THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell, defensive lineman Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey each held press conferences with local media Friday, discussing the approaching to defending quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense, making adjustments from the first meeting between the two teams, and more.
Here are some of the highlights and key takeaways from those virtual conversations, which you can watch in their entirety below.
"You got to keep him on the spot, and you gotta make him become a pocket passer." – Morris
- For the Rams to contain Murray, preventing him from escaping the pocket and making plays with both his arm and his legs will be key on Monday night.
- Making Murray a pocket passer will give the Rams the best chance to make plays on the ball within their system, according to Morris.
"It starts with their ability to get pressure on the quarterback, and then that back end is so dialed in to what they're trying to do from an all-11 standpoint schematically." – O'Connell
- From O'Connell's perspective, the Rams have to be prepared for "everything" and not just the Cardinals secondary, given how well Arizona's pass rush and secondary work together.
- "Its a huge challenge," O'Connell said. "I think our guys will be ready to go."
"Oh, it's more speed out there. Having guys like that out there, ain't gonna do nothing but help us." – Donald
- One thing that will help the Rams in their second game against the Cardinals: Having outside linebacker Von Miller and a more-involved linebacker Ernest Jones.
- "It's a primetime game against a divisional opponent," Donald said. "I feel like this is an important game for us, a game we need, so we got to play like that."
"I personally try to treat every game the same. Obviously, a division game, it means a little bit more when you talk about rankings and standings, or whatever the case may be, but we got to take things one game at a time." – Ramsey
- Aware of the external expectations on this game, Ramsey still is treating it just like any other.
- "I think that's the message right now that the team is resonating with and I think that's how guys feel," Ramsey said. "I also think guys are trying to focus in and lock in because they got us the first time we played, and we don't want to let that happen again."