November 14, 2025 • 17 mins
Lindsey Thiry from ESPN in Los Angeles joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about her Mariners heartbreak, the Rams season so far, Puka Nacua’s dominance, the expected pro-Seattle crowd in LA, and if Sunday will be an offensive or defensive game.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Here she is.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
She works for ESPN dot com, she's living in La.
She's covering the Rams. But I know where her heart
truly lies.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Naughty naughty cow, naughty cow.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'd be with our Seattle Mariners as her heart was breaking,
just like our was.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Ours was.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And during Game seven of the Alcs, our longtime friend,
the rally Fry girl, Lindsey Theory with us on the
radio show, Hi, how are you well?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
After that message, the Mariners all of a borderline tearing
up again. It's the thought of it. I'd put it
out of my mind. I mean, I never thought weidered
crying in front of my three year old over a
baseball game, but that's where we were that night.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, brutal. I mean, it's funny, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Like you think you're kind of getting through it, you
forget about it, and then somebody like me, some jackass
like me, reminds you about that game.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I mean, I was happy to see the Dodgers take
care of Toronto. You're down there in La. Tell us
about that about how hard you think you're kind of
rooting for the Dodgers just because you can't stomach the
Blue Jays winning.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah. I mean, I'm married to a Dodgers fan. My
kids like, it's perfect world. They got an American League
team in a National League teams like I had to
get on board. That was pretty pretty exciting, but like,
deep down I did it. I mean, the Marrior thing
is just still killing me.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
What would have been the family dynamic though? Had the
Mariners one Game seven and rumorus Dodgers in the World Series,
it would.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Have been like the best and craziest thing. Like we
would have gone to Dodgers Stadium, we would have gone
to tea mobile. I would have somehow tried to like
hold down my actual daytime job. That was going to
be incredible. We really put the cart before the horse
on that one though we really thought it was happening.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Well, you kind of have to write. You kind of
got to be prepared.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I mean, you can't just wait until it happens and
then go book tickets and then go get the hotel.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I wouldn't the Mariner's rough two games, two bands coming
out of Toronto and I look at my husband, Oh
my god, we are going to the World Here's like
my dad who worked forty some odd seasons at the stadium,
like we are taking him to a World Series and
my husband's like, oh my god, you are You just
can't get out of yourself like this, Yeah, yeah, here
we are, here, we are well.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I had a flight and hotel all set for Game
seven in La Lindsey because that was the same day
as the Husky Bye. It would have been perfect, It
would have worked out perfectly for us.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Here in Seattle.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
But hey, maybe in the next one hundred years it'll happen.
So hang in there. But let's talk about this game
on Sunday with the Rams and Seahawks. And before we
talk about the matchup, just give us a take on
this Rams team. I mean, you remember, after they won
the title a couple of years ago, a lot of
people had to take that, Well, these guys just sold
their soul. They're gonna suck for the next five or
(02:44):
six years. And they had the one down year right
immediately after the championship.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
And now they've bounced right back. How have they done it?
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, I mean they just they find a way to
get things done. Like right, it was s them picks
as they traded everything away, they get the stars they needed,
and then they built again quickly through the draft, right,
they trade away guys where it's like, Okay, you're at
the end of your life span, so let's get some
picks back for you. And so they have some really
young talent, especially on that defensive line. You look at
(03:14):
care Adverse and Brandon Fisk, like they have found some
really great guys in the draft. And then obviously Matthew
Stafford is thirty seven years old and is still playing
really great football. So they were down for a year
and then they came back and last year they were
one play away for playing for an NFC title. So
I mean they're back, right, and this is going to
(03:36):
be a really really fun game on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Well, Staffords had a great year, but in particular since
you know, we hear all about this three tight end
offense that's being used forty percent of the time now,
and Stafford's got eight touchdowns out of it in the
last three games. He's got what thirteen touchdowns and no
interceptions in the last three football games. So what is
this three tight end offense at about?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
All about?
Speaker 4 (03:57):
You would think it's a run set, but it's really not, right, right,
It's more.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Impressive than that. Twenty touchdowns and no interception in the
last six games. And it's been really interesting to see
the evolution of this offense. I mean, you guys might
remember a few years ago when Sean McDavis first on
the scene, actually nine years ago. Now, you know, he
ran only eleven personnel and it was like the same
eleven guys on the field all the time. And now
this team is loaded with tight ends in and out
(04:24):
and Matthew Staffords still passing the ball at crazy. It's just,
you know, it's a very balanced offense. They have Kyrienn
Williams and Blake Korn. We're trading series out of the backfield,
but it's the tight ends who really made a difference.
They keep loading up. They brought more guys in so
they have the looks on the practice squad. So it's
a really different version of a Shawn McVay offense.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Anything this season, Well, I got to be honest with you,
Lindsay Lindsay Theory. ESPN dot com covers the Rams with
us noted Mariner fan down there, the biggest Mariner fan
at ESPN and not even close at ESPN, is with
us on the radio show. And I remember when Poka
Nakua Dick you do too? Was that you Dub and
Lindsey you probably remember Puka playing at Washington also. And
then one thing I really appreciated with Puka when he
(05:06):
left to go to Byu Is he left you, Dub
and said, I'm gonna go home, and then he actually
went home to go play with his brother in Provo.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
So good for him. And then he blows up as
a rookie.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
You're thinking, Okay, maybe some of this is a flash
in the pan. Not now, it's not a flash in
the pan at all. This guy is one of the
best receivers in the NFL. How surprised are you by
Puka's sustained success and what has made you think this
guy so impossible to cover down there?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Well, I think what's really interesting, and I think your
players in Seattle, the Seahawks, they were talking about the
effects of this this week is the Cooper Cup effect
and a lot of those guys up they were saying, like,
he can't be overstated what he meant. And for puquin
A Coo, he came into the Rams and he had
Cooper Cup to learn from, and like Cooper Cup is
just the absolute pro when it comes to his preparation.
(05:57):
That not a detail that he pays to ever seeing
that he does. And so you see that with Jackson
Smith and Jigball. Like you know, Cooper Cup came in
and I'm not saying he's the reason why k is
it's so good, but there's certainly an element to what
he brings as a pro and Poopa and Akua is
someone who learned from that. And obviously there comes a
lot of talent, you know, so given talent, a hard
(06:18):
work talent that Poopa has, but it's a lot about
how he learned to be a pro in that first
season and that's what's really allowed him to kind of
take off now on his own. And him and Matthew Stafford,
I mean, he just put an invisible string between the
two because they are on the same page no matter
what they're doing out there on the field, and it's
so impressive to watch.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
So with Cup out and DeVante Adams in, is McVeigh
just using Davante the same way he used Cooper Cup.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
No, it's it's a bit different. Like Cooper moved all
over the field, Davante not so much. I mean, Davante
has been become a huge red zone target for them.
The exact stats a little bit over my head right now,
but something like seven for a whiley, it's seven catches
in the red zone, all them turned into touchdowns. Who
He's been a really big target for them really when
(07:04):
they get in the red area. So it's been a
bit different than Cooper Cup. But he has nevertheless come
on really strong for them, especially over the last few weeks.
You can tell that him and Matthew Stafford really have
got on the same page.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Well, Lindsay Theory again.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
ESPN dot Com is with us on the radio show,
and Lindsey, I know a lot of folks in Seattle
are kind of really curious to see what this Seahawk
offense does against this Rams defense and vice versa. Right
with the Seahawk defense against the Rams offense feels like
maybe the first real big time test for them. But
what about in La, I mean, does this kind of
look like a team that's maybe playing a bit over
(07:40):
their heads or are people down there kind of waiting
to see what happens on Sunday at one o'clock.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
No, I think people are really excited to see what
happens on Sunday at one o'clock. I think the expectations
for the Rams. It's funny, right. We know on the
West coast, these teams often get overlooked early in the
season for the flashy storylines out on the East Coast.
But the Rams really right now look like a team
who could very much contend for an NFC title. And
they look like that on offense, they look like that
(08:07):
on defense. But that being said, it's so funny. Often
guys will not talk about, like what a big matchup
these games are. But I was talking to a couple
of players in the Rams locker room this week and
they're like, no, this is huge, Like this, this is
actually one of those games you kind of saw it
on the calendar and thought, Okay, that'll be good. But
now both teams seven and two, and really, when you
look at it, like their offenses their offensive outputs so similar,
(08:29):
their defensive outputs are so similar. So this is a
really really big matchup, not only for the NFC West,
but for the conference as a whole.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
I think the perception outside of LA is that nobody
really cares about the Rams in LA, especially when the
Dodgers have just come winning a championship and you got
the Lakers playing well, are the fans fired up for
this team? What kind of crowd are we going to get? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
So, look, the Rams are certainly building a fan base
out here, but it is not as you know, feverish
as you might get in Seattle. I would expect Sunday
to be very loud when the Rams are on offense.
I would expected the Seahawks fans, I mean, are probably
traveling down here thinking it's gonna be sunny and it's not.
(09:17):
It's raining for the five days, but fans travel well
to Sofi Stadium. You know. Some of the Rams players
often joke that they're quite accustomed at home to happen
to use a silent count, so they're well practiced at that.
The fan base down here is growing. The Rams have
known for quite some time now that it's just going
(09:38):
to take time. It's like a whole new generation of
young people that have to come up as Rams fans.
You know, I happen to be around a lot of
kids these days all the time, and there are like
young Rams fans. Obviously, the older people like myself, we all,
you know, came from somewhere else and have other teams
that we grew up with. But that there is a
(09:58):
growing fan base for the Rams.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
This is a Lindsay, This is a Rams football team
that is fifth in the NFL in scoring offense, right,
and they're number two in the NFL and scoring defense.
So we talk about Matt Stafford being the MVP, and
Puka and Davonte and all those guys. Is this a
better offensive or a better defensive team in your mind
right now?
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Oh, that's such a hard question. I knew you were
going to put me on the spot. I hate to
say it's like equal, but it's about equal. Like I
just don't that the defense is absolutely out there doing
his job. But I mean the offense they just scored
six touchdowns against the forty nine ers, And I know
the forty nine ers are banged up as anybody in
the league, but they just made it look so easy
(10:37):
and effortless. And it's and no matter who's out for
the forty nine ers, it's that's always a solid defense.
So I don't really think there's a way to choose
one side or the other. I mean, maybe I would
just go with the offense a little. With the edge,
the Rams secondary sometimes has been susceptible, which I know
when you look at the matchup this week. In the
amount of explosive that Sam Darnold's managed, you, I mean
(11:00):
you guys. I think Seahawks are leading the league in
explosive if not second, just behind Matthew Stafford. So I
think that will be really really interesting to see how
the Rams secondary shares. Also, because you know, all these
defensive friends have had a really hard time getting to
Sam Darnold.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
I think it's a similar situation with the Seahawks. I mean,
the Seahawks offense is actually ranked higher than the Seahawks defense,
But I think most Hawk fans would say we're a
better defensive team than we are offensive teams.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
So what kind of a game.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Do you think we're gonna see? Is this gonna be
we just had a handicapper, come on, so there's gonna
be like thirty to twenty seven. I so often I
see more twenty three to twenty than we do thirty
to twenty seven. What do you think?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
I hope it's high scoring. I mean, I love the offense.
I don't know. I mean, here are asking the only
questions I don't.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Know answers to, you know what, I expect way more
from a former rally fried girl, I'll be honest with you,
way more I.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Handed out prize for free as an intern. What do
you really expect? I mean, I didn't even ask for
minimum wage. Would have been kind of rich. That's but anyway,
that's an in the story. But I mean, I think
I think it's going to be. I think high scoring.
I think high scoring. I'm gonna I'm gonna go with
the quarterbacks and the receivers. Let's let's call it a
high scoring one just for fun.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
I will say this, when you expect a low scoring game,
you know, it's kind of more often than not you
get what you don't expect. And there's surprises in the
National Football League. But Lindsey, before you go, you mentioned
you mentioned Sean McVay and he doesn't even turn forty
until January and he's already been the coach of the
Rams for nine years. How how close was he a
(12:36):
couple of years ago to actually quitting and going to
work for TV And now that he's winning again, is
he totally now invested, like bought into this thing. We're
not going to hear any rumors or reports that McVeigh
is considering quitting and getting out. Is are those days
over now for him.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, I mean it was it was very very close.
It was it was close to him leaving a couple
of years ago, years ago. It's really interesting you ask
this because it's been something I've thought about, Like, he's
not even forty, this is his ninth season. Next year
is going to his tenh season. Like it's just unheard
of for a coach to be able to stay in
one place for so long, let alone, I mean, what
(13:15):
he'd stay here for his entire career with what he's
done here. I don't know. I don't think. I don't
think we're going to hear anything about like, oh, Sean's
getting it's to retire anything. But somewhere down the line,
I don't think it's after this season. I don't think
it's after next him. But somewhere down the line, I
would imagine he'll maybe want to like just take a
(13:35):
breakpar a minute and maybe go do some TV and
then get back into it, because I don't know, I
just can't see him doing this for like thirty straight
years and forty straight years and he could, right Pete
Carroll's seventy seventy five, seventy six, Yeah, like still doing this,
So at some point he's gonna have to take a
little break.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Right, you'd think so, you'd think so. All right, Lindsay,
great stuff. We appreciate this once again, the biggest marin
or fanityesp carrying the flag for that franchise down there
in the halls of ESPN dot com on television covering
the Rams. Great stuff. Tell the hobby, I said alone
by the way too, okay, and.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Please turn on Sunday NFL Countdown on Sunday morning seven
am to ten am Eastern is at the mess on
the east.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah, we'll see you guys there on Sunday NFL Countent
and I will tell my husband hello, and we'll see
you in Maui in February.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
There's not a chance I'm up at seven am on Sunday,
by the way, and if I am them on the
golf course, I'll be honest with you, all right.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
But maybe I'll tape the shell. I'll record it there
you go.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah, right, see Lindsay theory ESPN with us on the
radio show and Dick is Lindsay was talking there. I
was just doing a little bit of math here and
as far as the offenses and who they faced.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
I know you've mentioned this couple of times.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I mean, the Rams are you know, look, it's it's
still the point of the year where things are kind
of evolving, still a little bit, you know, as far
as who's got the great units and blah blah blah.
But you're getting ou on the fourteenth November much more
of a picture for who's good and who's not versus
the middle of September. I mean, clearly, it's been two
and a half months of data. But the Rams have
(15:09):
faced one, two, three, four top half defenses in the NFL,
and the Hawks have only faced two of them. And
that's San Francisco and Houston. Points per game, that's points
per game.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I know how much you hate yards. I would never
offend you by bringing yards. Okay, that's points per game,
but again, points is always in context of the way
the game goes defensive score. Yes, so they faced two
top half defenses, I'm sorry, three top half defenses San Francisco,
Tampa Bay and the Texans. The Niner game was the
(15:43):
first game of the year with Sam Darland quarterback. Maybe
you throw it out, I don't know. They scored thirteen points.
The Tampa Bay game. They lost, but they scored thirty five.
Texan game was the number one scoring defense in the NFL,
and they scored twenty seven on Monday nights. So if
you look at the last two games they played against
top half defenses, I think they've done fairly well against
(16:04):
the Texans.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Was there a defensive score in the Texan game as
well for the Hawks?
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Why do I think that there was?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Well, I gotta be honest with you, My memory of
that game is in the gutter because that was Game
seven of the ALCS, so I don't remember a lot
about that. I didn't even get into the stadium until
the second quarter. There was not a defensive touchdown in
that game. Zach Charbonney had two and Jay sid had won.
But the point is they faced three of them. Two
of the three they did. Okay, the Rams have faced
(16:31):
four of them, actually five of them, because they played
the Rams or the Niners twice and they scored fourteen
against the Texans, twenty six against Philly, twenty seven against
the Colts, and then forty two and twenty three against
San Francisco. So you could argue the Rams have had
maybe a little more exposure to a top half defense
than the Hawks have, and both teams have done okay,
(16:53):
if not pretty good.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
I just have more faith.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
In these defenses in the red zone than I do
in these offenses. Put in a lot of points on
the board, and look at the numbers. I mean red
zone scoring presenters. These are touchdowns only Seattle is seventh
in the league. The Rams are second in the league
in making sure the other team when they get into
the red zone, they are kicking field goals and not
scoring touchdowns. I think that's what we're gonna see. I
(17:17):
think we're gonna see multiple field goals for each team
and very few touchdowns for each team.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Well, Hu Mellan will tell us if we're nuts or
not at five o'clock tonight. We'll talk to you that
Here she is.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
She works for ESPN dot com, she's living in La.
She's covering the Rams. But I know where her heart
truly lies.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Naughty naughty cow, naughty cow.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'd be with our Seattle Mariners as her heart was breaking,
just like our was.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Ours was.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
And during Game seven of the Alcs, our longtime friend,
the rally Fry girl, Lindsey Theory with us on the
radio show, Hi, how are you well?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
After that message, the Mariners all of a borderline tearing
up again. It's the thought of it. I'd put it
out of my mind. I mean, I never thought weidered
crying in front of my three year old over a
baseball game, but that's where we were that night.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yeah, brutal. I mean, it's funny, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Like you think you're kind of getting through it, you
forget about it, and then somebody like me, some jackass
like me, reminds you about that game.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
But I don't know.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
I mean, I was happy to see the Dodgers take
care of Toronto. You're down there in La. Tell us
about that about how hard you think you're kind of
rooting for the Dodgers just because you can't stomach the
Blue Jays winning.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Yeah. I mean, I'm married to a Dodgers fan. My
kids like, it's perfect world. They got an American League
team in a National League teams like I had to
get on board. That was pretty pretty exciting, but like,
deep down I did it. I mean, the Marrior thing
is just still killing me.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
What would have been the family dynamic though? Had the
Mariners one Game seven and rumorus Dodgers in the World Series,
it would.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Have been like the best and craziest thing. Like we
would have gone to Dodgers Stadium, we would have gone
to tea mobile. I would have somehow tried to like
hold down my actual daytime job. That was going to
be incredible. We really put the cart before the horse
on that one though we really thought it was happening.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Well, you kind of have to write. You kind of
got to be prepared.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I mean, you can't just wait until it happens and
then go book tickets and then go get the hotel.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I wouldn't the Mariner's rough two games, two bands coming
out of Toronto and I look at my husband, Oh
my god, we are going to the World Here's like
my dad who worked forty some odd seasons at the stadium,
like we are taking him to a World Series and
my husband's like, oh my god, you are You just
can't get out of yourself like this, Yeah, yeah, here
we are, here, we are well.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I had a flight and hotel all set for Game
seven in La Lindsey because that was the same day
as the Husky Bye. It would have been perfect, It
would have worked out perfectly for us.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Here in Seattle.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
But hey, maybe in the next one hundred years it'll happen.
So hang in there. But let's talk about this game
on Sunday with the Rams and Seahawks. And before we
talk about the matchup, just give us a take on
this Rams team. I mean, you remember, after they won
the title a couple of years ago, a lot of
people had to take that, Well, these guys just sold
their soul. They're gonna suck for the next five or
(02:44):
six years. And they had the one down year right
immediately after the championship.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
And now they've bounced right back. How have they done it?
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, I mean they just they find a way to
get things done. Like right, it was s them picks
as they traded everything away, they get the stars they needed,
and then they built again quickly through the draft, right,
they trade away guys where it's like, Okay, you're at
the end of your life span, so let's get some
picks back for you. And so they have some really
young talent, especially on that defensive line. You look at
(03:14):
care Adverse and Brandon Fisk, like they have found some
really great guys in the draft. And then obviously Matthew
Stafford is thirty seven years old and is still playing
really great football. So they were down for a year
and then they came back and last year they were
one play away for playing for an NFC title. So
I mean they're back, right, and this is going to
(03:36):
be a really really fun game on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Well, Staffords had a great year, but in particular since
you know, we hear all about this three tight end
offense that's being used forty percent of the time now,
and Stafford's got eight touchdowns out of it in the
last three games. He's got what thirteen touchdowns and no
interceptions in the last three football games. So what is
this three tight end offense at about?
Speaker 1 (03:57):
All about?
Speaker 4 (03:57):
You would think it's a run set, but it's really not, right, right,
It's more.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Impressive than that. Twenty touchdowns and no interception in the
last six games. And it's been really interesting to see
the evolution of this offense. I mean, you guys might
remember a few years ago when Sean McDavis first on
the scene, actually nine years ago. Now, you know, he
ran only eleven personnel and it was like the same
eleven guys on the field all the time. And now
this team is loaded with tight ends in and out
(04:24):
and Matthew Staffords still passing the ball at crazy. It's just,
you know, it's a very balanced offense. They have Kyrienn
Williams and Blake Korn. We're trading series out of the backfield,
but it's the tight ends who really made a difference.
They keep loading up. They brought more guys in so
they have the looks on the practice squad. So it's
a really different version of a Shawn McVay offense.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Anything this season, Well, I got to be honest with you,
Lindsay Lindsay Theory. ESPN dot com covers the Rams with
us noted Mariner fan down there, the biggest Mariner fan
at ESPN and not even close at ESPN, is with
us on the radio show. And I remember when Poka
Nakua Dick you do too? Was that you Dub and
Lindsey you probably remember Puka playing at Washington also. And
then one thing I really appreciated with Puka when he
(05:06):
left to go to Byu Is he left you, Dub
and said, I'm gonna go home, and then he actually
went home to go play with his brother in Provo.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
So good for him. And then he blows up as
a rookie.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
You're thinking, Okay, maybe some of this is a flash
in the pan. Not now, it's not a flash in
the pan at all. This guy is one of the
best receivers in the NFL. How surprised are you by
Puka's sustained success and what has made you think this
guy so impossible to cover down there?
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Well, I think what's really interesting, and I think your
players in Seattle, the Seahawks, they were talking about the
effects of this this week is the Cooper Cup effect
and a lot of those guys up they were saying, like,
he can't be overstated what he meant. And for puquin
A Coo, he came into the Rams and he had
Cooper Cup to learn from, and like Cooper Cup is
just the absolute pro when it comes to his preparation.
(05:57):
That not a detail that he pays to ever seeing
that he does. And so you see that with Jackson
Smith and Jigball. Like you know, Cooper Cup came in
and I'm not saying he's the reason why k is
it's so good, but there's certainly an element to what
he brings as a pro and Poopa and Akua is
someone who learned from that. And obviously there comes a
lot of talent, you know, so given talent, a hard
(06:18):
work talent that Poopa has, but it's a lot about
how he learned to be a pro in that first
season and that's what's really allowed him to kind of
take off now on his own. And him and Matthew Stafford,
I mean, he just put an invisible string between the
two because they are on the same page no matter
what they're doing out there on the field, and it's
so impressive to watch.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
So with Cup out and DeVante Adams in, is McVeigh
just using Davante the same way he used Cooper Cup.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
No, it's it's a bit different. Like Cooper moved all
over the field, Davante not so much. I mean, Davante
has been become a huge red zone target for them.
The exact stats a little bit over my head right now,
but something like seven for a whiley, it's seven catches
in the red zone, all them turned into touchdowns. Who
He's been a really big target for them really when
(07:04):
they get in the red area. So it's been a
bit different than Cooper Cup. But he has nevertheless come
on really strong for them, especially over the last few weeks.
You can tell that him and Matthew Stafford really have
got on the same page.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Well, Lindsay Theory again.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
ESPN dot Com is with us on the radio show,
and Lindsey, I know a lot of folks in Seattle
are kind of really curious to see what this Seahawk
offense does against this Rams defense and vice versa. Right
with the Seahawk defense against the Rams offense feels like
maybe the first real big time test for them. But
what about in La, I mean, does this kind of
look like a team that's maybe playing a bit over
(07:40):
their heads or are people down there kind of waiting
to see what happens on Sunday at one o'clock.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
No, I think people are really excited to see what
happens on Sunday at one o'clock. I think the expectations
for the Rams. It's funny, right. We know on the
West coast, these teams often get overlooked early in the
season for the flashy storylines out on the East Coast.
But the Rams really right now look like a team
who could very much contend for an NFC title. And
they look like that on offense, they look like that
(08:07):
on defense. But that being said, it's so funny. Often
guys will not talk about, like what a big matchup
these games are. But I was talking to a couple
of players in the Rams locker room this week and
they're like, no, this is huge, Like this, this is
actually one of those games you kind of saw it
on the calendar and thought, Okay, that'll be good. But
now both teams seven and two, and really, when you
look at it, like their offenses their offensive outputs so similar,
(08:29):
their defensive outputs are so similar. So this is a
really really big matchup, not only for the NFC West,
but for the conference as a whole.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
I think the perception outside of LA is that nobody
really cares about the Rams in LA, especially when the
Dodgers have just come winning a championship and you got
the Lakers playing well, are the fans fired up for
this team? What kind of crowd are we going to get? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
So, look, the Rams are certainly building a fan base
out here, but it is not as you know, feverish
as you might get in Seattle. I would expect Sunday
to be very loud when the Rams are on offense.
I would expected the Seahawks fans, I mean, are probably
traveling down here thinking it's gonna be sunny and it's not.
(09:17):
It's raining for the five days, but fans travel well
to Sofi Stadium. You know. Some of the Rams players
often joke that they're quite accustomed at home to happen
to use a silent count, so they're well practiced at that.
The fan base down here is growing. The Rams have
known for quite some time now that it's just going
(09:38):
to take time. It's like a whole new generation of
young people that have to come up as Rams fans.
You know, I happen to be around a lot of
kids these days all the time, and there are like
young Rams fans. Obviously, the older people like myself, we all,
you know, came from somewhere else and have other teams
that we grew up with. But that there is a
(09:58):
growing fan base for the Rams.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
This is a Lindsay, This is a Rams football team
that is fifth in the NFL in scoring offense, right,
and they're number two in the NFL and scoring defense.
So we talk about Matt Stafford being the MVP, and
Puka and Davonte and all those guys. Is this a
better offensive or a better defensive team in your mind
right now?
Speaker 3 (10:17):
Oh, that's such a hard question. I knew you were
going to put me on the spot. I hate to
say it's like equal, but it's about equal. Like I
just don't that the defense is absolutely out there doing
his job. But I mean the offense they just scored
six touchdowns against the forty nine ers, And I know
the forty nine ers are banged up as anybody in
the league, but they just made it look so easy
(10:37):
and effortless. And it's and no matter who's out for
the forty nine ers, it's that's always a solid defense.
So I don't really think there's a way to choose
one side or the other. I mean, maybe I would
just go with the offense a little. With the edge,
the Rams secondary sometimes has been susceptible, which I know
when you look at the matchup this week. In the
amount of explosive that Sam Darnold's managed, you, I mean
(11:00):
you guys. I think Seahawks are leading the league in
explosive if not second, just behind Matthew Stafford. So I
think that will be really really interesting to see how
the Rams secondary shares. Also, because you know, all these
defensive friends have had a really hard time getting to
Sam Darnold.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
I think it's a similar situation with the Seahawks. I mean,
the Seahawks offense is actually ranked higher than the Seahawks defense,
But I think most Hawk fans would say we're a
better defensive team than we are offensive teams.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
So what kind of a game.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Do you think we're gonna see? Is this gonna be
we just had a handicapper, come on, so there's gonna
be like thirty to twenty seven. I so often I
see more twenty three to twenty than we do thirty
to twenty seven. What do you think?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
I hope it's high scoring. I mean, I love the offense.
I don't know. I mean, here are asking the only
questions I don't.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Know answers to, you know what, I expect way more
from a former rally fried girl, I'll be honest with you,
way more I.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Handed out prize for free as an intern. What do
you really expect? I mean, I didn't even ask for
minimum wage. Would have been kind of rich. That's but anyway,
that's an in the story. But I mean, I think
I think it's going to be. I think high scoring.
I think high scoring. I'm gonna I'm gonna go with
the quarterbacks and the receivers. Let's let's call it a
high scoring one just for fun.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
I will say this, when you expect a low scoring game,
you know, it's kind of more often than not you
get what you don't expect. And there's surprises in the
National Football League. But Lindsey, before you go, you mentioned
you mentioned Sean McVay and he doesn't even turn forty
until January and he's already been the coach of the
Rams for nine years. How how close was he a
(12:36):
couple of years ago to actually quitting and going to
work for TV And now that he's winning again, is
he totally now invested, like bought into this thing. We're
not going to hear any rumors or reports that McVeigh
is considering quitting and getting out. Is are those days
over now for him.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Yeah, I mean it was it was very very close.
It was it was close to him leaving a couple
of years ago, years ago. It's really interesting you ask
this because it's been something I've thought about, Like, he's
not even forty, this is his ninth season. Next year
is going to his tenh season. Like it's just unheard
of for a coach to be able to stay in
one place for so long, let alone, I mean, what
(13:15):
he'd stay here for his entire career with what he's
done here. I don't know. I don't think. I don't
think we're going to hear anything about like, oh, Sean's
getting it's to retire anything. But somewhere down the line,
I don't think it's after this season. I don't think
it's after next him. But somewhere down the line, I
would imagine he'll maybe want to like just take a
(13:35):
breakpar a minute and maybe go do some TV and
then get back into it, because I don't know, I
just can't see him doing this for like thirty straight
years and forty straight years and he could, right Pete
Carroll's seventy seventy five, seventy six, Yeah, like still doing this,
So at some point he's gonna have to take a
little break.
Speaker 2 (13:51):
Right, you'd think so, you'd think so. All right, Lindsay,
great stuff. We appreciate this once again, the biggest marin
or fanityesp carrying the flag for that franchise down there
in the halls of ESPN dot com on television covering
the Rams. Great stuff. Tell the hobby, I said alone
by the way too, okay, and.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Please turn on Sunday NFL Countdown on Sunday morning seven
am to ten am Eastern is at the mess on
the east.
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:20):
Yeah, we'll see you guys there on Sunday NFL Countent
and I will tell my husband hello, and we'll see
you in Maui in February.
Speaker 2 (14:26):
There's not a chance I'm up at seven am on Sunday,
by the way, and if I am them on the
golf course, I'll be honest with you, all right.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
But maybe I'll tape the shell. I'll record it there
you go.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Yeah, right, see Lindsay theory ESPN with us on the
radio show and Dick is Lindsay was talking there. I
was just doing a little bit of math here and
as far as the offenses and who they faced.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
I know you've mentioned this couple of times.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I mean, the Rams are you know, look, it's it's
still the point of the year where things are kind
of evolving, still a little bit, you know, as far
as who's got the great units and blah blah blah.
But you're getting ou on the fourteenth November much more
of a picture for who's good and who's not versus
the middle of September. I mean, clearly, it's been two
and a half months of data. But the Rams have
(15:09):
faced one, two, three, four top half defenses in the NFL,
and the Hawks have only faced two of them. And
that's San Francisco and Houston. Points per game, that's points
per game.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
That's good.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I know how much you hate yards. I would never
offend you by bringing yards. Okay, that's points per game,
but again, points is always in context of the way
the game goes defensive score. Yes, so they faced two
top half defenses, I'm sorry, three top half defenses San Francisco,
Tampa Bay and the Texans. The Niner game was the
(15:43):
first game of the year with Sam Darland quarterback. Maybe
you throw it out, I don't know. They scored thirteen points.
The Tampa Bay game. They lost, but they scored thirty five.
Texan game was the number one scoring defense in the NFL,
and they scored twenty seven on Monday nights. So if
you look at the last two games they played against
top half defenses, I think they've done fairly well against
(16:04):
the Texans.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Was there a defensive score in the Texan game as
well for the Hawks?
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Why do I think that there was?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Well, I gotta be honest with you, My memory of
that game is in the gutter because that was Game
seven of the ALCS, so I don't remember a lot
about that. I didn't even get into the stadium until
the second quarter. There was not a defensive touchdown in
that game. Zach Charbonney had two and Jay sid had won.
But the point is they faced three of them. Two
of the three they did. Okay, the Rams have faced
(16:31):
four of them, actually five of them, because they played
the Rams or the Niners twice and they scored fourteen
against the Texans, twenty six against Philly, twenty seven against
the Colts, and then forty two and twenty three against
San Francisco. So you could argue the Rams have had
maybe a little more exposure to a top half defense
than the Hawks have, and both teams have done okay,
(16:53):
if not pretty good.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
I just have more faith.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
In these defenses in the red zone than I do
in these offenses. Put in a lot of points on
the board, and look at the numbers. I mean red
zone scoring presenters. These are touchdowns only Seattle is seventh
in the league. The Rams are second in the league
in making sure the other team when they get into
the red zone, they are kicking field goals and not
scoring touchdowns. I think that's what we're gonna see. I
(17:17):
think we're gonna see multiple field goals for each team
and very few touchdowns for each team.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Well, Hu Mellan will tell us if we're nuts or
not at five o'clock tonight. We'll talk to you that
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