Sean McVay & Matthew Stafford On Success In The Blitz, Game-planning Seahawks & Tight End Depth

Sean McVay & Matthew Stafford On Success In The Blitz, Game-planning Seahawks & Tight End Depth

Okay. Um, injuries as far as today. Um, Devonte will not participate. Making good progress. Just did the walkth through. So, still feel the same as what I kind of communicated to you guys on u on Monday. Kobe Turner’s backs bother him a little bit. So, we’ll be smart with him. He won’t participate. Jordan Whittington will be limited with his back and then Darius Williams will be full with his shoulder. You guys go ahead. Monte play. I do. Yeah. He’s He’s, you know, he’s that’s what he tells me. He’s feeling good and so uh I trust the man. He’ll be ready. Sean, I saw a stat that said against the Blitz, Matthew has like 20 touchdowns, no interceptions this season. How much of that success is based on the preparation and and figuring out, okay, where those blitzes might be coming from, where the answers might be, and then how much of it is just him playing and reacting and kind of I think it’s a combination of both, you know. I mean, he he puts a lot of work in. um he’s used all of his experience that he’s accumulated where you know he’s got an unbelievable rolodex in his mind and seeing how 11 bodies are distributed and then understanding what are the quick element answers you know what are some of the things that he wants to be able to do um I’m sure a lot of those are probably coming in the tight red area where you know naturally you’re saying people are blitzing and it’s a little bit different structures with a lot of the touchdowns he’s thrown inside the five but he’s been he’s been outstanding you know he’s in total command um and we’re going to need that because this is a great challenge this week but I think it’s a combination of his preparation, how smart he is, his experience, and you know, like I’ve kind of said over and over, we’re certainly very grateful that he’s leading the way for us. Sean, what have you seen from Sam Darnold? Yeah, I’ I’ve seen a lot of the same things that made him great last year in Minnesota. Um, I think he’s in a really good system. I think he does an excellent job of, you know, recognizing whatever the coverages are and being able to get the ball where it should be. Um, you know, you can see he does a great job of playing in time, in rhythm. he can activate all parts of the field and then, you know, some really cool stuff happens when when he goes off schedule. He’s got the athleticism to be able to buy time, keep his eyes down the field. You can see there’s a rapport with his skilled players um that they’ll able to they’re able to work off of him. Um but I’m I’m seeing a guy that’s playing with a lot of confidence that’s been earned and, you know, it’s a continuation of a lot of the stuff that um got him the you know, deserved recognition, you know, last year with what he did with Kevin and those guys. And you know, you look at what Kubiaak’s done and and the way that he’s playing and the ownership he has of the things that they’re asking of him. It’s it’s impressive. I’ve got a lot of respect for Sam. The Seahawks run stunts at one of the highest rates of any team in the league right now at one of the lowest rates. What is it about that front four in the scheme that allows the stunts to be as effective? Yeah, I I think they know how to rush off of one another. you know, a lot of it are naturals, you know, and then they have some of those that are stunts that are called, but I think, you know, when I look at, you know, some of these defenses that you have a ton of respect for, you know, you always hear people throw out rush for as one, um, being able to understand what does that look like, what are they really trying to get done, how they can recognize to activate some different things on their own, but um, you know, Mike McDonald adding dirt, they do such a great job. But that’s been a consistent theme that I’ve seen from defenses that Mike’s had. You know, that was I I felt that way a few years ago. When you watch Baltimore, you see them getting more and more comfortable and ultimately the players bring it to life. They got great guys across the front, both inside and outside. They got a rotation of guys that you’re seeing and um and and then I think they’re earning the right to be in a lot of favorable situations because of how efficient they are on some early downs where you know you look at it and they’re seeing a lot of you know third down and longs and and they’re forcing people into situations where they can kind of dictate the terms whether they want to give you pressure looks and come uh bless you or whether they want to end up being able to rush for and play loaded zone behind it. But um if you can get home the way that they do and the way that they’re able to play off one another it’s it’s impressive. you see why they’re getting the, you know, welldeserved and well-earned, you know, credit, you know, for what a great defense they are. What has Terren Ferguson shown you in his development this year? I I think a guy that’s just been consistent every single day. Um, you know, we talked a lot about it during training camp. I thought he had a really good off seasonason. I thought he had a really good early parts of the training camp. Then he had the groin that that put him out for an extended period of time. And that tight end position is so difficult. So many different things that we’re asking of those guys. And, you know, you’re starting to see a little bit more of that with some of the things that we’ve done as of late. But I’m seeing a guy that’s got incredible upside. He’s got great leaders in the room to be able to learn from. Whether that’s Scooter Huff, Tyler Higgby, Kobe Parkinson, Davis Allen, you know, being as experienced as he is, but um you know, we want complete players in that room and and he is a dynamic player. I think one of my favorite parts of the other day, you know, he’s learning. He’s doing a great job competing without the ball, but I think when you look at the confidence that Matthew has in him, we just miss him on a, you know, it would have been a a great play, but one that he’s capable of, and then a couple plays later, come right back to him, ends up making an explosive play. And so, um, he’s only getting better, and I think the future’s really bright for him. We love Terrence. Where did that show up early in the season when he wasn’t getting game reps on the look team? I mean, you look at it, there’s a there’s a lot of stuff, and I kind of mentioned this the other day when I was talking to JB Long. I mean, you see some of the things that he was able to do and and you’re watching, you’re saying, “Man, maybe we should get those plays in, you know, because he’s doing an excellent job of bringing some of that stuff to life against, you know, a great defense that we have and a lot of really talented guys on the back end.” And and I think, um, you know, he’s just continued to work. He’s stayed humble. He’s waited for his opportunity and and he’s going to continue to, you know, earn more as we go, but it’s a really fun group to work with and and I’m excited about his future. Did you sign the other another tight end because you need bringing five out now? We’re calling in 05 personnel because you need them. You need someone for the look team because none of the other four guys are playing. That’s exactly right. You know, and and then there’s a part of it too, Gary, has to do with some of the special teams yards that we accumulate. Um, you know, Reggie and Trent and those guys, they do such a great job of being able to track our when you look at and I look at it as, hey, our team is, you know, our football team plus the practical guys, that’s our team. And what are the workloads? where are some different ways that we can supplement maybe some guys that are getting a little bit higher in terms of their volume and that was a position because of some of the things that you’re asking about but also special teams some of those midlevel body types um that can still be able to cover in space um and do a lot of different things but yes that was a part of it to bring music in. We’ve seen uh Byron obviously rack up the sacks all season long, but when he makes a fourth down stop like he did on Sunday, I guess what does it just say about the way he’s kind of rounded out his game at this point? Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, that that was a great play really by our front as a whole. I mean, you look at verse getting the backside penetration, puna Ford, um Kobe, you see the way that Fisk was at the point of attack and and Byron was awesome. You know, they’re running kind of a little wide zone play towards the, you know, towards our sideline to be able to get some of that knock back and then to be able to make that play. Byron’s been outstanding and he’s been productive. You know, everybody talks about the sacks, but he’s been productive in both phases. He does so much for us. Joe Kigglio does a great job with that group as a whole, but that play was that was instrumental. You up 21 nothing. They got a chance to be able to cut it to a two possession game. And what that does just for the energy and the momentum of the sideline, that was a big time play. It was a huge play on the third and three before that where, you know, Verse at the point of attack, he ends up making a play to be able to prevent them from converting right there on a, you know, kind of a tight zone run that that typically would convert. So, a lot of cool things in that sequence of plays from our defense right there. Can you speak to the mindset of the team right now? Right. Because Emanuel Forbes comes up big with a second backto-back interception. You we’re talking about Terrence Ferguson, the miscatch, you throw him again. What is the mindset of the locker room? Yeah, I think it’s I think what we’ve got is we got a bunch of great guys that have similar values and principles, Aaron, but they all have different personalities, but I think what our coaches have done a good job of and ultimately it’s about the players is everybody’s got real value. You know, when you’ve got 48 guys up on game day, hey, how can we do a great job of recognizing where’s the authentic value that they can bring to the table? Talked about this a little bit in the post game the other day, but we got a fun group. I think they enjoy coming into work. We know that there’s an urgency that’s required. It’s going to be hard work, but it’s going to be worth it. Um, and there’s nothing more enjoyable than watching, you know, good ball that these guys bring to life and celebrating each other’s successes. Whether it’s Terrence Ferguson, whether, you know, you guys see Higgby miked up or Emanuel Forbes, you know, our group, they enjoy playing together and I think that says a lot about us and, uh, you know, I love this team. Sean, when I asked Rob about him being honest with you about just where he was at in terms of return to performance with his ankle rehab, he said as challenging as that was, like felt like he was able to do it because the environment you created and also the the trust and knowing that, you know, you’ve had his back and gone through stuff with him through thick and thin. I guess when you hear that from a player, one, what does that mean to you? And two, just what has differences he made being back in the lineup? Oh, it’s it’s everything. I mean, you know, Rob Rob obviously means a lot to me, you know, first and foremost as a person. you know, he was here before I got here in 17. Um, you know, we’re in year nine together and and everything that he represents, it’s why he’s basically voted unanimously as a captain. Um, and watching him organically just become the leader that he is with how he influences, how he affects positive change, how he supports guys. One of the things I think says as much about Rob is the way he was supporting Warren McClendon when he’s out. And Rob is such a tough competitor. You sometimes have to protect these Warriors from themselves. Um, but him being back out there and I think really, you know, he’s earned the right where you’re able to talk to him. He’s able to give you feedback in your weighing everything to be able to make collaborative decisions and um, you know, we’re glad to be able to have him back. He he does a great job. He’s a great competitor and um, and I think he really cherishes and enjoys being out there and being able to go compete with his teammates while continuing to elevate his room and our team as a whole. Playing these guys for the first time this year, what benefit, if there’s a benefit, that you guys played New Orleans last year and Clint, played Sam a couple times. Yeah, I think there’s some benefits. You know, every single year is a new year. Um, there are some similarities, but I think, you know, to Clint, what he’s done a great job of is he’s evolved and he’s adjusted to the personnel that he has in Seattle. There were some things that he accentuated in New Orleans. Um, and you to see a lot of these, you know, coordinators or coaches, there’s foundational philosophies that are pretty much consistent around the league, but then what do you lean into? How do you really, you know, elevate certain guys? What do you do that allows Sam to be able to play the way that he is? how does he cater to their offensive line or their backs and tight ends and skilled players? Um, and so it’s it’s um it it helps a little bit, but you know, every single game, every every week, it’s it’s a new challenge and, you know, you use it uh without trying to, you know, overdo it, if you will. Yeah. Nate Nate Landman has had success punching out the ball. Yeah. When you’re talking to your offensive players, how do you protect against that? What would you say? I mean, he can hold on tight, but is there anything specific? you better get your offhand cover and not leave that leather susceptible to exposure for land man. He’s going to get it out. And so, you know what I think’s cool is you look at the last two that he ended up having in consecutive weeks, whether it’s New Orleans or against San Francisco. Both of those Cam Curls got a player stood up. Uh the one against Camar was a little bit different, but you know, Land Man sees that opening and takes it and then on a bang bang type of play where we’re bringing a pressure. Um, you know, Cam Curl does a great job coming from the post to be able to kind of get Jennings stood up and, you know, when you’re in those positions, you know, you’re trying to be able to get as many yards as possible and sometimes the ball’s going to be susceptible and if it is, it’s really hard and difficult. I think defensive players in this league do such a great job of attacking at it. you know, it’s a ball mindset that people have and um when you’re in traffic areas, if you don’t, you know, really get that off-hand cover, you’re you’re always going to run the risk of um putting it on the ground and and Land Man’s done an excellent job for us. And I think he’s helped create just more awareness overall, whether that’s for our offensive guys like you’re asking or even our defensive players are getting better attempts at it. And it’s a big deal because uh you know, other than points, that’s one of those most important stats. I don’t like stats, but that’s one that I do like. All right, thanks guys. Samantha, what do you think it’ll be like to see Cooper across the field this week? Um, you know, I’m looking forward to seeing him. I haven’t seen him um in a while. Uh, some a little bit probably before the season started in the summer, but um, looking forward to it. I’m glad he’s feeling good, um, and and ready to rock and roll, but um, he’s lifelong friend of mine. Um obviously we’ll be competing against him um you know this weekend um but uh be good to see him. What do you see from the Seahawks defensive front on film? Uh really good football players um across the board on their defense. I mean they’re playing lights out defense when you look at it. They’re doing great against the run affecting the passer obviously. Uh you know scoring on defense doing all the things you want. So um really big physical powerful front um and really just you know from the from the front all the way to the back end. and I think they’re playing at a at a really high level. What’s it like preparing for a defense that plays so much nickel and drops it to seven innings coverage at such a high rate? Um, you know, I think we it’s a different challenge every single week for us. Um, we go out there, we try to put a plan together to go out there and have success and then ultimately we call the plays and we go out there and run them and it’s on us as players to bring those plays to life, execute them if there’s issues, try to fix them if they’re, you know, at the line of scrimmage. Um, and make sure we’re getting in and out of good plays and and go out there and and play, uh, you know, play good sound football. That’s kind of been the recipe for us. Um, no matter what’s getting, you know, put out there on the defensive side of the ball, we have, um, you know, thoughts on what we want to try to do and and go out there and execute it. Matthew, when you’re um, kind of breaking NFL history or making NFL history with the streak you’re on right now, do you pay any attention to that? Do you like know that’s going on? Uh, no. No. I mean, I obviously didn’t know what was going on until people told me about it kind of afterwards. Um, but no, in the middle of it, just trying to play good ball. Um, you know, obviously the the touchdowns have racked up the last, you know, few weeks, but I felt like I’ve been playing pretty good football for a while and and uh sometimes I’ve had years where you feel like you play good football and you look up at the end of the year and the stats may not, you know, uh, tell the whole story of how you feel like you played and that goes kind of both ways, right? There’s times where I’m like, man, I didn’t feel like I played that great and you look up and it was like, okay, it was all right. But, um, so I don’t pay too much attention to those stats. Just doing everything I can to try to get us in the end zone and, you know, luckily that’s, uh, that’s been happening in a pretty good clip the last couple days. when you do find out that you’re making history, what’s your reaction to it? To be honest with you, I’m just kind of moving on to the next week. You know, I the thing about the NFL doesn’t wait around. You know, it doesn’t wait around. Doesn’t feel good for you. It doesn’t feel sorry for you. You just got to go out there and play the next week. And so, I’ve learned that uh throughout throughout my career on both ends of it and uh just got to show up, do everything you can to uh to prepare and go play uh you know, confident football on Sunday. as you as you guys are rotating in um all the tight ends. Are you in the huddle conscious of who’s in, who’s out, or is it just how many are in there? Sure. I hope so. No. Uh yeah. No, I’m uh No, I’m I’m pretty dialed in on that kind of stuff. And that’s something that comes through here as well as the guys that are running on. You know, we do a great job in this uh organization of communicating that starts with Sean and echoes down through me hopefully to those guys. and even those guys running on um you know whether it’s you know 11 12 13 whatever it is um you know those guys do a heck of a job communicating and then we kind of know uh you know where we’re going from there. What stands out to you about both the play style and and personality of that tight end room personalities? Yeah, I mean personalities are all a little bit different. Um you know uh but they all bring their own edge to the game. They’re really a conscientious group man. They want to get it right every single time and that’s awesome for our team. um athletic uh fun guys to be around. All of them bring great energy to the huddle and to the field. Their play style is relentless. Um you know, I think uh of so many plays in games where guys are just, you know, fighting that extra inch and and those guys epitomize that. So, we’re lucky to have them. Matthew, I’m curious to get your perspective on this. You know, so many people talking about your streak and MVP consideration. I think it was Tom Brady did your guys game on Sunday saying that you have the answers for everything that the defense is throwing you, but I heard other former quarterbacks analysts say the defenses have no answers for what you’re doing. Kind of what’s your perspective on that? You feel like you’re a step ahead or do you think you’re just reacting kind of perfectly with the answers from what you’re seeing? Um, you know, I feel like I try to react. I read and react. You know, sometimes that happens before the ball is snapped and sometimes that happens after the snap. Um, certain times, uh, you get a really good beat on exactly what’s about to happen from a defensive standpoint. And other times you may be narrowing it down between two or three things in your head and then you get the snap and you just feel the feel the defense moving to where you thought or maybe it’s a little bit different than you thought. But, uh, being able to know what to do and where to go with the football, um, in those instances is, you know, key and critical for for my position. I’m trying to do that as best I can. Is it perfect? No. Um, but I’m trying to do it uh, you know, as often as I possibly can. you’ve had a lot of success against the Blitz this year, you know, getting ball really quickly, too. So, when you diagnose that, like, how does that affect your processing on on any given play? Yeah, I mean, I’m just trying to uh throw it where they’re not, you know? Um, that’s the big thing. Uh, you know, I think some of that stuff is is other guys on our team, too. I mean, you look at the last week, um, Puka scores on the on the wide receiver screen versus a nickel pressure. Wasn’t some great read I made. you know, it was a great call by Shawn and and uh you know, felt like we were in a great play and left it on and and let it roll. And so, um you know, sometimes it’s that, sometimes it’s um you know, being able to diagnose it and get the protection squared up and then be able to, you know, put the ball down the field and other times it’s guys catching and running. So, I think the more different answers that we can provide to all the different looks that we’re getting, um you know, the harder we are to defend, right? It may be a pressure and we throw a screen into it. the next play might be a pressure and we dial up the protection and throw it over your head. We might let it ride and check it down. I mean, there’s just we’re trying to do uh you know to make ourselves as difficult to defend by presenting as many possible options um for a defense as we can. A defense that stunts as much as Seattle does. What is the process with Coleman of trying to get those pre- snap IDs for their protection? Yeah, I mean I think uh it’s communicating you know all the time. I feel like that’s what he uh, you know, really really excels at. He’s a great communicator up front. He’s going to have his thoughts and ideas on what he feels is is about to happen. We trust him, you know, uh, a ton and and as far as what he’s seeing from those guys in the front four. So, um, just trust him to go out there, get everybody on the same page, go out there and play physical and fast. On the touchdown pass to Davis Allen, you you were rolling right. Were you kind of like trying to de like you were just going to throw the ball away and then put it up there for him or what was happening there? I mean, I just knew I was getting close to the sideline. I’m trying to buy a little bit of time maybe. I thought I was probably going to have to throw it away and I felt Lenor kind of slough off and Davis really did a great job of just kind of getting lost in the background. Um cuz I had him doubled there for the majority of the play. Not schematically, just happened to have two guys over there and and uh you know, he did a nice job of kind of sliding into the back and felt like there was a little bit of space back there. He’s a big target and was able to last second uh get him a ball. So just uh what’s it mean to you to have Rob back out there as well as Warren was u you know playing when he was Yeah, I thought both those guys done a great job. Obviously Rob has um a ton of experience. Um he’s played in this offense for a long time. Um he’s played at a high level for a long time and I think his demeanor, his communication, his steadiness um you know adds to our uh you know adds to our execution up front. I also think when Warren was in there, man, was he playing great, too. So, uh it’s it’s a good feeling when you got two guys at the same spot you trust. Um obviously, uh Rob just has a ton of experience and um we lean on that. Sorry, just one more. Uh two seven and two teams in a division matchup. How would you just describe the importance of this game Sunday? Yeah, I mean, it’s a it’s a big game because it’s the next one for us obviously in the division. Um you know, sometimes people look at them like they count for two and I understand that. Um but it’s just another opportunity, I think, for us to try to go get better. You know, I think that’s what we’ve been trying to do every single game this season. Um certain weeks I feel like we’ve been able to accomplish that. I feel like we’ve played physical, we’ve played tough, um you know, smart football, and sometimes you don’t come away with the win, but um you know, for the most part this year, we’ve been moving in the right direction. Look forward to doing that. Uh you know, hopefully having a chance to do that, uh this Sunday. Thanks,

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford talk about successfully avoiding blitzes in the past few games, preparing for key Seattle Seahawks players, and the benefits of having versatile tight end talent.

0:00 Sean McVay talks injury updates
0:33 Matthew Stafford against the blitz
1:30 Sam Darnold’s season so far
2:23 Seahawks’ consistent offense/ defense
3:43 Terrance Ferguson’s development
4:43 Terrance Ferguson’s performance
5:18 Signing another tight end
6:06 Byron Young’s 4th down stop vs. 49ers
7:10 Locker room mindset
8:12 Rob Havenstein’s injury
9:28 Facing the Seahawks
10:19 Nate Landman’s peanut punches

11:41 Matthew Stafford on seeing Cooper Kupp on Sunday
12:12 Seahawks defensive front on film
12:36 Preparing for Seahawks defense
13:14 Making NFL history
14:28 Reactions to milestones
14:23 Rotating tight ends
14:56 Tight end room personalities
15:29 Reacting to defenses
16:27 Success against the blitz
17:35 Pre snap ideas
18:07 TD pass to Davis Allen vs. 49ers
18:45 Having Havenstein & McClendon back
19:18 Importance of Sunday’s game

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