Q. What will the defense miss most with Nakobe being out?
VIC FANGIO: His good play. He's really played good for us this year, gotten better and better as the season wore on. You know, he had the green dot. Was awe call leader out there making calls that ILBs have to make. We're going to his him a ton.
Q. Does it change the way you call the game?
VIC FANGIO: No.
Q. Does Zach get a green dot now?
VIC FANGIO: Yes.
Q. Have you thought about getting Trotter some reps or will it be Oren Burks or how will you work that?
VIC FANGIO: We'll probably get Trot. We're not afraid to put him in there.
Q. Are the Rams a better team than when you played them in November?
VIC FANGIO: When you look at Rams had he started the year 1-4, they had a ton of injuries and they lost the last game of the season when they didn't play their regulars. So that's 1-5. In between, they are 10-2. So I think that answers your question.
Q. Are you as comfortable with Burks and Trot and with blitzes like you were with Nakobe, or do you have to see that in the game before?
VIC FANGIO: No. You know, we'll call it as we see fit.
Q. What has Trot shown you as a young kid?
VIC FANGIO: Yeah, Trot, I think Trot's got a good future and that future may be now. He's got good instincts. Really likes the game. He's smart. You know, he's got a lot of about qualities.
Q. What do you like about Oren?
VIC FANGIO: Oren is a good athlete. He can run. He's got experience playing. Good tackler as we saw in the opening kickoff. And we like him, too.
Q. Will it be a mix of them or just one?
VIC FANGIO: It could be. It could be.
Q. Are you happy with the tackling against Green Bay?
VIC FANGIO: No. Particularly two plays in particular, we had multiple missed tackles. So no, we need to do better there this week. These guys have, obviously, Williams, the running back is a good ball carrier, tough guy to tackle. All their receivers are good runners after the catch, as their tight ends are. We need to improve there.
Q. The Jaylen Reed --
VIC FANGIO: Yeah.
Q. Where specifically has he improved from the start of season to now?
VIC FANGIO: In all facets of playing the edge for us, the run, the pass. Pass, meaning rush the passer. Pass, meaning dropping when he does have to drop. He's improved in all areas.
Q. I know the depth chart looked different before injuries but going into the year what did you expect Nolan to contribute?
VIC FANGIO: I didn't have any expectations. I shoot high. Put no limits on anybody and let's just see where he went, and he kept improving.
Q. Is there something about the Georgia players that when you look at it, you can say, Yeah, I can tell he went to Georgia because of this?
VIC FANGIO: Not really. Kirby is a friend of mine. No, I mean, I don't pigeonhole him that way.
Q. What was the key defensively the last time you guys played the Rams?
VIC FANGIO: You know, they drove it on us early in the first drive of the game and then we got a takeaway. Early in the game we weren't very sharp. They were. And these guys are very game plan-specific team. They are going to have a mode of operation of the way they want to attack you, and we've got to be ready for that.
Q. Why do you think Cooper had the success he had against Huff in that first game?
VIC FANGIO: I don't know that you can label it that way. We played a lot of zone. So I don't know that you can say he had great success one way or the other against any of their guys.
Q. What are the difficulties facing a quarterback with the experience like Stafford?
VIC FANGIO: His talent and his know how. He's still one of the top passers in the league. Very, very smart. Can read coverages like better than most, if not one of the top two or three. Can put the ball -- and still has tremendous arm talent. Can put the ball anywhere.
Q. In the first Rams game, you were in the most dime all year. What was the reason for that and with Nakobe out, is that more pronounced going forward?
VIC FANGIO: I don't remember the reason, and no.
Q. The play where Jenkins was pulling across -- Nolan hit Jenkins and Jenkins went out. Is that the kind of play that you'll show in the week after as an example of hard, tough player? What kind of -- that's like not a highlight play within the scope of the game but it is a play that did have an impact on the game -- just curious what your thoughts are.
VIC FANGIO: Yeah, it was a really good play and he wasn't the only one that was really good on that play. Everybody on that side of the ball from the nose overplayed that play well.
Yes, it was a good play for us.
Q. Williams, another guy that had an impact in that game first time around. How key is he going to be in this matchup?
VIC FANGIO: Well, everybody that's out there is going to be key. And Milt had a good game the other night, or late afternoon, whatever you call it. Yeah, we need everybody to play good. When you're playing a quality offense like this team is, you've got to play good.
Q. When you're playing so much zone, what does it take to be buttoned up when you're passing it off?
VIC FANGIO: Practice reps. Experience. Game reps. Meetings. All of that.
Q. Bryce only played one snap. What went into that?
VIC FANGIO: You know, we had a good three-man rotation with the other guys, and we just stuck with it.
Q. Zach was saying that his interception was an example of how he's kind of felt trust in the system to make adjustments. When did that happen and how did that happen?
VIC FANGIO: It just happens organically over time. You know, you can't put your finger on one moment.
Q. Since he was All-Pro -- how did you talk to him about that and what are your thoughts on his year?
VIC FANGIO: Well, obviously he's had a great year. I think exceeded most everyone's expectations. Probably even himself. But now there is no limitations. He's set a standard for himself, and he's got to show up and do it every week.
Q. How big of a deal is it to have a different linebacker pairing after a season full of two high-level guys doing it all year, and now a new person or maybe two new people are coming in?
VIC FANGIO: It's an adjustment. You know, they haven't had the amount of reps together that Zach and Nakobe did. So yeah, it's an adjustment.
But we practiced them that way. I kind of have a little rule not to put two backup linebackers in practice together because that's not how it's going to happen in a game. So they have been out together in practice.
Q. What's the benefit of playing both Oren and Trot if you do go that way, as opposed to just having one guy out there? Would it be situational?
VIC FANGIO: Part of it is those two guys are on all special teams. So depending upon the flow of the game, you know, kind of like when Nakobe didn't play against Dallas, I guess it was, we had -- they had like seven- or eight-play drive and we had the Pick-Six. You know, then they got the ball right back and drove it for like a nine-play drive. Then we went three-and-out. We had a bunch of plays right there in a row in a short span. So something like that would be a good time to sub.
Q. A few years ago, Sean McVay named you as the toughest defensive coordinator to go against in his mind. What Hicks him so tough to go against?
VIC FANGIO: He's got a great offense that he has great command of, and he's a really good play-caller during the game. He can change gears on you at a moment's notice, and he's one of the top play-callers in the league for sure, you know, without a doubt.
Q. On the Slay interception, what do you like about him as a situational pass rusher from the interior and how has he improved?
VIC FANGIO: Yeah, I thought he played very well the other day. He wasn't in there just in passing situations. He enrolled in all situations. I thought he played very well. He does have the ability to rush the passer but for an undersized guy, he can anchor in the run, too. But very pleased with the way he played the other day.
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