Kellen Moore

Q. How do you know when it’s the right time to go to RB Kenneth Gainwell and give RB Saquon Barkley a break? How do you feel that out? (Reuben Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: [Running Backs/Assistant Head Coach] Jemal [Singleton] does a really good job with that, just the rotation with the backs. Obviously, [RB] Saquon [Barkley] is going to get the heavy bulk of it, and I think it’s just a matter of giving him different rest periods throughout the game.

And a lot of it comes down to when Saquon needs to come out. We feel really comfortable with [RB Kenneth Gainwell] Kenny in there. We ended up staying on the ball, so Kenny ended up staying for a number of plays. Just because we were in a position [where] we felt like we wanted to stay on the ball for a couple particular looks there. So he ended up getting a couple carries in a row.

Q. What goes into the timing, having waited to run those specific run plays? (Bo Wulf)

KELLEN MOORE: Just the flow of the game. They ended up in some no-huddle situations, so we felt like we had some particular looks. We could keep them on the ball, and we felt comfortable with where we were at. Those are sometimes plays you’re chasing throughout a game, and it just happened that they went back-to-back, which was awesome. Which was a great sequence for us. Sometimes those work out that way. Sometimes you’re chasing them all game, and you may not always get them versus a particular look.

Q. You haven’t run those much this season, if at all. What goes into the execution of that from a coaching and player standpoint? (Bo Wulf)

KELLEN MOORE: Just extremely high level of work because those are such specific plays. Sometimes they are in game plans, like I was saying, and they don’t get called just because of the looks or you have to get out of a particular play. There are different plays like that that you kind of chase throughout a season, throughout a game. And when the look’s right, you go for it.

Credit to our guys because they made some incredible blocks in there. [T] Jordan [Mailata] on the second one, incredible block, hit that angle against the linebacker. Just big-time plays by those guys.

Q. How difficult is it to stick to the run game when through three quarters, it seemed like it was a little bit bottled up, and you kept at it? T Lane Johnson said ‘If you keep hammering, the wall is going to fall,’ but how tough is that as a coach to keep calling those run plays? (Ed Kracz)

KELLEN MOORE: Those things happen. We have been fortunate in a number of games this year where eventually those big plays happen. Whether it be at New Orleans, where it’s kind of ugly, ugly, ugly, and eventually a couple pop. Cleveland was one where none of them really ever popped, and you’re kind of stuck there. You don’t quite get those.

But I think our guys have a strong commitment to it. They feel really confident that we just keep getting after it, keep giving ourselves opportunities. Eventually we’re going to steal something at the end and we were able to get those in this game as well.

Q. Having this offensive line and RB Saquon Barkley, has it changed you as a play-caller? (Dave Zangaro)

KELLEN MOORE: Every year, your team is going to be structured differently. I think it’s important for us to build how we want to play based off the identity and the players that we have.

Our guys have done an awesome job. We have run the ball a number of times the last few weeks, and that’s become a big confidence thing for us. But we know we are going to have to play different styles throughout the season. There’s going to come a time when we have to throw the football, and people are going to be very committed to it. We’re going to have a challenge at some point, but it’s something we believe in and want to continue to emphasize.

Q. Are there things you can do that you can’t when T Jordan Mailata isn’t in the game? T Fred Johnson obviously does a good job filling in, but can T Jordan Mailata allow you to do even more? (Bob Brookover)

KELLEN MOORE: That’s a great question. I think every game plan is different. We feel very fortunate that we have [T] Fred [Johnson] to be in that position, to handle that situation. And we are really excited to have Jordan. He showed up, just impressive.

Credit to him to come back in, in a short week of all times where you don’t really even have any physical practices. And for Jordan to hop in there and play ball, credit to him. He’s obviously one of the best left tackles in this league, and he’s shown it again.

Q. With rotational positions in general – you just talked a little bit about RB Saquon Barkley and RB Kenneth Gainwell, but could be receiver, tight end – are there ever moments where you’re calling a play where, ‘I need this guy in there,’ or you just leave it up to Running Backs/Assistant Head Coach Jemal Singleton and Wide Receivers Coach Aaron Morehead and Tight Ends Coach Jason Michaels? (John McMullen)

KELLEN MOORE: There are certainly going to be specific plays for certain players. And sometimes it’s the starter, sometimes it’s the role player. There are a lot of plays that are mixed down, so to speak. Whoever is in there will play ball. And there will be certain situational calls or specific plays for guys that maybe only get one or two reps during the week, so you want one guy working on that.

That certainly comes up throughout a game, really for all positions, tight ends included, receivers, running backs. All those situations.

Q. When you got to the 36, when you called the trick play, why do you think, at that point, that was the time to pull the trigger? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: Just an earned first down. Any time those don’t go well, you feel like it’s a dumb play call. Earned first down, left hash, sometimes you’re chasing a specific hash to try to get to that play call.

Once we crossed the 50, try and be aggressive there. See if we can get it, and if not, play out the situation the rest of the way. Turned into big negative play and cost us an opportunity.

Q. To understand the yards that could be lost in a play like that, do you take into account being within field goal range still? (Brooks Kubena)

KELLEN MOORE: Yeah, that was the thought process. Felt like there was an opportunity there. We had been hanging on that for a few weeks. Fortunately – poor play call on my end, but we were able to dig ourselves out and at least put ourselves in position to at least steal some points out of that drive. Credit to our guys on the second and third down getting completions.

Obviously, it didn’t work.

Q. In the last few games especially, and even overall, QB Jalen Hurts has struggled early and then he starts to get going. Have you guys identified what some of those issues early in the games have been for him? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: I think for all of us, we are trying to play cleaner football at the beginning of the game.

For me, it’s always the rhythm of the play calls and how we can get ourselves into it. Because again, we have a really good opening drive as far as we’re moving it. And then we get into some situational football down [in the] high red zone, just outside the red zone, and then we kind of get stalled out in some penalties, knock us out.

I think it’s critical for us to get clean rushes, completions as much as we can early in the game. So it’s something for all of us. We are all trying to get better in that aspect, not just [QB] Jalen [Hurts]. I think every single one of us, we are trying to play faster, play cleaner football in the first quarter. Because once we get into our rhythm, we tend to play pretty well in those middle two quarters.

Q. When you run the football 40 times a game, there are not that many passes. Receivers don’t like that. What are the conversations like? Because this is your identity since the bye, you’ve run it 45 times a game. Do you have to take extra time to talk to WR DeVonta Smith, TE Dallas Goedert, WR A.J. Brown, about how there’s not going to be that many targets? (Reuben Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: The beauty of what we have on offense, we have a lot of really talented players, and they all deserve opportunities in these games. In the pass game, when you have a game like that where you have a lot of rushing attempts and not as many pass opportunities, naturally those guys are not going to get as many touches as they deserve and have earned.

I think [with] those guys, you’re constantly in conversation about those opportunities eventually presenting themselves. Again, like we said, not every game are we going to be able to rush 40, 45 attempts. We’d love to, but there will be different games and different styles. And that’s the beauty of the NFL, that every week is a different challenge. And there’s going to come a time when we’re going to have to sling it around and make some plays in some critical situations, and those guys will be ready.

Q. What’s it like preparing for a Rams defense without former Rams DT Aaron Donald, and how are they different without him? (Martin Frank)

KELLEN MOORE: I think they have done an excellent job of evolving this year, building off of the scheme they have had in place for a number of years.

Credit to them. As [former Rams DT] Aaron [Donald] has left, they have transitioned into a little bit of a different structure just because of what they have on the defensive line. I think they have a really, really talented defensive line, a bunch of young guys that are playing extremely well. High level. They give you a lot of different looks, a lot of different presentations. Which can be challenging throughout the week, just as you get comfortable anticipating going against these guys.

These guys are playing really, really good football right now. They have been playing well. Coming out of their bye week, you can tell they took advantage of the bye week. They are playing as well as anyone.

Q. What have you seen from Rams OLB Jared Verse that has led to his early success so far? (Chris Franklin)

KELLEN MOORE: Relentless motor. Premiere player in this league. I think you definitely see it in him and a number of the other guys on the defensive line. They are doing a really, really good job. They are getting after the quarterback, pressuring him.

I think they are doing a really good job on the run as far as utilizing their fronts and stuffing out the run game. So this will be a big-time challenge for us.

Q. You would think of how successful you guys have been on the ground since the bye that teams would start focusing more on stopping that. Did you see that last week against Washington? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: Any time your rushing attempts are that high, naturally it will be a focus for defenses. We have to play good adjustment football. We’ve got to understand that teams will give you different challenges, different presentations, and we’ve got to be able to adjust throughout the game.

Washington, credit to those guys. I thought they made some adjustments coming into our game on a short week. Gave us some looks we had not seen previously by them. And I think our guys did a really, really good job as the game went, hanging in there, hanging with it, making the adjustments we need to make. And then [we were] able to make some plays as the game progressed.

Q. You were teammates with Rams QB Matthew Stafford in Detroit. As his teammate ten years ago, what did you see from him then that allowed him to have longevity and success in this league? (Olivia Reiner)

KELLEN MOORE: [Rams QB] Matthew [Stafford] is just one of the premiere quarterbacks in this league. I was fortunate to be around him for a few years in Detroit. What I always learned so much from him when I was in the room with him was just how much work went into it during the week.

I think Matthew’s preparation is very rare. The work he puts into it, the amount of film he watches. I think he’s got an excellent, excellent feel for the game. His ability to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage and control the whole operation is very rare.

I learned a lot being around him for those first couple years, and he’s continued it for a number of years.

Q. On the topic of having specific packages for specific players, it seemed like there was a thing in this game with WR Jahan Dotson on those orbit motions. Is that something you put in for the game itself, or is that something that has been waiting all season long? (Bo Wulf)

KELLEN MOORE: It’s been utilized a few other times with [WR] Jahan [Dotson]. That game, we made the decision that it felt like it presented itself and gave us an opportunity. I think, just like our other receivers, we think really highly of Jahan.

So any time we can get those guys on the field, give them opportunities, we feel he’s been able to take advantage of a number of these. We felt like it was just a different presentation to help us, and he does a nice job with playing that space game.

Q. Why do you like WR Ainias Smith on the jet sweeps? (Jeff McLane)

KELLEN MOORE: Again, just giving guys different roles and different opportunities. [WR] Ainias [Smith], going back to his role in college and some of the space game that he has played, he does a really nice job with that.

So the last couple weeks, we have put him in that type of role. And we’ll just let those roles always adjust and evolve as the season goes on, and we’ll see. For him coming off of IR and hopping in and having that role and that package, he’s embraced it. He’s done a nice job, so we’ll see where it takes us.