NFC Notes: Jimmy Garoppolo, Sean McVay, Leonard Williams, Rams, Seahawks

Rams

The Rams signed QB Jimmy Garoppolo to backup QB Matthew Stafford, but he has helped the team out in other areas. Los Angeles HC Sean McVay spoke on how Garoppolo has helped the starting defense improve with his ability as the scout-team quarterback.

“I just think it’s the ability for him to be able to activate the parts of the field and make quick decisions,” McVay said, via Brock Vierra of the Rams Wire. “He has such a command too. Sometimes you get some of these younger quarterbacks and they’re not quite as comfortable taking command of the huddle. Even if you just hear the way that he communicates with the guys around him, you can’t help but get better because our defense is seeing a look that’s very much reflective of high-level starting caliber quarterback play with the things that he can do.”

“He has a great way about himself. He has definitely made them better by the way that he handles himself on the field, the looks that he’s able to present them, in terms of just mimicking and imitating the opposing team’s quarterback, and then I think he’s also made the players that he’s around better [by] the way he communicates to them.”

Rams

After becoming an NFL coach, Rams HC Sean McVay has been married and had his first children which usually happens to coaches as assistants, not head coaches. Former Rams LT Andrew Whitworth believes his marriage and children have given him a renewed purpose as a coach to create a perfect work-life balance.

“He’s got a chance to look at Jordan every day and look at Veronika and say, ‘I would love to freak out about how practice went today, I would love to freak out about where we are as a team right now — that’s normally what I would do,'” Whitworth said, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. “‘But in this moment, I’m going to put Jordan in my lap and I’m going to have some perspective. … This is my priority and I want to be great at it.'”

Los Angeles DC Chris Shula reiterated Whitworth’s sentiment but acknowledged how it hasn’t changed his work ethic one bit.

“He’s still getting here at 3 in the morning, so I don’t think it’s changed anything with the work ethic or the motivation,” Shula said. “But I think just the internal joy and doing it for others, I think that’s really what you see.”

• Rams LB Byron Young was fined $16,883 for unnecessary roughness (facemask) in Week 11.

Seahawks

Seahawks DL Leonard Williams had a good feeling about Sunday’s game against the Cardinals and had one of his best since joining the franchise following a trade with the Giants. Veteran S Julian Love has played with Williams in both New York and Seattle and 

“Playing with him for six years now, I just know when he smells blood in the water early, his whole bag is unlocked,” Love said, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. “He got after it today. He’s the best in the league. You guys saw that today.”

“We knew where we were in the division rankings, so ever since (the leaders) had that conversation, we’ve been treating it like playoffs,” Williams added. “Since then, I just feel like our team is coming closer together. We’re playing with great energy…I was feeding off the crowd. The 12s were just really loud out there today, so it was great energy all around.”