[aeneas1]

well if staley can come anywhere close to what wade did to brady & company in the super bowl (13 offensive points, 71.4 qb rating), i'll be one very happy camper....

[Hacksaw]

This will be a tough test on National TV. 🤞the LA Rams are up to it. Pound them into submission.
McV vs Arians should work out. Need to smack Brady and make him cry..

[Elvis]

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – November 19, 2020

(On the process following the team’s first positive COVID test)
“Driving home the other night, I got a call from (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie Scott, and I had a funny intuition that here's our first positive COVID (test), for him to be calling me at the time that he was. I can't say enough about the leadership that he's exuded throughout all of this, as far as really helping us as an organization navigate this about as seamlessly as it gets. So, the first thing that you do, that he's just done a tremendous job with is you say, ‘Okay, who is the player? Let's confirm this positive test with a re-test. Let's immediately utilize all these tracking systems to find out the close contacts, communicate to them.’ Then be able to go through the strategic steps that our protocols entail, in terms of identifying those guys, communicating it to them. Then putting in the parameters around what are the things that we have to do with our building? What are the new things that we have to implement? Really for us, you never want to see that. Fortunately, the person that did get it is not having any symptoms right now. You hope that they end up making a safe recovery. Today, really, was about as normal as it gets, all things considered. We've just had to adjust a little bit of the schedule, where we're having some virtual meetings. We will be able to take advantage of the tent. You're really just going from walk-thru straight through to practice because of the intensive protocols or whatever it's called. Really for us, it's a jump on the schedule because now the whole league is going to have to follow these things, regardless of whether you had this test come through or not. For us, it's kind of just standard operating procedures. I think the most important thing was making sure that the people stay healthy. We do all the right things to try to stay safe and try to minimize the impact. When I look around the league and I think about how some of these other teams have been affected by it, you don't take for granted how fortunate we've been. I think it's a real credit to all those people that I mentioned and then also our players and staff for being able to make good decisions. I think it's also important to acknowledge that I do not believe that the person that got it for us was making bad decisions. You know, like there's an element of all right, sometimes you're just around somebody and they don't even realize they have it and you end up getting it. So, there's a chance that guys do pick it up from not making good decisions, but you also want to acknowledge the fact that with all the unknowns, it's not exclusive to just making bad decisions. We want to try to minimize the opportunities by making good decisions and hopefully that'll lead to this being a minimal impact on our team.”

(On taking the COVID protocols seriously early on and the information given was something that was helpful)
"Yeah, it was. I think the most important thing is, it's like anything else – how can you clearly communicate and articulate the things that are important in a very uncertain situation? I'm not that smart of a guy to be able to try to have all this information at your disposal when there's a lot of unknowns – but the things that we do know that at least minimize the risk, when you're talking about wearing your mask, socially distance, washing your hands – those are the things that we continue to reiterate and then minimizing the opportunities for close contact spreads. That's why the outdoor thing was such a big, important part of what we wanted to do with the air flow that naturally occurs there, as opposed to being stuck in this building where you talk about probably a building that is a hotbed for setting yourself up for one person getting it and then a lot of people get it. So, we basically eliminated this building as a whole. These are things that due to Reggie’s kind of foresight, if you will, this transition is very minimal for us based on how we've already kind of operated. But I think there's a heightened sense of urgency and awareness on having the masks on at all times, even just seeing some of the players with the face shields that they had to wear today. It's an important part of what we do, but I'm telling you, I hate it. It goes against everything I believe and like about communicating with people, being able to have that sort of interaction and I hope this ends sooner than
later, because it's going to make us bad communicators. It's going to take away the essence of what's good about human beings if we don't get this thing figured out soon. It drives me crazy. But I'm going to follow the protocols. It doesn't mean that I love all of it, I think it's all smart, right? I'm not questioning that. I'm questioning how crazy this makes me because you can't have interaction with people and that's what you love the most and it takes all that away. I hope we get this figured out, especially for kids and things like that. It bothers me, it really does. I'm not minimizing the importance of following all those steps. I'm talking about this Corona is for the birds, not the protocols."

(On what challenges does Buccaneers QB Tom Brady and his receivers present)
“It’s a great challenge. We all know what a great and accomplished player (Buccaneers QB) Tom (Brady) is and I think when you put the weapons around him, he does a great job of getting a bunch of different playmakers involved. He's obviously processing things really well. I think he's throwing the football really well, on all three levels. Really, they have a great running game too. I mean, you look at the success that (RB Ronald) Jones has had. We all know what a great player (RB Leonard) Fournette is. So from a personnel standpoint, when you look at their line, all the skill players and then Tom Brady leading the way, it is a nightmare. They're one of the best offenses for a reason, you see how explosive they are. I think what says as much about them as anything is when you watch the response that they had from a disappointing outing against the Saints a couple of weeks ago. What they did against the Panthers was a very decisive, definitive victory. This is a great team. They’re a great defense. They're very competitive on special teams and so it's going to be a great challenge to try to go get our seventh win.”

(On how he will look to exploit the Buccaneers)
“Really, there's not much to exploit, because they've always been really good against the run and they're playing really well against the pass as well. They're one of the best defenses in the league. You see it show up, you have to do a good job, like we've talked about, being efficient on early downs. There's not a lot of things that you see on tape that you're saying, ‘Okay, this is something we can exploit,’ because they have great personnel. I think
(Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Todd) Bowles does an excellent job of really applying pressure. They're not giving you anything cheap. They make you earn every single yard and they're really creating a lot of negatives based on the aggressive nature that they play with and the speed that they have, really on all three levels, and the size, especially up front.”

(On OL Joe Noteboom stepping in against Seattle)
"They did a great job. I think that game, you got yourself into a situation where you're playing from behind, you become very one dimensional and that makes it very, very difficult on your offensive line in general. Especially, against a rush like that's so willing to be aggressive. That was a real challenge. It's a great defense, kind of like what I was just mentioning. Thought (OL) Joe (Noteboom) did a nice job stepping in. I think he's going to continue to get better with experience. Just kind of getting his feet wet. He's a guy that we've always had confidence in and really, the initial plan when you draft him is to have him play that tackle spot. So, what he did at TCU, very confident, but also, very aware of what a great challenge it is really for our line and for our offense as a whole. I do think Joe will do a very nice job stepping in. You never truly replace somebody like (OL) Andrew Whitworth, but I did like that Joe got a chance to get in there, settled in, had some things that he can definitely learn from against Seattle and now we know what a great challenge it'll be for all the reasons that you mentioned.”

(On whether the positive COVID test occurred on Monday)
“It was, yes. We test every single day, so we got those results that night. Then we immediately followed all the steps to be as safe and smart with all the surrounding people as possible. (*Coach corrected and stated the positive test was on Tuesday.)

(On if he is satisfied that the infection has been contained)
“I didn't get it. That's the hope, I think the latency period. I mean, I think you're really talking about five, six days after is when you're really, truly in the clear because what you end up having to do is the people that are the at risk close contacts, even if they're not positive, as long as they remain asymptomatic, those people can't return with us until Saturday even. So, I think they've done a great job of implementing smart procedures. I'm definitely not an expert on this, but I think you're talking about really a week to truly feel good based on kind of the information that I've been communicated with.”

(On seeing OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo working out and his status)
“I saw him too. He looked pretty good. You know, he had his mask on and no shirt on in the weight room (laughs). So, he looked pretty healthy. The elbow looked like he's feeling pretty good, so I'm not exactly sure. It won't be this week. He is definitely making progress and I know he's doing everything he can to be back sooner than later.”

[Elvis]

[aeneas1]

man i hate waiting around for monday night games... back in the day, when monday night games provided nfl fans with a guaranteed opportunity to watch their team play, it was the greatest thing since the wheel, but now? with easy access to all games? argh...........

[PARAM]

Loved this one from the Bucs fan board.....

The one thing that gives me hope is that, of their 6 wins, 4 have come against every team in the NFCE. Their other wins are against a Bears team that is spiraling, and the Seahawks.

.....you mean "the Bears team" that beat the Bucs 20-19? If that's the "one thing" that gives you hope, your hopes might get dashed. The Bucs have faced 4 teams ranking in the top 10 defensively and lost 3 of them.

[PARAM]

Have to sack Brady 3 times or more.

When Brady gets sacked at least 3 times ...... 0-3 ; 3 TD 5 Int
When Brady doesn't get sacked at least 3 times ...... 7-0 ; 20 TD 2 Int

[Hacksaw]

Rams smack sack attack.
It's so annoying we're already hearing 'Tom Brady is going for his 7th ring'. I want to hear, 'down goes Brady'.
They are the stacked team this year though.. To this point its Brady over Belichick...

[Elvis]

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – November 20, 2020

(On if everyone practiced today)
"Everybody except for (OL) Brian Allen. He's had some swelling in his knee and his status is up in the air for the game."

(On if TE Brycen Hopkins was out there today)
"Yeah, he was out there."

(On what challenges Buccaneers DL Ndamukong Suh presents for the Rams offense)
"It's a great challenge. (DL) Ndamukong (Suh) is playing at a really high level, he did a great job for us and was instrumental in winning the conference and getting to a Super Bowl, big part of our defensive success that year. He's picked up where he left off here and in Detroit and done a great job the last two years in Tampa. He made his presence felt when we played him last year and he's definitely been an impact player for them at the inside spot – just how stout he is versus the run, the physicality in the rush and being able to bull and still having the athleticism to go around people if necessary. He's an impact player. Obviously (OLB Jason) Pierre-Paul and (OLB) Shaq Barrett have been outstanding. I've just been really impressed with their front as a whole. They've got two of the fastest linebackers on the second level. It's why they're arguably one of the better defenses in this league, playing really well in both phases, defending the run and the pass."

(On CB Darious Williams' consistency and if he noticed that in practice in previous years)
"Oh yeah. I mean, he in a good way, he was locking our guys down, going back to the '18 season, where he was on scout team. You'd almost have to tell him, 'Hey, take it easy, man. You're going to shake our confidence going into this game.' So, you've seen his athleticism, you've seen his ability to match up and as soon as he started getting the opportunities that he's definitely deserving of, the game's not too big for him. He's got all the skills and characteristics you're looking for. I love his mental makeup and you just see the athleticism. You talk about it in the team meeting today, all four of his picks have been huge parts of three wins that we've had this year."

(On how Williams has gone under the radar for so long)
"I think just some of the situations maybe going into college. It's a good question. You get into a situation where you're around some good people and you really see him flourish and (Cornerbacks) Coach (Aubrey) Pleasant's done an excellent job with him, developing a relationship and watching him continue to grow. I can even remember just going back a year, talking to (CB) Darious (Williams), just the comfort in being able to have some continuity at a place where you're able just feel comfortable coming into the building every single day, getting familiar with dealing with your coaches, having a routine for how you go through individual drills and then being able to kind of just learn the game. I think Aubrey is such a great teacher of the game and he's so conscientious being able to utilize these techniques and apply his athleticism, just that he's naturally God-given with and then being able to see. You look at that play that he made picking it off against (Seahawks QB) Russell (Wilson), his second interception – he's totally being able to play concept recognition. He feels the speed out, he understands how that's married with the quarterback’s drop and he's able to jump in and make a great athletic play there."

(On if Offensive Coordinator Kevin O'Connell often refers to Buccaneers QB Tom Brady)
"He talks about his experience in New England, which you can't deny there's great football, there's a lot of great knowledge that he was able to gain from there – how you do things and that's both from the coaches and the players. We've definitely talked a lot about his experiences and kind of whether it's Tom or just how they operated, and I think all of your experiences shape your perspective. That's been a big part of, I think why he's such a sharp guy, is he's been exposed to a lot of different things, but great things where you're able to learn and see it the right way and clearly New England, they're doing it at a higher level than anybody else over the last handful of years."

(On having a coordinator that is coaching against a guy that he played with is amazing)
"I think it's great. I think that there's coaches that are older that have been doing it at a high level for a long time, there's young coaches that have accelerated their opportunities based on really working hard, being conscientious and being in the right time in the right place. I think that's what it is with (Offensive Coordinator) Kevin (O'Connell). I never ever set out or thought like, 'Hey, just because I was so blessed to be in this role as a young coach that you want to surround yourself with young coaches.' That definitely wasn't it. I think the only benefit is, is you get a chance to be exposed to great coaches period and maybe then you feel comfortable being able to have some of these guys in a leadership role because you are fortunate and blessed for people to take a chance on you if you thought it was merited. Kevin, he's a great offensive coordinator. He's done a great job for us and I feel very fortunate to work with him and I'm learning from him every day."

(On K Austin MacGinnis' progress in practice, specifically the height of the ball coming off his foot and his kickoff hangtime)
"He's done really well with that. You can see guys are excited. He's had two good practices now and definitely been positive. There's nothing quite like getting into those real games. But with what he can control, he's done a really nice job these last couple of days. We've been very pleased with (K) Austin (MacGinnis)."

(On the possibility of having two kickers on the active roster)
“You can do that because the nice thing is because (K Austin MacGinnis) he's on our practice squad, you have two opportunities to be able to bring him up with the situation and it doesn't affect your 53 (man roster). So, that could easily be something that we would do. Then if you feel like that's your guy moving forward, then maybe you decide, ‘Okay, do we need to create a spot?’ But because we've been able to stay fairly healthy and then put some of those other guys on IR, it's not like we're really reaching to feel like, ‘Oh man, we have to get this guy up or I have to get this guy down.’ Because you can only have those 48 on game day anyways. If that's a direction that we go, it doesn't hinder us at all.”

(On whether he’s waiting until later to decide on a kicker)
“I mean, (MacGinnis) has done a great job controlling what he can, but (K) Matt (gay) is going to get an opportunity to come in here Saturday, compete, and we're going to make the best decision for the Rams. I think that we're fortunate and I have the luxury of with our operation with (LS) Jake (McQuaide) and (P) Johnny (Hekker) being so steady and so consistent with the holder and the snapper. I don't want to minimize the importance of it, but it's not something that you feel like, ‘All right, he couldn't handle on a short notice.’ The kickoff thing is a big part of it as well. So, we'll take all those things into consideration. One of those two guys will kick for us on Monday, but definitely nothing is set in stone and we're going to be open-minded when Matt comes in here.”

(On whether he’s happy about this being the last East Coast trip of the season)
“I'm not complaining that we're going to be able to not have to jump on a plane. The thing that I would say is a big deal to me is, just waiting around all day Monday. That's the stuff that you don't want. I don't mind the East Coast trips when you travel and then you get up play and then you come back home. It's the waiting around all day. But we're going to handle that the right way. I trust that our players will find our rhythm and we’ve got to be peaking at the right time at 8:15 p.m. on the East Coast and 5:15 p.m. in our head. To answer your question, yeah, I'm not going to be sad about missing these four hour flights.”

(On the defense being consistent this season)
“I think it's just that. You guys have heard us talk about it. Consistency is the truest measurement of performance. I think that confidence and momentum is a really powerful thing if you build on it in the right way. That's what our guys have done. I think they're getting more and more comfortable with the intent of what we're trying to get done. They're getting more comfortable playing with one another, working off one another. Understanding that team defense is about rushing, coverage, all 11 being on the same page. It's really been a cool thing to watch with our coaches and players working in unison. I think they've gotten better each week progressively. One of the things I was talking about with a couple of those guys that my favorite part about last week's game was how well they settled in. They stayed neutral after the first drive, had some things that were uncharacteristic, but clearly it was just a result of our communication. They settled in and then they played outstanding from that point on. When they're playing like that, you can really ride them and really be able to say when you've got a defense playing so well, let's make sure that we don't turn it over and the offense takes care of the football and we play smart and it's not Rams beating Rams and we're going to have a chance to win a lot of games.”

[Elvis]

MacGinnis is still on PS. I may have lost count but i think that means we're still at 51 with 2 open spots...