Tag: Sean McVay

Sean McVay explains why Rob Havenstein remains inactive despite practicing

Rob Havenstein was inactive on Saturday night despite not being listed on the injury report.

Rob Havenstein’s 2019 season has been a huge disappointment for several reasons. Not only was he playing poorly in the first half of the season, but he got injured in the first game after the Rams’ bye and hasn’t played a snap since Week 10.

Havenstein wasn’t listed on the injury report last week and the week prior, he was a full participant but listed as doubtful to play against Dallas. He appears to be healthy after practicing for two weeks, yet he was inactive on Saturday night.

Everyone’s been left wondering what’s going on with the Rams’ $32.5 million right tackle, and on Sunday, Sean McVay clarified Havenstein’s absence.

“He’s been practicing. He hasn’t really been in a position where he feels like he can do the things to play at a high level. So, we wanted to be smart with this and not push him,” McVay said. “Bobby’s (Evans) done some good things, but really, it’s been more of a reflection of how he’s felt during the week of practice, where could he really push through it, maybe. But, he’s not feeling totally good enough to be able to have that anchor, that stability that you need. We’ve just been smart and patient with it and taking his feedback and the doctors. We’ll see what this week looks like.”

Havenstein has an overall grade of just 50.9 at Pro Football Focus this season and allowed an eye-popping five sacks in 10 games. Evans’ grade is just 50.7 in six starts since Havenstein went down, but he’s allowed just one sack and hasn’t been penalized once.

Havenstein has a better overall body of work than Evans, which would make him seem like the better option at right tackle in 2020, but the Rams could be in for several changes on the offensive line this offseason so anything is on the table.

We’ll see what the future holds for Havenstein in Los Angeles, but unless he’s traded in the offseason, he’ll likely be back with the Rams next season – be it at right tackle or somewhere else.

Rams can point to 4 pivotal plays as reasons for loss to 49ers

The Rams’ loss to the 49ers came down to four pivotal plays.

The Rams’ season essentially came to an end on Saturday night, losing 34-31 to the 49ers. The loss eliminated them from playoff contention, giving them no chance to defend their NFC title after reaching the Super Bowl last season.

There were 126 plays run in the game, but four key moments stand out among the rest as reasons for the Rams’ loss. Here are the four biggest plays in the game that led to San Francisco’s victory at Levi’s Stadium.

Jared Goff’s pick-six

For the second week in a row, Goff threw an incredibly costly interception just before the half. He did it against the Cowboys and Dallas scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, and on Saturday night, he threw a pick-six to Fred Warner on a checkdown to Malcolm Brown.

It was by far his worst decision of the night, flipping the momentum and score before the break.

With just over five minutes in the first half, the Rams were up 21-10 and in complete control of the game. The 49ers scored two unanswered touchdowns – the second of which was Goff’s pick-six – in the final three minutes to go into halftime up 24-21.

It was a deflating a play as there could have been for the Rams, who looked like they were going to roll to a win over San Francisco. At the time, the Rams had a 59% chance to win the game, according to NumberFire. After the pick-six, their win probability dropped to 33%.

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Sean McVay: Season-ending loss ‘might be worse’ than Super Bowl

Sean McVay was deflated after the Rams’ loss to the 49ers, which eliminated them from playoff contention.

When the season began, the Los Angeles Rams saw themselves playing into January and possibly even February. They certainly didn’t envision their NFC title defense ending in Week 16.

Sean McVay has always made it clear that anything can happen in the NFL and there are no guarantees in this league, but it’s safe to say he didn’t see this coming. The Rams have officially been eliminated from playoff contention after losing 34-31 to the 49ers on Saturday night.

McVay was dejected and disappointed after the loss, and while he tried to hold his head up high and look toward Week 17 as another opportunity to win, there was no hiding how he felt after the loss.

He told Mike Silver of NFL Network afterwards that this loss might be worse than the Rams’ defeat in Super Bowl LIII.

“It might be worse,” he said. “At least, right now, it feels that way. It’s hard to say. Every single loss, you feel like you lose a piece of your soul.

“It all makes me sick.”

Considering how frustrated and down on himself McVay was after the Rams’ loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl, it’s shocking to hear him as deflated as he was. He’s typically upbeat and positive even after losses, but this one obviously hurt more than most.

Now, the Rams have one game left before heading into the offseason with several questions still to answer.

Report: ‘Shakeup’ coming to Rams coaching staff, Gurley may be cap casualty

Major changes are reportedly coming to the Rams’ coaching staff.

The Rams fell well short of expectations this season, being eliminated from playoff contention after their Week 16 loss to the 49ers. Robbie Gould’s 33-yard field goal gave San Francisco the 34-31 victory, sending Sean McVay and the Rams home with little to play for in Week 17 besides their pride.

This is the first time McVay has missed the playoffs in three seasons with Los Angeles, and as a result of this letdown, there could be changes coming to his coaching staff. According to Mike Silver of NFL Network, “multiple sources expect there to be a shakeup on McVay’s coaching staff, perhaps including veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.”

It was reported by Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio on Saturday that Phillips may not be back with the team in 2020 with his contract expiring after this season. With Phillips being 72 years old, it wouldn’t be surprising if he called it a career and retired, either.

Silver could also see changes coming to the personnel department and possibly with Todd Gurley being a cap casualty.

There could also be significant turnover in the personnel department. As for the roster, Gurley’s high salary and declining production may make him a cap casualty, and other key players could be traded or released as the organization builds around Goff on offense and star defensive tackle Aaron Donald on defense.

“I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen,” one Rams veteran said Saturday night, “but I’d expect some major changes around here in the next few months.”

It’s hard to imagine Gurley being cut with his contract structured the way it is, since releasing him this offseason would result in a $25.7 million dead cap charge, whereas his cap hit if he’s on the roster would be less at $17.25 million.

It was a season that fell short of expectations for the Rams, but overhauling the roster seems like a difficult premise at the moment.

Sean McVay focused on finishing 2019 season with a winning record

Sean McVay has turned his attention to Week 17.

Sean McVay is an optimist as a coach, always looking at the bright side of things even when a game or season doesn’t go the Rams’ way. This year certainly fell short of expectations for Los Angeles, but McVay is still finding positives despite the Rams being eliminated from playoff contention at 8-7.

Here’s what the coach said after the Rams’ 34-31 loss to the 49ers, making it clear that he wants to finish the season with a winning record of 9-7 despite not being able to make the playoffs.

“Unfortunately, that means our postseason chances are eliminated but I know this: We’ve got an opportunity to finish the season the right way, finish with a winning season and got a bunch of winners in that locker room, and that’s what I expect us to do as we move forward to Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals,” he said.

The Rams finished last season in the Super Bowl, which is far different from having your playoff chances drop to zero in Week 16 as the Rams did this year. As much as McVay wishes they were playing for another championship, he’s being a realist.

“We’re not gonna do that, but I do trust that we’re made of the right stuff,” he said. “I know that once we get through next week, I can’t wait to attack the offseason, figure out how I can be better.”

The Rams were a longshot to make the playoffs even with a win on Saturday night. McVay and all the players know that, but it doesn’t make the loss any easier to swallow. They’re going to watch the film as usual, but quickly move on and prepare for the Cardinals in Week 17.

“We’re going to look at this film and we’re going to move on and we’re going to do everything we can to finish the season off the right way. To be able to finish with a winning record, that’s the next thing. You always have the playoffs and that’s out the window. ‘Well all right, hey, let’s have some pride. We get 16 opportunities like we’ve talked about. This represents the final game of the season for this team. love those guys in the locker room and want to make sure I do my part to try to have a good performance and cap it off the right way.”

Rams’ 3 biggest causes for concern vs. 49ers on Saturday

The Rams must be worried about San Francisco’s ground game.

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

It’s do-or-die time for the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night as they face the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. A loss will eliminate them from playoff contention, while a win will keep them alive until at least Monday night when the Vikings host Green Bay.

But before they look ahead to Week 17 or the postseason, the Rams must take care of business against the 49ers. It’s a tough matchup, but one they must win. Here are their three biggest concerns against San Francisco.

Stopping the 3-headed monster at RB

Similar to the Rams in 2017 and ’18, the 49ers’ offense is predicated on being able to run the football. It sets up the play-action passing game for Jimmy Garoppolo and keeps defenses on their toes with a balanced attack. San Francisco has had remarkable success running the ball this season, ranking second in the league in rushing with an average of 147 yards per game.

The 49ers have three very capable backs, too, with Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman all chipping in. Right now, the hot hand belongs to Mostert, who’s averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season and leading the team with 662 yards.

The Rams were gashed by Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard last week and the 49ers aren’t going to be any easier of a matchup. If Los Angeles constantly misses tackles, the defense is going to get run over once again.

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Sean McVay breaks down what makes Richard Sherman an elite CB

Sean McVay had a long list of compliments for Richard Sherman.

Last week against the Falcons, the 49ers allowed Julio Jones to erupt for a huge performance. He caught 13 of the 20 passes thrown his way, gaining 134 yards and scoring two touchdowns – including the game-winner.

It’s no coincidence that Richard Sherman wasn’t on the field for that game.

The 49ers’ best cornerback was out with a hamstring injury, but he’s set to return on Saturday night against the Rams. That’s bad news for Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, who will assuredly see Sherman in coverage at Levi’s Stadium.

The Rams have faced Sherman for nine years dating back to his days with Seattle, so they’re very familiar with his style of play. Sean McVay just joined the NFC West in 2017, but he’s well aware of how good Sherman is.

He heaped praise on the 49ers cornerback Thursday during his press conference, explaining what makes Sherman an elite cornerback.

“I think you can see – very talented, he’s got great concept recognition, elite ball skills. That’s the one thing that you see with him,” McVay said. “Then, he seems like a guy that, when he does recognize those concepts, he’s excellent in being able to trigger and you feel like, ‘All right, this might be a guy that’s a good double-move candidate.’ But, he seems like he’s always ready for those. Plays with good technique. You can see he plays with great vision back to the quarterback and he understands how the quarterback’s timing – in terms of his footwork, his drops – are married with route combinations and where that ball can come out.

“I think that’s why you see some elite production from him. You look at a couple of the picks that he’s had this year, it’s great concept recognition, he’ll come up and tackle. He’s a complete player, he’s been doing it at a high level for a long time. When you get a chance to talk to him a little bit, this is a player that has a really unique, big-picture understanding – extremely intelligent. I’ve always been a big fan of him and very impressed with what he’s done. It’s not surprising, but he’s playing at a high level.”

Sherman has three interceptions and 11 passes defensed this season, allowing catches on 41 of his 65 targets with zero touchdowns. His 5.4 yards per target ranks near the top among all cornerbacks, coming in at No. 11 in that department.

Jared Goff may not test Sherman much, which would be a wise decision. He’s having yet another great season for the 49ers, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl, as well.

Rams injury report: Troy Hill ruled out, Gerald Everett set to return

The Rams will be without

Sean McVay shared some good news and some bad news during his press conference on Thursday. He opened the media session by saying Troy Hill has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the 49ers, but Gerald Everett is set to return after missing three straight games with a knee injury.

Hill underwent surgery on his broken thumb this week but the Rams were cautiously optimistic he’d be able to play with a cast on his hand. They’re opting to play it safe and will keep him off the field this weekend.

“Surgery went well, he’s feeling good. But we felt like the best thing for him and as we move forward was gonna be to keep him out this week,” McVay said.

Darious Williams filled in for Hill last week against Dallas, playing all but the two snaps Hill missed. He stepped up in a big way and limited the production of the Cowboys’ receivers, so the Rams have plenty of confidence in him for this game.

As for Greg Zuerlein, who has a quad strain, his status remains uncertain. Listed as questionable, he’s going to kick for the first time on Friday in an attempt to determine whether he can play.

“Greg is making good progress,” McVay said. “We’ll kick him tomorrow, see how he’s feeling. Have some guys coming in for a workout – really have one guy coming in for a workout. We keep those things in-house, so we’ll keep consistent with our normal standard operating procedures with that.”

McVay made it clear that Zuerlein is feeling good and he doesn’t anticipate him not being able to play, but the Rams are exercising caution with their kicker. They worked out Brett Maher on Thursday as a backup plan if Zuerlein can’t play.

One player not on the injury report is Rob Havenstein, who hasn’t played since Week 10 due to a knee injury. He was a full participant in practice for the second week in a row, and he doesn’t carry any status designation this week unlike last week when he was doubtful.

Sean McVay unlikely to ever give up play calling, but would ‘never say never’

Sean McVay on whether he would ever give up play calling: “It’s hard to say.”

Sean McVay was viewed as one of the best coaches in the NFL after his first season with the Rams. He helped turn around a struggling franchise, taking them to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 in his inaugural season at the helm.

He followed it up in 2018 by leading the Rams all the way to the Super Bowl, coming up just short against the Patriots. His play calling is a big reason for Los Angeles’ success, bringing a new level of creativity to the team.

His play selection has been called into question some this season, whether fairly or not. He’s always called the offensive plays for the Rams and did so with the Redskins previously, so while he’s still young, he’s gained plenty of experience in that department.

He finds it hard to imagine not calling the plays, but he’d never say never if it helped improve the football team.

“It’s hard to say,” McVay said Wednesday of whether he’d ever give up play-calling duties. “I think you’re early on in the stages of it. Certainly, I’m continuing to try and figure out what’s the best rhythm to operate with on a day-to-day basis for our football team, because ultimately that is your job, is to make sure that you have a good feel for everything that is going on and then putting your players in a position on all three phases to try to have success week in and week out. If I felt like there was a set-up where we would be a better football team, if that wasn’t the case and it enables you to do some other things, I would never say never, but those are always things that you evaluate. Right now, our focus is on the 49ers, doing a great job. When the offseason hits, whenever that is, there will be some time for us to be able to really look inward and figure out what’s going to be the best thing for the Rams moving forward.”

In the preseason, McVay let Shane Waldron call the offensive plays for the Rams. He saw it as a good opportunity to get the young coach some experience in meaningless games, which Waldron really appreciated.

Waldron is a guy who could get some looks as a head coach or offensive coordinator this offseason, but if not, perhaps he’d be someone McVay is comfortable handing the play-calling keys to in 2020.

Again, it’s unlikely, but maybe McVay wants to delegate more than he has in his first three seasons.

What Sean McVay is telling the Rams with playoff hopes slipping away

The Rams aren’t going to go down without a fight in the last two weeks of the season.

It’s been three years since the Los Angeles Rams were in a position where they didn’t have a firm hold on a playoff spot entering the final two weeks of the season. They won the NFC West the last two seasons, earning a first-round bye in 2018, but this year, they’re on the outside looking in.

In order for Los Angeles to make the playoffs, it will need to win its last two games with the Vikings losing their last two. It’s not impossible, but it’s also highly unlikely and the Rams probably know it.

As slim of a chance as the Rams have to make the playoffs, the team isn’t giving up just yet. Sean McVay won’t let his players throw in the towel, telling them to “attack the day.”

“I think we’ve got a lot of guys that love football – I love football, our coaches do. Really, you cherish these opportunities to go compete,” he said. “You’re only guaranteed 16 of them, we’ve got two left for sure. No matter how this thing shakes out, I think what we’ve talked about is you’re not going to have any regrets as long as you go for it. You go compete to the best of your ability and I trust that’s what we’re going to do. At least, you’re saying, maybe you give yourself a chance, but even if we (didn’t) even have a chance of continuing to play afterwards, we’ve got an opportunity to go get our ninth win. Like I said the other day, there’s a lot of prideful guys. When you love what you do and you love the people you’re doing it with, you want to make sure you do right by them.”

McVay is a great motivator, so fans can fully expect the Rams to come out and play hard against the 49ers. Yes, they’re playing for a playoff spot, but also for their own pride.