Fassel, Goff, Saffold, Austin, Gurley, Tree, Tru, McDonald, Hayes …1/1

Rams Interim Head Coach John Fassel –– January 1, 2017

(Opening remarks)
“Our goal was to start out 2017 with a win and a little bit better vibe – clearly that didn’t happen. I really don’t have much more to add because what I would say is probably what I would’ve said the last couple weeks – as far as the actual offense, defense and special teams – just didn’t get it done. What I told the guys after the game here in the locker room was that I was proud of them and everything we’ve been through is tough. Definitely not any excuse because we’re pros – we’re expected to overcome adversity, perform at the highest level and win – we just didn’t do that. Wish I probably had more for you to just kind of start out, but at this point I think I’ve run out of words.”

(On how much the loss hurts)
“It hurts bad. It hurts. I was expecting to win. Anytime you lose hurts, but it hurts to lose in the fashion that we did because people are going to ask ‘did the team quit, did they not prepare, did they not care?’ Before you ask that, I will just say, in my opinion, whether its correct or whether it’s naïve, preparation this week was great. We had a good Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday practice – we did. There wasn’t any lack of energy, there wasn’t anybody that was late and obviously, today, we just weren’t good enough. Offensively, again, we just couldn’t get anything going. That just puts us in a hole and it’s hard for us to come back, when we don’t have a lead. It hurts. Sorry for a long answer to a simple question”

(On whether it would be fair to judge QB Jared Goff on the 2016 season and whether people even know what kind of quarterback he is going to be yet)
“I don’t think so. I think the only thing you can judge about Jared is that he’s tough. You can say that he didn’t win a game as a starter, but we also weren’t very good in, really, any of the positions on offense to give him a chance. He’ll take responsibility for himself too. I think he’s a building is a building block and I think Todd Gurley is – we made (WR) Tavon (Austin) last year with the contract part of that. Then our offensive line has really got to step up to protect a building block who we’re building around Jared. I admire his toughness. I think you can judge whatever you want. But I just think he needs more opportunities and more help to really judge him. I love the kid. I think he’s what you want – he’s tough”

(On how he would evaluate RB Todd Gurley this season and whether it’s the same sort of thing as Goff)
“I would say the same sort of thing. You have two building blocks. I think you have a quarterback and running back – a rookie and a second-year guy. Clearly, they need to perform better, but they need help”

(On if there was anything specifically regarding Gurley that he saw that was different than last year)
“Yeah. I think two things. I think he started pressing a little bit because there just wasn’t success that came, really, at any point, especially early. It was probably human nature to become a little bit frustrated. Whether he pressed and wasn’t patient or whatever it is – I’ll have to go back and look at the whole season worth of tape. But frustration set in and confidence maybe dropped, whether it was in himself or just the whole package. I think you have a really good running back. Last year, he really was pretty spectacular in the last 12 games of the season and it just didn’t work out this game. But I would go to battle with those guys on offense moving forward. There has to be some help”

(On if there was a scuffle outside the locker room at halftime between players)
“There was, I didn’t see it, and I haven’t got a full report. From what I heard, (DT Dominique) Easley one of the Cardinals guys started some kind of banter back and forth. I’m not sure what provoked it, and really how it finished because I didn’t see it, but I heard about it and I think whoever it was did a good job at breaking it up and it didn’t carry over in the second half, which was good”

(On if the scuffle was between the Rams and the Cardinals)
“Correct. It was a Ram and a Cardinal. Then, once two guys, a Ram and a Cardinal went at it, then a few more Rams and a few more Cardinals went at it. But to follow up on that, there hasn’t been any internal clashes of hate or fighting, and sometimes, maybe as poorly as our offense performed, let’s face it. You know a lot of teams might have the defense start pointing fingers, and screaming and shouting, and, you know, a hoedown goes on in the locker room. None of that happened. That was my understanding of what happened”

(On what the most positive thing is that he can take from this season)
“That’s a really good question. That’s a really good question. It’s hard to think of one right now. The only thing I would say is, you know, in the full year of moving out here and being in different places and not having really any sustained success except for maybe that three-game winning streak early in the season, is I think the positive thing you take from it is, there are some pros in the locker room that, as bad as things got, prepared, practiced, and gave it their all to perform, although I can see how some people might question that. But, that’s not at all what I saw. So maybe, intangibles, I think there’s some positives to take, but as far as the measurables, with offensive numbers, wins and losses, it’s tough maybe to see the positives in any form or fashion from that, other than, there is fighters in the locker room, and there’s guys who I think believe in the ‘stonecutter credo.’”

(On what he thinks the problems with the offensive line are)
“Yeah. Two years ago in Todd’s (Gurley) class I think we drafted five O-lineman, and then a supplemental sixth. So, I believe it’s a solid group. Weather it’s finding the right lineup, or building an identity – that’s the biggest thing. Just from observation the past three weeks, when a unit has an identity that they believe in, then they have an expectation of how they need to perform. In my evaluation, I didn’t sense an identity on the offensive line, you know, are we great pass protectors, are we smash-mouth drive blockers, are we going to communicate. I know from a special teams perspective, the better special teams groups in the league, there’s an identity. Whether they’re fast, or they’re tough, or they’re relentless, or they can return the football. And I think that would be the biggest thing. Maybe that’s a bad answer because it’s not something that you can measure, but identity is a big thing, especially, I think, on offensive line”

(On what the explanation was for the Goff motion penalty)
“I asked a couple of times. They said that because he’s a quarterback, it’s different as a guy in motion if he doesn’t get set because it falls under the rules of deceit. That’s what I was told because he can still be making calls and making signals. The one ref who didn’t make the call – I kept asking him for an answer – because a guy can go in motion as long as everybody is set before he goes in motion, and that’s what happened. And he said ‘there was motion by the quarterback, penalty because of the rules of deceit.’”

(On if he is going to read the rule-book and look up the rules of “deceit”)
“Yeah I got to read the rules on that one. Obviously, the category of deceit is pretty subjective. That was a strange one that just – I’ll get an explanation so I’ll know better than next time because that was a unique one”

(On QB Jared Goff seeming upset on the fake-punt with P Johnny Hekker)
“I didn’t even see it. He obviously didn’t know we were going to run a fake punt. I’m sure he wanted to go for it. And the crowd was booing, and I’m just listening to the crowd, saying, well, you’ll find out in a few seconds what’s going to happen. I’m glad he was mad – I didn’t see him. I wasn’t concerned. I figured we’d get the first. The other one too that I got to find the film, because all I saw was live – I was standing right there – was the personal foul at the end of the half. In my opinion, the referees gave him the opportunity to get the three points. I saw our guy get blocked in the back, which ricocheted him into their guy. So, I could be wrong, that’s just what I saw live, and it’s unfortunate when you give up three points at the end of the half. If that wasn’t the call, then they wouldn’t have had an opportunity for that. But, that wasn’t a factor in the game. That was just two things that I’ll have to look at and learn from on why those were called”

(On what’s next for him)
“Well, I’m going to go home tonight and spend some time with my wife and kids and go back to the office in the morning, but, I told the guys in the locker room after the game that I’m very proud to be a Ram. I’ve been a Ram for five years – longest I’ve been as a coach in any place in my career – college or pro. I feel like I’m a Ram. I’m proud to be a Ram. Obviously, the changes that are going to happen – my fate is really up to other people. Whether it’s the new head coach wants to keep me or not, that’s kind of the way it goes. Thanks for asking, I haven’t, really, actually thought about it. But I’m sure tomorrow I’ll have to start working on thinking about it”

(On how he would summarize his three-game stint as interim head coach)
“Unsuccessful, because we didn’t get a win. But on a personal level, it was probably the best coaching experience of my life. It’s definitely something that I’ll never forget. I think it will be an experience that has made me a lot better coach, and has given me a little bit different perspective on things to be able to do that in this situation. I can’t imagine ever being thrust into a more unique situation. It quite possibly could happen, just because it’s football. I would have to summarize it as probably the best coaching experience of my life.”

***

Rams QB Jared Goff

(On the positives he takes out of this season moving forward)

“I think there’s a lot of things. I think you can learn a lot about yourself, a lot about your teammates, a lot about how not to do things and that sometimes can be the best stuff. You can learn from the bad things. In life and in football and everything you do it’s not always going to be up, up, up, up, up all positive. There’s going to be down years, down games, down times in your life and the way you get better from them is you learn from them. That’s what we need to do. If you don’t learn from them then it’s going to keep getting worse and if you learn from them it’s probably going to get a lot better. I’ve experienced that in football and life and everything and I know that you guys have, too. It’s a pretty simple concept. If it’s not going very well learn from it.”

(On whether or not he compares this season with the Rams to his experience in college)

“Yeah, absolutely. That was a hard time and this feels just about the same. It’s pretty identical and I think the best part about it was that we weeded out the people we needed to weed out. We changed the culture in the building, and then we won in the coming years with the same guys that were 1-11 the year before and that’s kind of what I expect to happen here as well. Four and twelve with some more talent than we looked like in that room. We need to do some things and get the culture changed and with that comes higher standards and better players and more talent and it just rolls. It just keeps going. It’s momentum and I expect that to happen here.”

(On if he thinks it’s fair for the fans to judge him as a quarterback after this season)

“I’d hope not. It’s only been seven games and I know it’s my rookie year. I came in midway through the season, but I’m not trying to make any excuses. I’ve got to be better and everyone’s got to be better, but I think I’ve got a lot of football ahead of me and I expect to continue to improve and expect the guys in there to rally around me and get things done around here.

(On how banged up he feels)

“I’m fine.”

(On where he feels he’s made the biggest strides and what areas need improvement)

“There’s a million things. I don’t know if I can pinpoint it, but I feel like I’ve made great strides all the way from April until now. Just understanding everything and seeing everything and letting it slow down a little bit and being able to not think so much and just react and play. In these last few games that became more and more apparent as it did when I first started playing against Miami into the coming weeks. It just became slower and it became easier to see. I was seeing things better. I think it’s kind of a natural progression for guys. Like I said, it’s only seven games, but it’s enough to know what I did well and what I didn’t do well and what I need to work on.”

(On his excitement to play a new system and what he plans to do in between the coaching change)

“Very. Going back to what I just said I know what I need to work on. I know what I need to get better at. I know what I have to do well, so as far as that goes I probably won’t focus on this year as much. As soon as the new coach is hired we will be diving into the new playbook and giving it everything I’ve got and learn as quickly as I can, picking it up and getting ready for OTAs. I’m very excited. I think everyone there is very excited. We know this year didn’t go the way we liked it to and we know that there are greener pastures ahead especially with what should be coming in the future. We’re excited.”

(On if he hopes the new playbook lets him take more chances)

“Of course, I mean sure as a quarterback you always want to throw it, but with what we had I think we did the best job at that with what we did have and what we were able to do. Of course you like to be able to throw the ball around and get some guys running around, making plays, and having big long passes and big long runs. At the same time, whoever it is it will be a good hire and I’m excited for it.”

(On the message he had to the other players as the leader of the team)

“I told all the guys, especially the young guys that I know are going to be here for a while, ‘Just remember what this feels like. It’s going to drive you through the offseason. It’s going to drive you into next year. It’s going to maybe even carry with you for the rest of your life.’ I tried to let them know that this isn’t the end of anything. It’s really the beginning. This feeling should linger with us and it should stick with us all the way through next year.”

(On the Cardinals defensive performance)

“They were doing a good job up front. They were bringing it. Obviously, they had nothing to lose just like us, so they were going to bring a lot of pressure. We kind of expected that and we wanted to pick it up better than we did. That group up front, I don’t care what anyone says about them. I appreciate their effort and everything they gave me and Case (Keenum). Those guys up front gave me everything they had. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but I’m very appreciative and very happy for those guys.”

(On what he will do different this offseason)

“It’ll be a little different. I’ll have my first kind of real offseason in a long time and not have school or anything like that. I’ve talked to some receivers already and most of us will be down here, so we’ll train and whenever we get that new playbook start digging into it, getting ahead of it and get ready for OTAs. I think the guys are hungrier than ever now. I understand that this is not what we want to do. It’s not what anyone wants to do. We need to just hold ourselves to a higher standard and it starts as soon as we start working out.”

(On his opinion of RB Todd Gurley)

“Todd’s (Gurley) great. Todd’s going to be fine. I don’t know what he ended up with. He probably ended up with 900 yards, and sure you know what people probably expected him to do more than that, but Todd’s a great player, great teammate, great leader. He’s going to be just fine. I expect him to have a big year.”

(On his sense of ownership going forward)

“It’s huge. As a quarterback of this team and a leader of the team it’s big, especially going through a little bit of a change and a shift, but I know I won’t have to do it all on my own. I know there’s guys in there that think the same way I do and understand that things need to be changed and the culture needs to be changed and a million other things have to be changed and I don’t have to do it by myself because those guys are in there. A bunch of great guys, and a bunch that is going to be as resilient as anybody else.”

(On what he thinks the silver lining of the season is)

“I’m not sure there is much. Maybe that we have a change coming that is going to be positive and is going to bring a lot of positive energy and something we’re all excited for and something we’re excited to get going with. We want to put this behind us as quickly as possible and want people to understand that this is not what we’re about and the standard will be set higher.”

***

Rams G Rodger Saffold

(On what he took away from this season from a team standpoint)

“It just seems like it’s just a bunch of missed opportunities. We had two touchdowns, and we missed those huge plays, huge turns of momentum, the turnovers – it just constantly happened. Wherever these guys go, they have to workout, and get in the film room, and be like, ‘No more,’ wherever you end up, because this isn’t the culture that you want to live in. I’ve been here seven years and still haven’t had a winning season. I know I’ve worked hard enough to deserve better.”

(On why the team lost by so many points today)

“That’s pretty easy to understand – we had all of those turnovers. We had, I think it was, I don’t know how many straight three-and-outs, you’d probably know better than I know. But, then your defense gets tired. They probably ran 90 plays today – anytime that you do that towards the end of the game, they’re going to be really tired from running all around. The other offense from the other side is going to be really amped to continue to score.”

(On if seven sacks allowed stings a little as an offensive lineman)

“Yeah, especially when it’s sacks in the back of your legs. For me, I just kind of look at it as what do you want to leave on tape? Obviously, guys got to take a hard look at themselves and challenge themselves to be better.”

***

Rams WR Tavon Austin

(On how the season unfolded the way it did after starting the year 3-1)

“It kind of goes back to ourselves. You can’t blame on the coaches, you can’t blame on nobody else. We’re the guys out there playing. Like I said, we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot with the type of things that happened. This is the NFL. There’s not going to be way too many blowout games going to be like this in the NFL. A lot of our games that we lost was one point, one yard too short – things in that nature. We just got to correct little things. If we can convert on those, it’s a different type of ball game right now. But, we didn’t. I think that’s one thing we got to work hard on.”

(On if his conversation with QB Jared Goff in the locker room after the game was in regards
to the future)

“Yeah, definitely. Just about when we’re going start getting started, and who it’s really going to run through, as far as the both of us. We got elevate our game to a whole other level next year. Everybody is going to be held accountable. Whatever coaches are in here, everybody is going to be held accountable, and we’re going to go from there.”

(On what he offers to the fans at this point)

“I want to say from my heart, I apologize for the things that happened this year. We thought it was going to be a better year, but it wasn’t. Like I said, the tables will be turned around, and we will be on top one day.”

***

Rams RB Todd Gurley

(On the progress of QB Jared Goff)

“I felt like he did good. Obviously, it was a lot of struggles with protection. He probably got hit more than me, actually. Just got to protect him. It’s hard trying to – I mean, I’m not a quarterback – but, I’d imagine if you get hit in the first play of the game, and it’s a two or three-man rush, that’s going to affect you. He’s a young quarterback. He’s going to be great. He’s definitely going to get better.”

(On if a change between personnel from an offensive standpoint will affect the team)

“I’m not going to get into all of that. It’s just kind of is what it is at this point. Just going to try to enjoy this offseason a little bit, and get back to work.”

(On what he learned about the team’s character this season)

“No matter what, everybody’s sad. We knew things weren’t going our way. We just stuck together. It wasn’t an, ‘Awe man, offense – you need to do this. Defense, you need to do that.’ Obviously, as an offense, we know what we needed to do. But, we just stuck together as a family, and that’s what we break it down on. At the end of the day, we might not have had the season we wanted, but I love every single one of these guys in here, and they bring it every week.”

***

Rams LB Alec Ogletree

(On the disappointment of ending the season on this note)

“It sucks to lose like this, definitely don’t want to go out the way we did. It’s what happened today. We have to get some things fixed around here and get ready for the next season. The end of this season is over with, there’s nothing we can do about it. Now it’s time to get started for the next season.”

(On what he is expecting to see this offseason)

“I just would like to see some consistency as far as the whole team goes. When they bring in a new coach, they’re going to bring in who they want to bring in, but we definitely need a guy that’s going to demand consistency and bring a winning culture. We’re out here to win games and that’s our goal.”

(On what happened after the 3-1 start)

“We just kind of lost, I guess you could say, our mojo. I felt like we kept trying to play each week – I wouldn’t say we lost our mojo, I think it’s just more so we didn’t learn how to finish games. We played a lot of close games and we didn’t finish a lot of them. But that’s the biggest thing, just not finishing.”

***

Rams CB Trumaine Johnson

(On if this is the way he pictured the season ending)

“Never, not at all. It was a tough loss. It’s been a rough season.”

(On the most positive thing to come from the season)

“Building chemistry with my teammates. Like I said, I’ve been with guys for four or five years. Going to work every day, there’s still laughter in the building. Building chemistry with my teammates and just being around them.”

***

Rams S T.J. McDonald

(On what needs to happen this offseason)

“Something has to change, something has to change – a lot. A lot has to change.”

(On the most positive thing to come from this season)

“Camaraderie with my teammates. Going through a lot of different things, I don’t think we’ll ever have a season as challenging as far as the move from St. Louis and all that. Us coming together and all that, so that’s the most positive.”

(On if you forget a season like this as quickly as possible or if you use it for motivation)

“Yeah. In this business, you want to move on, but at this point, where we are right now, we just want to move on, flush it and get to this organization to where it needs to be.”

***

Rams DE Will Hayes

(On where the improvements need to be made on the team)

That’s above my pay scale. The only thing I know is, individually, everybody just needs to work their craft and when the new coach comes in here, make sure we don’t do anything to get him fired (laughter). That’s the reality of it. Guys just have to step their games up and be a little bit more productive. It’s just unfortunate, the season we had, I felt pretty good coming into the season. When we start off 3-1, I thought that was going to be the thing to help us transcend and be a playoff team. It just didn’t work out that way.”