Sean Mannion

Q. Sean, what can you pinpoint to some of the second half struggles this year, including the Chicago game and what’s your thoughts on solutions going forward? (Cayden Steele)

Sean Mannion: Certainly, as a staff and as a team, we’re working through getting better there. You hate to do a lot of nice things in the first half of some of these games and kind of fall into a rut in the second half. It’s something we’ve been discussing each week, looking to get sharper and sharper as a unit and as a staff. I think we got some good things to work on there, some good thoughts moving into this week of how to improve on that because you hate to have, in the Tennessee game, you had some good long drives and then you kind of stub your toe out of the gate in the second half. Certainly, that was the case in the Chicago game as well. We’re working at that. We’re attacking it each day to be better there coming out of halftime.

Q. You mentioned staying ahead of schedule in the first half and yet the play action understand center stuff wasn’t there. You didn’t run much of it. What were some of the issues for not marrying as much of the pass off the run success there? (Jeff McLane)

Sean Mannion: I think some of it varies based on the opponent, based on the defensive front you might be getting in terms of your protection plan and what things you can have up in the plan and not. Like you said, I was really encouraged with the run game, and we tried to build off of it. Early in the game, we had a keeper, a tough look early in the game there. We had a couple things we just need to clean up in terms of the execution of our play-pass protection. Ultimately, I need to build the best plan possible to find that marriage. That’s on me to put us in the best position possible to build our marriage of the running pass the way we want it to look. I think with the way we got the run game going, there’s more to maximize off of that. Like I said, it starts with me, and I have to make sure I’m putting all of our guys in the best position to succeed. I think if we get the run game going the way it looked last Monday, I think there’s a lot of big plays to be had in the play-pass game if we’re just a little bit sharper collectively and put together a good plan moving forward.

Q. What would you identify with the run game? It’s going really good, as you said in the first half, second half, not as much. What would you identify there? (Tim McManus)

Sean Mannion: I think the effort, the physicality of our unit up front, and I think, too, it’s the whole unit now. I mean, that’s one thing we stress. It’s the receivers blocking, it’s the tight ends blocking, it’s the running backs finishing, it’s the quarterback carrying out a keeper fake. The one thing you can never question with our guys is their effort, their physicality, their play style. I’ve been really proud of that through three weeks. I thought we were pretty sharp in terms of our fundamentals. That was a big focus going into Week 3. I thought we did a good job in the first half. There were a couple of things we can be a little bit cleaner on in the second half and then some adjustments that we can make schematically, too. I think the second-half adjustments, things like that, some little tweaks here and there that will help put us in more opportune situations. The other thing is we kind of fell behind on a couple of those later drives. We’re trying to push the ball downfield in the pass game a little bit more, but certainly want to expand off of what we did in the first half. I was encouraged by that, just need to carry through in the second half with, again, some adjustments on our end as a staff and then continue to lean into the fundamentals and play style for the unit.

Q. It seems like your high usage of 11 personnel seems to be tied a little bit to how the injuries you’ve had at tight end starting with TE Eli Stowers and TE Dallas Goedert. Would you say that’s fair to why that number’s there and how has it been reframing how you are as an offense in that? (Brooks Kubena)

Sean Mannion: There are multiple factors to that, and you hit on a couple of them already. You’re managing injuries throughout the week, you’re managing the opponent and their tendencies, what they may be doing with their personnel and how you want to attack that specifically. There’s a couple of factors there. Obviously, it’s a shame Dallas got dinged up in that Tennessee game. He’s a big part of what we’re doing, but we have a lot of good depth there. I know [TE] Zach [Ertz] came in on short notice and filled a good role for us. We love what we have out of [TE] E.J. [Jenkins] and [TE] Johnny [Mundt]. I really like that group, really like the receiver group. It’s a luxury for us that we feel we have the flexibility to do multiple things based on the opponent and based on whatever situation we have going on with our personnel. Some of it’s injury, some of it’s the opponent. I guess to answer your question, it’s a little bit of both week to week.

Q. Now with WR DeVonta Smith and WR Hollywood Brown both dealing with some injuries, how does that throw things into the mix? (Brooks Kubena)

Sean Mannion: I’m not going to comment on our upcoming plan for the Rams, but like you said, I think the nature of football, especially as you get deeper and deeper into the season, it’s only Week 4, but you’re always going to be managing certain things. It’s my job as a coordinator; it’s our staff’s job to manage the plan and ultimately give ourselves the best chance to succeed.

Q. On the screen before QB Jalen Hurts’s touchdown, what made that the best play in that situation? (Zach Berman)

Sean Mannion: We had 19 seconds left, and we had a play that we felt like we believed in and we could take to the end zone. We had enough time, I felt, that even if we played it short of the sticks, we could go up and get a clock. Now, it was a longer push-the-pile type play towards the end zone. Obviously, we didn’t want it to come that close, a heads-up play by Jalen to push it into the end zone. But I’m not going to speak too much on the details of our scheme there. With 19 seconds left, I felt comfortable that if we were short of the sticks, we could get the ball clocked. It was a heads-up play by Jalen, and we almost scored on the screen there, and he did a good job getting us to the line, getting the ball snapped.

Q. How would you self-scout your play sequencing right now as a first time play caller until you’re still trying to find a comfort level in the rhythm? (Jeff Neiburg)

Sean Mannion: I think in terms of sequencing and monitoring your tendencies, monitoring personnel, I feel pretty good about where we’re at. That’s a constant process. Each week, there’s more and more data for opponents to go off of in terms of how I call games. The luxury of the first couple weeks is there’s no tendencies on me yet. As you get going, you have to be more and more vigilant with how you monitor that. Gummy [Offensive Assistant/Assistant Quarterbacks Montgomery VanGorder] in the box, all of our coaches, they do a great job for me kind of feeding me information on how I’ve been calling it. Each week, it’s a huge part of what we do is review our own self-scout tendencies. I think that’s something that you’re constantly looking at to make sure that you’re covering all your bases on your own self-scout end.

Q. You guys have been pretty consistent targeting WR Makai Lemon on the screen passes, like the swing pass. They’ve been going for negative yards. I guess what are you seeing in terms of what’s going wrong with those? (EJ Smith)

Sean Mannion: Ultimately, we’ve got to be better in the screen game. That starts with me. I think we look at all facets of our offense, and we want to make everything about it as good as it can possibly be. There’s things to clean up there. There’s things that we’re looking at that we can do different schematically to improve in that regard. Certainly, the screen game, we want to get more out of it. We’re working every day to get more out of it. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to get that going in the right direction. We’re constantly looking at how we can make corrections and evolve and see how we can be the best team that we can be moving forward.

Q. Are some of those attached to RPOs or box counts and that’s what’s resulting in some of the throws there? (EJ Smith)

Sean Mannion: It’s totally dependent on the scheme. There’s a lot of different varieties to that. It’s really play dependent.

Q. Have you seen any challenges in the blending of what’s old in the offense with what you’ve brought to it? And if so, what have they been? (Jeff McLane)

Sean Mannion: No, I feel like that’s been a good process. I think really that started back in February when I got here, learning our personnel here, learning the things that they’ve done really well and done at a high level and finding a way to bring in a new scheme and bring in new elements and then still lean into things that the guys on this team that have had a lot of success really thrive in. That’s been a process that has been really ongoing since I got here, and I feel like it’s been a good marriage.

Q. The interception from QB Andy Dalton kind of magnified the backup role. Obviously, QB Jalen Hurts would get most of the reps in practice, but as y’all are figuring out still between QB Tanner McKee and Andy, how are you handling the rep situation and finding the development there and going forward in the evaluation of that? (Brooks Kubena)

Sean Mannion: I think that’s the unseen part of practice. These guys are working really hard on the show team for [Defensive Coordinator] Vic [Fangio], but it’s not just simply for Vic. We’re getting an opportunity to see these guys compete every day. Those are their reps. That’s their week’s worth of work from a physical perspective. They’ve been doing a great job on the look team for Vic, but they’re being evaluated off that as well. We’re watching and pushing them to get better each day as individuals in routes versus air and on the scout team. We’re coaching every rep of those as well and always using that to push these guys in their development and their growth.

Q. What did the tape show on how C/G Drew Kendall and C/G Cam Jurgens did in their second game and their respective spots? (Tim McManus)

Sean Mannion: I thought they both did a nice job. Like we saw in the run game, it came to life in some ways there. I was confident that this group, with their second game going in, working with each other, they would start to gel. Certainly, there’s things we can always improve as an offense, as a unit, but I was really happy with the way those two guys in particular performed. They were both stepping into a new role in Week 2, and I felt like they both took a step forward in Week 3.

Q. What do you see out of Los Angeles Rams DE Aaron Donald versus I guess when you were playing with him now that he’s out of retirement and played a few games? (Jeff McLane)

Sean Mannion: Disruptive player, that’s for sure. Like you said, someone I know well, he is an all-time great player in this league, and he commands that type of respect when you’re game planning, when you’re playing against him. He’s a very, very good player, very disruptive player. Someone, like you said, who I was teammates with. I know the way he works. I know the way he prepares. He’s as good as there’s been in this league in terms of interior D-linemen, and he commands that level of respect as we’re building this plan, as we’re going against him.

Q. What was the thought process on that third-and-goal after the two RB Saquon Barkley runs? I guess you’re on the 2-yard line with a backup quarterback who hadn’t played. What goes into making that play call at that point? (Reuben Frank)

Sean Mannion: Obviously, with the outcome, it’s one certainly I wish I could have back if I could do it over again. It was a call that we felt confident in throughout the week. We had a good week’s worth of practice. It’s something Andy has banked reps on, so I felt like it was something he could execute. Going back, you’re thinking about all the reps he has layered on certain things going all through camp in the spring. But it was obvious that you got to protect the ball, particularly down in the red zone. He knows that. On my end, obviously, in hindsight, being 20/20, I wish I would’ve called something different, but I think ultimately our level of execution in the offense in the red zone is so critical, and that starts with me. And then we have to make sure that when we find ourselves there in the low red zone, we’re able to finish in the end zone with a touchdown.

Q. Going back to WR Makai Lemon, more broadly through three games, have you seen him get more comfortable within this offense? (Johnny McGonigal)

Sean Mannion: Definitely. Makai has been doing a great job for us and really doing everything we’re asking him to do. The way he competes in the run game, we have a lot of different people that we can throw the ball to, and a lot of different people are getting targeted. Even on the routes where he’s not getting the ball, you can see the talent, you can see him winning, separating. It’s been nice in these last couple of games for the ball to find him a little bit more often. I think his confidence is growing day by day. Like I said, he’s an exciting young player whose confidence increases each day. He works his tail off, and he’s getting better and better, and we continue to be very excited about what he’s shown.

Q. Coaches offer different views on the concept of halftime adjustments. How do you spend halftime and how do you maximize that period? (Zach Berman)

Sean Mannion: We get together as a staff, and we talk about the different looks that we’ve seen throughout the game and basically try to chart a course for the second half. Everybody on our staff has kind of their different area, their different purview that they’re locked in on so that when we come together — because the NFL halftime is quick, we’ve quickly put together our charter course for the second half, communicated with the players and then we’re out. You’re taking notes throughout the entire game of things, ‘Hey, I want to get to this. I want to get to this.’ Usually, you have a good idea when you get to meet as a staff at halftime of the things you want to get to in the second half.

Q. Going back to the Rams, just overall, what have you seen through three games from them? (Dave Spadaro)

Sean Mannion: They’re certainly a tough opponent. They got a lot of talented players. They play hard. They play physical. I think they do some challenging things schematically, but, yeah, they have a ton of talent over there. I know they’re really well-coached from [Los Angeles Rams Head Coach] Sean [McVay] and [Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator] Chris Shula, two tremendous coaches, and it’ll be a great test for us this week. We’ve had a good two days worth of practice. We need to finish this week strong to be ready for them because they’re a team that is physical, they play hard and they’re well-coached. It’s going to be a good test for us.

Q. Sean, if WR Dontayvion Wicks has to step into the wide receiver 1 role, is that something that he’s ready for? (Tim McManus)

Sean Mannion: Everyone in our room is ready to win their matchups and ready to do what we’re asking them to do. Like I said, I think that’s been the luxury of our depth, is that we have a lot of different guys who we feel like can win their matchup. If guys go down due to injury and things like that, it does leave you, I think, well-suited to, it sounds cliche, but next man up, and that might change someone’s role from one week to the next, but we feel like everyone’s capable of shouldering that burden. Wicks has been doing a ton of great stuff. Makai’s been doing a ton of great stuff. You look across the board at multiple different position groups. We feel confident in our depth across the board, and they’re going to step up to really help us continue to grow and improve as an offense.