Fisher, Cignetti … 11/25 … transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – 11/25/15

(Opening remarks)
“Well, Happy Thanksgiving giving to everybody. I hope you guys have a good day tomorrow. Enjoy it.”

(On how difficult this practice was for the team considering WR Stedman Bailey’s condition)
“Well, it’s been difficult. I informed the team. I told his teammates as much as I knew, and things have changed ever so slightly since our meeting. I can report now that Sted is in Intensive Care Unit. He had extensive surgery. Surgery probably took four to six hours, from what my understanding is. He’s in stable condition right now. We’re just waiting to get some more information on the specifics of the injury. There’s a lot out there. There’s a lot of rumors that there were two or three shots and an injury to the hip. I don’t have specifics right now, but what I can tell you is that he’s in stable condition. He’ll be in ICU for a number of days. It’s really unlikely, highly unlikely, that he returns to play this year.”

(On if Bailey is in a recovery room in ICU)
“Yes. I was just informed that the procedure was finished or completed and that he’s now in recovery in ICU.”

(On the procedure that Bailey had)
“I don’t have any details. I can’t go there. I have no details on the chain of events that led to the accident, to the shooting. I have no details. As soon as we get them, we’ll share them with you.”

(On when he learned of the incident Bailey was involved in)
“Last night.”

(On his reaction when he heard the news)
“Well it’s very, very difficult. Whether you’re a coach or you’re a father or you’re a family member, anytime something like that happens, it’s very, very difficult. The one thing that gave us hope last night was that we were able to get in touch with Sted at the hospital and there was a conversation that took place. So, that gave us hope that he would pull through this and this was not life-threatening. That’s kind of what gave us hope through the evening. But again, as we get more information, we’ll give it to you.”

(On if he is the one who had a conversation with Bailey last night)
“I did not, but when I say ‘we’, our medical staff did. I’m not going to go into specifics as to who talked to him, but there was a conversation with him last night, yes. After the accident.”

(On if he knows why the doctors waited to have Bailey’s surgery today)
“No, I don’t know. But that gave us hope last night when we were told that they were expecting to do surgery in the morning. So, that kind of gave us hope that this really, potentially wouldn’t be life-threatening. But, anytime you’re going to get involved in a surgical procedure like that, it’s potentially life-threatening. But, because the fact they waited gave us hope that he would be okay.”

(On if he was oaky with Bailey being down in Miami training)
“He was working out down there, and I was fine with that. I don’t have any other specifics as to what happened.”

(On what went through his mind when he got the phone call last night)
“Well, it was concern for his livelihood and his safety, number one. Then, we just tried – as you guys do – we tried to get as much information as we could. Fortunately, we were able to talk to him.”

(On how he plans to keep the team focused in light of what’s going on)
“You keep them informed is what you do. That’s what I’ve done. I’ve had two conversations with the group today: one in the main auditorium and then here right after practice. I kept them updated, and I’m going to continue. As we get more information, I’ll continue to keep his teammates informed.”

(On if there is anyone available for the players to talk to)
“We have in-house procedures and things like that. The guys are…they love Sted. He’s a popular guy. He’s a great teammate and they’re pulling for him right now. So, as soon as we get more information, we’ll pass it on to the players.”

(On how the focus of the team was today at practice)
“The practice was fine. Provided…the whole key when you’re dealing with these type of situations is you have to do your best to keep them informed. The unknown leads to uncertainty and uncertainty leads to distractions and then distractions lead to losses. As long as we keep them informed, I think everybody will be fine.”

(On QB Case Keenum’s status)
“Case was limited today. He’s doing well. He’s still in the protocol, so we couldn’t completely release him to full practice. But, he got under center. He split the reps with (QB) Nick (Foles) and he felt pretty good.”

(On if everything looks good for Keenum)
“He’s still in the protocol. We’ll know better on Friday. Hopefully, he’ll be released and he’ll be able to play.”

(On if the music was an issue for Keenum at practice)
“No, it’s not an issue.”

(On if he took part in the conference call around the league last night regarding concussions)
“Well again, the league and all the entities involved are working to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. The NFL, the Head, Neck and Spine Committee, the Players’ Association, the trainers and everybody’s discussed it. We had a very candid, open discussion and we’re working to ensure that we’ve got our bases covered right now. Obviously, things slipped through the cracks in our game with Case. As I said on Monday, don’t want to allow a player to stay in the game when those situations appear to be obvious. So, the league is going to continue to talk about it and we’re going to get it resolved one way or another. That would also include the officiating department.”

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Rams Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti – 11/25/15

(On his reaction to WR Stedman Bailey’s situation)
“Thank God it’s not life threatening. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Stedman.”

(On what his thoughts were when he heard about it)
“My first thought was thoughts and prayers for his well-being.”

(On how Bailey had been playing this year)
“He’d been playing well. Not only on offense, but special teams. He’s a heck of a football player.”

(On if it was difficult to have a sense of normalcy today)
“(Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher does a great job bringing the team together. My hats off to the players. We had tremendous preparation and a great practice here today.”

(On how QB Case Keenum looked)
“Case looked good. He’s still going through to concussion protocol. He has not been cleared.”

(On if Keenum was limited in practice)
“Yes, he is limited.”

(On Cincinnati being a huge challenge)
“Yes, absolutely. Cincinnati is well-coached. (Their) 4-3 defense is excellent. Every week there’s a challenge. We’ve had great preparation. We had a really good practice today. We’re looking forward to the opportunity.”

(On seeing traces of Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer in the Bengals defense)
“Oh, absolutely. No question.”

(On if there’s extra pressure on the offense to score more when the defense is playing well)
“I wouldn’t say it’s extra pressure. From day one, we know that our goal and our objective is to score points. We’re working hard at it. We want to score more points. It’s the ultimate team game. It takes all of us together.