh, potentially season ending or just something else.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
You know, I think probably safe for me to wait
until I get you know, with Reggie and talk to
he and and doctor Ela Trosh and kind of really
see the totality of it all. But I don't want
to put the cart before the horse, but it's it's
probably gonna be some time for him, whether he's on
eye all, whether this represents a season ending injury, or
whether he ends up having to get surgery, all those things,
(01:05):
I'll kind of need a little bit more information to
give you true clarity there.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Who would step into that role or how how what
are some ways that you will make up for if
he if he's.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Out, Yeah, you know, we'll we'll we'll discuss that. Just
was with the defense talking about if that's the case,
what are those possibilities. But I did think, you know,
Josh Wallace deserves a ton of credit for stepping up
doing an excellent job. Kitchens ended up playing more snaps
than he typically would have and did a phenomenal job
even to Kobe. Durant slid inside at the end and
(01:37):
did a great job at the nickel position. And so
there's a lot of different things. And you know, we
we talked about that. We've added McCreary and we'll see,
we'll see what that looks like. But I was really
proud of Josh Wallace, Cam Kitchens, and you know, into
Kobe doing you know, wearing multiple hats, being able to
play outside and inside. Those guys did an outstanding job.
It's a tremendous credit to Aubrey and coach Peek for
(01:59):
what they were to do.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Uh, how so you can replace, you know, next to
not but can you replace that kind of leadership that
he is proded.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
No, you don't replace you know, listen, guys are asked
to here's the thing. You got to be able to
figure out how to put guys in successful situations. You
don't replace a Quinton Lake. He's so valuable for so
many reasons, with what he can do, with who he
is as a human, with the way that he elevates
and leads. He's a glue guy for us. If he
is out, that's obviously a big loss, and we love him,
(02:32):
you know, but we'll have to figure out what is
the next best thing for us to be able to do.
But I think it would be insincere to think that
you're going to ask somebody to do the things that
he's capable of. It's what makes him so special. But
I do have a lot of confidence in the other
guys and what we'll be able to figure out to
try to ultimately, you know, have our defense continue to
play at a high level if he is going to
miss some.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Time, and then finally, any other injuries from from.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Xavier Smith got to I think he's gonna be okay.
I talked to him last night. He sounded good. He's
obviously got to go through the proto call, you know,
and then Higbe got his ankle rolled up on on
the screen that we threw to Pooka on the third
and fifteen didn't come back in the game. He's so tough,
you know, So we'll see how he's feeling. Sometimes those
ankle injuries can either be better they can end up
(03:20):
being worse after the adrenaline wears off from you know,
feeling in the game. So we'll see once I get
with Reggie about him. Those are the three guys that
that had the injuries.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
You're welcome, Gary, Stu Sean.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
With this Sunday's game being the Aaron Donald celebration game,
I know you've spoken a ton about just what he's
meant to you personally and professionally, but could you maybe
expand on that a little bit more and also just
you know, if is there a story that maybe you
know serves as an example of that.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, I think you know there. I don't think there'd
be one story that's appropriate, but I think, you know,
it's kind of cool that he's getting. What's really special
about Aaron is is the amount of work and time
that he put in and when you can really hear
him say I'm full, I'm complete, and how content he is,
whether that be going back to what he did at college,
getting his number retired at pitt was pretty special, you know,
(04:16):
and then to be able to get recognized, you know,
I was so fortunate to be with him for the
amount of time that I was. But what a unique human,
What an amazing father, husband's son. He's just all about
the right stuff and and he you know, I think
the best example of leadership is seen, not said. He
knew when to say the right things, but he just
modeled the way every single day. It's really easy to
(04:39):
be able to show what it looks like when you
can just reference stories of somebody that a lot of
our guys have played with that epitomized, you know, those
things that stayed humble, was always willing to be coached,
you know, demanded to be coached. Was a great man
in terms of his values and character that he had.
And you know, I love that guy and what he
meant to me. And I really just like I've said,
(05:01):
the most important thing was he led me into his life,
you know, and you got some insight into knowing what
really mattered to him. But he sure was a hell
of a football player too, And I'm damn grateful and
there's a lot of blessings that have come my way
because I was fortunate enough to be able to coach him.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And then secondly, just all those examples of leading by example,
just how did that help with you know, especially installing
the culture that you wanted in this building when you
first got here.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, you know, I remember my grandpa saying this when
I used to talk to him about why they thought
they were able to sustain such a level of success
in San fran for the years he was there. And
you know, when your best players are the ones that
model the way, those become the standards and everybody falls
in line and nobody's above it, and there's an extreme ownership,
there's an accountability, there's a work ethic, there's an enjoyment
(05:48):
for celebrating other successes. You know, there's the right mindset,
and then there's the right energy that you bring every
single day. And when he did that, it's like, well,
if Aaron's doing that, then I better online. And it's
no different than the way it was for Joe Montana,
Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott. You know, and I think that
was what we set out to do, and I think
that's what's been right and a lot of the things
(06:11):
that have gone on here and Aaron is one of
the central figures to that for the last handful of years.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Appreciate it, Thank you, you got it man.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Nick, Hey, coach, I wanted to ask you just obviously
every season is different, This season is no is in particular.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
How have you grown?
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Have you seen this team grow over the course from
training camp to where you guys are now? You guys
really seem like you're in a vibe and really a
good sink as far as getting out there and really
getting after on both sides of the ball, including special teams.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, I think the connection. I think the biggest thing
I would say, Nick, is guys are understand now the practice,
performance and preparation can equal game reality. They know how
important it is to be able to say you're doing
one of two things every single snap, you're continuing momentary,
you're giving yourself an opportunity to snatch it back. And
I think this group epitomizes a lot of the stuff
that we want to be about. The work, the enjoyment
(07:07):
for each other's successes, the appropriate mindset, the energy. I
think in a lot of instances, we got a lot
of guys that are checking the boxes for the same thing.
I was just saying to Stu about Aaron, and there's
different ways that we can win the football game. I
think that's a big thing. And then when we put
it together, we're capable of being pretty special. But understanding
how different games need to be played. You know, I
(07:29):
think that's a tremendous credit to the way that Matthews
played and taking care of the football. We've been opportunistic defensively,
We've tightened up in the right spots, and you know,
I just think I think guys are learning and understanding
how to be able to play off with one another,
but most importantly pick each other up when needed and
stay connected through the challenging moments that are inevitable in
this season and this journey that we're on.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
And also too just looking at a young guy like
Terrence Ferguson, what have you been impressed by here? Is development?
Has anything surprised you when the end games or practices
that you've seen come to life.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Well, I think the improvement and just the overall upside
that he has is exciting. I love the guys demeanor.
I think he's got great examples of veteran players of
what it looks like. He's got a great coach in
Scooter Huff. So I just think the guy continues to
go to work and I think he enjoys playing. I
don't feel like any moments too big for him, and
he's only going to continuously get better. He's smart as
(08:29):
shit too, you know. I mean our tight ends for
them to do as many things as they're doing. They're
really smart, you know, and there's gonna be some great
learning ops from yesterday. But I love what he's about.
I love the guys he's playing around, and I'm really
excited for you know, how bright. I think his future is.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Thank you, coach, you.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Got it, man, Adam Sean.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
The name of the game for the rushing attack this
year has been efficiency. But could you tell how much
it meant to Kien to break off a couple thirty
yards yesterday?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Oh they were huge and we needed those. I thought
they were key and critical. I did, and I thought
he did a great job. You know. You get him
clean to the second and third levels and slash running
and you know, no wasted movement and being able to
work edges on a really good post player that does
a good job of finding his one shot to find
an angle. And so it was awesome for Kiram and
want to be able to build on that. And I was,
(09:18):
I was really proud of him. It did mean a lot,
I could tell it meant a lot to him, but
it meant a lot to our team. And and he
was I thought he was outstanding yesterday.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
When the explosives aren't there. Is that something you ever
talk with the running back room about in terms of
like you're still contributing even to the chunk plays aren't there?
Speaker 7 (09:36):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Absolutely, you know. And I don't think. I don't think
you want guys to have to press, you know. I
think you want him to play one play at a time,
try to make the most of it. And I think
those things organically occur. Now you want to be able
to create a height and awareness when those ops might
present themselves. But you know, Mike Channan used to say,
you got to coach a runner how to run. You
got the wrong runner, you know. So I think you
(09:57):
give these guys a couple of keys, and then I
think a lot of the end things take over and
sometimes those things come organically, and thought he did a
great job of being able to play off of his
momentum where he's a breaking a tackle, but he's able
to be strong through the initial contact. So now he's
able to square post players up and work edges on them.
And it was it was awesome.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
You talked yesterday about some of the struggles with early
down efficiency that hasn't been characteristic of this team this year.
I'm curious, like, what now that you've looked at the tape,
what do you think were some of those issues after
the first quarter?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You know, I think very minimal opportunities, you know, I mean,
you look at it. We had, you know, the fourth
drive where we went three and out, had some uncharacteristic
things that occurred in that sequence. You know, you go
minus five, when we throw a check down where we're
not very good on the protection, you get six yards
on a run. And then on third down to nine,
we had miscommunication where we didn't handle the pressure, we
didn't get some things off that are that are typically
(10:52):
what we're doing. So now you go three and out
on your fourth drive, then you don't see the ball
till midway through the third quarter. You turn it over
on your set play, you know, after we've ended up
getting a turnover. So there's about five plays that we
probably played in an hour and a half of real time,
you know, and then you end up having, you know,
a seven play drive where you know, we have an
(11:13):
uncharacteristic drop. We ended up jumping off sides on a
third down and ten, and then we were a yard
short on a third and fifteen, so you punt that away.
Then we score on the next possession, and then you
look at it and just there was this It was
a weird kind of game where we had some uncharacteristic
you know, not ability inability to execute for a couple things,
(11:34):
and you can behind the sticks against a great team
like that and your opportunities are minimal. You know, that's
kind of how it can unfold. And then you know,
when you do get up nine points with the game
to the way that it was unfolding, you're saying, let's
be smart. You don't want to be so conservative. And
there's a couple of calls that I want back, but
I'm excited to sell about us being able to learn
from it. It was a weird game, uh, the way
(11:55):
that it played out for the offense to be able
to get into a rhythm. But early now in efficiency
is alway is going to be key and critical, and
we weren't efficient enough.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
And then Emmanuel matched up against JSN more than any
defender has this season. What did you guys like about
that matchup going into I.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Thought he did a good job, and in a lot
of instances it's because you know, Jasn was into the
boundary and that's it wasn't necessarily anything other than kind
of where that he was aligned in the formation. They
do a good job of moving him around, but he's competitive.
You know, he's got the competitive stamina. He's continuing to
improve his techniques. I thought, really all three of our
corners were outstanding yesterday given the challenge and the stress
(12:35):
that that group presents. And you know, js N is excellent.
He gets a lot of the credit that he deserves.
But I thought Forbes did a great job, and Da
Kobe and d Will when they were lined up against
him as well. Thank you you got it man.
Speaker 8 (12:49):
What hey, Sean like you said the corners had great
games yesterday. In terms of that rotation, is that something
that's kind of planned out before the game or is
it kind of just how the game flows that you
guys are making those decisions and who's responsible for those.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Aubrey does a great job. You know, it's a combination.
You want to play all those guys because we feel
really good about those three and I think it worked
out where Forbes had like, you know, sixty four. I
think the other guys had like fifty seven snaps. Don't
quote me on that, but it played out the way
that we wanted. But I think Aubrey has a great
feel for that, and he does such a good job
(13:27):
of communicating. I can't you know. I got to give
Aubrey a ton of credit just for his leadership as
the overall assistant head coach for our team and his
command and I think, you know, I thought his leadership
was really on display yesterday, particularly with some of the
moving parts, and he and Beecke and Coach Schule's ability
to be able to adjust and adapt. But it's Aubrey
does a great job being able to handle those rotations.
(13:49):
We have a preset understanding of hout it wants to go.
But I also think there's a great feel that you
have for the flow of the game, and that's what
makes Aubrey a great coach.
Speaker 8 (13:58):
And Seattle was one of the you know, like they
didn't blitz a lot coming into this game, but they
brought a lot of pressure. Is that something that you
expected that change or is that something you kind of
had to adjust to.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
On the fly. Well, some of it was in some
third downs and we got into some you know, non
favorable situations, and then on some early downs when they
did decide to match us with a lighter grouping when
we were in some of our heavier groupings, I think,
you know, pressure moving the front. You know, they did
a good job. I got a lot of respect for that,
for their coaching staff, for their players, and you know,
(14:31):
you give them credit. And so I think, I don't
want to say you're caught off guard, but I think
it was a well thought out deal just based on
you know, the way that the game unfolded in some
of the specific situations that kind of came about, and
what they felt like was going to be the best thing,
you know, to be able to try to keep us,
you know, off kilter, and in a lot of instances
(14:51):
they had some good success.
Speaker 8 (14:54):
And then just in terms of how Chris you look
called the game on defense. You know what impressed you
about his approach.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
I would says, consistent with Chris, He's steady, I thought,
you know, and I think ultimately Chris deserves a ton
of credit. But I think it's also the defensive coaches.
There's always collaboration, you know, no no play callers doing
it on his own. Chris does a great job, but
I think there's great collaboration from you know, from Gift
Smith to Drew Wilkins, to Joe Caniglio, to Greg Williams
(15:24):
to Chris beat to Aubrey Pleasant, Mike Harris, Alex Van Pelt.
Our defensive staff as a whole does an excellent job.
And I think Chris has a great feel you know,
even you know, Smash does a great job of communicating
some of those situations that came up. What kind of
calls do we want to be in one time? Out left,
where they're at, where's their fueld goal range? And so
I wasn't surprised. That's who Chris is, That's who I've
(15:45):
always known him to be. But I'm sure Dan proud
to be a part of it. And and I'm just
you know, I'm loving the job that he's doing. I'm
loving seeing, you know, my buddy continue to do a
great job of leading the way and just being who
he's always been. Thank you, you got it.
Speaker 9 (16:03):
There, Hey, Sean Baker said that his time in LA
made football fun again. What do you remember about him
kind of enjoying that stint in LA on a personal level.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
You know, it was such a short amount of time
and it was unique circumstances. But I think just you know,
being reminded. You know, Andrew Whitworth always says it, and
I try to remind myself this is a blessing, never
a burden. And I think when you're around people that
motivates you in and you have the appropriate perspective of
really what this is and what a blessing it is,
it's never a burden. And you know, I think Baker's
(16:34):
a guy that's he's resilient. He's been through a lot
of different stuff, and I think he was around people
that he enjoyed being around, whether that's Liam or Zach
Robinson or his teammates. You know, he's a fun guy
to be around. He's got a lot of resilience, he's
got a lot of you know, natural leadership traits, and
so those are some of the things that kind of
stood out about him.
Speaker 9 (16:53):
Zach Robinson told me he was blown away by the
way Baker took notes, especially getting ready for that Thursday
night game. What's your about his I think he called
it a unique like studying system. What do you remember
about that?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Just great penmanship, you know that, That's what I remember
about it. You know, a lot better penmanship than I have,
you know, but it was I just remember a guy
that had a pretty impressive you know, just mental stamina
over a small period of time to absorb a lot
of information and then you know, it's one thing to
absorb it, it's a totally different thing to be able
(17:26):
to bring it to life when the enemy has to say.
And it was impressive. But I think when you watch
what he's done and kind of who he is, I
think it's probably more on par for what we expect
of Baker than kind of the outlier, you know, when
you look at the totality of everything he's done.
Speaker 9 (17:44):
You've been pretty open about what that season was like
for you on a personal level. Obviously Baker said what
that sort of stretch meant to him, But what did
that time do for you At the end of a
tough season.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, it was a really challenging time. It revealed a
lot of insecurities and shortcomings that I had, and I
really had for a long time. It just wasn't revealed
because we didn't necessarily have the results that kind of exposed,
you know, some of the things that I needed a
lot of work on and by no means in my
perfect you know. But I think that was one of
(18:14):
the biggest blessings in disguise. It was hard. Didn't like
a lot of the things that it revealed, but it
really forces you to look at yourself in the mirror
and say, what are you really about? And I think
it's a great testament that you can really understand some
of the best things come and what you might feel
like are darker moments or real adversity from a career,
you know. And it takes me with a grain of salt,
(18:35):
you know. I mean, there's way bigger adversities than losing games,
but from a just a professional perspective and how much
you know you want to do right by others. It
it revealed a lot of things that I needed work
on that are by no means perfect, but much improved.
And I think it's why you know, I think you
guys that know me, it's it's a lot more sustainable
way of going about it because of the love and
(18:56):
appreciation you have for the good but also the hard time.
Speaker 10 (19:00):
Did you feel a shift though, like when he got
there and you guys the Thursday night game comes to mind,
kind of the reaction in the locker room after and
just that stretch like getting to have I don't know,
fun with him and kind of game planning when that
wasn't maybe the case round.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
I thought he brought a spark, you know, he just
got a great charisma and presidency. He brought a spark.
It was obviously cool to be able to get that
result after what's been a challenging season, but that's kind
of who he is. And it's the same things that
makes Matthew great too. You know. That's what Matthew does
for our team. And I think when you have certain
guys that are innately thrust into leadership positions, whether that
be the quarterback or the green dot on defense, and
(19:37):
those guys have the things you're looking for, they naturally
elevate the spaces that they're in and the people that
they're around and you know, that's what guys like Matthew
and Baker do. Thank you, You're welcome, Maria.
Speaker 7 (19:50):
Hey Sean. When you talk about guys like Da Kobe
and Cam Kitchens, we talked to them yesterday and they
were saying, how you know they practice these moves, you know,
every week in practice, but being able to translate that
to the game is a completely different process. How do
they go about doing that? In your eyes?
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Yeah, I think you know, you hear the word deliberate
practice thrown around a lot, and the focus and concentration
that's required to really deliberately challenge yourself, to push yourself
past manageable expectations and lean in. And you know, it
takes great looks from our look team, but it takes
great coaching, great understanding of where your playoffs are. I
think what's great about our defensive coaches is that they
(20:31):
give us the most challenging looks. You know, some of
these you know, beaters if you will, versus coverages or
stressful downs, and when you work through the hard downs
throughout the course of the week, you know, hopefully then
that will allow it to be able to translate. And
I think it's a tremendous credit for their ability to
be locked in Wednesday through Friday when we're really practicing,
you know, full speed and doing the things that we're
(20:52):
trying to do. And then it's also a credit to
their intentionality and then you know Aubrey and being able
to give them some of their keys and expectations of
what to expect based on what we've done and then
what we anticipate them doing based on the film study.
Thank you, You're welcome, Nate, and then Dennis, he is Sean.
Speaker 11 (21:13):
With the win yesterday and getting into first place in
the division, you guys are at a spot where pretty
much every goal you have is out there right now.
So I know as you guys are going to approach this,
you know, one game at a time every week. But
just just what do you make of sort of the
opportunities that are out there for you guys and your
confidence and the makeup of this team to take advantage
of those and build on what you guys have been doing.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, you just answered it, though, Nate. And the reality
is is whether we didn't win or whether we did.
You know, it's one day at a time, and there
is still so much football left, and I know, it's
fun when people pop up standings and things like that.
I bet you you know you got to handle your
business for it to stay the same, or vice versa.
And all we can do is have a really good Monday,
(21:53):
clean up the game, guys, come in and get healthy,
and then you know, coaches go go to work and
figure out where we can improve and where we can
grow geared towards trying to stack good days this week,
and that's all we can control. There's so many things
that are out of our control. What I do, like Nate,
is I think there's the humility and the understanding of
what it takes one day at a time to continue
(22:15):
to stack those days. That's what served us well to
be able to get to eight and two through ten games.
And if you told me that the season ended right
now and the playoffs started, uh, well then there we go.
But we got a long way to go. We got
seven guaranteed left, and ultimately we got one this week
against a really good NFC team, and uh, and we're
excited to dive in into that. And so it is
(22:37):
the boring coach answer, but it's also the truth, uh
that we can't do anything except for have a great
week that leads to a quieted mind and a you know,
basically a piece in the process to go play with
the courage that's required, uh, and the stamina that's required
on Sunday night when we kick off against the Bucks.
But it's it's Monday through Saturday, and then once we
(22:57):
get to Sunday, we want to peek at the right time.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
Dennis K t are doing great. How much confidence do
you have to have in your defense to make stops
when you're making, uh, those fourth down calls to go
for it?
Speaker 2 (23:16):
A lot? You know, I got a lot of But
I got a lot of confidence in our offense too
to be able to execute. And and the one that
you know, we didn't you know, we'll learn from will
grow and more times than not, I'm I'm not I'm
making that call, you know, one hundred times out of
one hundred again because I believe in our guys, and
you know, and and you want to try to put
him in the right situations for successful outcomes. But our
defense has been great. I think they've been keen and critical.
(23:39):
I think they've been at their best and the most
important moments. Thought it was awesome to be able to
force the turnovers and tighten up in the red area
like we did. Uh, and we knew what a great
opponent that was, especially offensively. So a lot of confidence
for both the offense and the defense when you're making
decisions like that.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
And in regards to Quinton if he if he is out,
who do you is to take up the leadership mantle
on this?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, that's a that's a great question. You know, I
think Cam Curl is a great leader as well, does
a great job with the vocal communication. I did mention,
you know, I thought a couple guys did an excellent
job stepping up. Cam Kitchens played more snaps. You know,
you look at Josh Wallace did an excellent job coming
in and playing almost thirty snaps that Kobe Durant could
play outside and inside. So we'll figure out what it
(24:24):
looks like if we do have to replace him. But
we got a bunch of guys that do a great
job communicating, staying connected. And you know, if he is
going to miss some time, you know, we love c
But that's a that's a big boyd for sure. Thanks
h you got it.
Hey, can you give us an update on Quinton Lake.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
I have not gotten that update, but you know, I'll
have more for you on Wednesday. But you know how
tough he is, I think, uh, it might be a
little bit of time for him.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
What what was kind of the initial diagnosis.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I know you're waiting. He got it. He got his elbow.
You know, it kind of looked like his elbow is
caught in a weird spot getting an MRI and uh
and see what that says. But uh, you know, I
think because of how tough he is, the feelings are
that it might be some time and not not great
for you know, our captain and leader and bummed out
for him.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Uh, potentially season ending or just something else.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
You know, I think probably safe for me to wait
until I get you know, with Reggie and talk to
he and and doctor Ela Trosh and kind of really
see the totality of it all. But I don't want
to put the cart before the horse, but it's it's
probably gonna be some time for him, whether he's on
eye all, whether this represents a season ending injury, or
whether he ends up having to get surgery, all those things,
(01:05):
I'll kind of need a little bit more information to
give you true clarity there.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Who would step into that role or how how what
are some ways that you will make up for if
he if he's.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Out, Yeah, you know, we'll we'll we'll discuss that. Just
was with the defense talking about if that's the case,
what are those possibilities. But I did think, you know,
Josh Wallace deserves a ton of credit for stepping up
doing an excellent job. Kitchens ended up playing more snaps
than he typically would have and did a phenomenal job
even to Kobe. Durant slid inside at the end and
(01:37):
did a great job at the nickel position. And so
there's a lot of different things. And you know, we
we talked about that. We've added McCreary and we'll see,
we'll see what that looks like. But I was really
proud of Josh Wallace, Cam Kitchens, and you know, into
Kobe doing you know, wearing multiple hats, being able to
play outside and inside. Those guys did an outstanding job.
It's a tremendous credit to Aubrey and coach Peek for
(01:59):
what they were to do.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
Uh, how so you can replace, you know, next to
not but can you replace that kind of leadership that
he is proded.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
No, you don't replace you know, listen, guys are asked
to here's the thing. You got to be able to
figure out how to put guys in successful situations. You
don't replace a Quinton Lake. He's so valuable for so
many reasons, with what he can do, with who he
is as a human, with the way that he elevates
and leads. He's a glue guy for us. If he
is out, that's obviously a big loss, and we love him,
(02:32):
you know, but we'll have to figure out what is
the next best thing for us to be able to do.
But I think it would be insincere to think that
you're going to ask somebody to do the things that
he's capable of. It's what makes him so special. But
I do have a lot of confidence in the other
guys and what we'll be able to figure out to
try to ultimately, you know, have our defense continue to
play at a high level if he is going to
miss some.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Time, and then finally, any other injuries from from.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Xavier Smith got to I think he's gonna be okay.
I talked to him last night. He sounded good. He's
obviously got to go through the proto call, you know,
and then Higbe got his ankle rolled up on on
the screen that we threw to Pooka on the third
and fifteen didn't come back in the game. He's so tough,
you know, So we'll see how he's feeling. Sometimes those
ankle injuries can either be better they can end up
(03:20):
being worse after the adrenaline wears off from you know,
feeling in the game. So we'll see once I get
with Reggie about him. Those are the three guys that
that had the injuries.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
You're welcome, Gary, Stu Sean.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
With this Sunday's game being the Aaron Donald celebration game,
I know you've spoken a ton about just what he's
meant to you personally and professionally, but could you maybe
expand on that a little bit more and also just
you know, if is there a story that maybe you
know serves as an example of that.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Yeah, I think you know there. I don't think there'd
be one story that's appropriate, but I think, you know,
it's kind of cool that he's getting. What's really special
about Aaron is is the amount of work and time
that he put in and when you can really hear
him say I'm full, I'm complete, and how content he is,
whether that be going back to what he did at college,
getting his number retired at pitt was pretty special, you know,
(04:16):
and then to be able to get recognized, you know,
I was so fortunate to be with him for the
amount of time that I was. But what a unique human,
What an amazing father, husband's son. He's just all about
the right stuff and and he you know, I think
the best example of leadership is seen, not said. He
knew when to say the right things, but he just
modeled the way every single day. It's really easy to
(04:39):
be able to show what it looks like when you
can just reference stories of somebody that a lot of
our guys have played with that epitomized, you know, those
things that stayed humble, was always willing to be coached,
you know, demanded to be coached. Was a great man
in terms of his values and character that he had.
And you know, I love that guy and what he
meant to me. And I really just like I've said,
(05:01):
the most important thing was he led me into his life,
you know, and you got some insight into knowing what
really mattered to him. But he sure was a hell
of a football player too, And I'm damn grateful and
there's a lot of blessings that have come my way
because I was fortunate enough to be able to coach him.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
And then secondly, just all those examples of leading by example,
just how did that help with you know, especially installing
the culture that you wanted in this building when you
first got here.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, you know, I remember my grandpa saying this when
I used to talk to him about why they thought
they were able to sustain such a level of success
in San fran for the years he was there. And
you know, when your best players are the ones that
model the way, those become the standards and everybody falls
in line and nobody's above it, and there's an extreme ownership,
there's an accountability, there's a work ethic, there's an enjoyment
(05:48):
for celebrating other successes. You know, there's the right mindset,
and then there's the right energy that you bring every
single day. And when he did that, it's like, well,
if Aaron's doing that, then I better online. And it's
no different than the way it was for Joe Montana,
Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott. You know, and I think that
was what we set out to do, and I think
that's what's been right and a lot of the things
(06:11):
that have gone on here and Aaron is one of
the central figures to that for the last handful of years.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Appreciate it, Thank you, you got it man.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Nick, Hey, coach, I wanted to ask you just obviously
every season is different, This season is no is in particular.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
How have you grown?
Speaker 4 (06:31):
Have you seen this team grow over the course from
training camp to where you guys are now? You guys
really seem like you're in a vibe and really a
good sink as far as getting out there and really
getting after on both sides of the ball, including special teams.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Yeah, I think the connection. I think the biggest thing
I would say, Nick, is guys are understand now the practice,
performance and preparation can equal game reality. They know how
important it is to be able to say you're doing
one of two things every single snap, you're continuing momentary,
you're giving yourself an opportunity to snatch it back. And
I think this group epitomizes a lot of the stuff
that we want to be about. The work, the enjoyment
(07:07):
for each other's successes, the appropriate mindset, the energy. I
think in a lot of instances, we got a lot
of guys that are checking the boxes for the same thing.
I was just saying to Stu about Aaron, and there's
different ways that we can win the football game. I
think that's a big thing. And then when we put
it together, we're capable of being pretty special. But understanding
how different games need to be played. You know, I
(07:29):
think that's a tremendous credit to the way that Matthews
played and taking care of the football. We've been opportunistic defensively,
We've tightened up in the right spots, and you know,
I just think I think guys are learning and understanding
how to be able to play off with one another,
but most importantly pick each other up when needed and
stay connected through the challenging moments that are inevitable in
this season and this journey that we're on.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
And also too just looking at a young guy like
Terrence Ferguson, what have you been impressed by here? Is development?
Has anything surprised you when the end games or practices
that you've seen come to life.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Well, I think the improvement and just the overall upside
that he has is exciting. I love the guys demeanor.
I think he's got great examples of veteran players of
what it looks like. He's got a great coach in
Scooter Huff. So I just think the guy continues to
go to work and I think he enjoys playing. I
don't feel like any moments too big for him, and
he's only going to continuously get better. He's smart as
(08:29):
shit too, you know. I mean our tight ends for
them to do as many things as they're doing. They're
really smart, you know, and there's gonna be some great
learning ops from yesterday. But I love what he's about.
I love the guys he's playing around, and I'm really
excited for you know, how bright. I think his future is.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Thank you, coach, you.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Got it, man, Adam Sean.
Speaker 6 (08:50):
The name of the game for the rushing attack this
year has been efficiency. But could you tell how much
it meant to Kien to break off a couple thirty
yards yesterday?
Speaker 2 (08:57):
Oh they were huge and we needed those. I thought
they were key and critical. I did, and I thought
he did a great job. You know. You get him
clean to the second and third levels and slash running
and you know, no wasted movement and being able to
work edges on a really good post player that does
a good job of finding his one shot to find
an angle. And so it was awesome for Kiram and
want to be able to build on that. And I was,
(09:18):
I was really proud of him. It did mean a lot,
I could tell it meant a lot to him, but
it meant a lot to our team. And and he
was I thought he was outstanding yesterday.
Speaker 6 (09:28):
When the explosives aren't there. Is that something you ever
talk with the running back room about in terms of
like you're still contributing even to the chunk plays aren't there?
Speaker 7 (09:36):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Absolutely, you know. And I don't think. I don't think
you want guys to have to press, you know. I
think you want him to play one play at a time,
try to make the most of it. And I think
those things organically occur. Now you want to be able
to create a height and awareness when those ops might
present themselves. But you know, Mike Channan used to say,
you got to coach a runner how to run. You
got the wrong runner, you know. So I think you
(09:57):
give these guys a couple of keys, and then I
think a lot of the end things take over and
sometimes those things come organically, and thought he did a
great job of being able to play off of his
momentum where he's a breaking a tackle, but he's able
to be strong through the initial contact. So now he's
able to square post players up and work edges on them.
And it was it was awesome.
Speaker 6 (10:17):
You talked yesterday about some of the struggles with early
down efficiency that hasn't been characteristic of this team this year.
I'm curious, like, what now that you've looked at the tape,
what do you think were some of those issues after
the first quarter?
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You know, I think very minimal opportunities, you know, I mean,
you look at it. We had, you know, the fourth
drive where we went three and out, had some uncharacteristic
things that occurred in that sequence. You know, you go
minus five, when we throw a check down where we're
not very good on the protection, you get six yards
on a run. And then on third down to nine,
we had miscommunication where we didn't handle the pressure, we
didn't get some things off that are that are typically
(10:52):
what we're doing. So now you go three and out
on your fourth drive, then you don't see the ball
till midway through the third quarter. You turn it over
on your set play, you know, after we've ended up
getting a turnover. So there's about five plays that we
probably played in an hour and a half of real time,
you know, and then you end up having, you know,
a seven play drive where you know, we have an
(11:13):
uncharacteristic drop. We ended up jumping off sides on a
third down and ten, and then we were a yard
short on a third and fifteen, so you punt that away.
Then we score on the next possession, and then you
look at it and just there was this It was
a weird kind of game where we had some uncharacteristic
you know, not ability inability to execute for a couple things,
(11:34):
and you can behind the sticks against a great team
like that and your opportunities are minimal. You know, that's
kind of how it can unfold. And then you know,
when you do get up nine points with the game
to the way that it was unfolding, you're saying, let's
be smart. You don't want to be so conservative. And
there's a couple of calls that I want back, but
I'm excited to sell about us being able to learn
from it. It was a weird game, uh, the way
(11:55):
that it played out for the offense to be able
to get into a rhythm. But early now in efficiency
is alway is going to be key and critical, and
we weren't efficient enough.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
And then Emmanuel matched up against JSN more than any
defender has this season. What did you guys like about
that matchup going into I.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
Thought he did a good job, and in a lot
of instances it's because you know, Jasn was into the
boundary and that's it wasn't necessarily anything other than kind
of where that he was aligned in the formation. They
do a good job of moving him around, but he's competitive.
You know, he's got the competitive stamina. He's continuing to
improve his techniques. I thought, really all three of our
corners were outstanding yesterday given the challenge and the stress
(12:35):
that that group presents. And you know, js N is excellent.
He gets a lot of the credit that he deserves.
But I thought Forbes did a great job, and Da
Kobe and d Will when they were lined up against
him as well. Thank you you got it man.
Speaker 8 (12:49):
What hey, Sean like you said the corners had great
games yesterday. In terms of that rotation, is that something
that's kind of planned out before the game or is
it kind of just how the game flows that you
guys are making those decisions and who's responsible for those.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Aubrey does a great job. You know, it's a combination.
You want to play all those guys because we feel
really good about those three and I think it worked
out where Forbes had like, you know, sixty four. I
think the other guys had like fifty seven snaps. Don't
quote me on that, but it played out the way
that we wanted. But I think Aubrey has a great
feel for that, and he does such a good job
(13:27):
of communicating. I can't you know. I got to give
Aubrey a ton of credit just for his leadership as
the overall assistant head coach for our team and his
command and I think, you know, I thought his leadership
was really on display yesterday, particularly with some of the
moving parts, and he and Beecke and Coach Schule's ability
to be able to adjust and adapt. But it's Aubrey
does a great job being able to handle those rotations.
(13:49):
We have a preset understanding of hout it wants to go.
But I also think there's a great feel that you
have for the flow of the game, and that's what
makes Aubrey a great coach.
Speaker 8 (13:58):
And Seattle was one of the you know, like they
didn't blitz a lot coming into this game, but they
brought a lot of pressure. Is that something that you
expected that change or is that something you kind of
had to adjust to.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
On the fly. Well, some of it was in some
third downs and we got into some you know, non
favorable situations, and then on some early downs when they
did decide to match us with a lighter grouping when
we were in some of our heavier groupings, I think,
you know, pressure moving the front. You know, they did
a good job. I got a lot of respect for that,
for their coaching staff, for their players, and you know,
(14:31):
you give them credit. And so I think, I don't
want to say you're caught off guard, but I think
it was a well thought out deal just based on
you know, the way that the game unfolded in some
of the specific situations that kind of came about, and
what they felt like was going to be the best thing,
you know, to be able to try to keep us,
you know, off kilter, and in a lot of instances
(14:51):
they had some good success.
Speaker 8 (14:54):
And then just in terms of how Chris you look
called the game on defense. You know what impressed you
about his approach.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
I would says, consistent with Chris, He's steady, I thought,
you know, and I think ultimately Chris deserves a ton
of credit. But I think it's also the defensive coaches.
There's always collaboration, you know, no no play callers doing
it on his own. Chris does a great job, but
I think there's great collaboration from you know, from Gift
Smith to Drew Wilkins, to Joe Caniglio, to Greg Williams
(15:24):
to Chris beat to Aubrey Pleasant, Mike Harris, Alex Van Pelt.
Our defensive staff as a whole does an excellent job.
And I think Chris has a great feel you know,
even you know, Smash does a great job of communicating
some of those situations that came up. What kind of
calls do we want to be in one time? Out left,
where they're at, where's their fueld goal range? And so
I wasn't surprised. That's who Chris is, That's who I've
(15:45):
always known him to be. But I'm sure Dan proud
to be a part of it. And and I'm just
you know, I'm loving the job that he's doing. I'm
loving seeing, you know, my buddy continue to do a
great job of leading the way and just being who
he's always been. Thank you, you got it.
Speaker 9 (16:03):
There, Hey, Sean Baker said that his time in LA
made football fun again. What do you remember about him
kind of enjoying that stint in LA on a personal level.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
You know, it was such a short amount of time
and it was unique circumstances. But I think just you know,
being reminded. You know, Andrew Whitworth always says it, and
I try to remind myself this is a blessing, never
a burden. And I think when you're around people that
motivates you in and you have the appropriate perspective of
really what this is and what a blessing it is,
it's never a burden. And you know, I think Baker's
(16:34):
a guy that's he's resilient. He's been through a lot
of different stuff, and I think he was around people
that he enjoyed being around, whether that's Liam or Zach
Robinson or his teammates. You know, he's a fun guy
to be around. He's got a lot of resilience, he's
got a lot of you know, natural leadership traits, and
so those are some of the things that kind of
stood out about him.
Speaker 9 (16:53):
Zach Robinson told me he was blown away by the
way Baker took notes, especially getting ready for that Thursday
night game. What's your about his I think he called
it a unique like studying system. What do you remember
about that?
Speaker 2 (17:05):
Just great penmanship, you know that, That's what I remember
about it. You know, a lot better penmanship than I have,
you know, but it was I just remember a guy
that had a pretty impressive you know, just mental stamina
over a small period of time to absorb a lot
of information and then you know, it's one thing to
absorb it, it's a totally different thing to be able
(17:26):
to bring it to life when the enemy has to say.
And it was impressive. But I think when you watch
what he's done and kind of who he is, I
think it's probably more on par for what we expect
of Baker than kind of the outlier, you know, when
you look at the totality of everything he's done.
Speaker 9 (17:44):
You've been pretty open about what that season was like
for you on a personal level. Obviously Baker said what
that sort of stretch meant to him, But what did
that time do for you At the end of a
tough season.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Yeah, it was a really challenging time. It revealed a
lot of insecurities and shortcomings that I had, and I
really had for a long time. It just wasn't revealed
because we didn't necessarily have the results that kind of exposed,
you know, some of the things that I needed a
lot of work on and by no means in my
perfect you know. But I think that was one of
(18:14):
the biggest blessings in disguise. It was hard. Didn't like
a lot of the things that it revealed, but it
really forces you to look at yourself in the mirror
and say, what are you really about? And I think
it's a great testament that you can really understand some
of the best things come and what you might feel
like are darker moments or real adversity from a career,
you know. And it takes me with a grain of salt,
(18:35):
you know. I mean, there's way bigger adversities than losing games,
but from a just a professional perspective and how much
you know you want to do right by others. It
it revealed a lot of things that I needed work
on that are by no means perfect, but much improved.
And I think it's why you know, I think you
guys that know me, it's it's a lot more sustainable
way of going about it because of the love and
(18:56):
appreciation you have for the good but also the hard time.
Speaker 10 (19:00):
Did you feel a shift though, like when he got
there and you guys the Thursday night game comes to mind,
kind of the reaction in the locker room after and
just that stretch like getting to have I don't know,
fun with him and kind of game planning when that
wasn't maybe the case round.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
I thought he brought a spark, you know, he just
got a great charisma and presidency. He brought a spark.
It was obviously cool to be able to get that
result after what's been a challenging season, but that's kind
of who he is. And it's the same things that
makes Matthew great too. You know. That's what Matthew does
for our team. And I think when you have certain
guys that are innately thrust into leadership positions, whether that
be the quarterback or the green dot on defense, and
(19:37):
those guys have the things you're looking for, they naturally
elevate the spaces that they're in and the people that
they're around and you know, that's what guys like Matthew
and Baker do. Thank you, You're welcome, Maria.
Speaker 7 (19:50):
Hey Sean. When you talk about guys like Da Kobe
and Cam Kitchens, we talked to them yesterday and they
were saying, how you know they practice these moves, you know,
every week in practice, but being able to translate that
to the game is a completely different process. How do
they go about doing that? In your eyes?
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Yeah, I think you know, you hear the word deliberate
practice thrown around a lot, and the focus and concentration
that's required to really deliberately challenge yourself, to push yourself
past manageable expectations and lean in. And you know, it
takes great looks from our look team, but it takes
great coaching, great understanding of where your playoffs are. I
think what's great about our defensive coaches is that they
(20:31):
give us the most challenging looks. You know, some of
these you know, beaters if you will, versus coverages or
stressful downs, and when you work through the hard downs
throughout the course of the week, you know, hopefully then
that will allow it to be able to translate. And
I think it's a tremendous credit for their ability to
be locked in Wednesday through Friday when we're really practicing,
you know, full speed and doing the things that we're
(20:52):
trying to do. And then it's also a credit to
their intentionality and then you know Aubrey and being able
to give them some of their keys and expectations of
what to expect based on what we've done and then
what we anticipate them doing based on the film study.
Thank you, You're welcome, Nate, and then Dennis, he is Sean.
Speaker 11 (21:13):
With the win yesterday and getting into first place in
the division, you guys are at a spot where pretty
much every goal you have is out there right now.
So I know as you guys are going to approach this,
you know, one game at a time every week. But
just just what do you make of sort of the
opportunities that are out there for you guys and your
confidence and the makeup of this team to take advantage
of those and build on what you guys have been doing.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Yeah, you just answered it, though, Nate. And the reality
is is whether we didn't win or whether we did.
You know, it's one day at a time, and there
is still so much football left, and I know, it's
fun when people pop up standings and things like that.
I bet you you know you got to handle your
business for it to stay the same, or vice versa.
And all we can do is have a really good Monday,
(21:53):
clean up the game, guys, come in and get healthy,
and then you know, coaches go go to work and
figure out where we can improve and where we can
grow geared towards trying to stack good days this week,
and that's all we can control. There's so many things
that are out of our control. What I do, like Nate,
is I think there's the humility and the understanding of
what it takes one day at a time to continue
(22:15):
to stack those days. That's what served us well to
be able to get to eight and two through ten games.
And if you told me that the season ended right
now and the playoffs started, uh, well then there we go.
But we got a long way to go. We got
seven guaranteed left, and ultimately we got one this week
against a really good NFC team, and uh, and we're
excited to dive in into that. And so it is
(22:37):
the boring coach answer, but it's also the truth, uh
that we can't do anything except for have a great
week that leads to a quieted mind and a you know,
basically a piece in the process to go play with
the courage that's required, uh, and the stamina that's required
on Sunday night when we kick off against the Bucks.
But it's it's Monday through Saturday, and then once we
(22:57):
get to Sunday, we want to peek at the right time.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
Dennis K t are doing great. How much confidence do
you have to have in your defense to make stops
when you're making, uh, those fourth down calls to go
for it?
Speaker 2 (23:16):
A lot? You know, I got a lot of But
I got a lot of confidence in our offense too
to be able to execute. And and the one that
you know, we didn't you know, we'll learn from will
grow and more times than not, I'm I'm not I'm
making that call, you know, one hundred times out of
one hundred again because I believe in our guys, and
you know, and and you want to try to put
him in the right situations for successful outcomes. But our
defense has been great. I think they've been keen and critical.
(23:39):
I think they've been at their best and the most
important moments. Thought it was awesome to be able to
force the turnovers and tighten up in the red area
like we did. Uh, and we knew what a great
opponent that was, especially offensively. So a lot of confidence
for both the offense and the defense when you're making
decisions like that.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
And in regards to Quinton if he if he is out,
who do you is to take up the leadership mantle
on this?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, that's a that's a great question. You know, I
think Cam Curl is a great leader as well, does
a great job with the vocal communication. I did mention,
you know, I thought a couple guys did an excellent
job stepping up. Cam Kitchens played more snaps. You know,
you look at Josh Wallace did an excellent job coming
in and playing almost thirty snaps that Kobe Durant could
play outside and inside. So we'll figure out what it
(24:24):
looks like if we do have to replace him. But
we got a bunch of guys that do a great
job communicating, staying connected. And you know, if he is
going to miss some time, you know, we love c
But that's a that's a big boyd for sure. Thanks
h you got it.
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