What They’re Saying: 49ers and Rams Gear Up For Divisional Clash

Sourdough Sam

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Mar 20, 2019
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Rams Quotes

Head coach Sean McVay on the challenges the 49ers defense presents for Jared Goff:


“Really, like anything else, you’ve got to make sure that you’re doing a great job playing within the timing and rhythm of the pass plays that we end up activating. Then, also, two hands on the ball in the pocket. These guys do a really good job of being able to create pressure on the quarterback. Sometimes, in a lot of their instances, it’s with a four-man rush where they’re playing loaded zone or coverage behind it. They play really hard, they attack the football. I think one of the things that you see consistently among all the great defenses around this league, is there’s a consistent mindset and mentality of attacking the football, trying to get it back for your offense. You can see they’ve done an excellent job of forcing those turnovers and that’s why I think you’ve seen such a huge amount of success, specifically for their defense so far.”


McVay on the 49ers defense presenting problems for the Rams screen game:


“It is. That’s a great point, because when you’ve got [49ers LB Fred] Warner and you’ve got [49ers LB Kwon] Alexander that have such a good speed and really just they’ve got great team speed overall. I think getting (49ers DB Jimmie) Ward back as a safety really adds another element. Him and [49ers S Jaquiski] Tartt, you see [49ers CB Richard] Sherman playing at a high level and I thought [49ers CB] Emmanuel [Moseley] did a great job stepping in at the comer spot, because [49ers CB Ahkello] Witherspoon had played really good football up to that point. Anytime that you see these guys, they pursue really hard to the football, but then when there’s a screen game, whatever it is, they do an excellent job getting out of the stack. Even up front, being able to say, ‘All right we’re going to really play the pass through the run,’ the way that they come off especially with their front four, some of the new philosophies they have with the defensive line coach. It really puts a lot of pressure on an offense and I think it’s a big reason why they’ve been so successful. The overall team speed and I think the consistent energy and juice that they play with, snap to whistle, snap in, snap out, first snap to the last snap. That shows up on the tape.”


McVay on the 49ers defensive improvements:


“It’s a great system. They’ve got great players and I think you can see there’s a clear-cut identity, but really on all three levels of their defense, they’ve got great speed, they play really well together, I think they’re opportunistic, but they create their opportunities in terms of taking the ball away. There’s an intentional approach that they take to attacking it. They’ve got guys stood up, guys are jabbing at the football, ripping at it. They’ve got guys with ball skills, you look at Sherman, his ball production is second to none over the last few years and there’s a very clear-cut philosophy. Anytime that you consistently can apply as much pressure as they’ve done with four-man rushes, now you’re able to play seven guys in coverage behind it. They do an excellent job playing vision zones, they’ve started to make sense of matches, they can play man coverage and then they can activate some different pressures. When you flip the tape on, it looks like one of the best defenses in the league. You’re seeing it show up and [49ers defensive coordinator] Robert Saleh is a guy that I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for, just knowing him and the coaches that they have on their staff, really as a whole. I think you’re seeing why they’re good and they’ve got the players to match it and there’s a clarity. It’s a great matchup.”


To find out more about Sean McVay's history with the 49ers click here.


QB Jared Goff on what he saw from the 49ers defense on Monday night against the Browns:


“They played well, they are playing really well right now, especially up front defensively. They are coming off the ball well and that d-line is playing with a different type of energy and on the back-end they are really good. At linebacker, I always thought Kwon Alexander and Fred Warner are great players. I think even last year as a young player, Warner was really picking it up quickly and was a lot better from week-to-week, the first time we played them, the second time we played them. All guys have to be aware and they do a good job.”


Goff on what makes Richard Sherman such a good corner:


“He’s just so smart. He’s a really smart player. I think he’s had the issue with the Achilles in the past and right now you see him fully healthy doing his thing. He’s a great player. He’s always been a great player. Again, I think he’s just so smart and you can tell the way he reads patterns and understands offense and understands how we’re trying to attack a defense. Makes it tough on us.”


Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Shane Waldron on what challenges come from playing the 49ers:


“The challenge is they’re playing with great energy, great physicality right now. They’ve done a tremendous job of creating takeaways. I know last year at certain points the ball didn’t bounce their way in creating those takeaways. Certainly, this year, they’ve done a great job of raking at the ball, ripping the ball out, punching the ball out. Some of those tips and overthrows that have occurred, they’ve taken full advantage of them and they’ve enabled themselves to really create those turnovers that have put them in good positions each game.”


Waldron on how the presence of Sherman impacts game preparation:


“You really need to be aware of him. Correct me if I’m wrong, I think he’s leading the league in interceptions since 2011. He had another great interception this past week, where he’s visual on the quarterback and he’s running the route before the route even declares itself, just because he’s got that great sense, that great awareness. I think, like anything else, when you’re playing against a great player and a great player that’s seen so many route combinations throughout his career and does such an unbelievable job at pattern matching things, you’ve just got to be aware of him. You’ve got to be sure of the throws and the receivers have their part in running crisp routes and making sure that they’re really threatening him in all levels there.”


Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips on why the 49ers look different this season:


“I think it’s their whole team. Obviously, they didn’t have any turnovers last year to help their offense. Having Garoppolo certainly gives them stability as far as being able to throw the ball well and accurately, and their running game has just gotten better and better.”


Phillips on the challenges the 49ers run game presents:


“They run the football. They’ve run the football well since Kyle’s gotten there, but they’ve had a couple running backs that have been hurt. I think we played [RB Matt] Breida once, [RB Jerick] Mckinnon never got well, and then know they got [RB Tevin] Coleman, which is a really good back. They’ve always wanted to run the ball and they’ve had success running it, but they’ve had some people banged up that’s hurt them some. But now they’re at full strength.
 
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