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What you think of Wade's Nickel?
- By BonifayRam
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 6 Replies
What do you think of this Wade Nickle defense? I was hoping that others had some comments pro or cons on this subject. After watching the previous Rams DC & the total failure of his Nickle & Dime defenses time after time I can not help myself in getting :yay:over this new Nickle.
I have not heard many members discuss too much here about what we have seen in the four pre season games & our first regular season game. What I have seen Wade do thus far is the constant utilization of 4 LB'ers, 3 safeties, two DL'ers & 2 Corners. Wade will use 2 of his 4 LB'ers down in the 3 point with 2 DL'ers. These LB'ers are normally his OLB'ers (Quinn/Longacre/Barwin). The 2 DL'ers are any combination with no particular designation. The 2 DL'ers might be a NT or a DE does not matter. Can't wait to see Aaron Donald who just happen to participate for the first time in this defense today.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/9356/aaron-donald
The use of his many deep/free safeties is a big difference from the Greg Williams prevent & Nickles. Starting FS Joyner normally moves up to the slot but not always.Wade will sometimes uses Cody Davis, Blake Countess & John Johnson. If Joyner does not move down to cover the slot Wade's favorite at the moment is Countess. In the 4th Quarter even Rookie Johnson got his first NFL action.
Bottom line is our edge rushing LB'ers as DE's are going to cause havoc as long as they remain healthy.
I have not heard many members discuss too much here about what we have seen in the four pre season games & our first regular season game. What I have seen Wade do thus far is the constant utilization of 4 LB'ers, 3 safeties, two DL'ers & 2 Corners. Wade will use 2 of his 4 LB'ers down in the 3 point with 2 DL'ers. These LB'ers are normally his OLB'ers (Quinn/Longacre/Barwin). The 2 DL'ers are any combination with no particular designation. The 2 DL'ers might be a NT or a DE does not matter. Can't wait to see Aaron Donald who just happen to participate for the first time in this defense today.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/9356/aaron-donald
The use of his many deep/free safeties is a big difference from the Greg Williams prevent & Nickles. Starting FS Joyner normally moves up to the slot but not always.Wade will sometimes uses Cody Davis, Blake Countess & John Johnson. If Joyner does not move down to cover the slot Wade's favorite at the moment is Countess. In the 4th Quarter even Rookie Johnson got his first NFL action.
Bottom line is our edge rushing LB'ers as DE's are going to cause havoc as long as they remain healthy.
Jay Gruden on McVay and Rams
- By Tron
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 5 Replies
Washington Redskins HC Jay Gruden Conference Call
Jay Gruden chimes in on friend and former colleague, and current Rams HC Sean McVay
by Sosa Kremenjas@SosaNFLDraft Sep 13, 2017, 3:00pm PDT
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Washington Redskins HC Jay Gruden
(On what it’s like coaching against a guy that he gave an opportunity to and helped raise in the NFL)
“Obviously, I was excited for (Rams Head Coach) Sean (McVay) to get the job. He earned it and deserved it. He did a lot of good things with the Redskins and got a head coaching job. Now, the only way to approach it’s another game. We have a very important game to play and we’re 0-1 and we’ve got to try and get our first win and that’s the only focus that we have. We just have to go from there, but after the game I’m sure I’ll talk to Sean, right now it’s about trying to get our first win.”
(On if he always assumed that Coach McVay would get a head coaching job)
“Well, honestly I didn’t think he’d get one this quick (laughs). He’s pretty young, but we had some success on offense and he did great things with (Redskins QB) Kirk Cousins obviously and he’s very organized. The whole trick is to get in front of a room and I had a feeling that once he got in front of a room, some general managers and some owners that he would be able to get in there because he’s very presentable, he’s very knowledgeable, very smart, he’s a very loyal guy and very passionate about the game. So, there’s a lot to like about Sean once you get to know him. I just didn’t know that people would give him that opportunity at such a young age, but once they started giving him interviews, I figured that he would get one of them because like I said, he has all of those traits to be a good head coach.”
(On the status of Redskins S Su’a Cravens)
“There’s no update. He’s on left quad (exempt/left squad) right now and he’s dealing with personal issues. But we drafted him and he had some great moments last year for us as a young player, as a 21-year-old kid. Playing, we put him at DIME linebacker to start, we tried to move him to safety this year in the offseason, he was making good progress and then the personal issues hit him. We hope he gets well and hope that he figures out what he wants to do in life and we support him either way.”
(On the difficulty of facing a colleague that knows him so well and vice versa)
“Not really. I just know that knowing what we do offensively, it’s going to be hard for our defense. They’re going to give us a lot of different formations, a lot of change-of-tempos offensively, quick counts, speed breaks, no huddle, a lot of different formations, a lot of stacks and they’ve got a good running game with (Rams RB) Todd Gurley and he changes it up with good play-action passes. I can tell them what he likes, but stopping it is another issue because you stop certain things but then they hit you with the running game or they hit you with the play-pass or hit you with the bunch-stack deal and the quick game and it’s a great changeup. He’s got a great changeup to his offense right now and when you’re in a groove offensively and you have your whole playbook open, it’s very hard to stop. The best way to stop them is to get them in third and long and make them one dimensional or get a big lead and make them one dimensional. It’s easier said than done, but that’s obviously the goal.”
(On what stood out on tape about the offense that shows him Coach McVay has made his imprint already)
“I just said, yeah, he just has a great ability to change it up. You don’t know what’s coming. You think, first and 10, stop Todd Gurley and then they do a play-pass and launch it over your head or they do a boot leg and hit somebody in the flat for a gain of nine and then they come back – he’s just got a great way of changing up the tempos and keeping you off balance. That’s what this offense is built around with the quick passes, boot legs that are friendly for the quarterback and then obviously staying out of third and longs is the key. But, if you can keep the offense friendly for the quarterback, you can have a lot of success because there’s a lot of ways that you can attack the defense and not make it too difficult on the ‘Q’ (quarterback).
(On what his initial idea was to hand over play calling duties to McVay at such a young age)
“I think when I first got the job here, I didn’t want to just totally change the entire system. Some of the terminology in place here in the running game and some of the play-action passes and keepers and all that stuff. So, the drop-back game we tried to implement from what I’ve known from over the past with my brother (Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden) and in Cincinnati and Sean has a great idea of that also because he was with us in Tampa Bay for a year and he was also with me in the UFL (United Football League) for one year. So, I felt like just from talking to the quarterbacks, instead of me having to tell him what the call to the quarterback and so forth, it was quicker to let him do it. We came up with the game plans together and situational – type football we came up together and then I still had a little bit of input, but I let him handle it because he was good and did a fine job.”
(On if there’s something about his personality that makes him a good play caller)
“He’s detailed. He’s very detailed in what he’s teaching. He’s got a system that he believes in – he knows he has a good combination from what he learned from the Shanahans and obviously what he learned from my brother and hopefully here from me a little bit, so, it’s a combination. And it’s important to protect the quarterback, which is I think the most important thing you can do as far as a play caller. You can have all the big plays in the world, but you have to protect the quarterback, so he’s got a good foundation for protections and getting the quarterback out of the pocket and getting him off the same spot and letting him move around and be comfortable. That’s all key.”
(On what he saw from Rams QB Jared Goff in the first game and if he can already see McVay’s imprint on him)
“Yeah, obviously they scored a lot of points and they were in great situations. The defense got two touchdowns for them and they had a big lead, so it’s a lot easier for a play caller, without a doubt. You’re comfortable and your whole playbook is open. It’s a little bit more difficult when you’re trailing by seven or 10 or something like that and you have third and longs that you’ve got to deal with. But you can see his imprint without a doubt. The play-passes, the nakeds (boot legs), to the running game and obviously the drop-back passing game with all the stacks and all the different formations that you’re going to get. He’s done a good job of implementing it, making it easy for Jared and Jared did a great job of executing and that’s what you’ve got to have. You’ve got to have a guy that can handle calling all those plays and formations, but then you have to execute it and Jared did a good job.”
(On if there was anything that McVay struggled with when he first started as the play caller in Washington)
“Not really. We worked on the game plan together. We had O-line coaches help in the running game, I helped with third downs, we had a coach help with the red zone, so it wasn’t like Sean was the only one putting the game plan together. We had a lot of people, a lot of input in the game plan. I’m sure he has that there with (Rams Offensive Line) Coach (Aaron) Kromer and (Rams Tight Ends Coach) Shane (Waldron) and the other coaches he has there, (Rams Offensive Coordinator Matt) LaFleur, they’re helping with the game plan. Once you have a game plan in, you have your situations and you have your first 15 (plays of the game) and then it’s just a steady flow of how to call the plays. It’s a matter of how you use the people around you and I’m sure he’s got the resources to have good people around and help him.”
(On how often he has stayed in touch with McVay since he got the Rams job)
“We stay in touch all the time. I haven’t talked to him today, but we stay in touch quite a bit. I’ve known him for a long time. His family and my family go way back. My dad worked for his grandfather with the 49ers as a scout. Obviously we worked together. My dad coached his dad at Indiana, so we go way back as far as our families are concerned. We’ll be friends for the long haul I would think.”
(On if there are a couple things that stick out in his mind about Kirk Cousins development with McVay as the offensive coordinator)
“I just think the total package, not just Sean. I think (then Redskins Quarterbacks Coach Matt) Cavanaugh had a little bit of input in that also, he did good things with him as a quarterback coach. It was a team effort with Kirk and ultimately, a quarterback has to do it and Kirk has done a good job of establishing himself as a starter. It’s a matter of getting to know your quarterback, trying to make him comfortable, trying to protect the quarterback and not making every play really, really hard. There are certain plays that you try to make easy for the quarterback, whether it’s quick game or getting a bootleg and getting down flat or maybe a crosser that’s open – sometimes it’s easier than others, but I think for the most part, we came up with a system that Kirk was comfortable with and we were able to implement it and Kirk was able to execute it.”
(On the instinct of improvisation element when play calling)
“Well you have your scripts for every situation. You have 120-150 plays sometimes on your game plan call sheet, but you have your scripts as far as third and two-to-five, third and six-to-nine, third and 10-plus – whatever it is, you have short yardage, goal line, you have redzone, redzone third downs, so you go by the script of what you practiced. You’re not going to deviate off of that. Now, what you’re going to call as far as when you’re going to call your play-actions and your running game and all that stuff, that’s the important thing, to mix it in there. But, once you get down you become one dimensional and then your script becomes very, very tight and small and that’s where it becomes difficult. Fortunately for Sean, he didn’t have to deal with that last week, hopefully he will this week (laughs). But, that’s the whole goal of this offense and anybody’s offense, quite frankly. You look around the league and there was a lot of offenses that struggled, the majority of those were down and got in a lot of third downs and couldn’t get any rhythm going. You have to convert on third downs. I don’t know what the Rams were last week, but we were three-for-10 and that just makes it hard for the play caller because the next drive you’ve got to get something going instead of maintaining the ball and field position and all that stuff where you can keep the defense off balance. Each game is different, different challenges, but it’s very important for the playmaker to adjust and Sean’s always done a pretty good job of that.”
(On what he saw from the Rams defense on film)
“It’s a (Rams Defensive Coordinator) Wade Phillips blueprint without a doubt. He’s an excellent football coach, we know that and he’s got great personnel. He had great personnel in Denver. I don’t know how many Pro Bowlers he had over there, I don’t know how many he’s got this year. He’s got five first-round picks on the defensive line, he’s got (Rams LB Alec) Ogletree, he’s got a heck of a corner (Rams CB Trumaine Johnson) who is a Pro Bowl type corner. (Rams S Lamarcus) Joyner is playing excellent. (Rams LB Mark) Barron, I don’t know if he’s a Pro Bowler, but he damn near looks like one. So, they’ve got a very talented defense over there and when you have talented cover guys and you can play man-to-man and rush five or four and get home with your four-man pressures, you can be very successful no matter what you call. But his system is very solid and very sound – people know what they’re doing, they don’t have any coverage mess-ups, the quarterback is always, always getting hurried, at least (Indianapolis QB Scott) Tolzien was. I mean, every play he was getting hit or had somebody in his face. When you disrupt the timing of routes and you have four-man rushes and five-man rushes that get to the quarterback, you’re going to have a ton of success on defense and that’s the look of a Wade Phillips defense right there.”
(On how difficult it is to project what the Rams will do with DT Aaron Donald)
“We know where he’s going to be – he’s going to be a three-tech and he’s going to rush and he’s going to rush hard. He’s a heck of a pass rusher, the best three-technique pass rusher and we just played a great one in (Philadelphia DT) Fletcher Cox. Now, okay, we’re done with Fletcher Cox and now we’ve got Aaron Donald, so two great challenges, two of the best three-techniques in the game back-to-back weeks. Our guards have got to ready. They have to strap it up and protect because he’s got every move you want – he can power rush you, he can spin you, he can rip you, he gets off the snap with great tempo and he’s fast, so it will be a great challenge. Then you’ve got (Rams OLB Robert) Quinn over there and (Rams DT Michael) Brockers, they’ve got a nonstop arsenal of pass rushers. (Rams OLB) Connor Barwin still looks good. They’re a good football team.”
https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...ashington-redskins-jay-gruden-conference-call
Jay Gruden chimes in on friend and former colleague, and current Rams HC Sean McVay
by Sosa Kremenjas@SosaNFLDraft Sep 13, 2017, 3:00pm PDT
Washington Redskins HC Jay Gruden
(On what it’s like coaching against a guy that he gave an opportunity to and helped raise in the NFL)
“Obviously, I was excited for (Rams Head Coach) Sean (McVay) to get the job. He earned it and deserved it. He did a lot of good things with the Redskins and got a head coaching job. Now, the only way to approach it’s another game. We have a very important game to play and we’re 0-1 and we’ve got to try and get our first win and that’s the only focus that we have. We just have to go from there, but after the game I’m sure I’ll talk to Sean, right now it’s about trying to get our first win.”
(On if he always assumed that Coach McVay would get a head coaching job)
“Well, honestly I didn’t think he’d get one this quick (laughs). He’s pretty young, but we had some success on offense and he did great things with (Redskins QB) Kirk Cousins obviously and he’s very organized. The whole trick is to get in front of a room and I had a feeling that once he got in front of a room, some general managers and some owners that he would be able to get in there because he’s very presentable, he’s very knowledgeable, very smart, he’s a very loyal guy and very passionate about the game. So, there’s a lot to like about Sean once you get to know him. I just didn’t know that people would give him that opportunity at such a young age, but once they started giving him interviews, I figured that he would get one of them because like I said, he has all of those traits to be a good head coach.”
(On the status of Redskins S Su’a Cravens)
“There’s no update. He’s on left quad (exempt/left squad) right now and he’s dealing with personal issues. But we drafted him and he had some great moments last year for us as a young player, as a 21-year-old kid. Playing, we put him at DIME linebacker to start, we tried to move him to safety this year in the offseason, he was making good progress and then the personal issues hit him. We hope he gets well and hope that he figures out what he wants to do in life and we support him either way.”
(On the difficulty of facing a colleague that knows him so well and vice versa)
“Not really. I just know that knowing what we do offensively, it’s going to be hard for our defense. They’re going to give us a lot of different formations, a lot of change-of-tempos offensively, quick counts, speed breaks, no huddle, a lot of different formations, a lot of stacks and they’ve got a good running game with (Rams RB) Todd Gurley and he changes it up with good play-action passes. I can tell them what he likes, but stopping it is another issue because you stop certain things but then they hit you with the running game or they hit you with the play-pass or hit you with the bunch-stack deal and the quick game and it’s a great changeup. He’s got a great changeup to his offense right now and when you’re in a groove offensively and you have your whole playbook open, it’s very hard to stop. The best way to stop them is to get them in third and long and make them one dimensional or get a big lead and make them one dimensional. It’s easier said than done, but that’s obviously the goal.”
(On what stood out on tape about the offense that shows him Coach McVay has made his imprint already)
“I just said, yeah, he just has a great ability to change it up. You don’t know what’s coming. You think, first and 10, stop Todd Gurley and then they do a play-pass and launch it over your head or they do a boot leg and hit somebody in the flat for a gain of nine and then they come back – he’s just got a great way of changing up the tempos and keeping you off balance. That’s what this offense is built around with the quick passes, boot legs that are friendly for the quarterback and then obviously staying out of third and longs is the key. But, if you can keep the offense friendly for the quarterback, you can have a lot of success because there’s a lot of ways that you can attack the defense and not make it too difficult on the ‘Q’ (quarterback).
(On what his initial idea was to hand over play calling duties to McVay at such a young age)
“I think when I first got the job here, I didn’t want to just totally change the entire system. Some of the terminology in place here in the running game and some of the play-action passes and keepers and all that stuff. So, the drop-back game we tried to implement from what I’ve known from over the past with my brother (Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Jon Gruden) and in Cincinnati and Sean has a great idea of that also because he was with us in Tampa Bay for a year and he was also with me in the UFL (United Football League) for one year. So, I felt like just from talking to the quarterbacks, instead of me having to tell him what the call to the quarterback and so forth, it was quicker to let him do it. We came up with the game plans together and situational – type football we came up together and then I still had a little bit of input, but I let him handle it because he was good and did a fine job.”
(On if there’s something about his personality that makes him a good play caller)
“He’s detailed. He’s very detailed in what he’s teaching. He’s got a system that he believes in – he knows he has a good combination from what he learned from the Shanahans and obviously what he learned from my brother and hopefully here from me a little bit, so, it’s a combination. And it’s important to protect the quarterback, which is I think the most important thing you can do as far as a play caller. You can have all the big plays in the world, but you have to protect the quarterback, so he’s got a good foundation for protections and getting the quarterback out of the pocket and getting him off the same spot and letting him move around and be comfortable. That’s all key.”
(On what he saw from Rams QB Jared Goff in the first game and if he can already see McVay’s imprint on him)
“Yeah, obviously they scored a lot of points and they were in great situations. The defense got two touchdowns for them and they had a big lead, so it’s a lot easier for a play caller, without a doubt. You’re comfortable and your whole playbook is open. It’s a little bit more difficult when you’re trailing by seven or 10 or something like that and you have third and longs that you’ve got to deal with. But you can see his imprint without a doubt. The play-passes, the nakeds (boot legs), to the running game and obviously the drop-back passing game with all the stacks and all the different formations that you’re going to get. He’s done a good job of implementing it, making it easy for Jared and Jared did a great job of executing and that’s what you’ve got to have. You’ve got to have a guy that can handle calling all those plays and formations, but then you have to execute it and Jared did a good job.”
(On if there was anything that McVay struggled with when he first started as the play caller in Washington)
“Not really. We worked on the game plan together. We had O-line coaches help in the running game, I helped with third downs, we had a coach help with the red zone, so it wasn’t like Sean was the only one putting the game plan together. We had a lot of people, a lot of input in the game plan. I’m sure he has that there with (Rams Offensive Line) Coach (Aaron) Kromer and (Rams Tight Ends Coach) Shane (Waldron) and the other coaches he has there, (Rams Offensive Coordinator Matt) LaFleur, they’re helping with the game plan. Once you have a game plan in, you have your situations and you have your first 15 (plays of the game) and then it’s just a steady flow of how to call the plays. It’s a matter of how you use the people around you and I’m sure he’s got the resources to have good people around and help him.”
(On how often he has stayed in touch with McVay since he got the Rams job)
“We stay in touch all the time. I haven’t talked to him today, but we stay in touch quite a bit. I’ve known him for a long time. His family and my family go way back. My dad worked for his grandfather with the 49ers as a scout. Obviously we worked together. My dad coached his dad at Indiana, so we go way back as far as our families are concerned. We’ll be friends for the long haul I would think.”
(On if there are a couple things that stick out in his mind about Kirk Cousins development with McVay as the offensive coordinator)
“I just think the total package, not just Sean. I think (then Redskins Quarterbacks Coach Matt) Cavanaugh had a little bit of input in that also, he did good things with him as a quarterback coach. It was a team effort with Kirk and ultimately, a quarterback has to do it and Kirk has done a good job of establishing himself as a starter. It’s a matter of getting to know your quarterback, trying to make him comfortable, trying to protect the quarterback and not making every play really, really hard. There are certain plays that you try to make easy for the quarterback, whether it’s quick game or getting a bootleg and getting down flat or maybe a crosser that’s open – sometimes it’s easier than others, but I think for the most part, we came up with a system that Kirk was comfortable with and we were able to implement it and Kirk was able to execute it.”
(On the instinct of improvisation element when play calling)
“Well you have your scripts for every situation. You have 120-150 plays sometimes on your game plan call sheet, but you have your scripts as far as third and two-to-five, third and six-to-nine, third and 10-plus – whatever it is, you have short yardage, goal line, you have redzone, redzone third downs, so you go by the script of what you practiced. You’re not going to deviate off of that. Now, what you’re going to call as far as when you’re going to call your play-actions and your running game and all that stuff, that’s the important thing, to mix it in there. But, once you get down you become one dimensional and then your script becomes very, very tight and small and that’s where it becomes difficult. Fortunately for Sean, he didn’t have to deal with that last week, hopefully he will this week (laughs). But, that’s the whole goal of this offense and anybody’s offense, quite frankly. You look around the league and there was a lot of offenses that struggled, the majority of those were down and got in a lot of third downs and couldn’t get any rhythm going. You have to convert on third downs. I don’t know what the Rams were last week, but we were three-for-10 and that just makes it hard for the play caller because the next drive you’ve got to get something going instead of maintaining the ball and field position and all that stuff where you can keep the defense off balance. Each game is different, different challenges, but it’s very important for the playmaker to adjust and Sean’s always done a pretty good job of that.”
(On what he saw from the Rams defense on film)
“It’s a (Rams Defensive Coordinator) Wade Phillips blueprint without a doubt. He’s an excellent football coach, we know that and he’s got great personnel. He had great personnel in Denver. I don’t know how many Pro Bowlers he had over there, I don’t know how many he’s got this year. He’s got five first-round picks on the defensive line, he’s got (Rams LB Alec) Ogletree, he’s got a heck of a corner (Rams CB Trumaine Johnson) who is a Pro Bowl type corner. (Rams S Lamarcus) Joyner is playing excellent. (Rams LB Mark) Barron, I don’t know if he’s a Pro Bowler, but he damn near looks like one. So, they’ve got a very talented defense over there and when you have talented cover guys and you can play man-to-man and rush five or four and get home with your four-man pressures, you can be very successful no matter what you call. But his system is very solid and very sound – people know what they’re doing, they don’t have any coverage mess-ups, the quarterback is always, always getting hurried, at least (Indianapolis QB Scott) Tolzien was. I mean, every play he was getting hit or had somebody in his face. When you disrupt the timing of routes and you have four-man rushes and five-man rushes that get to the quarterback, you’re going to have a ton of success on defense and that’s the look of a Wade Phillips defense right there.”
(On how difficult it is to project what the Rams will do with DT Aaron Donald)
“We know where he’s going to be – he’s going to be a three-tech and he’s going to rush and he’s going to rush hard. He’s a heck of a pass rusher, the best three-technique pass rusher and we just played a great one in (Philadelphia DT) Fletcher Cox. Now, okay, we’re done with Fletcher Cox and now we’ve got Aaron Donald, so two great challenges, two of the best three-techniques in the game back-to-back weeks. Our guards have got to ready. They have to strap it up and protect because he’s got every move you want – he can power rush you, he can spin you, he can rip you, he gets off the snap with great tempo and he’s fast, so it will be a great challenge. Then you’ve got (Rams OLB Robert) Quinn over there and (Rams DT Michael) Brockers, they’ve got a nonstop arsenal of pass rushers. (Rams OLB) Connor Barwin still looks good. They’re a good football team.”
https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2017/...ashington-redskins-jay-gruden-conference-call
TruJo named NFC Defensive Player of the Week
- By shaunpinney
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 44 Replies
Love it when a player proves me wrong, I've been vocal against him in the past. Let's see if he can live up to it this coming week 
For Rams coach Sean McVay, facing the Washington Redskins will be a unique experience
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 0 Replies
For Rams coach Sean McVay, facing the Washington Redskins will be a unique experience
Sean McVay, then the Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator, talks with tackle Kedric Golston on June 8, 2016. McVay expects this week's game against his old team to be a strange experience. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)
Gary Klein
It’s going to be “weird.”
Rams coach Sean McVay acknowledged as much this week when asked if it would be difficult to separate his emotional connection to the Washington Redskins with scheming to defeat them on Sunday at the Coliseum.
McVay, at 31 the youngest coach in modern NFL history, was a member of the Redskins staff for seven seasons, the last three as offensive coordinator.
“So many people in that organization have been instrumental in helping me get this position,” McVay said. “But, once that game starts it’s just like any other game and we’re going to do the best that we can to compete to go win it.”
McVay is undefeated as a head coach after the Rams routed the Indianapolis Colts 46-9 on Sunday in the season opener.
Now he is preparing to coach against Jay Gruden, a mentor who elevated him from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator and charged him with developing quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“He’s taught me a large portion of things that I know and things that we do here,” McVay said.
McVay is not the only Rams coach with a Washington background.
Linebackers coach Joe Barry, cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant and tight ends coach Shane Waldron were members of Gruden’s Redskins staff. Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur also coached with McVay in Washington under former coach Mike Shanahan.
Gruden was among those who reached out after the Rams’ victory over the Colts, McVay said.
“I’ve got a great relationship with a lot those people in Washington and I’m always pulling for those guys, except for this coming week,” he said.
Sean McVay, left, talks with Rams punter Johnny Hekker during a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 10, (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Before the season opener, McVay said that he did not sleep much in the days leading up to games, regardless of the opponent. He does not anticipate spending extra time preparing for his former team, a 30-17 loser to the Philadelphia Eagles in its opener.
“I’ll probably be cranky later on in the week like I am normally,” he joked.
When the game is over, McVay is looking forward to leveraging his Washington relationships as the Rams prepare for matchups against shared opponents.
This season, both the Rams and Redskins play the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.
“We can kind of try to be able to help each other out as we move forward into the regular season, getting deeper into it,” McVay said.
McVay helped build the Redskins’ offense into one of the NFL’s most productive units in 2016. He called on that experience while implementing and calling plays for a Rams offense that showed promise in the opener.
The Redskins and new offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh could see a slightly different Rams defense than the one that dominated and produced 16 points against the Colts.
Lineman Aaron Donald ended his holdout on Saturday and is expected to practice Wednesday. McVay said Monday that “the goal” was for Donald to play.
“Just getting him back in here is the first step,” McVay said.
Donald was listed among the projected starters on the unofficial depth chart. But it seems unlikely that the Rams would expose one of their most valued assets to an overly heavy workload on game day after one week of practice.
Donald, even in a limited capacity, would bolster a pass-rushing front that includes Robert Quinn, who appears to be physically sound.
Quinn moved from end to edge-rushing linebacker in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme. He was held out of preseason games so that he would be ready for the opener, and the strategy appeared to pay off.
Quinn recorded a sack and another tackle for a loss in the same series against the Colts.
“When No. 94 is right, you feel him and he is an elite rusher and he certainly looked like that guy” against the Colts, McVay said.
Quinn said the entire Rams team has responded to McVay.
“He raised our accountability level, our standards,” Quinn said after the game. “And I think guys are having fun.
“It’s a game you know, so you better have some fun.”
Etc.
The Rams signed offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas and waived offensive lineman J.J. Dielman and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson. Offensive lineman Jake Eldrenkamp also was released from the practice squad. Lucas played at Kansas State and signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Lucas, who has three NFL starts, was released by the Lions last week. … The Rams were off Tuesday. They resume practice Wednesday.
[www.latimes.com]
Sean McVay, then the Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator, talks with tackle Kedric Golston on June 8, 2016. McVay expects this week's game against his old team to be a strange experience. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)
Gary Klein
It’s going to be “weird.”
Rams coach Sean McVay acknowledged as much this week when asked if it would be difficult to separate his emotional connection to the Washington Redskins with scheming to defeat them on Sunday at the Coliseum.
McVay, at 31 the youngest coach in modern NFL history, was a member of the Redskins staff for seven seasons, the last three as offensive coordinator.
“So many people in that organization have been instrumental in helping me get this position,” McVay said. “But, once that game starts it’s just like any other game and we’re going to do the best that we can to compete to go win it.”
McVay is undefeated as a head coach after the Rams routed the Indianapolis Colts 46-9 on Sunday in the season opener.
Now he is preparing to coach against Jay Gruden, a mentor who elevated him from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator and charged him with developing quarterback Kirk Cousins.
“He’s taught me a large portion of things that I know and things that we do here,” McVay said.
McVay is not the only Rams coach with a Washington background.
Linebackers coach Joe Barry, cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant and tight ends coach Shane Waldron were members of Gruden’s Redskins staff. Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur also coached with McVay in Washington under former coach Mike Shanahan.
Gruden was among those who reached out after the Rams’ victory over the Colts, McVay said.
“I’ve got a great relationship with a lot those people in Washington and I’m always pulling for those guys, except for this coming week,” he said.
Sean McVay, left, talks with Rams punter Johnny Hekker during a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 10, (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Before the season opener, McVay said that he did not sleep much in the days leading up to games, regardless of the opponent. He does not anticipate spending extra time preparing for his former team, a 30-17 loser to the Philadelphia Eagles in its opener.
“I’ll probably be cranky later on in the week like I am normally,” he joked.
When the game is over, McVay is looking forward to leveraging his Washington relationships as the Rams prepare for matchups against shared opponents.
This season, both the Rams and Redskins play the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.
“We can kind of try to be able to help each other out as we move forward into the regular season, getting deeper into it,” McVay said.
McVay helped build the Redskins’ offense into one of the NFL’s most productive units in 2016. He called on that experience while implementing and calling plays for a Rams offense that showed promise in the opener.
The Redskins and new offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh could see a slightly different Rams defense than the one that dominated and produced 16 points against the Colts.
Lineman Aaron Donald ended his holdout on Saturday and is expected to practice Wednesday. McVay said Monday that “the goal” was for Donald to play.
“Just getting him back in here is the first step,” McVay said.
Donald was listed among the projected starters on the unofficial depth chart. But it seems unlikely that the Rams would expose one of their most valued assets to an overly heavy workload on game day after one week of practice.
Donald, even in a limited capacity, would bolster a pass-rushing front that includes Robert Quinn, who appears to be physically sound.
Quinn moved from end to edge-rushing linebacker in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme. He was held out of preseason games so that he would be ready for the opener, and the strategy appeared to pay off.
Quinn recorded a sack and another tackle for a loss in the same series against the Colts.
“When No. 94 is right, you feel him and he is an elite rusher and he certainly looked like that guy” against the Colts, McVay said.
Quinn said the entire Rams team has responded to McVay.
“He raised our accountability level, our standards,” Quinn said after the game. “And I think guys are having fun.
“It’s a game you know, so you better have some fun.”
Etc.
The Rams signed offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas and waived offensive lineman J.J. Dielman and defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson. Offensive lineman Jake Eldrenkamp also was released from the practice squad. Lucas played at Kansas State and signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Lucas, who has three NFL starts, was released by the Lions last week. … The Rams were off Tuesday. They resume practice Wednesday.
[www.latimes.com]
LA Times: Sean McVay's influence on Redskins is so loud you can still hear it
- By Merlin
- RAMS / NFL TALK
- 31 Replies
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-rams-mcvay-redskins-20170912-story.html
Sam FarmerContact Reporter
Can you hear me now?
If you’re Sean McVay, the answer is undoubtedly yes.
Even though he’s seemingly out of earshot, as head coach of the Rams and roughly 2,600 miles away, his former Washington Redskins players wonder if he can still hear them.
“We’d always joke about how well he can hear, and not just in meetings,” tackle Trent Williams said. “Outside of practice, too. You’d hear two guys talking among each other five yards behind him. If it’s a question he could answer, he’d turn around and answer you. It was like, ‘How’d you even hear it?’”
Jordan Reed said with a smile. “If you’re talking, he’s listening. He might be looking that way, but he’s listening.”
In his head coaching debut last Sunday, McVay made some noise himself. The Rams, who couldn’t find the end zone last season with GPS and a kennel of bloodhounds, scored five touchdowns in a 46-9 rout of Indianapolis. That’s as many points as Los Angeles scored in the first three weeks combined last fall.
The Rams play host to the Redskins on Sunday in a game that reunites McVay and the team that afforded him his NFL foothold. He spent seven seasons in Washington, working his way from assistant tight ends coach (2010), to tight ends coach (2011-13), to offensive coordinator (2014-16).
Josh Norman, another Washington All-Pro, believes McVay took a Sharpie to the schedule the day it came out and circled this game in red.
“He’s a fiery guy,” Norman said. “He’s so smart. He’s a magician. As far as offensive minds, he’s young but could probably create something that we’ll see and be like, ‘That’s Sean McVay.’ Just like the West Coast offense. Who created that? Bill Walsh. Sean McVay could add another layer on top of that. That’s scary, but he has the opportunity to do that.”
McVay’s pedigree is well known. His grandfather, John McVay, was a longtime executive for the San Francisco 49ers who collaborated with Walsh, the Hall of Fame coach, to build a dynasty with that franchise. The younger McVay would go on to become a high school standout in Georgia as a quarterback and defensive back, play receiver at Miami University in Ohio, then rise through the coaching ranks under Jay Gruden and Kyle Shanahan. McVay was 30 when the Rams hired him in January, making him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.
“Once you talked to him about football, the age thing goes right out the door,” Redskins tight end Niles Paul said. “He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known when it comes to football.”
From the day he was promoted to tight ends coach, the bright-eyed McVay, with his spiked hair and boundless energy, let it be known that his players would have to adjust to his clock-management issues.
“The first week was incredible, because he was so pumped,” recalled Chris Cooley, formerly the team’s star tight end and now a Redskins color commentator. “We’re in Week 13 of the season and Sean had us meeting an extra hour at the end of the day to go through this plethora of tape cut-ups and break down what we’re doing that week, individualize routes and how we want to run them.
“I’m like, ‘Sean, whoa! You see the parking lot out there? The rest of the guys are gone.’ He was like, ‘I know, I know, just a little bit longer.’ He was so excited. I thought, this is going to be fun for him, this is going to wear off in a week. It didn’t.”
Cooley, who takes pride in knowing the game, quickly realized that even he was out of his depth when debating concepts and philosophies with his new position coach.
“I have always thought of myself as a smart football player,” Cooley said. “And Sean’s in the room, and within a week he knows 10 times more than I know about the game of football. So it became a massive challenge to me to challenge Sean. To understand it the way he understood it. Because of him I learned every front, every coverage, every look that you could get defensively.”
McVay stubbornly insisted his players not only know their positions, but fully understand and know the assignments of the players around them. Not every coach does that.
“He speaks football on a level that's like Spanish to most people,” Cooley said. “Football is its own language, really, and every offense is a little sect of that language. But he speaks the most fluent football I’ve ever heard. You get to a point where you're like, ‘Sean, we're saying the same thing here. I'm just saying it in Spanglish.’ He's like, ‘No, but I want you to say it my way.’ ”
That attention to detail paid off for the tight ends, and then for the entire Redskins offense, which last season averaged more than 400 yards a game for the first time in franchise history and finished as the NFL’s third-ranked unit.
“What he does is lets guys be themselves,” said Reed, who last season became the first Redskins tight end to make the Pro Bowl since Cooley in 2008. “He doesn’t try to mold you to be what he wants you to be. He takes your strengths and he tries to bring the best out of you with what you can do. That’s what he did with me. I’m not the traditional tight end, and he let me be myself.”
Now, McVay is doing that with the Rams, and his former players figure he’s got the same singular focus.
“You'd have to ask Sean what his hobbies are,” Cooley said. “Outside of football, I'm not sure. Probably watching college football.”
The rabbit-eared McVay, you see, is always working on sound fundamentals.
sam.farmer@latimes.com
Follow Sam Farmer on Twitter @LATimesfarmer
Sam FarmerContact Reporter
Can you hear me now?
If you’re Sean McVay, the answer is undoubtedly yes.
Even though he’s seemingly out of earshot, as head coach of the Rams and roughly 2,600 miles away, his former Washington Redskins players wonder if he can still hear them.
“We’d always joke about how well he can hear, and not just in meetings,” tackle Trent Williams said. “Outside of practice, too. You’d hear two guys talking among each other five yards behind him. If it’s a question he could answer, he’d turn around and answer you. It was like, ‘How’d you even hear it?’”
Jordan Reed said with a smile. “If you’re talking, he’s listening. He might be looking that way, but he’s listening.”
In his head coaching debut last Sunday, McVay made some noise himself. The Rams, who couldn’t find the end zone last season with GPS and a kennel of bloodhounds, scored five touchdowns in a 46-9 rout of Indianapolis. That’s as many points as Los Angeles scored in the first three weeks combined last fall.
The Rams play host to the Redskins on Sunday in a game that reunites McVay and the team that afforded him his NFL foothold. He spent seven seasons in Washington, working his way from assistant tight ends coach (2010), to tight ends coach (2011-13), to offensive coordinator (2014-16).
Josh Norman, another Washington All-Pro, believes McVay took a Sharpie to the schedule the day it came out and circled this game in red.
“He’s a fiery guy,” Norman said. “He’s so smart. He’s a magician. As far as offensive minds, he’s young but could probably create something that we’ll see and be like, ‘That’s Sean McVay.’ Just like the West Coast offense. Who created that? Bill Walsh. Sean McVay could add another layer on top of that. That’s scary, but he has the opportunity to do that.”
McVay’s pedigree is well known. His grandfather, John McVay, was a longtime executive for the San Francisco 49ers who collaborated with Walsh, the Hall of Fame coach, to build a dynasty with that franchise. The younger McVay would go on to become a high school standout in Georgia as a quarterback and defensive back, play receiver at Miami University in Ohio, then rise through the coaching ranks under Jay Gruden and Kyle Shanahan. McVay was 30 when the Rams hired him in January, making him the youngest head coach in modern NFL history.
“Once you talked to him about football, the age thing goes right out the door,” Redskins tight end Niles Paul said. “He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever known when it comes to football.”
From the day he was promoted to tight ends coach, the bright-eyed McVay, with his spiked hair and boundless energy, let it be known that his players would have to adjust to his clock-management issues.
“The first week was incredible, because he was so pumped,” recalled Chris Cooley, formerly the team’s star tight end and now a Redskins color commentator. “We’re in Week 13 of the season and Sean had us meeting an extra hour at the end of the day to go through this plethora of tape cut-ups and break down what we’re doing that week, individualize routes and how we want to run them.
“I’m like, ‘Sean, whoa! You see the parking lot out there? The rest of the guys are gone.’ He was like, ‘I know, I know, just a little bit longer.’ He was so excited. I thought, this is going to be fun for him, this is going to wear off in a week. It didn’t.”
Cooley, who takes pride in knowing the game, quickly realized that even he was out of his depth when debating concepts and philosophies with his new position coach.
“I have always thought of myself as a smart football player,” Cooley said. “And Sean’s in the room, and within a week he knows 10 times more than I know about the game of football. So it became a massive challenge to me to challenge Sean. To understand it the way he understood it. Because of him I learned every front, every coverage, every look that you could get defensively.”
McVay stubbornly insisted his players not only know their positions, but fully understand and know the assignments of the players around them. Not every coach does that.
“He speaks football on a level that's like Spanish to most people,” Cooley said. “Football is its own language, really, and every offense is a little sect of that language. But he speaks the most fluent football I’ve ever heard. You get to a point where you're like, ‘Sean, we're saying the same thing here. I'm just saying it in Spanglish.’ He's like, ‘No, but I want you to say it my way.’ ”
That attention to detail paid off for the tight ends, and then for the entire Redskins offense, which last season averaged more than 400 yards a game for the first time in franchise history and finished as the NFL’s third-ranked unit.
“What he does is lets guys be themselves,” said Reed, who last season became the first Redskins tight end to make the Pro Bowl since Cooley in 2008. “He doesn’t try to mold you to be what he wants you to be. He takes your strengths and he tries to bring the best out of you with what you can do. That’s what he did with me. I’m not the traditional tight end, and he let me be myself.”
Now, McVay is doing that with the Rams, and his former players figure he’s got the same singular focus.
“You'd have to ask Sean what his hobbies are,” Cooley said. “Outside of football, I'm not sure. Probably watching college football.”
The rabbit-eared McVay, you see, is always working on sound fundamentals.
sam.farmer@latimes.com
Follow Sam Farmer on Twitter @LATimesfarmer
