Chris Shula - Head Coach, rams Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-07 | Full transcript (primary source).
On September 7, 2026, Chris Shula addressed the media in a press conference focused on the return of star player Aaron to the Rams. The discussion highlighted the team's preparations and expectations as they integrate him back into their defensive lineup.
Transcript
Shula: Alright, how's everyone doing? How you doing? Good. What was your reaction to getting Aaron officially back on this team?
Shula: Extremely excited. You know, just great football player and what's been cool about the last week or so. It's honestly what a great person and a worker he is. Extremely coachable. He really trusts his coaches. Gif's already developed a great relationship with him. So, just a guy to another guy, a bet in the building to go out there and work extremely hard. And obviously one of the best defense alignments at all times. So, extremely happy to have him.
Shula: Has it been challenging or smooth to kind of figure out where he fits in all this? Or is it like the fact that you coached him a couple of years ago?
Shula: It's a challenge I'll take any time. No, we're taking it day by day and we're just trying to get him acclimated to the defense. But at the end of the day, football is football. I know it's been about two years. But, you know, we kind of expect him to hit the ground running and we'll see what happens.
Shula: Has he been able to get into any 11 on 11 related stuff with the team?
Shula: I mean, I'll leave that for, you know, you can ask Sean that or anything. I'm not exactly sure what's been disclosed, but he's working extremely hard and we're excited to have him.
Shula: Do you notice any difference in the group at all once he joined, like a different energy level?
Shula: It's, you definitely, it was exciting the other day he came. Now he feels like one of the guys. You know, like, we got a group that's extremely locked in, that loves playing football, that loves solving problems out in the field, that loves playing hard. And, you know, I don't think the standard, you know, changed anyway with AD coming, but obviously extremely excited to have him.
Shula: Once he's ready to go, is your plan to ease him into things? And if so, would that be like a long situation? Like, how do you start to visualize what you want to do, especially early?
Shula: You know, we have a lot of different thoughts, but we're truly, when I say we truly are taking it day by day. And we'll have a plan for him going into the game, but we want to see how it goes today with him. We want to see how it goes tomorrow. And then we truly believe, you know, by the time we get to Australia, we'll have a plan for this game and figure out the rest of that.
Shula: So that decision has not been made in terms of whether he's going to play or not?
Shula: You know, everything's day by day, Gar. As I said, no, we're ready for him if he does, ready for him if he doesn't. And we'll have a plan for however many plays he feels like he can go, and we'll go from there.
Shula: For you at your position, is this exciting having these kind of players in their roles?
Shula: You always want to coach great players. You know, it's extremely exciting. And especially, it's not just the great players. It's great players that work extremely hard. It's the Trent McDuffins, the Miles Garrets, the Cam Curls, the Quentin Lakes, you know, the Landmans. All those guys are like coaches on the field. AD falls right in line with that. Obviously, he's a huge part of what built this culture over Sean's tenure. And now we're excited just to add to what we have right now.
Shula: You mentioned Cam Curl. And when Sean was talking about the other dishes to the secondary, he said that getting Cam back, re-signing him was just as big of a deal. What does he mean to this defense and the secondary?
Shula: It really was. He's kind of been our silent leader, so to speak. He's just one of the most consistent guys you'll ever be around. And he's a leader on the field. He's a leader on the field. Guys look up to him, the way he plays, the way he communicates. He can play and do a lot of different things for us. And, you know, we're really excited to have him. He's done an awesome job. And I think, you know, over his two years, it's been really cool to see the growth, you know, to see where he came, you know, when he came here from Washington, and how we utilized him. And then that first year, you felt a ton of growth. And you just felt him continue to get better and better next year. So we expect him to take that next step. And part of that is, you know, being a leader of the defense. And that's exactly what he is.
Shula: Chris, you spent the last few months on the guard for a season. Now it's compared to the 49ers. Does the light kind of go on right there or a switch go on in terms of making that turn?
Shula: Definitely. You know, you definitely at some point, you know, in that training camp, you're kind of sick of going against good on good, you know, or ones on ones every single time and every single day. And you start to, you know, kind of manipulate your defense or what you want to do with foresight of exactly the team you're going to play. And whether that's the personnel that they do, whether that's the schemes that they present. Obviously, the Niners have a lot of problems based off the personnel and the schemes and stuff that we got to be able to use our personnel and use our defenses to defend them. And that might be a little bit different than when you're trying to get, quote unquote, camp rules for a whole season and stuff like that. So exactly right where you might kind of start introducing stuff a little bit earlier. But obviously, these three days, we're fully in the game plan.
Shula: Does it help that it's the 49ers or innately when you go against Kyle Scheck, and you kind of know that it's not going to look like what it looks like last year?
Shula: Yeah, you're exactly right. I think first game, I think everybody would kind of say that, you know. You know, they have a receiver group that's pretty much new. And obviously, some of the guys we've seen before and we're familiar with. You know, we want to wait and see how they deploy them and we'll adjust accordingly.
Shula: I don't know how much Miles did yesterday, but from what we saw, he was out at practice for the first time in a while. What's it like getting him back and is there any, I don't know, problem with the fact that he hasn't been on the field for a while?
Shula: You know, he's been around, he's been doing a ton of walkthroughs on his own with Joe and with Giff and with Drew Wilkins. And, you know, he's fully immersed as far as knowing where to line up and what to do exactly in the defense. And, yeah, exactly right now, we're excited to go out and just play 11-on-11 football with him and continue to see exactly what he does well and mold our defense to it.
Shula: To have consistency with Nate and Omar and the inside linebackers who have been together again for consecutive years, what have you seen from them kind of developing alongside each other?
Shula: It's huge. It's huge and that's a great question. You know, I think Nate's, you know, starting to take the next step and Omar, those guys playing together, those are two guys that are really, really physical. They're always in the perfect spots. They're guys like you feel like as a coach you can kind of communicate with them exactly, hey, how do you see this? How do you want to play this? And having guys that have been in the defense going on, land man going on his second year, but, you know, really feels second year here, but really feels like a huge veteran present for us. And, you know, I remember Omar starting his first game, you know, whatever it was that I think it was that Thursday night against the Vikings in 24 as an undrafted rookie. And to see the growth that he had, really he started playing really well right away. But to see the growth that he's had, and I think having land men in that room has really helped him, and those guys know exactly how to play off each other, exactly how to communicate, and they know what we want out of that spot. And I think Greg Williams, our LB's coach, does an excellent job with that group.
Shula: And similar to that, too, the safety room has remained consistent. Just what does that bring, having their third year, kind of the core four of them all back?
Shula: No, you're exactly right. It's the core four guys. You know, you got, obviously you got the two cams. Q and Tank have been rolling. And those guys have played a ton of football for us. We've had ups and downs together. And you talk about four guys that just have the right mentality, that are really, really flexible. Some of them have different skill sets than others, whether it's playing in the middle of the field or moving around. But guys that all love football, love to compete, great tacklers that play extremely hard. And, you know, we've been fortunate to have them going on our third year. I know I have.
Shula: Besides getting AD, what are a couple of best surprises from camp that say, okay, this really opened my eyes and I wasn't wearing them?
Shula: That's a good question. I don't know if anything is surprising. It's just more confirmed. Like, it's been really cool to see, you know, how the DBs have embraced. Like, we just talked about the four safeties and how they've really embraced our, you know, Trent and Jamon Watson. And we're really seeing how close those guys are, you know, not just talking about on the field, but just you see them always kind of interacting and talking or anything, any setting not on the field or, and just how they communicated on the field. And really how seamless that transition's been for those guys. And not surprised at all because those are two guys that love football. And typically, you know, with our culture here, if you do, you're going to fit in great. But, you know, that's been, that's been cool to see.
Shula: Yeah, you know, the guy, the guy that really stuck out to me was Ty Hamilton. I thought he did an awesome job where in camp it was like, you know, his position coach really challenged him to play physical, play fast, play tough, you know. And, you know, as a rookie, we thought he was kind of thinking, hesitating a little bit too much. And you saw that show up on the tape. And he was definitely a pleasant surprise for us, for sure.
Shula: Alright. Thanks, Coach. Thank you, guys.
Unknown: Have you felt overall about your group to this point and just going into the first opportunity to see them in a live game setting outside of the preseason, obviously?
Unknown: You know, I really do like the group that we've been able to work with since, you know, I got here in the spring. I think these guys have really bought into what we're trying to do. And I feel like we've improved a lot from when we first got here. And you could see the strides that guys have made with their techniques and things have, you know, really followed through well.
Unknown: With so many first year players, undrafted free agents, playing in the preseason, have you been able to kind of work with the groups that are going to be your starting unit since spring? Or is this just kind of a change of gears once the preseason's over and you have these starters that are actually going to play?
Unknown: Yeah. You know, we did a good job in training camp. We obviously had the joint practice with the Cowboys. And I honestly think that the way that we practice here is so game-like that it enables you to get those types of looks that you're going to have with the groups that you're going to be using in games. So I feel like it has really been a good thing. Our practice settings have really emulated game settings for us.
Unknown: Are you sure there are going to be a special team coming in? Is it kind of a blind spot?
Unknown: No, I think, honestly, my mindset was whenever I got here, like every season is a different year. Like every season is a different season. Every team is a different team. Yeah, there's been a lot of, like, similar personnel, I would say, to last year. But every team is different. And my goal is to just improve, right, teach the techniques, apply them every day, make the corrections. And that way, we're getting better every day, day in and day out. And ultimately, I feel like when you do that and you have really good, I would say, fundamentals and technique, that's going to carry over and get the results that you want, ultimately.
Unknown: Anything stand out in the camp at all? Do you favor surprise, like, wow, this is better than I thought?
Unknown: No, I would say this. I think Sean's done a tremendous job, he and Les, of truly building the culture here to where the guys that are involved in the kicking game, like for me specifically, have bought in and are willing to do whatever you're going to teach them to do. I feel like we've had a lot of guys being able to play multiple spots and have thrown a decent amount of multiples at these guys, and they've handled everything well. The adjustments have gone well. So I think that you're going to see, you know, I'm hoping you're going to see a good product with clean play, with clean play in the kicking game for us.
Unknown: You're new here, but a guy like Tutu Atwell, he showed dynamic speed with the Rams over the past few years. Is he a guy that you might look to to see if he could be part of a kicker turner, pumper turner thing?
Unknown: Yeah, he definitely gives you value as a ball handler. He's got extremely natural hands. You know, I evaluated him when he was coming out of Louisville. But I really like the kid, I like his demeanor. He's, you know, super instinctive in terms of that. Excited to work with him. But yeah, he'll definitely factor as a ball handler for us in that area.
Unknown: Yeah, I think that there's definitely a lot of areas that I feel like I can improve with, with the unit. But it ultimately starts with laying the foundation, the techniques, the fundamentals, and all those things carry over into the scheme and the schematics of everything. So you can't do anything unless you have good fundamentals. It really starts with like, you know, we talk about you really build your core group through the punt unit. And, you know, having, you know, great footwork there. If you can't, if you don't have good footwork, you can't protect against the most simple rushes, let alone the most complex ones and things of that nature. So I feel like just being able to harp on that, you know, we've stressed the fundamentals. We stress the technique. You know, Sean has reiterated to the players how important these things are. And I think that those things have shown up for us.
Unknown: So then your impressions of Xavier Smith and the way he's approached the poner turner role?
Unknown: Those guys have all done a good job, the ball handlers, exes, put in a lot of time. He, Ron, Kyle, those guys go out pre-practice. I'm out there, Robert Woods. All those guys have really embraced, you know, that position for us is key and critical for our success. The entire team understands that as well. And, you know, he's done everything he can to put himself in a good spot. So I feel confident in him and the other guys we have in that role.
Unknown: I know you spoke highly of Joe Cardona at the beginning of training camp. When we talked to you, he was voted one of the team captains. Just what does that do for you, having somebody like that on the field, and also just what's that say about him getting that distinction, being here only for six months?
Unknown: Yeah, I mean, Joe Cardona epitomizes what you want in a leader. Everything he does from being vocal in the meetings to how he trains, you know, whenever, like, we get into the season, he does individual drills with the linebackers. So, like, he's a real dude, and I think the team really respects him. Obviously, he's got the background with the Navy and all that. Really have a lot of respect for Joe. Obviously, we drafted him whenever I was in New England in 15. Great relationship with he and his family. I have all the trust in the world in that cat, and, you know, really excited that we were able to get him here. He's a great leader. He's been really good for our team.
Unknown: Coach, when you talk about practices being more, like, game-like here, how is that maybe different from what you've experienced before?
Unknown: Um, I don't want to give away too much. No, I really do. I think our head coach does a tremendous job. And our guys are prepared from top to bottom, so. And I will say this. It's easy to be a coach whenever you have guys that love football. Everyone in this building loves football, so that's important.
Unknown: Cool. Thank you. Appreciate it.
Unknown: Thank you. What's up, guys? How's preparation been before the epic trip to Australia this week?
Unknown: Yeah, it's been good. I've appreciated how our guys have come to work. It's been the consistent message throughout training camp, but really being able to follow in and see that happen in a game week. Obviously, there's a level of urgency and just excitement for those guys to finally be, you know, headed into the season. And so you felt that on the field. But the execution, execution, I say it at a high level, which is what you want as much as that excitement starts rolling. They still want high end execution. And those guys have come to work, done a really good job on the practice field. So, encouraged by that.
Unknown: Bubba was just talking about Robert Woods helping with the kick and Hunter turnstoff. What have you seen from his development going from player to coach?
Unknown: Say that one more time. Bubba was just talking about Robert Woods.
Unknown: Yeah. Helping out with kick and Hunter turnstoff. How have you seen his development?
Unknown: Yeah, Robert Woods, man, you know what I would say about him. I wasn't around here, obviously, during his time as a player. But even being here and just the people who were around him, who experienced him, it doesn't surprise you that a guy like that was able to transition into coaching as seamless as he was. He cares about the game. He cares about the guys. He wants to do things right. And so that was who he was as a player. It's translated to who he has been as a coach. And he's just able to give those guys, man, tidbits, things that he's seen, things that he's come across during his career. And, man, I really appreciate the way he's come to work. He'll have a bright future in front of him, you know, as a coach.
Unknown: What stands out to you the most, what has been the improvement since day one of camp to now?
Unknown: Improvement overall, you know what, there's so many areas. When you get started in camp, you've got so much that's out in front of you. You've sat there and you've thought about it and planned it out as a coaching staff. But, you know, you only have so many reps, so many minutes per day that you actually get out on the field. And so I think the thing that I've enjoyed the most about our group is despite them being a veteran group who have had a lot of continuity, they've tried to find the little ways to continue to get better. We've been pushed by our defense, I feel like day in and day out, to be at our best. And I feel like it was as challenging of a camp with ones, you know, against ones throughout the, you know, majority of camp as what I've experienced. And so it's just, it's callous those guys in a cool way. You saw them just grow and just they're familiar and in continuity with what we're trying to get done. But yeah, I've been excited about the competitive spirit of the group overall. I think offensively and defensively, you've seen that day in and day out. Like I said, I would feel that way if camp wasn't as competitive as it was. You know, there wasn't a day that you could show up out on our practice field and not be at your best. You get exposed. I mean, that was person-to-person, offensively, defensively. I know those receivers talked about it every day. Like, they had to be at their best. There was days that they felt like they had bad days. There was days the DBs felt the same way. The O-line against the defensive line, it was a challenging camp and you never felt like you could take a breath out on the field. And so that's obviously what you're trying to create, you know, with your practice rep is that game-like reality. But, you know, the competition on the field brought that about as much as possible.
Unknown: So, you know, naturally, yeah, have we tackled guys and taken them to the ground? No, is there some of those parts that, you know, you certainly got experience on the football field. But I feel encouraged about where we're at from the competitive spirit and the nature that we had throughout the course of training camp.
Unknown: What have you seen in the growth of Jordan Whittington?
Unknown: Jay Witt, man. You know, from day one, he was super mature. So, you knew that growth was going to be in front of him. He was going to chase down every nook and cranny of how he could improve as a player. I think he's been versatile from the very, you know, first season he was with us. I mean, Philly game, his, in the playoffs, the last game of that season, his rookie season, he literally played every single position for us. You know, he was, you know, playing in there at F, he was backing up Phuket Z, jumped in there at X, you know, late in the two-minute drive. And so, he has a great feel for our offense, a great feel for what we're trying to do. But I think his confidence has grown because he's seen himself make a number of different plays in a number of different ways. And so, I'm excited about where he's at right now, headed into the season. And he's a guy that will rely on a ton in a ton of different ways.
Unknown: Appreciate you guys. Appreciate it.
Unknown: How's the preparation when going for the trip?
Unknown: It's been going great. Nice to get back in like our normal, normal-ish rhythm and flow. But the feeling of, alright, we got our normal down distance going into third down and preparing for red zone and stuff like that. So, nice to have that rhythm and flow and understand being able to break down just some of the tape and some of our play calls so we can understand that we can have our clarity and go play fast.
Unknown: Can you take us through that issue that kept you off the field for the last few weeks? And I think our understanding has happened during the joint practice with the Cowboys. And how are you feeling now?
Unknown: Yeah, it feels great. Being out there on the field just to be able to move around, especially with just some of the isolation and not being able to participate in all of the team drills, lifting and things like that. So, being around the guys I think has got some of that energy and blood flowing in the body and then also being excited to kind of have that preparation of coming into game one. So, it's been great.
Unknown: Reggie and the crew in there, especially Mark that I work with, has been great every day. Just constant communication about how we're feeling. And what's the best way for us to move forward?
Unknown: How do you guys continue to build the bond? We know you're in the bond. How do you guys continue to build that bond? How do you guys continue to build the chemistry as you guys go into game one?
Unknown: I think by some of the standards that we have in that room. I think there's a mentality and mindset that was here and it's pretty cool to have Robert Woods in the room and that being the person that I kind of came in and watched a lot of that tape and felt my identity in that toughness and that style of play that he showed here. So, to have him in the room, I think it's an extra chip on our shoulder. We see what you put on tape and it's time for us to do the same. And then especially just in the receiving aspect of the game, constantly learning from Devontae at all times. Obviously asking the right questions for Matthew so he can feel confident that we're going to be where we need to be. And then also I think just being able to watch Devontae every day where there's always something new that he puts out there, things that he's constantly working on. So, the improvement for I think everybody individually is really cool to be able to chase that every day.
Unknown: Is there a different energy in the room this year because of the expectations and also because of maybe a little chip on the shoulder from how last season ended?
Unknown: I think so. I think there's an understanding of that the goal wasn't completed last year. There's only one team that gets to walk away this season happy. So, the understanding of that, yeah, there's.