Rams' Sean McVay Speaks Out On 'Frustrating' Practices: 'I Know That We Can Be Better'
The Los Angeles Rams are heading into the season with a young and inexperienced roster, and with that roster inevitably comes some growing pains.
For the most part, the offseason has been relatively smooth sailing so far, but some cracks are beginning to show. On Tuesday, Rams coach Sean McVay opened up on how the team's mistakes in practice are beginning to add up, and how he wants his team to improve.
"Just with this team, we've got a real long way to go," McVay told reporters. "Today was not very good overall. I thought we were very sloppy, not sharp on both sides of the football and so if we want to continue to try to do the things that we're doing and take steps in the right direction, we have to be better than we were today.”
McVay also didn't shy away from pointing out how specific players could improve as well. He said rookie pass-rusher Byron Young still has "a long way to go" and noted that rookie guard Steve Avila "got tired today." McVay was still positive with both players overall, but also wasn't afraid to share some criticism as well.
Of course, McVay understands that Rome wasn't built in a day. While he can be tough on his players, he does it to help them grow and with the expectation that they will.
“No, here's what I told them, ‘I'm not going to apologize for having high standards for what they're capable of,’" McVay said. "But there's a tolerance, there's an understanding. There's going to be a lot of mistakes, it's the repetitive ones. It's when we get a little bit tired and you're not really thinking and it's stuff that we've done over and over again.
"I have total understanding of some of the patience and the tolerance that'll be necessary, but I also have seen enough good things from a lot of these guys that I know that we can be better than that and that's what I expect when we're back out here practicing in a couple days.”
McVay is entering his sixth season with the Rams, yet this year is an entirely unique situation. Unlike previous years where McVay has had plenty of veterans to work with, he is working with a much younger group of players this season. It's a learning process for all involved, and the Rams hope to have the kinks ironed out when the regular season begins.
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