Rams head coach Sean McVay, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, tight end Gerald Everett, wide receiver Robert Woods and quarterback Jared Goff each held video conferences with local media Wednesday to preview Sunday's road game against the San Francisco 49ers. Here are some of the highlights and key takeaways from those virtual conversations:
"I think it's the execution. The guys have come out, they've been ready to go." – McVay
- The Rams have scored touchdowns on four of their five opening drives, most in the NFL. According to McVay, it's a credit to the players' execution.
- McVay was still pleased with the one drive that didn't end in a touchdown – against Buffalo in Week 3 – because the Rams were still in position to score points.
"Not in the NFL. In college, several times where I was at, but not in the NFL." – Staley
- For Staley, last Sunday at Washington marked the first game he was a part of in which one player registered four sacks.
- That player, of course, was Aaron Donald, who won NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
"I've been doing that since I was a kid playing park ball." – Everett
- The first five weeks of the season have given Everett a chance to showcase his versatility. After scoring a rushing touchdown on a jet sweep in Week 4, he caught a 40-yard pass out of the backfield after lining up as a fullback in Week 5.
- As for why both are familiar to him, Everett said that as a kid, he played running back first before he began catching passes.
"I like all pass plays coming my way." – Woods
- When a reporter asked if he likes deep pass plays like the one that resulted in his 56-yard touchdown catch against Washington, versus the short- to mid-range passes he's made a name for himself on, Woods indicated he's happy to get any targets, regardless of their depth.
- At the same time, when those plays do get called, "you get excited when you hear them, you put (in) a little extra juice while you're running," Woods said.
"These [games] always count a little bit more and you're always looking forward to [them] a little bit more, so we'll be ready to go." – Goff
- There's added significance for the Rams when a game week features an NFC West opponent.
- One 49ers player Goff "has always had a lot of respect for" is linebacker Fred Warner, who Goff believes has become one of the top players in the league at his position.
