WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – The Rams signed long snapper Jake McQuaide and kicker Harrison Mevis to the practice squad this week ahead of their game against the 49ers in an effort to improve on special teams. Getting those new additions acclimated in practice will be part of their week of preparation leading up to Week 10.

Ahead of the divisional road game, Rams head coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receivers Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, outside linebacker Jared Verse, special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and defensive coordinator Chris Shula spoke with local media about the upcoming matchup in San Francisco and their special teams signings. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.

"I think it's important to be able to have good competition at some spots that we feel like we can have improved play to be able to evaluate all 11. And so you bring Jake McQuaide in, you bring another kicker in... (Mevis) and Josh (Karty) will compete to see who's going to kick for us this week. And if all things go well with Jake, we expect him to be our long snapper." - McVay

McVay said they "will implement more" special teams reps into their normal practice routine on Wednesday and Thursday as part of that kicking competition between Mevis and Karty. McQuaide was with the Rams for the first 10 years of his career, so McVay said that his "familiarity" and their workout with him on Tuesday makes him confident that he will be the team's new long snapper on Sunday, as long as things continue to trend in the right direction in practice.

The conversations that McVay had about those moves with Karty and long snapper Alex Ward required honesty and empathy, but he said both handled it well. "It's all geared towards trying to be able to just get some solutions and some kick consistency really with our field goal operation."

In terms of the team's 49ers prep outside of special teams, McVay said they have grown in a lot of areas, one of which is the connection between Stafford and Adams. "They're getting on the same page. I think that's been a real positive for some of the uptick in the production in the red area, and I think that's where you've seen the points go."

"I'm not sure that I've faced (San Francisco) when (inside linebacker Fred Warner) hasn't played, yet. So, I mean, I know what it's like facing him, I can tell you that, and he's as good a linebacker as there is in the league. His ability to cover up some of the stuff that they ask him to do in some of their middle-field open coverages is second to none in the NFL." - Stafford

Warner suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 6, one game after L.A. lost to San Francisco in overtime earlier this season. So, Week 10 will be the first time in Stafford's Rams tenure that he'll take on the 49ers without Warner in the lineup. He didn't quite know how to describe what it would be like to do that, so instead talked about the many irreplaceable things that Warner brings in the middle of the field, including his movement, understanding of offenses, communication and physicality.

Stafford said Adams is "doing a great job getting open" in the red zone, and he's given the veteran receiver opportunities to make plays. He's done just that, with five touchdowns in the past two games. "I think our coaching staff does a great job of finding ways to let his skill set come to light down there," Stafford said.

In terms of his own development as a passer, Stafford said he's learned how and when to layer passes as he's grown in the NFL, and that's a huge part of his game now. "I think if you look back at how I played the game when I first got in the league, probably a whole lot more fastballs than there were change-ups and that kind of stuff," he said.

"(Growing up near San Francisco I felt) similar to how I feel about (the 49ers) now. I never really liked them." - Adams

Despite growing up in Palo Alto, around 30 miles from San Francisco, he wasn't a fan of the 49ers. In Green Bay, they had a bit of a rivalry, especially in the playoffs, and now he's with the Rams, their division rivals. So, Adams is on the same page with his teammates when it comes to their animosity for the NFC West rivals up north.

Adams' red zone success has come from a combination of marrying plays together and finding one-on-ones to "play the numbers game" close to the goal line, he said, and it's worked. His rapport with Stafford has now graduated to no-look pass territory, as they connected on a 29-yarder last week, and Adams said, "That means he trusts you."

When asked if Stafford still seems like he's 37 years old, Adams jokingly said "38... but you don't see any of that until he takes off trying to run." It's safe to say their bond is growing both on and off the field.

"I think there's been a little bit of everything (causing problems in the kicking game). I think early there was some protection (issues), but that was combined with some of the operation as well. And at the end of the day it's about executing and getting better, and continuing to improve in all facets with the operation as far as the timing, the ball flight, and the protection." - Blackburn

Blackburn confirmed that McQuaide is expected to be the team's long snapper on Sunday in Santa Clara, but they have yet to make a decision on the kicker. He said both Karty and Mevis have kicked the ball well in practice this week, during which there have been more field goals than he's ever seen before. He added that they will continue to have punter Ethan Evans kick off, even though Karty said the squib kicks he'd been utilizing haven't effected his field goal kicks or timing.

Blackburn, McVay, general manager Les Snead and assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwika will sit down and make a decision on this week's kicker either Thursday night or sometime on Friday, Blackburn said.

"(The 49ers) do a lot of stuff where they press some guys down the field, so when you get in those type of play-action type settings, you're trying to pack the zones and panic, you can get in the middle and you've got to be on your toes and you've got to be ready to break when the ball comes out." - Shula

49ers quarterback Mac Jones hit a lot of short passes in the Week 5 overtime win over L.A., and Shula acknowledged that they could have done a better job guarding those underneath zones more closely. He said they had a "great plan, especially early in the game," which they executed to string together long, cohesive drives.

Jones operates the 49ers' offense "exactly how they want him to," Shula said, hitting his first read often with a quick release. "(49ers head coach) Kyle (Shanahan) is one of the best in the league at getting the guys his primaries and getting the looks he wants." And if the read isn't there, he nearly always has a safety blanket in running back Christian McCaffrey, who turned a number of check downs into big gains in Week 5.

These staffs know each other extremely well, both from their competition against each other and time coaching with each other in some cases. But, "That's the fun part of the NFL," Shula said. "Obviously, they did a lot of stuff that worked against us last game and vice versa. You wonder if they're going to go back to it or what they're going to have off of it and things like that."

"It's a numbers game (in 13 personnel), right? So, if you're going to stop one thing, you would think offensively, if you have the the pen in your hand, you can do the other. So, if you load the box, you have opportunities on the outside with Davante, amongst all our other guys. If you want to play a little bit softer, having the ability to be in 13 personnel and be effective running the football." - LaFleur

The rise of 13 personnel (three tight ends) in the Rams' offense has led to consistent success over the past two weeks, and LaFleur explained why in a very succinct way. LaFleur has seen the players have fun with that heightened versatility, as more players get involved in the game plan and enjoy individual success that helps the team. It helps that the four tight ends on the roster are all smart, physical players that fit the Rams' offense.

Adams has been a huge beneficiary of those goal line 13 personnel looks, as it often gives him one-on-one opportunities. His connection with Stafford has grown in tandem with their increased communication on the field. LaFleur said their mutual understanding of the offense and what they want to achieve in certain situations has helped that bond flourish.

LaFleur said they have learned from the 49ers loss in Week 5, and their offense is very different than it was at that point in the season.

"I guess now, learning that we play these guys multiple times a year, I guess these ones are a little bit more important, but every Sunday I'm excited for the challenge." - Nacua

In a callback to last season, when Nacua confessed that he didn't know all the teams in the NFC West, he explained that he's wiser than he once was. He now knows all the teams and the fact that they play division opponents twice. The rivalry between L.A. and San Francisco is intense, but that's how Nacua lives, saying, "I don't think there's any extra juice needed" for this game, because he's always running on full.

Even coming off a rib injury that sidelined him in the second half last week, Nacua said he is "100%" going to come in with the same mindset that he always does, even against a physical 49ers defense. Playing this team twice means their preparation involves some self-scouting, but the injury to Warner has changed some things with their personnel, Nacua noted.

Before he exited last game, Nacua made a 39-yard touchdown grab that left Verse speechless (a rare feat). When asked about it, he said, "I can't wait to save that one because not a lot of people can say they've done that. I take pride in that now, like, that's a great accomplishment."

"Me and (defensive end Braden) Fiske both got teammates from Florida State, (cornerback) Renardo Green and (inside linebacker) Tatum Bethune... they like my brothers and everything like that, and they play for the 49ers. They texted me Tuesday, 'Hey, happy Birthday.' I said, 'Hey, thank you. Now get the f* up out my phone. I'm not messing with you this week. You my op.'" - Verse

The Rams-49ers rivalry runs so deep that Verse didn't want to hear "Happy Birthday" from his college friends on the rival team. That's true loyalty to the squad. "It's just different," Verse said. Similar to Nacua, Verse doesn't think about the other teams in the division much or look at the standings, but he knows the intensity of those games is amplified. "I just kind of show up," he said with a smile.

Verse praised Jones' poise in the pocket, even in the face of pressure, when the two teams met in Week 5. "I tell everybody, it doesn't matter if you're first or second, if you're an NFL quarterback you're one of the best in the world," Verse said.

On Nacua's catch that left him speechless, Verse said it was "crazy... Then he hit me in my chest (on the sideline), that kinda hurt a little. I was about to hit him back but it's Puka, I don't wanna get fired."