Sean McVay Talks Injury Updates Coming Out Of Lions Game & What He Saw In Rookie Jared Verse's Debut

I got you coach yeah we'll start with you Sarah this is bright hey Sean do you have any updates on the injuries that came out last night's game I do um you know so Kobe Durant got his toe he'll be kind of dayto day um Joe noboom has a high ankle sprain um so he'll probably be out for a few weeks and then uh puka got a PCL sprain probably be a candidate to go to ir and uh Steve a got an MCL sprain he will be a candidate to go to IR as well um did we saw Kevin Dodson leaving the lock room in a boot yesterday did he get injured as well he um yeah he had a little lateral sprain to his ankle um he'll be dayto day though um when you went back and watched the film is there anything that stood out to you about what Cooper did last night I would you know I'd say it just reiterates the way that I felt after the game gutsy um you know was all over the field was what we needed just based on the circumstances you know there was a lot of opportunities to be able to stretch people vertically but the situation didn't enable that and uh you know they had 14 targets did A J good job competing without the ball affected and influence coverage I think just his demeanor and disposition throughout the game some of the things that he's doing in between series with the guys that did have to step up you can't say enough about what he means to our football team I thought uh I thought he was excellent he gave it a chance to be able to come away with a win and then when I looked at the running back uh snaps on offense looks like Kiron got the bulk of the the carries is that what you intended to do going into the game and do you see that being the case going forward you know what I think each game's going to be its own entity you know it was a very unique circumstance because when we got so many of our linemen banged up Sarah and it limited some of the different I mean basically we had to we we didn't operate off anything that our game plan was um we had to tr truly just change in the middle of that game plan so when there's some things that are unforeseen you're going to go with guys that you trust and that you know I think the way that some of the way the the drives unfolded where there was long breaks in between I think that's why you saw our running back in tight end um rotation reflected as such you know Kobe Parkinson played 69 snaps I believe Kiren played 71 when you look at it um so want to get Ronnie a little bit more involved want to be able to get Blake involved as well and then you know Davis and Hunter uh got a few snaps but based on how the game unfolded you know it was very unique for a lot of different reasons um none of which probably suit what you guys are really looking for but that was not how we anticipated the rotation to go thank you you're welcome Jordan hey Sean know you're probably still working through it but in terms of um contingency plans uh a lot of those all of those positions that you talked about um first of all would Kobe be a day-to-day day or week to week yeah he's day to day he's day to day okay and then um for Joe who do you anticipate coming in at at left tackle and that'll be a question that I probably have a better answer for you um you know just based on the availability of maybe some guys coming back and then obviously we'll look to bring some bodies in as well and do do you anticipate Rob havenstein to come back this week you know I think we're gonna take it a day at a time so I don't want to put any um unnecessary expectations on anything so think I'll have a better uh feel for that you know just based on how he's continuing to progress but he has made good progress not to Pepper you on this but um okay with Bo limmer would you anticipate a full week at Center for him in in that regard I would yep I thought he did a great job you know he's he's answered the bell every time he's gotten opportunities whether that was in the Texans joint practice um even having to step up in some of the situations against Dallas and then yesterday um I was really pleased with him in that atmosphere that environment to uh to handle it the way that he did I'm not I I wouldn't be I wouldn't say that I was surprised though based on what I've seen from him um but it was uh it was impressive and uh and yes he will get some work moving forward and I got a lot of confidence in BO you talked a lot about the yesterday about the lessons you guys learned collectively um as a staff in in 2022 and and wondering in terms of when you do have to change that significant amount of your game plan on the Fly Like This um what that process is like what the communication infrastructure is like and then also has that changed since that time yeah I mean where the hell do you want me to start with that one I mean that's a that's a heavy question here's what I would say the players ability to come in seamlessly adjust Be steady and even killed you know I think when you play a great team like that you're down 173 and then they'll be able to reel off 17 straight to get to 20 to 17 with four and a half left and the ball game for us to get a stop almost get a turnover and then to be able to you know get a first down and then you're just a couple you know just a little bit away from converting I'm really proud of this group um there's some opportunities that they earn even be in those positions I mean what a play by John Johnson when we're down four they're going in to potentially take a two-possession lead to get the turnover and then Matthew goes 8 for eight on the next drive to take the lead 20 to 17 um we get a stop we get the ball back with about four and a half and man you just want to be able to run the clock out and man we had some opportunities we had some penalties that moved us back we had a chance on the third down Matthew makes an incredible throw on the third down play to Demarcus but here's what I would tell you guys were just in the moment Jordan and that's the same thing with us as coaches I was really proud of the way that the guys just stayed in the moment both offensively defensively and in the kicking game they were able to adjust an adapt based on some of the new Personnel changes and we gave ourselves a chance and and I was proud of that you know now do we want to come away with the result we're hunting up of course um but when we really talk about progressing and focusing on the things that we can control there was a lot of things that we can't control based on what went down last night that I can be proud of and I can say that we're moving in the right direction it doesn't mean that you don't want to come away with the result but whether we finished it or whether we didn't it's about how we move forward um our fluidity and flexibility is going to be key and critical and I'll tell you what we're not going to do is we're not going to sulk uh we're not going to say why is me we're going to get the next guy ready to go we're going to get some new bodies in here and then we'll be grateful when we do get those guys that are injured back but um you know the league it continues to move and it's a thankless deal with some of these injuries and it is unfortunate and I feel for the players that are getting injured um but you're not going to see any pity for me you know in terms of I feel bad I want to support the players but there's not going to be any excuses for us not to move forward um the right way because I've gone down that road before and we're not doing that again thank you you're welcome Gary Sean um you had said that you said puka was a candidate to go on IR is he is he going to go you're gonna Place him on in that's most likely yes what would what would be a determination that would you know have you decide not to do I mean why would you not do that well since you're so specific with my words he's going to go to IR Gary how's that for you okay that thanks just just want to be clear no you are I'm and I'm I'm joking but yes I because I there's always possibilities it's probably not likely that he would not go to IR because his injury is going to keep him out for more than a month so that is the most likely route now when you only have eight throughout the year and you're talking about already being on maybe six of these in week one that'd be maybe why you wouldn't do it if you wanted to hold a spot but that's the most likely direction that we would go um is this so is this a completely uh new injury or the re-aggravation of the same injury just a little bit more significant than what was previously um the situation and then you know um last year you didn't with Cooper was hurt and puka of course you know exploded this year it looked like you were you had them both healthy and you know ready to go um how frustrating is it for you not to be able to you know keep both of them out there and you know at 100% yeah I you know I feel for puka Gary because when he finds out the news and how much it means to him to be out there for his teammates and to go compete and how much work he's even put in to get himself back to the position he was last night and you can see he's an impact player he gets four targets he has four catches for almost 50 yards he has a Jet Sweep he does stuff in the Run game he's a factor he just is one of those guys that just makes a difference you know and so it's unfortunate for him and and I'm I'm bummed out for the person more importantly and then yeah of course I'm you know you wish that you had him out there I was I was really proud of Tyler Johnson I thought Jordan Whittington came in and did some nice things we know that we've got a guy in 2 two Atwell that'll be able to um step in and do some different things and so um unfortunately or fortunately you know the difference between last year is because Cooper was out the majority of the time you've got some continuity with that group this is a little bit different but we've got some depth um I think more importantly to answer your question I feel for puka um and then these other guys will get some opportunities that I uh I'm confident they'll step up and and play good football for us thanks very much you're welcome Ste hey Sean depending on how this week goes for Kevin what could that potentially mean for somebody like Logan D in the role he could have well I'm hopeful that that K Dot's gonna be good but Logan's done a great job Stu he's uh he's improved he's shown that he can compete on both sides at the guard position I think he's really found you know his best position at the guard spot um and so I am confident in him if he does have to play based on his body of work throughout the offseason and into training camp and then how much do you guys as a coaching staff leaning on Matthew I mean it's again as much of a collaborative process as it is amongst yourselves with um you know dealing with the injuries on the offensive line and figuring out what works best from a game plan and play call standpoint well I mean he's it's certainly everything that you think of is is with him in mind first I think that's the most important position you know but I want him to be able to do his job certainly his input is incredibly valuable and beneficial but he's got enough stuff that he's got to manage I think it's my job and our job as coaches you know to be able to adjust and adapt and he did a great job of playing within the confines of what the situation dictated yesterday he gave us a chance to be in that game um you know without him I think it would have been a much different narrative and so that's a credit to how important he is but um you know ultimately we're always going to do what we think is best for the football team and that includes Matthew and I think he knows that and if he ever had any sort of issues with what we were doing then we would obviously talk through that thank you you're welcome Adam hey Sean um you know I know Steve's been kind of an Iron Man dating back to his college days like when did that injury occur was he trying to play through it at the end of the first half yeah he W well he did play through the half and then you know they tell me he's going to be out for you know a handful of weeks and then the first play of the first half or second half he's out there we had to yank him out you know and so um it's a credit to how much he wants to be out there so I think that's a positive problem but definitely got Reggie Scott worked up but it shows you how tough um you know Steve is it's unfortunate you know and it's it's one of those deals that uh you know you again similar to puka any of these guys that we're talking about they put so much time and effort in Adam and you want to see them be able to see the fruits of their labor pay off and that's probably the worst part of this job is seeing the injuries and some of the unforeseen circumstances or things that are outside of your control prevent them from being able to do that um but what he will do is based on you know whatever that treatment plan is we decide on he's going to attack his rehab and he'll be back at some point this season which we're uh we're optimistic about and it sounds like you don't think Joe is a guy that could possibly go on IR you know I wouldn't say that I know the other two are are it's very likely that we're going to put those other two on IR um Joe with his ankle sprain you know depending upon the severability of it you know once we find out a little bit more he could be a candidate for that as well but those other two are much more likely um than he is as of right now but they all three could possibly be in that boat and to just deviate from the injuries for a second I'm curious if you could go into the thought process with the kickoff and deciding to kick it out of the end zone I just think the unforeseen um you know I I think knowing that uh some you know there's not as many layers in the coverage there's possible vertical seams I think we felt like you know the confidence that we did have in our defense to to put the ball on the 30 and um you know just it was more about just a lot of the unforeseen consequences I wasn't truly surprised that that that was kind of the approach from the league Adam there was OB obviously a lot of discussions that I was kind of involved in with just some of the different competi comp competition I'm combining words now the uh the committee the competition committee stuff but uh that was kind of the approach was um you know just not really knowing and felt like that was the smart thing for us thanks Sean you're welcome Nick hey coach uh specifically in the second have you guys really outplayed uh the Detroit Lions leading into the overtime period uh specifically for you what uh did you see that was very encouraging in that second half that you can take and build on that heading into the Arizona Cardinals game this coming Sunday yeah I love that question Nick resilience grit down 17 to3 um going on a 17 point run was big I I I thought we were able to you know convert some third Downs finish in the red area offensively obviously the one penalty where our touchdown got called back was an absolute killer we cannot do that there but I was just proud of the fight I thought there was good complimentary football on display too you know they're they're going in to potentially go up two possessions when it's a 1713 game John Johnson makes an unbelievable bang bang pick you know with Aman R over the middle um being able to play off a Jared's eyes and then Matthew goes eight for eight on that next drive to be able to put us in front 20 to 17 so uh I just thought grit grit competitiveness toughness overall effort the ability to be able to play the next snap happen while we did come up short um those were the things that I was proud of and that's an excellent football team you know I I I thought you know when I look at them um they are as advertised they're really well coached they've got great Personnel they do a good job mixing it up on both sides they're really efficient in the kicking game and um and I thought our defense battled through some really tough looks I thought our offense battled through some um you know unforeseen circumstances relative to you know what we had to adjust and adapt to up front and some the things that they did and um you know and we we we competed and I think we can come away with no regrets even though we came up short and and now it's about how we move forward you know and that's that's the important thing and I'll be glad once I get done with you know this with you guys and the coaches show so that I can put this game behind me too and start to prepare for Arizona with the right spirit and mindset you also spoke about the defense and the battle that they had and specifically what did you see out of Jerry verse obviously getting his first NFL regular season career sack but what did you see out of Jared verse as far as just his comfort level his ability to focus his ability to continue to to be a part of that defensive group uh to be effective yeah I think all those things you mentioned I think that's been consistent with what we've seen from him in these practice settings he's a violent physical player he understands the game certain guys just have a knack for being able to show up and make plays um even just you look at a couple of his first snaps you know just as a ram in their first series when you for for him to go three and out and and what he does on the first down where he's reading out of it to be able to come off and make the tackle um some of the different ways he's able to push the pocket and then being able to win on the end of the half sack that you mentioned Nick he's he's as advertised I think he'll continue to only grow and get better I thought Joe kigo did a great job really with that outside backer group as a whole um being really productive for us and I think you give Detroit's offense a ton of credit um they've got they've got all the things you're looking for they've got great Personnel great scheme they're really good on the offensive line they've got great skilled players and the quarterback that knows what's going on so you know that's you're checking all the boxes to be a really special offense and I thought um you know we competed well against a great outfit and and they made some plays and so did we and and that's what happens when you go against a really good team like that thanks coach you're welcome Wyatt hey Sean uh what was your evaluation of the uh inside backer group that you know Troy reader and CHR Rose boom specifically against the uh really physical run game yeah I thought they did a good job you know they are I think uh the rushing if you just look at the stats they'll be skewed because of the amount of yards that they ended up churning out in the overtime period on that eight-play drive U but I thought reer I thought he had really good communication I thought Rose boom played sideline to sideline Greg money Williams does a great job with that group I was I was really proud uh of the way that those guys played I thought we tackled pretty well at the point of attack uh with the exception of some broken tackles that Montgomery had uh in that overtime drive but uh but overall I was pleased with both reer and Rose boom they played a lot of snaps and and they were uh they were productive and did a great job with their communication as well and uh obviously you guys had a lot of pre- snap motion which is nothing new for your offense but specifically against a a lions defense that that's really physical and aggressive what kind of information and what kind of value does that hold in terms of uh you know just Stafford cleaning knowledge of of the coverage and and other things like that yeah there's a lot of different reasons that that we do that um you know and and there was a lot of things that we weren't able to do just based on some of the situations so uh I thought we did a good job being able to use it I think you got to be able to pick and choose but because we were forced out of so many of the different things but I I ultimately our guys did a nice job of using motion to be able to gain an advantage whether it was information wise or leverage wise or some of the different things we're trying to do in the Run game that'll always be a staple that there's an intent behind why we're trying to do it and it takes selfless players to be able to execute it at a high level thank you you're welcome all right we'll wrap with Maria then Eric hey Sean a couple of weeks ago you would talk to us about the defense and what you in the defense and just reflecting on John Johnson he is not only or seems to be the right fit for this team you've seen him grow over the years can you touch upon that and just how import how important it is for him to have that leadership now yeah it's it's important Maria and you know he's been a guy that obviously you know we drafted him in 2017 you know with with the exception of when he left us for the Browns for a little bit of time um it's been great having JJ back I thought he hit his stride really at the right time last year when we kind of went on a little run we were able to get him in um at the beginning of training camp this year and so his ownership is understanding you know certain guys just have a really good feel for the game Maria and certainly JJ's one of those guys I think he's a great Close Quarter tackler I think he really is so smart big picture-wise that he understands what route concepts are accompanied with the quarterback's drops where are his eyes what are they trying to attack um you know the pick that he made was was a great play but it was a great play combining physical and mental tools based on um you know what he was looking at and seeing from Jared in the route concept and then the coverage call we were in um so I thought he played really well he played almost 40 snaps and I think that uh that Trio of players with him with uh with Cam curl and and with Quinton lakes's ability to be able to play star or safety and then you got got young guy cam kitchens a couple snaps as well which um you know he'll learn I thought he took a good angle he's just got to keep his head out of the tackle but I was really pleased with JJ thank you you're welcome coach excuse me coach it appeared that with how the game unfolded with injuries along the offensive line uh you particularly started to have success specifically with do Duo and outside Zone blocking schemes um a was that the case and how important is technical versatility along the offensive line yeah it's really important you know and we you know we got we got a couple things off run wise we didn't get a lot of things off that um the situations definitely dictated a different response but I thought when we did we got tough hard earn yards um there were some different things that we do need to be able to handle better but I thought Kiren ran really hard obviously Ronnie had couple tough runs um and then you know the guys competed to the best of their ability there was a lot of moving Parts like we said and that's a physical outfit you know coach Glenn does a great job being able to mix it up I I I got a lot of respect for their personnel and their scheme and and they did some different things um that I thought you know we we kind of were were ready we were able to adjust but there's always going to be some learning both coaches and players alike and hopefully we'll apply that the right way moving forward this week and then the defensive line displayed tremendous grit but it seemed that they wore down as the game progressed considering the injuries along the offensive line how crucial is it to win a time of possession and keep the defense fresh moving forward yeah it is you know it's crucial you know and it's unfortunate you know when a game comes down to that and you know you lose a coin toss and you don't get a chance to see the ball offensively but our guys played hard you know I mean when that that that sequence where they ended up forcing them to go three and out a handful of times in the second half we're not getting back in that game or taking the lead without the contributions from the defense and again you got to give Detroit's offense credit um they start off with a with a a round you know it was a similar one to that they had run to Jameson Williams earlier they just dressed it up differently was a good call they end up getting a first down there then Montgomery makes an unbelievable run to break some tackles and so um when those things occur you know it can kind of come in bunches they get a little bit of momentum and and when they're coming off the ball and getting that vertical removal and um you know those things can can happen against a really good offense but I I was I was pretty much I I was proud um obviously I know our guys the standards they have for themselves they're going to want to be better in that period and we expect that but um I I I can't say enough about them keeping us in that game relative to the way that it unfolded just based on the es and flows really from the first to the fourth quarter and then that eight-play sequence was a tough way to end it but doesn't take away from the totality of you know the way that I evaluate it for our guys and then when Cooper was injured last year puka puker really emerged as a standout player now that puka is out sideline what opportunities does this create for Jordan to compensate for puk's absence well I think it it creates some opportunities for some other guys you know whether that's you know Tyler Johnson capitalized last night certainly Jordan Whittington Tut two Atwell is a guy that's played a lot of meaningful snaps for us and so um you know we'll see that'll be something that um if I'm not Fielding a thousand questions then I'll be able to start working on that I'm just kidding but uh but we we'll see I got a ton of confidence in Jordan Whittington he is um he's a man's man thought Tyler Johnson I mean what a play that he made on the shallow that he turns into a 60 plus yard play and so uh you know we'll see how that receiver rotation unfolds but we've got a lot of guys that we do have confidence in and uh and they'll be ready to go I promise you that all right thank you coach you got it man that's it coach thank you are you sure uh yeah I think so all right thanks guys