WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — Following the Week 1 loss to the 49ers, the Rams have an extended week to prepare for a Monday Night Football clash with the Giants.
Looking to turn the page to Week 2, head coach Sean McVay talked about how the Rams are looking to "move forward" and prepare for the Giants. Quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams both talked about New York's defense and the challenges it will present.
"I just want to see us be present right now and move forward. ... Chest out, chin up, eyes forward and let's go. Let's go be about it and let's go prepare the right way. Let's have great focus and concentration. Let's have a great energy and an edge in which we prepare and compete with. Then let's go be ready to go against a really good football team." - McVay
McVay equated his "move forward" mentality to that of "the Men in Black thing, where you say, 'All right, hey, I don't remember what happened?'" With Australia in the rear view mirror, the Rams are preparing to face a Giants defensive front that combines youth and experience that proved its value in Week 1 with a 28-20 win over the Cowboys.
"I saw a defense that played with their hair on fire, played with a great energy, a great effort," McVay said.
"You flip the tape on, you watch the Giants, they jump off the screen at you, especially on the defensive side of the ball." - Stafford
When asked about how he views McVay's "move forward" mindset, Stafford credits the fact that "I got a new opponent to look at, a new team to look at."
One of the biggest challenges for the Rams will be to stay on the field for longer, Stafford noting that Los Angeles had "not enough plays to really get into that rhythm" in Week 1. Even with a new team to look at and the game against the 49ers in the past, Stafford and the offense are "trying to make sure that I play at a better level, everybody on our team plays at a better level, so we can go get the results that we want."
"As a competitor, it's hard to have to sit and wait, not have an opportunity to go out and rectify the situation. So that more eats up (at you than) you not having the ability to get to it right now." - Adams
Similar to Stafford and McVay, Adams isn't ignoring the fact that the Rams have to get better at "executing, just figuring out how to how to click, and obviously putting ourselves in advantageous moments and not hurting ourselves." But Adams knows that Monday against the Giants will be a chance to return to the form they know they can be. "We didn't put together the greatest showing out there, but at the end of the day, you're a fool if you think that that's what it's going to look like every single week," Adams said.
Adams was asked about the Giants' secondary, and made sure to recognize that it's their defensive unit as a whole that presents a challenge for the Rams. "It's less of specifically the secondary, not to minimize what they do, but just a solid defense all around," Adams said. "I think that's more important sometimes than having a great secondary, is having guys up front that can get pressure."
