LOS ANGELES — On Saturday, safety Kam Curl joked that head coach Sean McVay shares that he was was a Georgia player of the year in high school.
It’s true. McVay beat out future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson in 2003 with his quarterbacking performance for Marist School in Atlanta.
But Curl was saying as such to make a point. McVay understands the player perspective, building “stain” within the defense, and it’s showing during training camp.
“He really played the game, you know what I’m saying?” Curl said. “That really holds a lot of weight. … He’s had so many elite players to where he knows what it takes, and he knows when to hold off, and he knows when to put the pedal to the metal. He takes care of us.”
Curl added: “This camp – it’s love.”
Cornerback Trent McDuffie said compared with his training camps with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he won two Super Bowls with alongside fellow Rams offseason acquisition Jaylen Watson, the focus McVay and the Rams put on recovery has had a profound impact on his experience so far.
Instead of meetings into the night during training camp, McDuffie said, he’s found himself playing cards with the defensive backs room and bonding with his teammates.
“(We are) just really getting to know each other, which I think is a very big aspect of being a great team,” McDuffie said, “is knowing who you’re playing with. So not only are you recovering your body and all that, but like we’re generally spending time with each other, which to me is special, especially being new here.”
Ten years into coaching the Rams, McVay has discovered his training camp formula alongside Reggie Scott, the team’s senior vice president of sports medicine and performance, who he consistently credits for many of his training camp ideas. For McVay, he said, there’s got to be struggle during training camp while also inspiring growth for his players.
But there has to be a distinct balance.
The team’s veteran stars such as quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Davante Adams and edge rusher Myles Garrett – who did not practice for the fourth consecutive day as he deals with soreness in his lower half – have built-in rest days during training camp in order to remain fresh ahead of their Week 1 regular-season game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 11 in Australia.
“I love these guys, and so everything that we’re doing is, I want them to feel like we’re in it with them, we’re taking care of them,” McVay said. “We’re going to push them when we’re out on the grass, we’re going to challenge them mentally, but then we’ll give them a chance to be able to recover and turn over so that that growth can occur.”
Growth is not just for the second- or third year players that McVay highlighted during his post-practice availability Monday – such as tight end Terrence Ferguson, outside linebacker Josiah Stewart and running back Blake Corum – but also for players such as Stafford, who was held out of last year’s training camp with a back ailment.
McVay said for Stafford, who is in his 18th training camp of his career, getting experience alongside Adams during training camp helps develop rapport quicker rather than a more on-the-fly process during games as the season goes on. For Stafford, he’s enjoying the days at Loyola Marymount before the team moves back to their Woodland Hills training facility at the end of the week.
“Obviously, love getting out here, being able to compete on the field, but even the moments in the meeting rooms and and the meal rooms with the guys, just being able to get to know your teammates, and then obviously install our offense, and our defense, and our special teams, and figure out kind of what we want to be about as a team,” Stafford said.
Notes
McVay said tight end Davis Allen is dealing with a soft-tissue quad injury that will keep him out for “some time.” McVay added that they don’t want to rush Allen back as they expect him to be a “big” part of their plans for the season ahead. …
Stafford and Stetson Bennett IV took all of the reps at quarterback during Monday’s practice. “We were kind of unscripted and Matthew was out here, and so Stetson got the work that he’s earned,” McVay said.
Curl returned an interception for a touchdown, while safety Quentin Lake returned a fumble for a touchdown during drills.
Wide receiver Tyler Scott made an impressive over-the-shoulder pass from Bennett during 11-on-11 drills. Fellow receiver Xavier Smith showcased his speed by burning past the defense down the right sideline for a touchdown.