NFL GAME 2019 : Los Angeles Rams transcripts, 8/18: McVay talks Kiser/Hager, Hendo, Obo, & more

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LARams head coach Sean McVay - conference call - August 19, 2019

(On if he has an update on LB Micah Kiser)

“He’s getting an MRI today and we are waiting on those results. We’ll have the final results of exactly what he did, the significance of the injury to his pec a little bit later today.”

(On what he’s anticipating with Kiser’s injury)

“I think it’s hard to say. I would say that we’re just kind of waiting to get those results and then we’ll handle it accordingly. I think you’re always hoping for the best, number one, for (LB) Micah (Kiser), but also for our team because of how important he is to us.”

(On what a long-term injury for Kiser means for the inside linebacker position)

“It would be (LB) Bryce (Hager) that would play that MIKE linebacker spot in our base defensive structures. We’ve got some good guys that have shown that they can play football. (LB Travin Howard) ‘T-Howard’ is a guy that has continued to improve. Really, he’s playing that inside linebacker spot. We’ve got a MIKE and a MO linebacker, but a lot of their responsibilities end up being interchangeable. We know what a great player (LB) Cory (Littleton) has been. Then in some different sub packages, you could see some of our safeties potentially drop down into those linebacker locations. But it would be Bryce that would end up being in that MIKE linebacker role if that’s the case with Micah.”

(On what Hager has shown him over the last couple of seasons)

“I think that he’s capable of being a starting player in this league. You look at when he had to fill in for (former LB Alec) Ogletree a couple years ago and played against Arizona. He’s definitely demonstrated that when given the opportunity, he’s capitalized on those chances. He’s been a great (special) teams player for (Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel) ‘Bones’ like you mentioned. In practice, you certainly feel his ability to play at a high level, understand some of the intricacies of that inside linebacker spot and what that entails from a communication standpoint from the adjustments that are necessary based on what offenses present. He’s a guy that we do have a lot of confidence in and that’s exactly why we re-signed him in free agency this year.”


(On what he saw from RB Darrell Henderson Jr. after watching tape of Saturday’s game)

“I think really just more opportunities than anything else. You could see he was another week more comfortable. There’s still some things that we can definitely do better. I don’t think he’s really had much of a chance with the exception of a couple runs that he had starting off really with the two-minute drive when he had a couple wide-zone runs and then another downhill, direct run. Other than that in the run-game, there really wasn’t any space to operate with to really be able to truly evaluate him from that perspective. But, I thought he caught the ball well. You could see, that was a big third-down catch he made on that first drive. You see the speed out of the backfield. That’s some big time players, when you’ve got (LB) Jaylon Smith covering him and he’s able to do that even if he and (LB Leighton) Vander Esch did kind of collide, you could see coming out of the backfield, (QB) Blake (Bortles) delivered him a good ball. I thought it was a step in the right direction for (RB) Darrell (Henderson Jr.) without a doubt.”

(On how he felt about his appearance on the television broadcast and if that is something he would be interested in doing in the future)

“I thought it was fun. I think it would be something I would only do during preseason games. I think I’m a little bit more relaxed – I don’t know if relaxed is the right word -- but I’d probably be a little more pleasant to talk to during a preseason game. When it’s a regular season game I think you guys would quickly realize we don’t want to do this ‘Coach’s Cam’ with this guy. He’s a maniac. I thought it was fun and enjoyed doing it, but it would definitely be something that if the fans like it and it adds value to our preseason broadcast, I’m more than willing to help any way that I can. But once we get into those regular season games, my sole focus and concentration is on that.”