Sean McVay On Matthew Stafford’s Contagious Confidence, Offensive Depth & Matchup vs. Seahawks

Sean McVay On Matthew Stafford’s Contagious Confidence, Offensive Depth & Matchup vs. Seahawks

Welcome back to the Coach McVey Show presented by Microsoft Surface Co-Pilot Plus P PC with the head coach of your Los Angeles Rams, Sean McVey. I’m JB Long. LA and Seattle. Tie for the best records in the NFC at 7-2. And the more you win, the bigger the stakes get. Here comes a really big week for the Los Angeles Rams. Yeah, what a you know, and I’ve seen these guys from afar. we’ve crossed over with some of their film and you you’ve seen what a great complete team that they are and you know I’m looking forward to diving into this preparation but this is what you love um every single week you know whether it was a great team in the niners yesterday was really proud of the way that our group handled that uh but you just got to stack days one day at a time I love the humility I love that the team understands that their confidence comes from the work no words like we’ve talked about in previous weeks and what a great opportunity to be back at SoFi expect a great atmosphere and environment but I’m looking forward for us to be able to take a step. But what a great challenge. That’s what you love about this league. No doubt. Don’t know if it was true across the board, but I thought we could start up front. When you looked at the tape collectively, was that one of the better days the offensive line has had this season? Yeah, I thought it was. And I think the best part about it is is that what the players, the coaches, you know, there’s still room for growth, you know, and I think that’s a really cool thing is that, man, there’s a lot of positives, but where are their opportunities if we’re really just taking accountability, whether that’s us as coaches or whether that’s the players to say, “All right, hey, do I have a little bit more? can I consistently do the little things the right way from snap to whistle with the way that I’m straining for a full 60 minutes or a full 60 plays or whatever it requires? But I was really pleased with the way that we set the tone with the line of scrimmage, you know, and I think we’ve done that really on both sides of the football. But I thought our offensive line, our tight ends, our receivers, everybody that was a part of the blocking surface, I was really pleased with yesterday against, you know, a team that obviously they play really hard, they’re really well coached. You know, they’ve obviously they’re missing some key players, but they still have been a really good, productive, tough defense, and I was proud of the way that our guys set the tone. How contagious is the confidence that Matthew’s playing with right now? I think it is. You know, I I think, you know, I’ve been asked about it a little bit, and I think, you know, when you think of Matthew Stafford, you think of toughness and I think of enjoyment. And I think in a lot of instances, those things have kind of become the identity of this football team where they take on a lot of the good traits that their leader possesses. And he’s um he does it so seamlessly. He’s got an incredible just amount of, you know, wisdom, but also just EQ in terms of how to be able to impart his wisdom on guys, but also have his personality kind of rub off on them. And I think I think it’s a tremendous part of the confidence that our group’s playing with, starting with the guy at the switch. In addition to his precision, what are some of the other ingredients that have led to this red zone turnaround mid-season? Well, I think, you know, I think there’s a couple things that I would attribute to it. You know, number one, it’s it’s his precision like you’re talking about, but it’s also I mean, the most consistent thing you’ve seen that’s led to a bunch of these scores is, you know, Devonte’s winning one-on-one matchups. Um, you know, we’re able to it was great to be able to get a couple rushing touchdowns yesterday. I thought the surfaces of the way those runs were blocked were excellent. Kyron was able to press it and be able to punch it in and then, you know, some different things that you can create off of that. But it’s a team effort. It’s the execution. Um, but I’ve been, you know, it always starts with with the quarterback, but you know, good offenses in the red zone. They they can win one-on- ones and they can have the ability to be able to run the football. And I think those have been the consistent things that we’ve seen show up. And obviously that requires a quarterback to put the ball in the spots that he wants when there’s no vertical grass. Are you going to find your quarterback for leaving you hanging on that last touchdown? He did leave me hanging, didn’t he? Did you see that? Uh, you retracted it though a little bit though. It’s almost like I’m used to that. H I mean, I’m used to it, man. It happens. Everybody gets so excited. I come in there for a good high five or I go down in the front pylon. Everybody just ignores me. I’m just a lonely guy. Uh you mentioned Devonte there. It’s early in the week. Any update on him or how his practice? Haven’t had any updates yet. You know, I I know his mindset and mentality. He’s going to do everything in his power to be ready to go. Haven’t had a chance to get with Reggie and um those guys, but uh I’ll be surprised if if our guy doesn’t make it to to next week. And I know uh he was optimistic about it after the game, but you know, we’ll ultimately we’ll see how he’s feeling. You know, one of the reasons I asked is because no team in the league was as dependent statistically on two individuals as you guys were on the front end of this schedule with Puk and Devonte. Yeah. Now, you’ve missed them for at least a portion of a game and you haven’t missed a beat. What does that say about where this offense and where this roster is? Yeah, I I think the first thing is is, you know, one of the things that can sometimes be a blessing in disguise that we talked about is how do you create authentic value for everybody and maximize their skill sets and by nature of being able to utilize if you got a jersey up on game day, if you’re one of those 48, how can we maximize it? I think our defense has done a really good job of that. And then I think the offense, you know, our guys on offense have done a really good job. And um every single week, you know, we’re tasked as a coaching staff, how do we maximize our players skill sets? How do we put them in situations to give them successful outcomes? and then you take into consideration the opponent and the scheme that we’re going against. But um the more that you have to defend, the more eligibles that get involved in the pass game. I love the way Matthew’s spreading the football around and he’s just taking what the defense gives them. And oh by the way, you have the luxury of having two premier players like Devonte and Puka, but we got a lot of damn good football players on this offense and and those guys are starting to show why, you know, it is about the the the totality of the unit. I think Matthew’s doing a great job of getting a bunch of people involved. Like we were just talking as an offensive staff, one of my favorite things is is when you’re using everybody, the most snaps that an offensive skill player played yesterday was 39. Kairen and Kobe both played 39 snaps, but you know, you’re talking about Devonte and Puka are in that just, you know, that upper 30s area. Most of our tight ends are and um you know, and the backs, you know, Cororm ended up getting close to 30 snaps. It’s it’s a good thing where you’re taking advantage of the collective and the depth like you mentioned. So, you’re not pitch counting anyone, but do you feel like you’re getting maximum value out of those reps because they’re fresher and more intentional? No question about it. You know, and I think ultimately our job as an offense is to be able to move the ball and score points. And I think that um being able to have this type of approach where it is about the unit and the collective has been has been favorable for us, you know, and we’ll continue to see if we can build on that. But I love the way the guys have done a great job of embracing it, understanding it, and I think it’s a combination of, you know, the players bring it to life, but I think the coaches are doing a really good job communicating, providing clarity for what’s to be expected within the framework of each of their roles. You’ve referenced yesterday and again just now the defense kind of inspiring you and I wonder if you can elaborate on that experience of winning being richer because everyone who has a helmet has a hand in it. Yeah, and I kind of mentioned this in my postgame. You know, you know, my dad’s had such a big influence on me, JB. He’s one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever seen. Um, and we often talk about, all right, well, how do you create authentic buyin? How do you create cultures? Um, you know, and it always is about and always has been, always will be, no matter what, it’s about the people. But the biggest thing is is, you know, everybody throws out the phrase, everybody loves being a part of something bigger than themselves. Well, your job and our job as a leader, as leaders, is to be able to say, yes, but how do we make sure that they understand that their role contributes and is important to where we’re going? How do you authentically create value for people, find an opportunity for them to be maximized? Um, some people are going to play less snaps than others, but I just look at the way that the different personnel groups have been illustrated and have kind of unfolded organically with our defense and, you know, Chris and the defensive coaches doing a great job and you kind of we’ve charged the offense to kind of do the same and I think Mike and the offensive coaches staff has done a really good job with that. I know you’re not surprised with the outcomes on Sunday because of what you’re seeing out here on the grass in the course of the week. Does that does that go hand in hand in terms of I’m sure you’re getting better practice reps because it’s human nature when you anticipate a Sunday opportunity. 100%. I think the guys are leaning in. You know, anybody that’s great at what they do, they understand that the practice preparation and the practice performance and really having the courage to really push yourself past those manageable expectations, but also really lean into it and and really understand that this is going to help create a quieted mind and a confidence that’s earned. And there’s inevitably always things that we have to adjust to during the game. Uh, but I think our guys have really understood the importance of that because different than other leagues, we don’t have the luxury of using uh games as an opportunity to be able to really improve. you know, you certainly do use that, but you know, when you play 82 or 162 games, you can use some of those games as opportunities to be able to learn on the fly. Well, when you play 17 and the stakes are high, you better figure out other opportunities to be able to get better, especially with the nature of how physical our game is, the way that we’re restricted in terms of some of the sports performance elements. And um that’s been a huge component for I think a lot of the success and a lot of the improvement that we’ve seen for our football team. uh that’s been really reflected in the last month of the season. You know, Terrence is just one example of that, but I think he’s illustrative. We’re at the point now where you’re shot calling plays for T Ferg on the opening snap of the game. What happened to the guy who was a healthy scratch just a month ago? I I think what he’s done is just continue to work and there was always a confidence in him and you know, you just never know throughout the course of a season guys are going to get their opportunities and usually it’s going to be earned and then sometimes it just organically works itself out. But he’s a guy that’s just stayed humble. He’s worked in the background. There was never a loss of confidence. It was really just okay, how do we figure out, you know, what is the offensive identity? How do we maximize his skill set? I do think there was something to be said for some of the time that he missed in camp that, you know, you just get a little bit behind and then you’re kind of getting your feet wet again. But I’ve been really pleased with him. I think he’s just shown why he’s only going to continue to get better. And I think you could see that reflected in really that three-play sequence where try to hit him early on, you know, just miss him on a great ball down the field, end up hitting Puke on the screen and then come back to him and he makes a big play on an explosive that leads to, you know, Kairen getting his second touchdown of the day. I think that tells a story there. At one point he’s three targets, no catches, and in another parallel universe, that’s the end of that day for him. But you go back to him for that big play. You know, he was our guest on our player show last week and he said something pretty cool. He said he’d rather get water for his teammates here and win with this team, the Rams, than get a whole bunch of starting opportunities with the team that’s struggling. And that the the time on task, his practice squad refs or his scout team reps, excuse me, which he’s never done before. Yeah. Are against your ones y on defense and that time against the edge defenders, against Q, against other players prepared him for the shot you gave. There’s no question. And I’ll be honest with you, too, a lot of the stuff that he showed where he made those guys better, you’re saying, “How dumb am I to not figure out ways to get this guy involved, you know, when he’s capable of doing and a lot of the things that kind of were unfolding on the scout team where he’s making plays and you can’t help but notice him, you’re saying, “Well, shoot, man. Why don’t we put some of those plays in?” And and he started to bring those things to life in the opportunities that you’ve seen. And um it’s a cool reflection of a guy that has a lot of trust in his face, a lot of trust in his teammates and his surrounding parts to stay patient and and I think the best is yet to come. He’s got an incredibly bright future. And more importantly, I really love the, you know, the character of the human being. Yeah. Let’s use that as a jumping off point for our film breakdown this week presented by Microsoft Surface Copilot Plus PC where every day is game day. And I love your phrase. It’s something the effect of straining through the echo of the whistle on every play. Right. So, I picked out a couple of ones that maybe illustrate that. And we’ve we’ve slanted towards offense. So, we’ll start with defense here. Okay. First quarter, it’s a 14-point lead, but San Francisco is driving. And what should have been could have been a first down completion of Jawan Jennings turns into a a Rams takeaway as Cam Curl and and Nate Lambman converge. How did you see that play? Unbelievable job of playing through the echo of the whistle. It’s about the finish of the cycle of the snap. Great job by Q to be able to knock back, you know, McAffrey, but then you talk about intentionality and an unbelievable intent to be able to attack at the football with the ball mindset. You know, Land Man just some people have a great knack and I think his approach to it has rubbed off on the rest of the group, but they’ve got a good play. Hey, what’s the finish of the cycle of the snap look like? Great job by Cam Curl. It’s the second week in a row Cam Curl gets somebody stood up, allows for an attempt at the ball without sacrificing the tackle, you know, and then ultimately kit, you know, he’s got some juice. I thought he was going to come out of this thing, but he’s an exciting player, but um, you know, these were game-changing types of plays and those turnovers to get two. We needed them. Um, you know, and they they come in bunches, but you know, the the ball mindset, this is awesome. and you know his accuracy to be able to you know get um you know the to be able to you know get the knuckles on leather if you will is is a big part of why when that ball goes out I mean it is popping out big time and I mean you just look at it it’s that is sick I love it you know before we get to the offensive one I wonder if yesterday was in any way a step back from the standard that the defense has set when you look at like six and a half yards per play or 26 points or is there more nuance including plays like that to it? There’s big time nuances and and here’s what I will tell you too. I’ve always thought, you know, you know how highly I think of, you know, Kyle, their operation, that is an impressive offensive operation. Ball comes out quickly. They stress you in a lot of ways. They’ve got great skill. You know, they were earning a lot of the great plays that they did have. And that’s what I think sometimes you say get back in the huddle and play the next snap. Um I thought they made some great individual plays that if you’re really just saying, “Let me look at it through a holistic view.” Of course, we have high standards for our guys. I’ll never apologize for that. And they’ll be the first to tell you they expect to play better, but then I also think you have to be able to give yourself some grace and acknowledge that pretty high level execution. I thought we knocked out the run really well against a very physical opponent. The only time that it felt like we got a little leaky was in the first drive of the second half, but we’ve been stout against the run. And then I thought a lot of the completions, they were hard earned, but hey, you get two timely turnovers. the one that you just showed, you know, and then the fourth down stop where Forbes gets another interception. And it was a really cool job of a lot of the things that Aubrey and his group had worked on in practice, being able to come to life with some different things that we can activate coverage-wise within the tools and some of the looks that they present. And um, you know, I love this group. I love the way they play off of one another. And I’m excited about the resolve and the ability to be able to attack this week knowing what a great challenge against an excellent Seattle offense. But I do think you have to give San Fran their credit, you know, making a lot of the things happen and, you know, whether it was Mack or some of their, you know, tight window catches with some of the skill they have. You know, I I I I got respect for them, you want to talk about great individual efforts. How about Puka’s fourth down conversion? This isn’t a one-sore game deep in the third quarter. Sean, this was awesome. You know, he got it on the initial catch and then he kind of went backwards and then made it look like an unbelievable deal. But I just thought, you know, the clarity, the communication right here, and then the, you know, the accuracy of the location, playing a man coverage right here. But, you know, this guy is he’s as tough as it gets. And he is a freaking warrior, you know. I mean, look at our center even trying to cap off on that. He reads out of it after he’s in drop back, you know, and then he goes to try to be able to push the pile. But good location, you know, it’s good coverage by Green right there, but uh just so strong at the point of attack and and this was a key and critical play. He’s a freaking war daddy. I love this guy. So, you went for fourth and three there. Would have been what, like a 45 46yd field goal or so, which kind of leads us to the kicking game. How did the thicker kicker The thicker kicker did good, man. He was six for six. I thought really overall, you know, I was pleased. You know, I thought Jake and both, you know, MAS did a really nice job. And I think um, you know, I think Ethan is getting better and better as a holder. I thought our protection, the timing, um, the immediate lift, and ultimately, you know, six for six on the extra points. So, I like his demeanor. I like his disposition. I thought he handled himself well and like I mentioned to you guys, you know, and like you and I talked about, I still believe that we have two quality kickers on our roster, you know, and MAS is continuing to prove it, but did a great job. Still have a lot of belief in Josh Cardi, but you know, MAS will be the guy. And, you know, and we wish Alex Ward the best, too. You know, you talk about a guy that made a lot of great contributions. Um, couldn’t think higher of him as a person, which is more important than anything else. And, you know, we’ll move forward with Jake McQuade as our long snapper the rest of the way. And then, you know, we’ve got two kickers on the roster. Uh MAS will get the opportunity to continue on against Seattle this week, but you know, Josh is going to do his thing about, you know, just being able to continuously move forward and been incredibly impressed with just um you know, the way that he’s handled, you know, a challenging situation. I think that says a lot about him as well. All right, let’s get to the Seahawks. Not in any specificity because I know you haven’t done your work on them yet, but um both teams have not trailed since early in week six. Both teams had mirrored buys. They’re on a winning streak. It’s just a great matchup. Like you said, SoFi has a chance to really impact and influence this game. I’d love to learn if I’m able to. I I’m going to try and take you down the road. If it’s good, great. If not, we can bail out of it. But the current offensive movement in the league seems to be, and the Seahawks epitomize this, presenting heavy personnel to get base defenses on the field that you can attack through the air. Um, lots of the great offenses are doing it now. Rams seem to be doing it, too. Is that like a macro accurate assessment of the offense? I think on the flip side too, if you want to go lighter groupings, then you better be able to run it, you know, and so I think, you know, if you have the ability to be able to elicit and dictate the terms, you know, it’s no different than you show me a good offense, I’ll show you a team that can run it or throw it. And then there still is an element of all right, you know, you’re playing 11 on 111, how do you change the math in your favor? Because if you try to commit to one thing, you open up, you know, some other opportunities. And do you have the ability to expose those voids or vacancies when you are changing the math? no different than the pen gets in the defense’s hand in some of these, you know, you know, non-50 downs. And so that’s where the answer is yes, but I think the, you know, the other side of the equation is all right, you might be able to get, you know, some heavier guys out there, but if they do want to go lighter grouping, so you better be able to mash them in the run. And I think that’s what’s been cool about what our group’s been able to do is you want to go light, then we can play big ball on you, and then if you want to go heavy, then you can go either or. Um, but that’s that’s the same in in a lot of instances, but I think it’s an accurate assessment on your part without a doubt. Well, let me take the baton then and look at it through the defensive lens, right? Could I oversimplify this Sunday at Sofi by saying whoever can hang in in sub packages and and play those looks defensively and stay stout against the run will have an advantage. Yeah, I you know I I think absolutely I think that’s a key factor and I think really it’s going to be about you know hey one play at a time who has the competitive stamina to be able to strain through the echo of the whistle to be able to you know act interact and respond accordingly from one snap to the next and um I love the way that our group’s done that you know but how do we really play team football? What’s the way that we want to put together all three phases to ultimately come out with the result and control the controllables, understand the things that they’re trying to do and take that away and then vice versa. But um you know what I’ve seen from afar and when we’ve crossed over with this team, this is a damn good team and they are complete. They are excellent in all three phases. Um you know, I’m seeing a team that can stop the run. They can defend the pass. They obviously I got a ton of respect for Mike McDonald and what they do and their personnel is real. Uh on the offensive side of the ball, what a job that Kubak’s done. Darnold’s playing at a high clip. You look at Injiga Smith, we already know, you know, I saw Cooper had a big time long catch. Um they look like they were able to establish the run. I think they were just shy of 200 yards yesterday running the football which shows that they can do either or. And then their kicking game has been, you know, uh, really good. You know, they’re one of the upper echelon special teams units. They do a lot of things tactically with Harbaugh leading the way. And, um, you know, this is what you love, man. You know, this is, uh, this is what the NFL requires. You know, do you have the competitive stamina? What a great win by our group. And now you enjoy it. And now here we are on to the next one. And I’m fired up about getting started with this prep to try to get after this group. And they didn’t do the conventional thing this off season. I mean, they’re maybe one play against you guys in overtime away from being in that seat, right? Wearing the crown, going to the playoffs. And I know you appreciate that that didn’t stop them from making a bold stroke and doing the hard things, changing quarterback, trading away a franchise receiver, changing a coordinator. And I think a lot of people doubted what they were up to this offseason, but the proof is there. Yeah. And I think, you know, I’ve always had a ton of respect for John Snyder and, you know, getting to know Mike a little bit more over the years. You know, I I I think, you know, fortune favors the brave. You know, you got to have courageous. You know, you got to have clarity and courage and the appropriate humility to make the decisions. And I think in a lot of those things there was there was a clarity and a conviction in the things that they did and the courage to really say, I’m not going to let the outside narratives elicit or dictate what we think is best for our football team. I got respect for it. I’d like to think that’s what we do here. Um, you know, we’re always trying to evolve and grow, but you know, it’s uh there’s there’s nothing but respect and you know um and there’s going to be it’s going to be fun. On a lighter note, what do you think of Midnight Mode? Have you seen the black jerseys? I’ve seen those. Those look clean. Those guys I I Is that Are we wearing them this week? That’s this week. Well, then we better make them count. It’s not going to change your attire though, right? It will not change my attire. I’m The less decisions that I have to make. I’m like automated in my decisions. My brain I’m I’m I’m too dumb to be able to process too many things. So, the more automated that I can make a lot of the decisions, the better for my simpleton mindset. A man, you want to talk about simpletons? I didn’t understand half the things you just said. So, I’ll let you get back to doing the uh the big brain stuff. And thanks for sitting with me. Appreciate you always, man. All right. For Sean McVey, I’m JB Long. Thank you for joining us for the Coach McVey Show presented by Microsoft Surface Co-Pilot Plus PC.

Sean McVay sits down with J.B. Long on the newest episode of The Coach McVay Show to talk about quarterback Matthew Stafford’s confidence leading in key plays and depth on offense allowing them to maximize the value on reps. The Los Angeles Rams head coach also previews their Week 11 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

0:00 Intros
1:01 Offensive line’s performance
1:59 Matthew Stafford’s contagious confidence
2:35 Red zone turn around
3:45 Updates on Davante Adams
4:07 Offensive depth
5:46 Maximum value from reps
6:22 Leadership
7:28 Practice performance
8:44 Terrance Ferguson’s development
10:55 Film breakdown
12:30 Defensive nuances
14:11 Puka Nacua key and critical plays
15:00 Harrison Mevis’ performance
16:07 Previewing vs. Seahawks

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