The Falcons (0-1) are set to face the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (0-1) at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams were beaten 31-10 by the Buffalo Bills on Thursday, while the Falcons blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Saints 27-26 on Sunday.
Rams coach Sean McVay discussed the coming game on a virtual call with the Atlanta media Wednesday. He’s what McVay had to say:
On his impressions of the Falcons: “From the responses that I saw from that team I think they’ve taken on (coach Arthur Smith’s) personality. I’ve got tremendous respect for him. Good players. They are tough football team. They are physical in all three phases. I think they’ve done a great job from a coaching perspective of accentuating their schemes to their player’s skill set. I think that came to life in a game that really could have gone either way. I think (defensive coordinator Dean) Pees did a great job of being able to mix it up. New Orleans presents a bunch of personnel groupings. But they are rotating a bunch of guys. They are playing a bunch of different coverage contours on the back end. At some times it was being able to win without sending guys. I thought he mixed it up really well and that enabled them to be able to get home on (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) a handful of times.”
On Year 1 to Year 2 jumps in the NFL (for coaches such as the Falcons’ Arthur Smith): “There are so many layers to it. So much of it is predicated on Year 1 to Year 2. How much continuity that you have. If you have new places. New faces, whether it be from your coaching staff or your players. How are you adjusting. But I think there is just a comfort in being able to establish a rhythm and a routine. I know for me, I can’t speak for Arthur or any other situation other than myself, but I think just getting into a comfort level of leaning on people. Not feeling like you have to you have to have all of the right answers. Being able to have some stability foundationally. How you want to operate schematically while have the flexibility week in and week out. Being able to establish a culture and get the right kinds of people who you want to be able to do it with. Everything revolves around people. If you’ve got your players and your coaches, the right mind-set that fits with the things you want to do, and then you’re able to adjust to them, that’s when you give yourself a chance. I thought that’s what I saw for sure in Week 1 from these guys. I thought that was illustrated throughout the (exhibition) season as well.”
On Week 1 to Week in the season: “I think what you have to be able to do is hit the reset button whether if it be good or bad. For us, it was certainly a humbling start to the season. It’s a big of a deal as we allow it to be. We have to be able to focus on the things we can control. I’m sure Arthur is saying the same things where it was a little bit than our game. They had great control, and it could have gone either way at the end. It’s always about the response. It’s always about being able to move forward while not minimizing the accountability that necessary to be able to learn from the previous things without dwelling on it where you are expending unnecessary energy.”
On tough it is to get ready for the season when the players don’t play in the exhibition season: “It is really challenging. There is so much time that goes on in between your last game and the first game, whether it be schematically, personnel, coaches are studying in the offseason. There are a lot of layers to it. That’s where you have to rely on your rules. You want to try to create competitive situations and scenarios as much as you can in practice settings. There are different approaches, but it does present challenges, none of which are an excuse not to be ready. But you’ve got to be ready to go. That’s a responsibility that I have. I could have done a better job of getting our team ready. But you want to try to learn from it and move forward the right way.”
On quarterback Matthew Stafford’s elbow and whether that was a factor on his deep balls vs. the Bills: “I wouldn’t say that. I would just say that I think he’s feeling good. That’s essentially a situation where he such a tough competitor, and he’s played for so long and worked through so many things. He’s been throwing the ball really well. Don’t see any sort of limitations. I think you give credit to Buffalo. They did a good job or limiting some of the things that we could do. I certainly didn’t help with some of the decisions that I made. But ultimately from a health perspective Matthew is feeling good. I know he’s excited about a great opportunity against a really tough team this week.”
On if the NFL is trending more to position-less player or guys with more flexibility: “I think so. It’s because you’re able to present more out of the same looks. A guys who comes to mind immediately is Cordarrelle (Patterson of the Falcons). I think you look at this guy was a top pick as a receiver. He’s an amazing returner, and now he’s established and asserted himself as a legitimate running back. You;re saying I’m in 21 personnel (two running backs) and then you empty him out or you displace him, and now you’re really in 11 personnel (three wide receivers). You can have matchups. You can get different things like that. Then on the flip side you’ve got guys on defense like Jalen (Ramsey) for us. Obviously, Aaron (Donald) is unique because he can do so many different things. The answers is yes. I think those guys are legitimate weapons in a lot of phases that gave you the opportunity to put pressure on the opposing offense or defense with the things these guys can do. Whether it’s a Micah Parsons (Dallas) that can rush or cover ... those guys are great chess pieces that give you advantages if you can maximize the way that they are able to help you. I’ve definitely seen Arthur do a great job of that.”
On the level of stress that puts on play-callers: “A lot because it’s a guessing game. You have an intent behind every decision and call that you make. In a lot of instances I’m a big believer that it starts with those players and those matchups, and then it’s the scheme and things like that. ... You might say we are trying to attack this person or this coverage structure and now that guy is at the point of attack. You’re like, I don’t like that play as much. So, the second-guessing in your mind creates that extra consternation. That’s a good game.”
On discussing failure and how to process it with his players: “Absolutely, I think that adversity is inevitable in life and in sports. All you can control is your response and how that leads to the outcomes that you are usually hunting up. There is no question about it. I think that is a part of our every-day value system. Being able to handle adversity with resiliency, the mental toughness, that you want while not being naïve to the fact that its important to you. Without a doubt those are the things that are important to you. Those are things that we talk about quite frequently. It’s one of the things I’m a huge fan of Arthur with. I got to know Arthur through (offensive coordinator) Dave Ragone. Obviously, he’s a great coach. I think what I respect as much as anything, the steadiness, the mental toughness that he exudes as a leader. I think it has shown up the way that team plays.”
On players thinking about the concept of failure: “A big part of our on-boarding process is people that are like-minded, that love football, that have that mental toughness. You certainly don’t want to say like what if bad things happen. But you have to be able to respond the right way. We want to have a positive, optimistic approach to the way that we attack every single opportunity with a no fear, no flinch, mind-set and mentality. But if we do have the outcome of it, some things do go the way that we want, that’s where we talk about those responses. It’s not necessarily, if this doesn’t go down. It’s when it doesn’t go down the way you want it. How do we handle it in the right way that is conducive to a solution-oriented mind-set and mentality.”
On it just being a matter of time before (Rams assistant and former Georgia Bulldog) Thomas Brown becomes a head coach in the NFL: “I think so. ... Before I even knew Thomas, just going back to when he was a top recruit in the country at Tucker (High School), I could just see the way that this guy carried himself. This guy was different. Then we got to know each other a little bit when we got into coaching. Ultimate competitor. You talk about a man’s man. A guy that has a great command in any situation. Incredibly secure in himself to be able to have comfortable conversations that a lot of people can feel uncomfortable in. I think to answer it, no doubt about it. He’s got my full endorsement. He’s a stud. While I’m fortunate enough to work with him we’ll go ahead and maximize it.”
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The Bow Tie Chronicles
Atlanta Falcons 2022 NFL schedule
Sept. 11: Saints 27, Falcons 26
Sept. 18 at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m.
Sept. 25 at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Oct. 9 at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Oct. 16 vs. San Francisco, 1 p.m.
Oct. 23 at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Oct. 30 vs. Carolina, 1 p.m.
Nov. 6 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m.
Nov. 10 at Carolina, 8:15 p.m.
Nov. 20 vs. Chicago, 1 p.m.
Nov. 27 at Washington, 1 p.m.
Dec. 4 vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
BYE WEEK
Dec. 18 at New Orleans, TBD
Dec. 24 at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Jan. 1 vs. Arizona, 1 p.m.
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