Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Fisher, transcript… + PD article
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July 27, 2014 at 12:15 am #2635
znModeratorRams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – July 26, 2014
(On the luck with the weather)
“Yeah we did as a matter of fact. This is the second day, I think we’ve done so. It didn’t look good and I was told by two or three people in the building that we’d have to make a decision by 4:15 p.m., and I told them that I’ve taken care of it so not to worry about it.”(On how he knows the weather will be fine for practice)
“I have some special equipment in my office here.”(On if the team practicing in gloomy weather will help them later on)
“Well it does. We’re eventually going to get some weather. We need some heat and typically because we are going down to week two Tampa Bay. But, we’ll get it, we’ll get our opportunities for that. From an acclimation standpoint it’s ideal what we’ve been through the last couple of days. It’s supposed to cool off for a little bit. As youth football is starting up and high school practices are starting up, we have to be mindful and get the word out and we’ll do so about how important acclimation is because it’s really very, very important. Because we’ve become an air conditioned society now and we don’t do much outside in the heat. You have to pick and choose and be wise about putting athletes outside.”(On how the rookies and veterans are blending together)
“They’re fine. They were together for the OTAs, so they’re fine. Doing some extra periods with the rookies and things at the end of practice and we’ll continue to do so. For the most part we’re practicing 1s against 1s right now then 2s against 2s. Once the pads go on we’ll start changing it up a little bit.”(On what he saw of the team’s energy on day two)
“Yeah it was. Well, day two installation much more offense than defense so as a result you see more production on the field. Yesterday was pretty basic, simple. We added some things, got some big plays on both sides of the ball.”(On DE Michael Sam’s presence around the quarterbacks today)
“I didn’t get to see it, I was with the 7-on-7 but I heard. He’s improving. Mike’s doing a great job. (Defensive Line) Coach (Mike) Waufle…with his hand usage and placement things and so, he’ll just keep working at it.”(On if Sam reporting to camp weighing less has helped)
“He made his weight. He was in really good shape when he came in. We don’t have a lot of depth up there, he is getting plenty of reps.”(On when the team gets to put the pads on)
“Pads will be after tomorrow. Our first shoulder pad practice will be special teams practice. Then we’ll come back the very next day. Then a day off, then come back.”(On how OL Greg Robinson is learning from blocking DE Robert Quinn without the pads on)
“He’s learned that Rob Quinn is a really good rusher. I think he knew that before he got there, but it’s different in person, it’s different every other snap. He’s moving back and forth he’s getting some guard work and some tackle work.”(On OL Barrett Jones’s biggest improvement from last year’s injury to now and expectations for him)
“Barrett was coming off the injury and really couldn’t do much. He spent a lot of time second half of the year and through the entire offseason in the weight room. He’s changed his body, he’s gotten much much more strength inside, his feet are moving a lot.”(On bringing back DE Will Hayes and what he means to the defense)
“He and (DE) Chris (Long) worked out a really good rotation during the season. We always have a fresh end on the field, they know when to sub for each other and then of course when we move and go to our four-end package and move Will inside, he gives you that extra rush inside.”(On his expectations for the team after three years and if the players know what to expect from him)
“Yeah, they do. They understand how we work inside and what we do outside, it’s not that hard. A lot of our club rules are common sense and I don’t like to take their money and they don’t like to give it up so rarely do we have any issues.”(On if he had to get them excited for camp)
“No, we don’t do that. They were so excited about coming out here. They know what’s ahead and we will pick and choose as we push through the next couple weeks it’ll be different topics. But no, at times you have to pull them back because they’re very excited.”(On if this is the first time QB Sam Bradford’s done two days in a row since OTAs and what did he see from him today)
“Yes it is. It was great, didn’t have any issues today and felt really good yesterday so we’re just going to keep moving forward.”(On how he watches Bradford when he’s on the field and whether he is watching his knee and making sure nothing looks like it’s out of place)
“No, no I’m not watching his legs at all. You watch the execution and you watch the decisions when you look at the quarterback, but footwork’s good and right now the arm strength is outstanding. Honestly, if we have any concern with respect to Sam it would be the number of throws and that’s the case anytime you get a quarterback that’s going into their fifth year or sixth year, because you can tend too throw to much at camp, but we don’t have any concern about the knees which is a good thing.”July 27, 2014 at 1:56 am #2637znModeratorFisher no longer in Montana state of mind
• By Jim Thomas
For the Rams and NFL teams everywhere, these are the happy days of training camp. For the players, their bodies feel about as good as they will for the next six months. Even the coaches come back refreshed after the summer break, Jeff Fisher included.
“Every year’s a challenge. Every roster’s different,” Fisher said, as he begins his 19th full season as an NFL head coach, and his third in St. Louis.
“It’s the players; the players keep me going,” Fisher said. “I enjoy the relationships, and I enjoy seeing them develop. Enjoy the chemistry in the locker room and welcome the challenge in the division. All it takes is two or three weeks in Montana and here we go again.”
Montana is where Fisher spent nearly all of his time between now and the end of OTAs in late June. He owns a place in Big Sky Country, and suffice it to say does a lot of fishing there. Except for a brief side trip to Los Angeles for the ESPYs, where Michael Sam received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in mid-July, Fisher didn’t budge from Montana.
But from now until January — maybe longer with a playoff berth — Fisher won’t budge from Rams Park. It doesn’t take a mind reader to figure out that Fisher likes this team, these 2014 Rams. Whether he still likes it in December remains to be seen.
As the Rams finish off their first weekend of camp with an evening practice Sunday, team energy has been high on the practice field and in the meeting rooms. Fisher doesn’t need to give any pep talks at this point — more often than not, he has to back down the players a little. Youngsters, after all, have a lot of energy.
“I know everyone on the team’s excited, especially building up through OTAs,” said fourth-year wide receiver Austin Pettis. “I think both sides of the ball have big expectations this year. And being able to finally get camp started, get that much closer to the games, is a good feeling.”
Potential can be a dangerous word, as veteran defensive end Chris Long points out. And excitement alone won’t be enough to get the Rams where they need to be. Namely, their first winning season since 2003, and their first playoff season since 2004.
“Every year, you think this could be the year,” Long said. “It could be the year for you personally. It could be the year for you as a team. … Everybody has that attitude I think. And that’s just the excitement off it.
“Every team in the NFL has hopes, and we’re all undefeated right now. But pretty quickly, you’ve just got to move from excitement to intense focus.”
Otherwise, you’ll get left behind. This Rams team has plenty of potential, but that doesn’t guarantee victories.
“That stuff has to play itself out on the field,” Long said. “Potential can only get you so much. We’ve been here before, where we’ve said this has got to be the year. Well, it’s gotta be the year if we make it the year. We have to play it out.”
The “playing out” part of Long’s equation got underway over the weekend. The Rams dodged the weather on Friday and Saturday — with rain leaving the area just before practice Friday, and some rain coming in just as practice ended early Saturday evening. Cloud cover and an occasional breeze made Saturday’s mid-90s temperatures much more bearable.
“We need some heat, in particular because we’re gonna go down in Week 2 to Tampa Bay,” Fisher said after Saturday’s practice. “We’ll get our opportunities (for heat). But from an acclimation standpoint, it’s ideal what we’ve been through the last couple days.”
Even with the weather concerns, the crowds have been good over the weekend. It used to be rare for the Rams to draw 1,000 spectators to Earth City for camp. But they’ve drawn over 1,400 on the first two days: 1,484 Friday and 1,434 Saturday.
The intimate setting at Earth City has fans close to the players. That’s especially true this season because of a new offensive line drill added by line coach Paul Boudreau.
Every day, team security ropes off an area on a hill and temporarily clears the crowd out in that area. But the fans are still only a few feet away from the players as one offensive lineman pushes another up the hill.
On Saturday, Boudreau had Auburn’s Greg Robinson and Alabama’s Barrett Jones take part in a “race” to see which one could push a player up the hill first. The rest of the offensive linemen, who were watching, quickly dubbed it Iron Bowl II — in honor of the Alabama-Auburn rivalry game.
Alabama won, with Jones pushing his player up the hill first.
At one point or another, most fans have taken a look at Mizzou defensive end Michael Sam during practice, and he didn’t disappoint Saturday. He had a stellar day rushing the passer from the left end position, mainly against offensive tackles Sean Hooey and R.J. Dill.
“He’s improving — he is,” defensive line coach Mike Waufle said of Sam. “And like all rookies, they’re baby steps. But the baby steps are good.”
Day 2 featured big plays by quarterback Sam Bradford and the receiving corps — particularly Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin. No. 2 overall draft pick Robinson continues to work at left tackle as Jake Long works his way back into practice/game readiness.
“He’s learned that Rob Quinn is a really good rusher,” Fisher joked when asked how Robinson was faring at tackle. “I think he knew that before he got out here, but it’s different in person.”
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