Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur discuss their performance in their second joint practice with the Cowboys

OXNARD, Calif. – Following the second joint practice between the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys in two weeks, both coordinators spoke with local media to discuss their unit’s performance. The full press conference can be viewed below.

Below are some of the most significant quotes from defensive coordinator Chis Shula and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur:

“It’s great to watch (Aaron Donald). The best thing was watching him give some advice to (Braden) Fiske and I was there listening.” – Shula

Fiske, a rookie defensive tackle from Florida State, was selected in the second round of the 2024 draft, in part to fill some of the void left by Donald. Donald retired after last season, in which he earned his eighth First Team All Pro selection in 10 years at the age of 32.

Shula said he thinks about Donald’s return “every day” and that the door is always open for him to come back and coach. Even after retiring, he appears to be helping the Rams, as Fiske stepped into the backfield several times on the same day he received some advice from Donald.

“When we recruited Jared (Verse), we had heard the reports about him and he’s exactly what we wanted. He’s brought a great energy to that group. Byron is coming out of his shell from last year and is having some success.” – Shula

Defenders fiercely pursued Cowboys quarterbacks on Wednesday, putting pressure on Dak Prescott and Co. Verse was vocal after his successful carries, which were common, and second-year player Byron Young was similarly productive.

As for the veterans, Shula said Michael Hoecht brings “great leadership” to a young unit in his fourth season. Meanwhile, Nick Hampton is “like the silent killer of the group.” All of the outside linebackers made their presence felt against Dallas.

“(Matthew Stafford) operates at a world-class level. It’s poetry when he’s in the huddle and what he can do with the line and what he sees, how calm he is. We know that, and every rep is going to be valuable to him no matter how many snaps he’s had. Unfortunately, he had some stiffness and that gives those other guys a chance.” –LaFleur

The Rams were cautious with Stafford today, holding him out of practice with hamstring tightness as a precaution, according to a team spokesman. That gave Jimmy Garoppolo a chance to play with the first offensive line, while Stetson Bennett manned the second unit.

He said Bennett was able to build on some of the things he did in Saturday’s preseason opener, adding that he “did some good things,” but needs to limit turnovers. He said they corrected some of those mistakes today.

“I like all of our players to have the ball in their hands. They all feel like they’re not going to be tackled. What we keep telling them, even though we don’t have to because that’s how they’re built, is that we haven’t played tackle football yet, especially with our starters. For our players, Sunday is a completely different game.” – LaFleur

The Rams’ running backs were determined on Wednesday, running hard until the end of every play. With limited contact, backs like Kyren Williams and Blake Corum didn’t want to cut any reps short as they looked for more yards after the first touch.

LaFleur said “the urgency and energy has increased,” and Williams and Corum were a big factor in that.