What The Rams Are Saying About The Seahawks

Check out what Rams coaches and players are saying about the Seahawks before the two teams meet in Week 15 at CenturyLink Field. Head Coach Sean McVay (On how different do the Seahawks look than they did in Week 5...) “Well I think clearly you are missing some of the perianal role call players in [Kam] Chancellor and [Richard] Sherman are the guys that you notice aren’t there. But we still see a great football team that is capable of winning games. When you look at the way they beat Philly that was riding high at 10-1 and doing some of those things and then you see the way that the quarterbacks playing and just the belief. You look at [Doug] Baldwin. You look at some of the playmakers, Jimmy Graham’s got nine touchdowns, [Paul] Richardson is averaging 16.6 a catch, so this is a great football team. Really you see sound defense. You see outstanding pursuit and you see the premiere safety in the league and one of the premiere linebackers with [Bobby] Wagner and you look at [KJ] Wright as well and [Michael] Bennett and [Frank] Clark rushing up front, so this is a great team and you can see why week in and week out, year in and year out, they are competing for world titles.” (On how big of addition and piece of the offense has Cooper Kupp become...) “Yeah, he has done a great job. I think as soon as you meet Cooper Kupp, you realize he is a little bit different than most normal rookies. He is mature beyond his years. He’s got a great understanding of the game and then he is one of those guys who is conscientious. He is very smart so he is going to naturally get better and I think that is what he has done throughout the course of this season. He continues to be one of the focal points of our offense and he delivers week in and week out. I love the way that he responds, both to the good and the bad. I think that is what really represents good players is their ability to respond from some of the adversity as well as be able to handle the good things and continue with some consistent approaches and some consistent performances week in and week out. Cooper is a special player, special person and he has been everything and more that we anticipated when we drafted.” (On if the Seahawks offense looks any different now than it was the last time the teams met earlier this season...) “I think just like anything else when you have good players and great coaching, you are going to get better and I think you’ve looked at them steadily improve throughout the season. I think when you look at the way that the quarterback is playing, he is as important to any team as there is and he is playing as well as anybody in this league, accounted for 32/33 touchdowns, NFL record, 17 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. You talk about a great competitor that can stay in the pocket, create off schedule eyes down the field with his legs, there is nothing that Russell Wilson can’t do and then when you look at just the playmakers that he’s got with Doug Baldwin, who I think is one of the best receivers in this game that nobody talks about. Paul Richardson has emerged as a big time threat and Jimmy Graham leads the league with tight ends for touchdowns with nine. I’ve been impressed with [J.D.] McKissic as a change of pace back and what he has been able to do as a receiver. They are playing hard up front. You look at Duane Brown and some different things. This is a big time offense. They definitely look like they’ve gotten better and Russell Wilson is playing as well as he ever has throughout his career and he is a big time guy.” (On how different Duane Brown has made the Seahawks’ offensive line...) “Well I think you just look at it, he is a perianal Pro Bowl left tackle. Great movement, great athleticism, you can use him in a variety of ways. So to be able to have a player of his caliber on that left side, especially for a right handed quarterback I think has been a big addition for them and he has done a great job. I have always had a lot of respect for Duane in his career watching him from afar.” (On Seattle’s defense looking different…) “The approach is the same because what you do see is a very sound, fundamental group. They play together, they’re in unison, they’ve got a very clear cut philosophy. Similar to what you hear about all these other really great defenses around the league. You earn everything that you get. You don’t get gimmes around them and you can see they’re very sound in their fundamentals, their techniques, the way they pursue the football. Not sure on a couple of those guys, especially at the linebacker position but they’ve got great football players. You look at Earl Thomas, you feel him as much as any safety in the league. I think when you look at what (Byron) Maxwell and (Shaquill) Griffin have done at the corner position, they can test things. Coleman at the nickel and then up front we know what Michael Bennett and (Frank) Clark can do as far as creating pressure. They’ve got 32 sacks as a unit, and Wagner is one of the best ones in the league and so is K.J. Wright. Whether they’re available or not it’s still going to be a great defense and we’ve got to be ready to go. Especially going there and what a tough atmosphere and environment that is to play in.” (On Russell Wilson…) “He’s playing as well as anybody in this league. I mean he’s accounted for 32 out of their 33 touchdowns, 85% of their offense, already an NFL record with 17 touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He’s their leading rusher so he’s the key to it all. He’s a great football player, great competitor. Talk about a guy that just continues to compete all the way until the end with the resilient, tough mindset mentality. I’ve got a whole lot of respect for Russell Wilson and what he represents. You can see he’s put that team on his back in a lot of ways and he’s a great football player.” Quarterback Jared Goff (On playing in Seattle…) “It’s loud. It’s obviously one of the louder places in the NFL and you’ve got to be ready to handle that. I think we do have a little bit of experience in that type of atmosphere this year, being at Minnesota early this year we have a little bit of thoughts on how we’re going to handle it. A lot of guys on this team have played up there before; I’ve played up there before, Sean’s coached up there before so it’s not entirely new but definitely something you have to handle.” (On the Seahawks defense looking different…) “They just beat the Philadelphia Eagles who just beat us two weeks ago with the same personnel we should be playing so no it doesn’t change anything for us. They’re a really good team regardless and we’ve got to be ready to go.” (On there being more pressure this game…) “I don’t think so. We’re going into the game with the same mentality we’ve had. Just play loose, be loose, and be confident. Have faith in each other like we always have every week and that’s the reason we are where we’re at right now, the one game lead on Seattle but we need to just continue to do what we’ve been doing and we’ll be just fine.” (On the playoff scenarios involved in this game…) “Yeah, maybe a little bit. I think that you still try to go into each game the same way like I said, but I think you see how many games are left in the schedule and we know if we do win this one how big that is for the rest of the season going forward. We can’t treat it more than it is, then you start doing things that you don’t normally do. We just take the week day by day like we normally do and go up there and play like we normally should and hopefully come away with a W.”