Los Angeles Rams defensive back Quentin Lake knows that Los Angeles is ready to take the next step in 2024.
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"Don't be surprised if you see us this time next year holding up the Lombardi," Lake predicted during a wide-ranging conversation with FanBuzz the day after Super Bowl LVIII.
Lake, 25, is the Rams' rising young safety who is equally adept in coverage as he is throwing his weight around in run support. He believes the pieces are in place for Los Angeles to make strides from a 2023 season that ended with a wild-card loss to Detroit into a legitimate championship contender in 2024.
"With the guys that we have," Lake says. "And the work ethic that we put in, you know everybody in this league works hard, but the way we work and how efficient we are, and the guys that we have ... Watch out, because the Rams are coming, for sure."
Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have built a roster that fuses star-caliber, accomplished veterans such as quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and defensive lineman Aaron Donald with exciting young players such as Lake, record-setting rookie receiver Puka Nacua, and running back Kyren Williams, to name a few.
However, for Lake, continuing to grow as a player and helping guide the Rams on the path to multiple Super Bowl berths in coming years begins with following in the massive footsteps of his father, Carnell Lake.
A five-time Pro Bowler, Carnell Lake was named to the All-1990s team and played 12 seasons in the NFL after being chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft. After spending the first 10 seasons of his career there, Lake played one season each for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens prior to retiring in 2001.
"My dad has been a great resource for me," Lake said of his father. "Our love language has been football, which is amazing."
From the very beginning, when Quentin heard stories about his father's career — from a Super Bowl appearance to the fact that he played at a high level throughout his 13-year career — Carnell has both been an inspiration and a resource.
"I think the biggest thing for me," Lake said, "was [my dad] definitely instilled some core values early on, and I have two acronyms that have helped me. One is 'Attitude, Effort and Preparation,' or 'AEP,' which means, to really sum it up, is you can only control what you can control, you can control your attitude each and every day of how you want to approach your job or how you want to approach practice and stuff like that, your effort.
"Effort has always been a given, for me, you have to go out and give your max effort each and every day, work hard, and make sure nobody outworks you or your preparation. That especially comes on game days, and throughout the week. It's about your homework, do your film study and all of the things that will allow you to succeed on Sundays."
Through the first 23 games of his career, Lake produced 63 total tackles with one sack and allowed just 4.7 yards per target in 2023, one year removed from being chosen by the Rams in the sixth round.
Born in 1999, Quentin never got to see Carnell in action on the field. But he heard stories of the Super Bowl in 1996 and what his father meant to legions of Steelers fans and to his teammates on the field and in the locker room.
The lessons passed from father to son aren't just a reflection of Quentin's preparation but are guideposts from Carnell on how to thrive between the lines on game day.
"It comes down to knowing your assignment," Lake explains. "Knowing what the defensive scheme is on a given play, what is my leverage, am I outside or inside, and then your technique ... 'Do I want to play press against this receiver, or do I want to play off? Do I want to disguise my look a bit on this snap?'
"And, so, those things help me a lot and the things that my dad has taught me have allowed me to kind of slow the game down a little bit to where I'm not thinking too much and I already have a pre-set plan each play to allow me to put myself in positions to make more plays. ... Those core values have really helped make my transition to the NFL a smooth one."
Lake spoke at length about how he can follow in his father's footsteps, continuing to an ascent he hopes one day places him among the premier players at his position, about what makes him so optimistic about the Rams' trajectory, and much more.
Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images
FanBuzz: Obviously, your dad has been a constant influence in your life on and off the field. But whether it was growing up, or during your career at UCLA, or even now, are there any defensive backs you grew up watching or who are even in the league today who you pattern your game after or look up to at the position?
Quentin Lake: "Yeah, Rod Woodson was obviously a Hall of Fame caliber guy, and I would hear the stories of his work ethic through my dad. I was like, 'You know what, that's like me.' That was a big thing for me, to hear stories of how these professional athletes have played for 13 or 18 years, or sometimes even 20 years. ... What was their workout regimen and stuff like that like?
"And, so, I'd hear all these stories of how they worked out and what they did in the offseason, and obviously it was their play on the field that mattered a lot, but it was more so, how did they approach each and every day, how they worked so hard.
"The story I always heard was that Rod Woodson was a world-class hurdler, in the 110 hurdles at Purdue, and hearing the backstory of these guys and where they came from and what they did, that's what really made me look up to guys, especially like Rod, and obviously my dad. Then, there's Lester Hayes, old-school guys like that, who are the reason my dad wore No. 37. Then you have to talk about guys like Ronnie Lott, back in the day, or even John Lynch, they kind of shaped, paved the way at the safety position."
FanBuzz: Let's switch gears for a minute here. The Rams are suddenly one of the most exciting young teams in the league. Tell me about Puka Nacua. You get to practice against this guy who may be the most exciting and electrifying young receiver in the sport. What makes him special?
Lake: "He's strong. That's the biggest thing that people don't understand, just how strong he is. He's a big body, and he just gets it. He's a football guy. He's an electric player, but he's just a football guy. You put him out there, and he's just going to make a play.
"It helped me a lot this year, just being able to go against him, and he's kind of like a different receiver. I'm not going to say he's blazing fast, but he's such a good technical route-runner, he has strong hands, and a strong body. So, as a defensive back, you can't really move him off his spot.
"To see a later-round draft pick getting the accolades and the notoriety, and the fame that he's been getting this year, put a big smile on my face, because not a lot of late-round picks do as well as he did. Breaking the rookie receiving record, man, that goes down in history. I'm super excited to see what he does in Year 2, but, Puka is a hell of a football player and he's been playing fantastic for us."
FanBuzz: When you look at your guys' offense, Kyren Williams burst onto the scene at running back this year, and Matthew Stafford is still playing at an exceptional level. You see this offense every single day. How good can they be? How do you guys take the next step next season toward winning a playoff game or making a Super Bowl run?
Lake: "I think in 2024, especially coming off a year where people didn't expect a lot from us, we definitely put ourselves, especially the offense, put themselves on the map to say, 'Hey, we're a lethal group,' and having another year together to mesh and to come together, to combine all the talents that we have with Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Puka, Kyren — man, it's going to be exciting.
"I think that these guys just fit exactly what coach McVay wants. Not just in terms of as football players, but just as men in general. These guys are tenacious and relentless, they have grit, and all that stuff. I think it's going to be really exciting to see what they do. But, not only that, I feel like we're going to potentially have one of the most powerful offenses in the NFL next season, due to the fact that we had a lot of young players and now just getting another year under their belt, the sky's the limit for these guys."
FanBuzz: Obviously, as a defensive back, you have one of the greatest linemen to ever play the game in front of you. How much does it help you to have a guy like Aaron Donald up front, consistently wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks?
Lake: "Yeah, it makes it pretty easy. If you give Aaron Donald a one-on-one matchup, nine out of 10 times he's going to win that pretty easily. Having him, almost as the centerpoint of our defense, has been huge just knowing that we've got a guy that can rush the passer and play the run at a really high level and do a whole bunch of different things out there.
"It makes our job [in the secondary] pretty easy because sometimes we don't need to cover guys for even three seconds. But, to see him work each and every day, you kind of understand why he's such a force. Like you said, as a defensive back, it makes it a bit easier having a guy like that, a guy who can get double or even triple-teamed and still win. It's been awesome to play with him the past two years."
FanBuzz: When you look around the league, who are some of the wide receivers you have played against, seen on film, or just watched during your bye week who you think are the best receivers in the NFL or the matchup that you've used as a measuring stick for yourself?
Lake: "There's so many good receivers, there really are. Interestingly enough, there are so many different play styles of how dudes play receiver. Some of the guys we played this year, like CeeDee Lamb, Chris Olave, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Terry McLaurin ... . Those guys, you can line up in the slot, they're not true X-receivers or Z-receivers, but you can line them up outside or in the slot."
FanBuzz: For you personally, what are some of Quentin Lake's goals going into your third season? What do you hope to accomplish this offseason? And if we were having this conversation in February of 2025, what would you have to accomplish in order to say that the 2024 NFL season was a successful one for you?
Lake: "I would say the biggest thing for me going into this year is really establishing my role on the defense. I think this part year, I was able to show my versatility. But I want to get settled in and be like, I want to be one of those guys that the Rams' defense can lean on, one of those guys that's a focal point who plays a pivotal role.
"Some of the things that are going to take me there — funny story: I'm actually taking taekwondo for flexibility and, of course, added mobility. I think that will help me get stronger and more flexible, but will also allow me to stay on the field or a full 17 games, because it will help me avoid some of the soft-tissue type injuries. And I feel like doing it will allow me to make more plays; and if I make more big plays, the team will be in a better position to win. It's kind of a domino effect.
"It's been fun this offseason. I hit the ground running hard, I've been training almost every single day. I think because of the team that we have and because of the players on this roster and us falling short this past year, everybody in this building is just going hard right now, myself included. The biggest thing for me is just being on the field, being available, and turning into one of those pivotal guys on this team."
