LOS ANGELES RAMS
Head Coach Sean McVay
(on QB Sean Mannion) "Until you really go back and look at the entirety of it, it's always really tough to say. I think there's a couple of decisions he'd like back. But then some guys have to make plays for him, as well. Ultimately, we can put him in a better spot. I can put him in better spots to be able to have that success. The one thing you appreciate about Sean – he'll look at himself critically, and he'll respond the right way. They're a really good defense. They presented a variety of looks. We expect to play better, and we will. Sometimes these lessons, these humbling experiences for everybody raise the level of awareness and you can't wait to get back to work. We have a lot of work to do, and that's what's encouraging. We still have some time to get it figured out."
(on what Coach McVay needs to see out of QB Sean Mannion to know that he'll be in good hands) "I think it's just continuing to get that experience. It's always tough to say until you're placed in some of those environments where you're playing with those players in those situations. Sean has handled things really well. I certainly don't want this performance tonight to be indicative of the type of camp he's had. It's such a small sample size. You look at some of the situations he was put in by myself – really, really just tough spots. There's not a lot of good answers, and you're kind of trying to find a way to get out of some things. But all of us will look at ourselves, figure out how we can improve from this, from this learning opportunity to stay strong and get better from it. I trust that Sean will and everyone else involved in this, whether it be offense or defense, special teams – we can all do a little bit better. We are excited about getting back to work."
(on anybody that stood out) "I thought Jojo [Natson] did in the return game. Obviously, he had that big punt return. I thought he fielded the ball consistently. Really early in the game, he felt Justin Davis. You see his [Justin Davis] explosiveness to the second level. He took good care of the football – he's kind of one cut away from being able to crease one of those. But you feel his ability that he's an explosive player. And then John Kelly – I thought he did a nice job. He had some nice cutback runs. He's a physical, violent finisher – which are the reasons we like him so much coming out of Tennessee. I thought Brandon Allen displayed some poise, made some tough throws and made a great touchdown pass with someone in his face. Getting through a progressions; made a couple third down conversions; I thought he just commanded the huddle. It looked like we were able to create some decent movement up front in the run game with some of those younger guys. Like you guys mentioned, it's always tough to say until you truly go back and look at that tape."
(on the young offensive line) "I think they did some nice things. There's so many different moving parts up front with regards to the run game, protections, different calls and different communications. I think Coach [Aaron] Kromer [OL Coach] does a great job of getting those guys ready. We kind of by design wanted to put those guys in stressful situations to see how they handle it. Preseason is a great opportunity to really try and evaluate guys in some spots, where there might be some tough things they have to work through and see how they handle it – especially guys that might potentially contribute and have a chance to play for us as early as September 10."
(on DB Blake Countess) "He just got a little shoulder. I haven't gotten an update yet. I think he should be okay, but I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet."
(on the two penalty calls) "The first one I think, like they talk about – they're going to make a big point of emphasis. And then the one where it's two guys, and the runner is kind of ducking his head – then we're coming in with our head – those are the ones dependent on how they see it. They've got to make those bang-bang judgment calls, which are tough. But when you go back and look at some of those, they might be up for grabs, in terms of saying, they might be offsetting penalties. I thought Bill [Referee Vinovich] and his staff did a great job of articulating what their reason was behind it. The preseason offers a great opportunity for us all to work through some different things and learn how that can enable us to better coach and better understand of how we can expect them to consistently officiate it knowing that, most importantly, it's about trying to take the head out of the game."
(on what led Coach McVay to hold starters out of the game) "The biggest thing was, when we set this practice schedule a long time ago, that was kind of the plan all along. We got a lot more work than we normally would in a normal two-day sequence with our starters. All the different situations – two-minute, red zone, third down, move the ball, so the entirety of what we were able to get done. We felt like if we got that work done, it was going to be one of the main reasons. We wanted to be able to come out here against a really good football team, get a chance to measure ourselves and see how that worked out. Those guys did a nice job, but it also provided an opportunity to evaluate some guys. I can't wait to go back and look at this tape. We have to do a better job moving forward. But how that affects next week's plans – not really sure yet. That was kind of something that was potentially going to be the outcome – if we got the work that we wanted in and we felt that those two practice days were excellent for us."
(on gameplan for next week) "I'm saying that it's always adjustable. I have an idea. We talked about it, but the tricky thing is, we open with that team we play next week. There's a lot of different layers in how it affects a lot of different people. Like I talked to you earlier in the week, figuring out what's best for our football team and having and appreciation and respect for the work that you get done in the preseason, those are the things that we have to do a good job talking through as a staff and what we feel is the best way to approach the Oakland game and really the rest of the preseason. That's something that we'll discuss, and we'll figure out what's best, and we'll move forward and be firm in that decision."
(on if anything jumped out on the play of OL Samson Ebukam) "I don't really think he played enough. You get that first series, and it's hard to say, just because so many different things are going on. You're trying to look at it, the opening series right there, you're in tune with stuff on the back end. I really didn't see enough to be able to truly evaluate Sampson tonight."
QB Brandon Allen
(on the Rams' touchdown drive) "It was nice to get into the end zone. We had a pretty good drive, thanks to John Kelly. He had some great runs to get us close. It was very difficult for us to get any momentum on offense during this game."
(on whether the Ravens had an advantage having played a game already) "I don't know about that. I hadn't even thought about it, to be honest. But this was a good opportunity for us to get out and play a full preseason game against somebody else."
(on what the Rams can take from this game) "We'll go back and watch the tape, and I'm sure we'll learn a lot from it. I'm sure we'll be better next week."
DL Ethan Westbrooks
(on whether anything the Ravens did surprised the Rams) "Not really. It's just very important to show up and play hard. It was great to get back on the field and play against somebody else. It's always important to do your best. As long as you're doing your best, things should work out."
(on being one of the few starters to play tonight) "I'm out there just trying to do the best that I can. Hopefully, I can play by example. The big thing is not to let anything get you down while you're out there."
(on whether the Ravens had an advantage having played a game) "I think they may have been more comfortable than we were because they had been out there before. But, we've been playing very hard in practice, so we were ready for a game. This has been a tough camp, and we're making a lot of progress."
(on his two sacks) "You know I can't be mad about that. We got after it tonight. On the first one, I got between the guard and tackle, and got inside to sack him. On the second one, we had been having joint practices, so I knew when they telegraphed things, and I was able to guess right."
QB Sean Mannion
(on the offense) "Obviously it wasn't my best performance. As an offense, we all know we can execute better than we did. I just think we never really got into a rhythm. At least not early. I think in the second half we found a little rhythm. It's something we can build off of. Coach [Sean] McVay was great after the game. This was a great opportunity for us to grow and for us to learn from this."
(on this being the Ravens' second preseason game and the Rams' first) "I think there is familiarity, because we practiced against them twice already. I don't think there is necessarily anything to that."
(on anything he would like to do differently) "The interception, obviously. You never want to turn the ball over. I didn't even see the guy there. But it's something to learn from. Obviously I pride myself on taking care of the football, and that needs to be corrected."
RB John Kelly
(on his first NFL action and the offense) "It hit me for sure. I felt like once I got in there, we started to pick up on the execution. As far as the offense, we were rolling and coming in tune with each other. I feel like we picked it up a little bit in the second half. We put some points on the board, which was a plus."
(on whether head coach had anything to say at halftime) "No, we didn't change a thing. We wanted the focus on execution. Once we got out there, we didn't really dial up any new plays. We just wanted to focus on execution. That was the main focus."
(on his running game) "I have some great teammates. They did a great job up front. Those big guys got some movement, and there was some good down field blocking by the receivers."
S Marqui Christian
(on the defense) "I think early we had a lot of guys out there who have been in the system. Me, Blake [Countess] and Troy [Hill] getting out there and fine-tuning some things. In the second half we had the young guys come in and play a lot to get their feet wet. I think it was a great experience for the defense. Finally playing another team for a full game and gel a little bit."
(on going forward) "I'm looking forward to just getting better through practice, talking to teammates and watching film and doing what we have to do to get better. Working on execution."
(on the season expectations) "There is a lot of outside noise about how good we are. We have to zone it out and stick together as a team to try and get better every day. Not believe the hype. Keep it in house and try and get better every day."
(on defensive coordinator Wade Phillips) "Wade is a great guy. He puts guys in the right position to make plays. He just knows football. He is a smart guy. Best defensive coordinator I've had so far, and it's been a pleasure."
LB Tegray Scales
(on having practice days ahead of the first preseason game) "I don't think it was bad. Just getting to practice with another team. Hit some other colors. It was a nice experience."
(on his first NFL preseason game) "It was fun just being able to fly around and it was against another team. It's now football season, so it's exciting knowing the real season is just around the corner."
(on defensive performance while he played) "I felt good, personally. The defense looked good. We made our adjustments. There wasn't a game plan or anything, so we were just out there doing what we do. First time our team played another team, so it was a learning period. The young guys who are out there have to step up."
(on what he learned in his first game) "Just picking up the pace of things and just having fun. I am learning from the older guys when I come to the sideline. Mark (Barron), Cory (Littleton) and Bryce (Hager), those older linebackers telling me to do this, do that. I am just learning."
WR KhaDarel Hodge
(on his first NFL action) "I had to wait until the fourth (quarter). But I knew it was going to be that kind of situation coming into the game as a rookie. I waited my time, but when I got in I took full advantage. It was exciting, really exciting. It's still sinking in."
(on his touchdown catch) "I beat the DB off the line. Everything else was like slow motion. I saw the ball coming out of the quarterback's hand. It was real slow, then all of the sudden, I just looked it in. Then it sped up, and I had a touchdown; it was crazy. It was important to have focus, because you have to look every ball in."
(on wide receiver group) "We have a solid group. I am still learning. I've only been here a few weeks, but I am picking up on the playbook very fast. I expect to move in the rotation soon."
