Rams Brandon Staley – Media Availability – December 16 2020

(On What it’s like to hear his name mentioned as a head coaching candidate) “Yeah, you must have got some rest and had a good weekend. It's humbling anytime you're considered in those conversations. I think that's what you're after as a competitor is just to be recognized among your peers – the coaches and the players as someone that's doing a good job. In that same breath, it's just such an example of our entire team, specifically start with our players on defense, the way this group has come together and accepted me, accepted us in so many ways. Our coaching staff on defense, our coaching staff in all three phases, playing as a team. I think that's why we're having the season we're having as a team is because when we take the field, we truly play for the Rams. I think that that's really, really special. I know that I'm humbled to be a part of it. I know each and every day I feel a deep responsibility to be as good as I can be for our team and our organization. I’m just excited to see where we can take it these last three games of the season. There's so much work to do and that's where our focus is.”

(On if him being mentioned comes up in conversation with Sean McVay or other coaches) “No, sir. Our focus really is on becoming as good as we can be as a team. I don't want to sound unoriginal, but that's just the way it is around here. We're just focused on how can we improve from last Thursday night. Where can we take this thing this season. Then our full focus is on the New York Jets, because the truth is in this league is that anything can happen any Sunday. We have full respect for their players and their coaches. You guys are all aware of what happens week to week in the NFL and the New York Jets have our full attention, because they do have a lot of good players. They've scored on seven-consecutive opening drives and you don't do that without having a bunch of good players and coaches. We have our work cut out for us this week.”

(On what he sees from Jets QB Sam Darnold) “I'm a big fan of this guy's game. This guy can create, I think he's got real toughness. I think that this guy can really speed it up within the pocket when the pocket is crowded, when there's chaos in the pocket. I think that's how you judge a quarterback. This guy can make real throws down the field, he can drive the ball outside the numbers and down the seams. He's got plenty of arm strength. I see a real creative trait with this quarterback that you got to have if you're going to take it as far as you can take it as a quarterback. I also think that the toughness that he's shown in some really difficult circumstances, battling back from injuries too. I'm a big fan of his game and I see a guy that gives a lot of people problems every time he plays.”

(On DL Aaron Donald for Defensive Player of the Year and considering what guys do away from the action that helps solidify their candidacy for the award) “I think that play just beautifully demonstrates those instincts and that football IQ that he has. We really emphasized that play during the week. The play-action screen to the running back, (Patriots Offensive Coordinator) Josh (McDaniels) has been doing that to people for his entire coaching career. It's something that we had scouted and it's something that (DL) Aaron (Donald) had an incredible reaction to. It's him being able to nudge the back and be in the of that, that forced (Patriots QB) Cam (Newton), you know, Cam threw a good pass, it's just the back got off track because of Aaron. It's just one of those plays that players like him make and it's not because of anything other than they're studying the game, they're studying the game and then they've got these real instincts that take over when they're in that moment. Then you all saw what him and (CB) Jalen (Ramsey) did after the play. I think shows you that they're complete players. I think that that's what guys like Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey bring to game, to the fans, to the game is that they're complete players and when you're the total package like that, it's a big asset for the Rams.”

(On the defensive mindset of finishing the game plus-one in the turnover column as a team) “You can't be considered a great defense if you don't take the ball away, it's just part of great defenses. It's not an isolated stat. It certainly defines your success as an NFL team each and every time you play. That's a part of our DNA. (Head Coach) Sean (McVay), one of the staples of his program is, it's all about the ball and we work on it every single day. Today, Wednesdays, are ‘All about the ball Wednesday’ for the Rams. Then we also do more meetings defensively throughout the week and I think that that mindset is permeated throughout our team, on all three phases of the game. What we really believe in is when technique meets aggressive, that's when you get takeaways. When you're playing with fundamentals and then you're really sure of the game plan, have scouted your opponent well, that's how you can become aggressive. You hear that a lot in press conferences with players, ‘Hey, we were aggressive tonight.’ Well, you're aggressive because you prepare and when that technique meets that aggression, that's when you create the takeaways and that's what we've been able to do recently, and we've got to keep doing that.”

(On if he recalls being a part of defenses that scored touchdowns in three-consecutive games) “When I was in Chicago, (S Eddie) Jackson had a run where he had a couple in the Carolina game in 2017 – he had a scoop-and-score for a touchdown and then a pick-six in the same game. I don't think we went three games in a row with scoring one, but we had two in one game. That defense that we had in 2018, we led the NFL in takeaways. We certainly didn't score like we have here. I think what it does for your team is obvious, the momentum shift in the game. But then what it does for the scoreboard, if you take a look at that play, that was like a 10-point swing, because they were in field goal range, it's a 10-point swing. So, what it does for you on the scoreboard and the overall momentum is just critical. When it becomes a possession game, if you can steal a possession like that, where they now have to change their thinking, alter their game plan to maybe throw it more to come back, or whatever, that also gives you an advantage. It's one thing to be plus one, it's the other thing to become, an offensive scoring team when you possess the ball. That's why we do such a good job here of emphasizing when you get the ball, securing it. (Running Backs Coach) Thomas Brown leads our effort here of talking about ball security. That’s something that you always have to be leery of with defensive players. You guys have seen it in the league where guys get a takeaway and then they get stripped or they lose it. So, we try to do the best we can, as often as we can to get that message across. I'm really proud of our guys. It's a special run that we're on right now.”

(On CB Darious Williams playing fewer snaps as a part of the rotation) “Sometimes when we're in four-DB groupings, we'll have Jalen and (CB) Troy (Hill) out there together. We kind of split that between T-Hill and (CB) Darious (Williams). When we're in four DB groupings, you have Jalen and then either Troy or Darious in there. Then there's some times within the game when we're in our five-DB defenses, when we get (CB) David Long (Jr.) in the game. That's by design a lot of the time, because you’ve got to have depth in this league and we think David is a good player and being able to sprinkle him in there is good for the long-term success of our team. You guys know, it's such an attrition league. But we want Darious Williams out there as much as possible, because as you guys know, he is having a Pro-Bowl caliber season. He's becoming one of the elite, young defenders on the perimeter in this league. We're really proud of his progress. He keeps getting better every single time he goes out on that football field, playing with more and more confidence. I'm really excited about where he is headed.”

(On Jets RB Frank Gore and QB Sam Darnold) “No. 1, I have so much respect for (Jets RB) Frank Gore. The guys that I was with in Denver and Chicago, (Broncos Head Coach) and (Broncos Defensive Coordinator) Ed Donatell were with this guy in San Francisco, kind of at the peak of his career. Vic has been around for a long time and the amount of respect he has for Frank Gore, really tells you all you need to know, because Vic has seen a lot of people come and go in this league. I think what Frank's been able to accomplish, that consistency and performance at a position that normally doesn't last that long, it's just remarkable. I remember, we're about the same age, Frank Gore is one of the all-time great college running backs too, now. When he was at Miami, this guy was an amazing player and they were loaded. They had him and (former RB) Willis McGahee and all those other guys at Miami, But this guy was amazing. To come back from those injuries, the way he came back and just to have the type of career he's had, I think that you really see him set an example each and every Sunday for that team about keeping the fight and that will that great competitors have. He embodies that in so many ways. Two years ago, when I was in Chicago, we went to Miami, Frank Gore was the tailback, and we were the No. 1 defense in the NFL that year, by a lot. And he ran all over us. He ran for like 140 (yards) on us. It was probably the best game that anyone had versus that whole year and Frank Gore was at the front of it. He's fearless and that's what he's going to bring to the New York Jets. And that's why he has our full attention. I think you see a lot of those same traits in (Jets QB) Sam Darnold, just a competitor, a guy that's going to fight to the end. A guy that has is really talented. I think that's why every week in the NFL is so hard is because you got guys like these two that you have to play against and they have our full attention.”

(On coaching the mental element of going up against a winless team) “I think that you have to be honest with the players. I think that you really have to show them the truth of the team that your playing, both the positives and negatives and you just have to frame it in a way that, ‘Hey, if this team does this, then, then you can lose.’ That's every week, that doesn't matter if you're playing a team that doesn't have a good record, that has the best record in the NFL. Each week has a life of its own. The reason why I say that and other coaches and players say that is because it's the truth. So much goes into every single week. These players are dangerous, and they do have ways that they can beat you. If you don't have your full focus, if you don't have your full attention on this opponent, anything can happen. I think that that's what we try to do during the week is be as honest as we can. I think that we do that throughout the week and try to paint a picture, not a picture that isn't true, but paint a truthful picture for our players and then they'll see it and then they'll know exactly what they have to do in order to win.”

(On what goes into building a complementary defensive lineman-corner back tandem and making it sustainably great) “I think that they play positions in the NFL that people really value. People value interior pass rush, because it's difficult to find, most of the pass rush you find in the NFL is on the perimeter. But to have one of the great pass rushers in the history of the game on the inside of your defense, where he can impact so many plays, every snap, that's something that's a winning edge, it's a winning formula. Then for Jalen, from the coverage-side of things, with this being such a matchup league. These receivers are so good and these quarterbacks are so good, they'll find them. It's rare that you can find a true matchup guy. You can count on your hand, maybe the list of true matchup corners in the league in the last 20 years. I mean, on about one hand and maybe you can get another hand if you're lucky, right? And then we can debate guys over some coffee. But Jalen Ramsey is one of those players on that hand or two, he is a true matchup guy. He's a guy that's a complete corner. What they do, is they allow you to play defense a little bit different than everybody else. I think that when you engineer your schemes to stop people, they give you more flexibility in doing so. Then all of the intangible stuff that they bring to the table – the leadership, the toughness, that identity that every team is searching for. What they give us that way too, you can't minimize the value on that. To have those two together, they like playing together. They have so much respect for one another. When you're as good as they are, it's rare that they kind of look at you and say, ‘Yeah, you know, you're pretty good too.’ Those two guys, I think, see each other that way. It's awesome to see them work together.”