The Coach McVay ShowEp. 56: Sean McVay on the improvement of the 2023 draft class, team's toughness & Jets preview
All right, everyone, welcome back to the Coach McVeigh Show, presented by Microsoft Surface with the head coach of your Los Angeles Ram Sean McVay.
I'm JB. Long.
The Rams have won three in a row, three more to go in this regular season. In Week sixteen takes them to the Metlands to take on the New York Jets. Before we get to that, how was your mini bi week?
It was goohn, It goes quick, but it was.
It's always a little bit more enjoyable when the guys were able to do what they were able to do. And you know, now here we are and got to have a great week of preparation with what is going to be an excellent challenge for us.
So working in football as we do, when I'm home on a Sunday, I try to watch football and I get the gnarliest side eye from my lovely better half. Granted I'm not the head coach of a football team. When you try and watch football on Sunday, Veronica have anything incredibly patient.
She knows, you know, by the time the Sunday night game rolls around, she's like, are we still watching football?
And the answers yes, But you know, I love.
I love watching the game, and you know, I'm a fan of the game, and so, you know, you see so many different things going on the Sunday ticket. Now you can watch four games at once on the split screen. It's a lot to follow up sometimes, but that's that's exactly what we're doing at the McVeigh household when we don't have a game.
Yeah, when you met with the team this morning, how did you transition from forty nine ers week to the Jets and how do you frame the opportunity that's in front of them here?
Yeah, so really that you know, what today was about was getting these guys back from the weekend off, getting a little bit of a lyft, getting their bodies kind of turned over, and then.
Being able to review each of the last couple games.
You know, when you end up playing the Bills and then it's a short turnaround, you're not really spending as much time reviewing that film. So it's cleaning up those two games, and then when they get back tomorrow will be their their day off, and then when they get back Wednesday, we'll set the tone for how we want to approach the week, where the focal points are and how we need to put together a great week of preparation for an opportunity to go get number nine.
All right, coach us up a little bit, will you, because I know you're the best at this. I spin my wheels all weekend going through playoff scenarios looking at the standings. I bet our audience does too. Yeah, you don't expend emotional energy on that. Help us be more like you?
Yeah? Well, I try to.
You know, if I followed my own advice all the time, JB, I'd be a lot better.
But here's here's what is the truth? You know, and I think when you go through and.
You've had different experiences like we've had over the years, none of the conversations are relevant if we don't do the only thing we can control, and that's great week of prep and try to play the best that we can in that three hour window that we're allotted on a weekly basis. And so what has been cool is the guys have focused on that all we can do is the next right thing, and we can't win three games this week.
All we can do is practice.
Really well and then ultimately when we get to when we go kick off at ten am in our head on Sunday morning in New York. We've got to play great against a team that played really well yesterday to be able to get a win. And so that is the stuff that you just immerse yourself in that work because everything else, you know, unless you told me they ended the season today, none of it matters.
Yeah, you know, I get that you haven't done anything yet, But in the same breath, you have to get from one and four to where the rams are now, Like that's an accomplishment that I don't want to overlook. How do you balance those two measures?
Well, I think you're really proud of the group. I think this group has been resilient. I think there's always been a consistent ability to respond. I think we're playing physically tougher on both sides of the line of scrimmage. That's been a key factor for us over the last few weeks, and we need to continuously improve. But I think it's a credit to the you know, to the coaches, to the players, you know, to the collective group of being able to say, all right, here's where we are, and here are the things that we need to continuously do. And that's never ending. As it relates to just trying to improve, not taking for granted some of the things that you're doing at a high clip, but you do want to play your best football in the month of December and then that first week in January leading into hopefully opportunities to play past the seventeen that you're guaranteed. And we're giving ourselves a chance to play meaningful football in December, and for that, I am grateful.
I hear you.
On the toughness point, we've seen that. Where does that come from? It's mostly the same people.
Yeah, I think there's just been an intentionality. I think you're getting some guys back. I think they're getting some report to play alongside one another, and they're accumulating experiences where you can say, this is what it looks like, all right, and then you know what the standard that you're capable of playing like. And then I think being able to play the game a certain way, when you're able to do some of the things that we've been able to do as a team over the last few weeks, there are some critical factors that I think embody that toughness and how you want to be able to play the football game complimentary on all three phases or being able to pick each other up when the other side needs that boost, and I think that has been a huge factor in why we've been able to, you know, have a three game winning streak right now.
Sean, I've heard you crave continuity at various junctures this season, and as much as anything, I'm excited for this week of preparation for you and the Rams because it seems like you do have the right guys in the right roles and can stack some blocks here because there's still room for improvement.
That's exactly right, and that is a key thing, you know. I mean, football is the greatest team.
Sport that they're and we've talked about that before, but when you're really trying to accomplish a role and a responsibility, usually you're working in concert with somebody, whether that's DB's communicating tools and how we want to play a certain coverage and talk about seven as one but really eleven as one with Russian coverage. How are we hitting blocks in the run game based on what front structures, what's the type of concept, and then is the back pressing it to be able to set up those things. And you get better when you work together with people, especially when you have the right kinds of guys and there's an intentional process that's implemented on a weekly basis. And I think there have been some areas of improvement, and like always, there's going to be things where you say, all right, we got to get better here, and these are the things that we've done. Well, let's not lose sight of that in the midst of making some corrections in some other areas that we can improve one.
At the crux of all that, whether it's it's leadership, it's toughness, it's knowledge of who the rams are in this season, Tyler Higbee seems to meet all of those.
Yeah, no doubt.
What can layering him back into this tight end room in this offense?
Mean well, I think you just mentioned it.
I mean, he means so much to us in terms of I think he's the ultimate glue guy. He's got such an ability to connect with his teammates. He's got just this energy in this charisma that's contagious. And then you know there's a physical and a mental toughness that accompanies that, whether he's playing with the ball without the ball, I think the tight end position. You know, I obviously have an affinity for it, going back to getting an opportunity to, you know, have that as my first position job. But what is asked of that spot and what coach Kaylee does a great job with his group as a whole. It's pass protection, it's run game, it's lining up in different spots in the past game. And Tyler has done that at a really high level for us for a long period of time.
It's why he's got all the franchise records.
Yeah, no kidding. Also on the health front, I get that a lung contusion or whatever it was for COVID, that's not a four day turnaround. Can he be back this.
Week If he's positive, you know, he's got one more hurdle or obstacle to kind of be able to check off. But talking with Reggie and his group this morning, he seems like he's trending in a positive direction, and thank God for that, and it'll be great to be able.
To get him back in the meantime. What a job those defensive backs did, especially at Kello step in into that role in San Francis.
Did I thought as a whole JB.
I thought we were as sticky and connected in coverage, thought we communicated. I thought that was why we were able to get a lot of hands on the football with pass breakups. And then obviously Darius' interception was critical, but Atkella was big. I mean it started off on the very first play of the game getting a PBu and he did an excellent job. I thought Aubrey and coach Beek and Mike Harrison and coach Shula, they did a great job. I thought that was really reflected with how we played on the back end.
Let's dig a little deeper into that win, and I want to talk one possession victories with you. The Rams now have seven of them, tying their most enfranchise history, and it made me think of a couple of things. Remember Koc's first year in Minnesota when I got all eleven wins by one score, Ho's most in NFL history, and many perceived that as like lucky, that they were going to be a candidate to be one and done in the postseason. Then, on the other hand, I see the Kansas City Chiefs right now, who are just on this incredible rip of winning when their best is required. I wonder where you come down on that, where it's just small sample size, it's luck or it becomes a muscle that you flex in a trade.
Well, I think there is a resilience that's been developed. You know.
One of the things that we challenged our guys with is, you know, do we have are we able to create our energy to compete hard, to respond to adversity, and ultimately to finish an opponent.
Well, since the buye.
We've been able to do that seven out of nine opportunities that we've had, and so that I am very proud. I think we have played complimentary football and that can be illustrated, like we've talked about, in a variety of ways. It might be really separating from somebody, or it might be picking each other up. I've seen us be able to finish games much better, and where you're able to say, all right, we get a turnover and then we take a drive so that when you give it back to them, they've got twenty seconds left, and now you've made it a six point game where they have to play for a touchdown. You're getting conversions to keep it at a nine point game in the previous week, and so would you like to be able to open it up a little bit more?
Of course, But last time I checked.
They all count for the same and I think that there is a muscle that's being developed, and I think we're continuously finding, you know, opportunities to play our best ball in all three phases and sometimes it comes together perfectly. But sometimes that's why you call it a great team sport. And I've seen each other, you know, be picked up, whether that's defense to offense, offense, the defense.
Or the kicking game, make key and critical plays.
There's a thing called short week, Sean McVeigh, and I want to know what the secret is. It's been one of the leading attributes of your tenure as a head coach, seven in a row on short rests, fourteen and five overall. I know it's not just you, clearly, What are some of the ingredients that go into spinning it around going on the road and beating a rival.
Well, I think you know our player's ability, you know, I think it's a key factor is how quickly can they turn over? You know, Reggie does such a good job with his group of getting them turned over. You know, that's a big toll on their bodies. And then I think our coaches have been able to identify a right what do we want to do, how do we want to do it, and how do we get it taught in a digestible manner that's able to be translated into that game, And so I think we do. I think the guys have done a really good job of learning how to walk through where you're taking that physical toll off but really focusing on on the above the neck, especially with just the limited ops that you do get. You know, you're doing maybe eighteen plays of full speed leading into a Thursday night game. But it's always a group in collaborative effort. I haven't heard that phrase before.
So I just made up on Thursday night. I hope you like it. What about when the weather is a factor, like did you plan for that type of ballgame and that short amount of time?
We had an idea that it could potentially be that way, you know, we talked to him about, you know, the seven studs and making sure that we weren't slipping around.
But sometimes it can be that.
Perfect where it's a little bit of rain but it actually makes the ball tackier. Well, that certainly wasn't the case in the second quarter, and so you did have some contingency plans. You always have a bad weather plan, especially as it relates Sorry, how does that affect some of the things that you would activate offensively? What do you need to be mindful of defensively in terms of are we able to match? Do we want to get stickier? Do we want to play more vision zone? And so those were things that we had talked about. I didn't expect it to be quite as big of a factor as it was, and it ended up being kind of one of those games, and I thought our guys did a nice job of being to handle the elements Accordingly.
You mentioned a six point lead in passing there a couple answers ago. I think this is one of the most fascinating elements of modern NFL football. The conventional wisdom is that a six point lead late might be the worst lead. Yeah, in profo, do you subscribe to that? Do you understand it sounds better than losing, no doubt, but you get what I'm saying. And just to tease that out a little bit further, if you're up six, the opponent's not looking for a tying field goal anymore. You're putting them in four down.
Zart to go beat you right question? All right?
So last two games there's an amazing parallel against Buffalo. I think we get it. Yeah, Josh Allen's a buzzsaw. You want that to be a two possession game, you get the touchdown. San Francisco is completely different. It's a no touchdown, low scoring affair. So let's go to that two minute warning. Yeah, you have time to think about it. It's third and fourth the San Francisco thirty two. Are you coming out of that stoppage staying two plays to get four yards?
There's a possibility of it, you know, but my mindset is I'm trying to be positive that.
We're going to get this conversion.
And so I think in a lot of these instances, you know, you might want to be able to play it out, But I also think.
Being in the moment, you know, while not being.
Reckless to all right, what are the possible other scenarios that you want to be able to operate with? And so you probably are right there in a four down mindset. But fortunately Matthew recognized a little you know, mess up in the coverage and he ended up dotting it right on Colby right there, so I didn't have to worry about that.
Well, part of the reason I ask is four down mindset from empty doesn't necessarily go hand in hand, but that's what you did come in out of it.
Yeah, And I think if you do think that you've got an opportunity to be able to still you know, have some high completion percentage plays right there, you're ensuring that you're getting all five eligibles out.
Certainly have the opportunity to maybe run it right there. But felt good about.
That specific play and ultimately, you know, it's always about the players being able to bring it to life. And I thought Matthew did an excellent job of recognizing the way they tried to bump that coverage.
And then I thought it was great awareness by Colby.
To get his vision back immediately being aware that there was nobody over the top of him as well.
Any chance you'll tell us where that play was designed to go right there? What about the third and five zero check to Pooka the week before.
That was well, there was a you know, it was across the board read but that was an alert that you know, Matthew ended up doing an excellent job of being able to get to But.
We'll keep some of these secrets in I.
That you will you know, part of that question is would you have been willing to kick a fifty yard field goal there in those conditions in San Francisco with Carty and it seems like he's and his kicking unit. I hate to just put that on one name. Sure have earned back some trust, I.
Think so, And really, like you mentioned, you know, the previous week, it was a totally different flow for the game.
You know, it's funny sometimes Oh you go for it on fourth down?
Oh?
Really, what play you call him? You know, what is the play? What do you expect in defensively?
Different things like that, And so there was a factor in terms of how that game was being played out, what was going to be required, the momentum that the defense had right there.
But also, you know, I'd.
Be saying, well, that forty eight yard er, he hit that thing pretty true, you know, and it was right around the same kind of way their elements where the rain had kind of perfectly slowed down right there. I know it was going in an opposite direction, but there was a confidence, but there was also an ability to say, do we want to really just preserve a three point lead or do we want to try to make it where they've got to have a touchdown to win the game. And so in that particular instance, and I'll answer your question, you know you're probably going four downs right there. And it had nothing to do with the confidence that we had and Cardi and the kicking. It was more about, let's make this where they have to be able to get a touchdown any game that a touchdown hadn't been scored yet.
Chrishula did send pressure on Perty's hailmary, and that's something we've talked about on this show, going back to the Washington Chicago Gang with memory serves. How do you think his side of the football managed that specific moment and then we'll brought it brought it out to the effort they played with.
I think it was excellent.
You know, we've been in a lot of those situations at the end of the game, end of the half, there was eleven seconds left on that first play.
Wasn't sure he ended up using.
The timeout where they came out and what looked like possibly in alignment for a hailmary or maybe a get out of bounds. I thought we were in a good defense call right there to be able to kind of leverage from an outside in perspective, But still making sure you're not susceptible to a hail mary. Then when you run five seconds off right there, it's six seconds left in the game, and you know you've seen it. Most the s hail marys you watch the majority of them. The only one that I can really think of is Aaron Rodgers against Arizona a handful of years ago in the playoffs.
But most of the hail mary's.
That get completed at vers these two one or three man rushes, and so we were still able to be connected. Where you've got a body on a body with two deep safeties, Cam Curll ends up basically being able to rush the back and we were able to get home. It was a great job by Rosmund right there when they were counting on a three man rush.
You could tell General manager Lesson need loves to use the term like anti fragile, And I thought of that with your defense. Yeah, less than a week to turn it around from just facing that unstoppable force in Buffalo, and they don't allow a touchdown against San Francisco.
Yeah, and anti fragile, resilient, we're saying the same exact thing. And I think they are a mentally tough group they can always respond. There's an authentic and there's an authentic energy, there's an authentic ability to be able to move from one to the next one. And I think you understand what are the things that are going to be key and critical. I thought we pursued to the football really well. I thought we had good rush integrity. I thought we were able to knock out the run. And I thought it was a very complete, you know, performance from our defense. And it says a lot about him. But if he said, are you surprised, and I'm not surprised. You know, this is what you've kind of come to expect from this group. They've always shown that they can respond. They're continuously growing, and I thought that was as good a performance, especially against the quality of opponent that we were playing, that they've had this year.
I thought that'd be a good moment sean to kind of review some record setting rookies from last year who have only built on that success in year two. Speaking of Puka and Kobe, and let's start with Turner, who you called a finisher after the game. I like that that might even be a better nickname than the conductor.
Yeah, you know what, he I thought both of a lot of the plays that he made, he was finishing.
You know.
That was one of the things that stood out to me about him, even in his rookie year, where when he would get in proximity, he'd be able to have the juice to be able to finish those plays and he gets you down quickly, whether that's a quarterback or running back. I think he's been an outstanding leader for us, and I think he's continuously figuring out what's the way that he's gonna lead that's authentic to himself, and I think it really resonates with his teammates. He earns and commands the respect just based on how he handles himself throughout the course of the week. And he made a handful of plays that were a major factor in us, you know, getting that win. But for him to be able to get you know, a couple of sacks was cool for him as well.
Yeah, fourth multi sack game of his career. All right, here's the other one. We could highlight a lot of Puka moments, but let's go to the helmet catch against Tarvarius war.
Yeah, that was impressive, and you know, it was a drive starter right there. He just made some incredible catches and for him to be able to kind of pin that it was good coverage by by Ward right there, and that was a play that we had to have, you know, when you're starting off a drive right there.
But I think he's you know, he was.
He's so secure in himself that he talked about, you know, some of the plays that he didn't make last year. He made all types of plays, but I want to catch the ball more consistently. I think he's done that, and he's made you know, those two catches, that one and then the previous week that was the best catch he's made of the year. And then we're sitting here a few weeks ago looking at three different catches, one against Philly, one against the Saints, and one against the Patriots, and I think the best one that he had was the one that he had against the Bills.
That was as impressive of a catch as I've seen in person that I can that I can remember. I still don't know how the hell he made.
That play, No kidding, the throw too, yeah, the throw.
And catch that, I mean, that's some high level type of stuff, right, no doubt.
I have to shout out rams tapes on social media because I hadn't seen the air check the TV copy yet and they caught this facial expression from you, Sean, and the question was posed, I wonder what McVeigh was thinking in this moment. Do you remember what you were thinking as you.
That's a hell of a catch.
I'm thinking, oh, man, you know, that's a hitch kind of left a little you know, it was a little inside. But I think Warren and I are thinking the same thing right there. That's a damn good catch and hopefully it comes down with it. And I'm getting ready for a second and three call instead of a second and ten.
Yeah, here's a.
Look like I'm happy there, huh a smile.
The concern was transitioning to us a pleasantly surprised smile. I don't need to ask this question, but just for the sake of the show, Cooper Cup not the least bit unnerved by going without a catch in that contest, right, That's what makes him.
A unique game. I mean, you look at it.
We didn't have many pass attempts as is short in the game. We're able to run the football effectively in the second half where possessions were limited, and you know, you talked about the third down conversion to Kobe Parkinson. Well, the guy that was motioning across that that drew a whole lot of attention was Cooper cup I thought he had some key blocks at the point of attack. And sure, you know, do these guys want to be able to get the football, of course, but but he's a pros pro in every sense of the word. And you know, that was one of those weird games, you know, where you talk about other than Puka, then Tutu is the only receiver that was on the stat sheet where he had the one catch, you know, for six yards, I believe, And you know, we just didn't throw it many times, and the weather was a real factor and some of the things that we were getting off.
Yeah.
I felt similarly about Matthew speaking afterward, like just the humility where you come out of there with a victor, but he knows he got away with a few, Like he said, as much I would have preferred not to, like throw one off the fungus chest to begin that game, but they're unflappable. Nonetheless, when the game materializes in a way that's not the way you drew it up.
That's right, And I thought he played the game the way that it needed to be played, based on, you know what was important for us to give ourselves the chance to come away with the result, and those opportunities were minimal, but he made the plays that he had to, you know, for us. For him to be able to lead the offense with three straight scoring drives to really end that game was a big factor and coming away with the win. And there were some, you know, good examples of complimentary football. You want to be able to score more points than that, but you know, it's being your best when your best is required. I thought he demonstrated competitive greatness in the moments of truth the other night, and and that was big.
A brief Week sixteen preview here, and just when it looked like the Jets that had enough of this season, of course, their quarterback and their star receiver turned back the clock a little bit. Davante Adams with one thirty five receiving in the final four minutes of regulation, the most in a game this century.
Yeah, it was. It was impressive. And I think he had all one ninety eight in the second half, right, I mean, he you know, they got hot. They looked really good.
Obviously, Garrett Wilson has been a great player this year with a lot of highlight catches himself. Aaron has been moving and navigating the pocket. He rushed for you know the previous week. I want to say he ran for over forty yards and so we'd better get ready to roll.
It's gonna be a great challenge.
Yeah, Rogers led the Jets and rushing yards, meaning this week sixteen showdown is gonna be a battle of dual threat quarterbacks with a bunch more zone read in the game plan.
Yeah.
I got a lot of grief about that, one from whom from Gary Klein was was questioning that, but hey, sometimes you got to make sure you keep him honest down there.
You're building off the pattern that you had established in the prior week.
That's right.
You can't have red zone gun on and keep the quarterback on us. I hope you got a nice weekend or resting recovery to go get him this weekend in the stretch run.
Always appreciate it.
Thanks all right for Sean McVay.
I'm J. B.
Long.
Thank you for joining us for the Coach McVay Show, always presented by Microsoft Service to
