Sean McVay talks Matt Stafford, Rams’ depth in Puka Nacua’s absence & more! | The Rich Eisen Show

Sean McVay talks Matt Stafford, Rams’ depth in Puka Nacua’s absence & more! | The Rich Eisen Show

us top of hour number three is one of my favorites and I’m not just saying that because he’s potentially listening me to introduce him uh on his by-week here kind enough to join us is Shawn McVey head coach of the Los Angeles coach there he is. What’s up Rich? How are you pal? How’s it going? I’m good. I’m uh I’m just sitting in my kitchen right now. So I got a nice little I don’t know what this is behind me, but it looks like it’s going to grow on me any second. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um Wait a minute. That that doesn’t mean you’re you’re not in charge of uh of what’s on the walls in your house or you have a little say or or or you just leave. I have no say. Zero say. I am certainly not the head coach at my own house and I’m more than happy to accept that. Me too. Uh there’s one item in my house. One item in my house. It’s a chair that uh I brought to the relationship 25 years ago. Sean. Okay. You know that’s old faithful. That’s what I mean. You know what I mean? Everything else is just I I got I have nothing to do with it. I I’m just I I’m just a resident. You know what I mean? So, I’m I’m with you. I’m with you. I do know what you mean. I know exactly what you mean. Well, it’s good to see you, man. Uh first things first, you know, um about the London game, the conversation around your plan to, you know what, stay on the East Coast after playing the Ravens, um work out in Camden Yards, and then show up the day before the game. There was a lot of questions about like if that’s the the right thing to do and you guys crushed it. I’m wondering, have you already gotten calls from other East Coast teams about giving them your information about sleep and and planning so they can copycat what you just did, Sean? You know, I I I didn’t realize what a what a big deal was made of it until after the game, you know, but I but here’s what I would say is I have a ton of trust in Reggie Scott, our group behind the scenes that is responsible for sports performance and really trying to understand how do we make this uh not as much of a big deal for our players where we can try try to keep a normal rhythm and routine even though you’re staying in Baltimore. But what we have been accustomed to when we’re kicking off at 2:30 in London is going from the east co or from the west coast to east coast kicking out off at 10 a.m. in our body clocks. So what our what what we did was we basically just adjusted and said all right let’s get acclimated to the east coast and because they kick off at 2:30 it’s a 3 and 1 half hour time difference and so it’s very similar to things that we had done and ultimately it’s about our players. They handled it like studs. But I I have gotten, you know, hit up about it and I’m not going to tell them anything. I was about to say, man, I I was about to say cuz this is a copycat league and you know, I’ve done all these London games and everyone’s like, we’re going to get there first thing or we’re not going to get there until two days before and you’re the first to basically say, you know what, we’re going to hang on the East Coast the entire week and then we’re just going to fly in for the game, sleep, and play and go home. and like a, you know, special ops. We were just in and out before you knew it. You were like Oceans 11 and your 11 were you on each side of the ball, man. You flew over the the ocean was the Atlantic and the 11 was on either side of the ball for you, man. And and it worked out. And Stafford is just unbelievable. I can’t believe this was a guy who had back pain in the in the summer that made people think he might not answer a bell. He’s been maybe the best he’s ever been. What’s it been like from your perspective? He’s been awesome. You know what’s funny is uh he was telling me before the game that a couple of the coaches on the other staff said, “Yeah, that was really nice of Sean uh to basically fake a back injury for you so that you could just miss camp.” He’s like, “What the hell you talking about? The back injury was real.” You know, I think there’s this narrative that we were just faking it because he’s played so well. He’s been awesome though, Rich. I think the first thing I would say is he’s done a great job of taking care of himself. He is feeling good, but he’s in total command. And this guy enjoys the game. He certainly doesn’t have to be playing. He enjoys his teammates. He enjoys competing. I think he’s seeing the field really well. I don’t think there’s ever been a time that there’s more multiple looks that defenses are presenting than what we’ve seen over the last year. And and that’s a credit to just the, you know, the volume that people are carrying and and how hard it is to get a beat on what they’re doing. But to be 17-2 touchdowns, the picks, and he’s really had a lot of plays where, you know, they’re not turnover worthy. So, I mean, that’s a real stat. Sometimes you can see guys get away with that, but he’s a stud and uh I’m certainly grateful and I’m going to cherish every moment for however long he wants to play, but I don’t take for granted how lucky I am to be able to coach a guy like him. Well, we had Devonte Adams in our uh our broadcast meeting Zoom after we chatted with you uh last week, Sean, and he told Curt Warner that um Rogers is the quarterback with the best arm he’s ever had, but he said that Stafford’s superpower, the best he’s ever seen at manipulating a defense with his eyes, with his um with his mannerisms. uh what what have you seen on that front that you could sort of add to that? He’s incredible. Well, he’s he’s the best in both for what I’ve been around and and he is he’s just so special. I I think he’s so smart. I think that’s the one thing and you and I have talked about this before, Rich. He’s obviously, you know, well respected for this gunslinger, this tough competitor. He takes hits, he gets up. Um you know, but he’s so smart. I think that’s the one thing people don’t realize how hard he works at it, how he’s accumulated this knowledge of inventory that he’s able to replicate from years. But he’ll be the first to tell you when he first started, you know, there’s so many ways that Calvin Johnson was getting doubled in creative ways that coverage contours played out. And he wants to throw to him and they know it. And I’ve got to figure out a way to be able to do that when there’s usually two or three people paying attention to him. And I think a lot of the manipulation of coverage and understanding how to move people opposite of where you’re trying to get them to go was foundationally started from him and Calvin playing together. But I think that’s an athletic intuition that he has that’s pretty unique and special. And it’s a credit to him. And I remember Momes uh you know mentioning to me when I saw him the the balls that he had to be able to bring that out. It’s one thing to do it when you got the games in hand, but to do it in crunch time on a game-winning drive to win the Super Bowl. and now it’s it’s kind of been old hat and uh and he has fun with it and and everybody knows he’s doing it and he still finds a way to be able to get people to move to where he wants. He’s special. What’s your collaboration with him like coming up with a game plan? What’s that like? Well, I’ll tell you what, we went to uh it’s it’s really what do you like and that’s what we’re going to do. But we went to we went to do a walkthrough at Wembley and uh you know obviously the Jags go play there but you know you got people with Jags t-shirts on and and you know I think Gladstone might have been in the uh the upper deck suits when we were walking through on Saturday. So I told the players I said you know we’re not going to do much stuff here. This just feels a little weird. I said why don’t you make up a cool play. Make up a cool trick play Matthew. He makes up a trick play in about 10 seconds and I’m thinking to myself, Rich, shows you really what an idiot I am. That would have taken me eight hours to come up with on a Tuesday. He comes up with it in 10 seconds. I’m thinking, man, I really don’t know what my value is here when we’ve got a guy like him. But it truly is a collaboration. He um he just has such a capacity and an understanding and an ownership of what we’re trying to get done. He can watch film and say, “These are the types of spots or areas we want to get to.” Um, and when you have a guy like that, he can get you in and out of stuff. He obviously has the autonomy to be able to get in and out of different looks um, at all times based on the different situations that arise. And I don’t take for granted how lucky I am to have somebody that when you make a decision that’s not necessarily right, he can make it right with the autonomy and ownership he has and his ability to be able to get it communicated to his other 10 teammates in real time. Well, I’d have my host card taken away if I didn’t follow up. Is that now in your playbook? that thing up it it might show up, you know, in a theater near you because I thought to myself, that’s that’s actually a pretty damn good idea. So, we might have to implement this one. All right. So, if there’s a trick play at any point during the rest of this season, I need to sit there and think, is that what Stafford came up whole cloth and Wembley? I’ll shoot you a text and say that’s the one. Give him his proper uh give him his proper credit. Okay. Fantastic. Sean McVey here on the Rich Eisen Show. Uh, also in that broadcast meeting with you, you talked about how um, Puka Nua being out was going to be a challenge for you and your staff um, about how you maybe became a little bit Puka dependent cuz he’s so damn good and you then uh, have 10 different guys catch a football in this game, including two rookies for touchdowns. First time in five years the Rams had that. So, did you check the box? Did you accomplish what you wanted in the in the Yeah, I think it was really cool. I I think what what ended up happening is sometimes these things that are challenges can be blessings in disguise. And what I mean by that is we’re always going to have Puka when he’s up as a a focal point, but also, hey, let’s let’s not in the meantime lose sight of, you know, we’ve got Puka, we’ve got Devonte, but we’ve got these other eligibles that we want to take advantage of. And, you know, my dad’s talked to me about this before. You know, we always talk about everybody likes being a part of something bigger than themselves, but as long as they feel like their role contributes. And we’ve got these great players that we want to take advantage of. And I thought that was illustrated uh by being able to have multiple personnel groupings, multiple guys involved where they’ve got some plays where they could maybe be the primary in a progression and then it allows those other guys to be a little bit fresher. Dvonte was outstanding with the targets he had, but I also think it’s a credit to, hey, he was able to get maybe some snaps off. Otherwise, it’ll be the same thing reflected with Puka moving forward. And I was really happy for the guys. And I thought Matthew did a great job of of basically just being a great point guard, getting everybody involved, going where the ball should go. And to have that many people involved is is a real credit to, you know, the depth of our players that we do have. And and I’m excited about that moving forward. Yeah. And in terms of, you know, you also told a story about um about Jared Verse first two weeks maybe um thinking a little bit more than just being natural and you you what you showed him some footage of last year, right? And absolutely right. And and your point in that was was what with him? Here’s the point. I I think sometimes when you’re a young guy and you have all this success, you feel like you have to reimagine and and really kind of add layers to your game. And in the midst of that, you can almost forget about what allowed you to be you in the first place that’s natural and the way that you work. There’ll be just a natural progression. And so, it’s all with the right intentions. But I think sometimes it’s, hey, remember who you are. Let’s see you doing the things that are in alignment with who you need to be. You don’t need to make things up. You don’t need to add all these different things to your game. Let’s understand what makes you great. What are the things that have naturally occurred just based on your work ethic and your approach. Um, and I think sometimes seeing is more powerful than anything we could say. We sat down, we were able to watch some great examples of stuff that he’s done at a high clip. Uh, and I think it’s getting back to no, don’t press, you know, every single snap, four to six seconds, man. Go do your thing and play to the best of your ability, your pre- snap demeanor, the way that you violently attack uh, based on whatever that call is. And he’s done an awesome job. He’s such a likable guy. You know, when he comes on here, you can see he’s got this personality. He never shuts up, but that’s who he is all the time. and you love him for that. Um, and I’ve been really proud of the way that he’s responded. He’s so coachable. He’s so accountable. Um, and he is a great challenge because of how smart he is, but he’s really played at a high clip. I think he and Byron Young have really done an outstanding job overall, Rich. And I thought you felt that. And it was I told him, I said, “Why you waiting so long to get that sack out of the way? Why don’t you just do it like you did in the Jags game every single game?” Yeah, I know. He first first set of downs, he did it. And by the way, since that that film session with you, uh, a sack in every single game, including a forced fumble in three of them, and I’m glad you brought up Byron Young. I was about to as well. He’s the one who’s tied with Brian Burns for the most sacks in the league. What What about this kid? He doesn’t get a lot of run or discussion. Um, he’s in year three, another less need hitting on a draft choice with you guys. Um, what what about him? I don’t know much about him, Sean. Yeah, he’s a special player. He’s a special human. You know, I think Joe Keniga does such a great job with that group overall, Rich. But but really, you know, when you look at the edge of our defense, you know, with Byron and and with Jared, I think they play off of one another. They’re like the Bash brothers. They’re always together. Um, but I think there’s a good compliment. You know, Jared is they’re both really physical players, but by has this great set of athleticism. I mean, he’s a legitimate 44 guy. He can, you know, he’s got an understanding of where does he fit within some of the different movements. and I think we’re really rushing four as one or if we’re sending more. Um, and he’s just made the most of his opportunities. I think he’s played consistent. Like he’s gotten those sacks, but he’s playing really productive in both phases to stop the run, to rush the passer. He does some different things when he drops into coverage based on some simulated pressures or overloads that we’ll bring. And he is uh he’s really played consistent and he’s one of those guys that when you spend time with him, you can’t help but love him. And really, I feel that way about both he and Verse. All right. So, in a couple minutes I have left with you, Sean, I I know you don’t you know um you don’t have time to sort of self-reflect here. Uh but I’ll try it anyway with you because one of the things we we had as a graphic on a screen of the broadcast during the game in London was, you know, obviously Liam Cohen from your staff, he’s he’s under 40. You’re you’re 39. And we had the a list of the the the five youngest coaches in the NFL. You’re still on that list. The other four though were in either year one or year two. You’re in year nine. You’re in year nine, so it is crazy. But so how do you do you still like it? I mean, obviously I I know you you you you’re really energetic and you you you know, you got that smile there, but you know, year nine, you you can burn out. I mean, John Madden’s that perfect example in that regard, you know what I mean? But how how are you handling that? I’ll tell you what, I think there’s been some times, Rich, that you know, and we’ve talked about that I I went through where you lose perspective. you know, you almost you come in and you’re so young and you have that unobstructed mind. You don’t even know the things to worry about. It’s just such a blessing. You know, you’re able to have uh be a part of some teams that did some really cool stuff. And then in the midst of that journey, you can almost lose sight of it and you can get caught up in, hey, this is about being transformational, not transactional. I do think that, you know, me having a family and, you know, you’re continuing to mature and grow just as a man. When you get hired at 30 years old, I made a ton of mistakes. There’s been some things that you want to replicate, but I think I have a healthier perspective on what a blessing this is and how much I love this game and how many blessings it’s brought me. But most importantly, the people that I’ve been able to develop relationships in the midst of this journey, the impact that you want to make. And I talk to our team about this all the time. We try to say all the time, hey, let’s let’s be grateful. Let’s be present. And let’s keep doing hard things. And that’s what the NFL entails. I love this job, but most importantly, I love the people that I’m doing it with. I love these players. I love the coaches. I love working with Lesne Sneed going into year nine. I love working with Tony Pastors and Kevin Demoff. I love working for Stan Kunky and Josh Kroni. And um and I really do love it. I think there was moments when I I got a little bit misguided and uh and I wasn’t the person that I want to be and I still have moments all the time that I mess up, but there’s a much more of a healthier perspective and appreciation for what this job is. and and I don’t take for granted how lucky I am to be into year nine um and to continue to really love what you’re doing and to feel like there’s a real purpose based on the relationships that are building that journey. And you know, it’s a lot more fun winning those games, don’t get me wrong, but there’s a lot of cool stuff that I think I have a better perspective and appreciation for that maybe I didn’t cherish as much um in the earlier years. And and sometimes some of the success we had early on, I think made me lose that perspective. How old is Jordan John McCay right now, Sean? You know what? Jordan John turns 2 years old on the 24th this week. Big birthday. Got trucks. We got dinos. It’s going to be a big day at the McY household, right? Dinos. Dinos. Dinos. Huh. Okay. So, these two bouncy house. We got a bouncy house going on. Oh, we’ll have a bounce house. I think dad will be in there more than Jordan. But, uh, be careful. What? Didn’t you Wait a minute. Didn’t you hurt your foot? You got to be careful in that bouncy house. You got to be careful. I’m like Hulk. I heal quick. I should know that. Is that why? Last thing for you because I listen I I noticed these things. You’re in the rain. Put up the photograph. I I I was just so impressed that the hair the hair is stain. I mean, in the rain for three and a half hours and the headset, what is that pomade made out of, man? Cement. Kevin Oonnell, when we played the ners last year on Thursday night, Kevin O’Connell’s oldest son asked him the same thing. He said, “How does Coach McVy’s hair not move even when it’s wet?” I’ll never tell, Rich. I’ll never tell. All right. Secret, Trey. You know, uh, you could tell me. It’s not like I’m going to use it. You know what I mean? Like, see, if I could pull that off, though, I just go the easy route and shave the head, too. You You You’ve been You’ve been doing that at a high clip for a long time, my friend. You’re the best, Sean. Thanks for the time. I appreciate you spending time on your bye-week. You’re off time with me, man. I appreciate it. Well, hey, thanks for having me on. And it was good catching up with you in the production meeting, too. Thanks, pal. Right back at you. And enjoy the birthday. Enjoy the birthday with your wife and everybody else. We’ll do. Appreciate you, man. You got to add Sean McVey. We now know what he’s going to be doing on his off weekend. Love it. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

LA Rams head coach Sean McVay joins The Rich Eisen Show to talk about the London game, Matthew Stafford’s form, playing without Puka Nacua, self-reflection from coaching LA Rams for 9 years and more!

0:00 House furniture
1:07 Time zone change for London game
3:09 QB Matt Stafford’s back injury recovery
4:33 Stafford’s athletic intuition
8:21 WR Puka Nacua dependency
10:05 DL Jared Verse & LB Byron Young
13:19 Self-reflection in Year 9 of NFL head coach
16:42 Coach McVay’s hair vs. the rain

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