[Elvis]

[Hacksaw]

Covid caution?

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

Rams update, false positives, on schedule for Sunday. They also canceled today's practice because it was windy in TO and to give the players some extra rest.

Also Higbee will be game time decision T Lew likely out. Obo not ready yet.

[ramsman34]

Rams update, false positives, on schedule for Sunday. They also canceled today's practice because it was windy in TO and to give the players some extra rest.

Also Higbee will be game time decision T Lew likely out. Obo not ready yet.

Just saw TLew as doubtful on NFLN. Damn, we are going to be missing/potentially missing some solid starters/contributors: Kiser and T Lew- out, no Obo, Higs dinged and probably not as effective.

This game keeps getting more and more difficult.

[Elvis]

[Ramsdude]

Rams update, false positives, on schedule for Sunday. They also canceled today's practice because it was windy in TO and to give the players some extra rest.

Also Higbee will be game time decision T Lew likely out. Obo not ready yet.

That's great news! I hadn't seen that reported yet. Thanks for sharing!

[Elvis]

Royal and Sol according to the app...

[Elvis]

Rams Head Coach Sean McVay – Media Availability – November 27, 2020

(Opening statement)
"First of all, I'll just start off today kind of giving you some insight into the decision-making process. So, I was made aware late last night, that two people from our organization, one player, one staff member tested positive. Then they retested, both of those came out negative, and then again, this morning, both of those results were negative. So that's a really good thing for us. As a result of the precautionary measures, we did cancel practice, but we still took part in virtual meetings. We did our finalizing our game plans, all those types of things. It wasn't exclusive to just those results. We had always known, kind of going into this game, that we were going to treat this in between a short week and kind of like a Thursday preparation as well. Because of that, what we wanted to really be able to do was get the meetings, give our players another day off their feet. Then you guys have been out there, it's like a tornado, like a wind tunnel out there at our facilities. So to get a lot of the work that you would like to get, as far as throwing and catching, things like that, that limited our availability to get that done. So tomorrow we'll have a little bit longer walk-thru, kind of an all-encompassing deal and in a lot of instances, for those of you guys that have covered us for the last few years, it'll be very similar to what we had to do when we played Seattle and the fires forced us to miss the Friday practice, where we actually did an extended walk-thru at USC. So there was a lot of things that went into it, but I do think based on the maturity of this football team, they did a great job handling the meetings and we were able to do everything except for the physical work. Because of the short week, because of some of those precautionary measures, like I had mentioned, that's why I felt like that was going to be the best decision for our football team. I have confidence that our guys will be ready to go and we'll have a good walk-thru and kind of an extended opportunity to really finalize everything tomorrow and then be ready against a tough team on Sunday."

(On if the team has been able to continue to operate at a high consistency considering what we're going through)
"I would say that it's a result of the players. I think the coaches have done a really good job too, of being steady, staying neutral through all of this and trying to be as consistent as we can in a really different time than what we're all accustomed to operating under. It's really all about the players. I think their understanding of how to be pros, how to prepare, how to take care of themselves and then ultimately be ready to go when we kickoff, is the most important thing. I think our guys have done a really nice job in the last couple of weeks, especially coming off the bye and want to be able to keep that momentum going and I think if we're fresh, if we're feeling good, especially this late in the season, I think this was the best approach today. Unfortunately, you realize how volatile this thing is when you look at unfortunately the Ravens situation and some of these other teams around the league, you realize how quick it can catch up with you, especially when you start to look at what possibly could have occurred as a result of close-contact tracing, all those things, had those results been positive with those two people that I had mentioned earlier. Fortunately, we didn't have to suffer the consequences, but it was a good way of kind of resetting your focus and understanding how crazy this thing all is."

(On not falling for any traps or pitfalls that could be out there ahead of you him)
"That's exactly right, and we know what a great team this is. It was brought up earlier this week, we haven't beat them in a while and we've got to be at our best to go get our eighth win. Looking forward to the opportunity to compete."

(On clarifying if the staff member was a coaching staff member)
"No. I don't want to get into specifics on it. I can say it was not a coaching staff member."

(On clarifying that they both have tested negative twice, once on Thursday night, once on Friday)
"Correct. Absolutely."

(On when the timing of calling off practice that made)
"Actually, last night I had gotten confirmation that the second test for both of those individuals was in fact negative. You had to wait until this morning at around 8:45 to confirm those second negatives to then be able to operate accordingly. But like I said, it was a combination of that, but then also the weather had a huge part in it. I think just considering our guys, being able to get their rest. So, there was a lot of things that factored into it. But if you guys were out there, in terms of really being intentional of getting work in, unless you're really doing kind of an above-the-neck jog-thru, which we'll be able to do tomorrow, I felt like that was the best decision. Had the weather been different, maybe I would have had a little bit different approach and waited, but I do think it's also a really good thing for our players with how much we've traveled, with it being a short week and it was a credit to how they handled yesterday that made me feel comfortable making that decision."

(On has he heard that Sunday’s game could possibly be rescheduled)
“I have not, nope. My understanding is that we're kicking off. We're playing at SoFi at 1:00 and that's our plan.”

(On will TE Tyler Higbee play on Sunday and other injuries)
“I think it will come down to a game-time decision like we talked about. We'll see how that elbow is feeling. I think the more rest you can get, the better opportunity he'll have to play. (OLB) Terrell Lewis, his knee is going to make him doubtful for the game, I'd be very surprised if he's available and ready to go. Then (OL) Brian Allen, we're still monitoring his knee situation. Those are the only guys whose status is up in the air. Then we would have given (DL Michael) Brockers the typical veteran rest day had we practiced today.”

(On who will replace Higbee)
“It would be (TE) Johnny (Mundt) and (TE) Gerald (Everett), both of those guys. Gerald's played a lot of football and then, like we've seen, I thought Johnny did an outstanding job against the Bears stepping in, he's gotten more snaps in some of our different personnel groupings. I’d love to be able to have Tyler, but it is a good situation with the depth that we've had and some of the confidence that I know Johnny's gained from being able to play, whether it’s going back to last year or even some of the snaps this year.”

(On if he think the team will continue using the virtual meeting format post COVID-19)
“What I would say is, there's no substitute for being in person with people and the way that communication exists and how important I think that is, especially when you're coaching or when you're communicating to players. There's nothing quite like that, but what we have learned is that these opportunities still allow you to work through some of the situations that we've had to navigate this year and you can get a lot done. It's definitely something that we would implement, but there's always the preference of being in person. Definitely not closed minded to it if it's a more efficient way of doing things, and there's a lot of parameters that would surround that. I think you guys know I feel in person is way better and that's always going to be the preference on my part.”

(On if his confidence in the season diminished with all the changes this week)
“No, definitely not. I think what you realize is just what a serious situation this can be. You don't want to minimize how crazy and how quickly it can get out of hand if you're not careful. But in terms of the confidence, I mean, I think it's an incredible accomplishment to even get this many games done, for the way that the league has handled things, with the way that our team has and a lot of the other teams. It definitely doesn't change anything. These are things that everybody has to navigate through and if you said these are the biggest adversities we have to deal with, in the big picture with a lot of things that I know a lot of other people have going on, this is very minimal. So, we'll handle it accordingly and we've talked about it from the very beginning – having good agility and being able to adjust and adapt with a positive mindset. Our guys have done that exactly, so it makes it a lot easier for me.”

(On Defense Line Coach Eric Henderson and how he has developed)
“There's really not a lot of things that you don't like, you like everything about the guy. He has great energy; he's has great command, he played the position. I think he has a great way of helping these guys reach their highest potential and everybody's talking about the ‘dawg work’ - the theme that he ended up really establishing by putting a lot of thought into what's going to be something that we can have as a focal point for that D-line and it’s really resonated with the rest of the team. But his development and what he's done with our D-line each of the last couple of years has been outstanding. I think he is a future star, as far as a coach. He possesses everything that you're looking for in a great coach. I love working with this guy every day.”