Fisher, Cignetti, Foles, & some Gruden… 9/16

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher –- 9/16/15

(On former Head Coach Dick Vermeil making an appearance at practice today)
“When Coach comes into town, he always makes a point to stop by and say hi. He’s welcome here all the time. It’s good to get caught up with him.”

(On having ties with Coach Vermeil through coaching at the same time)
“Yeah, like I said, it’s great to visit with him. We got to visit inside a little bit before I came out to practice. He’s doing well.”

(On the running backs unit getting closer to full strength)
“(RB) Benny (Cunningham) did a nice job last week for us filling in. He made a lot of plays: protection, passing game and run game against a good defense. It’s good to get (RB) Todd (Gurley)…Todd was working with the offense today and (RB) Tre (Mason) had a full practice. So it’s good to see them both in there.”

(On CB Trumaine Johnson’s status)
“He’s got one more thing that he has to pass. Typically when you’re cleared for practice, then things look pretty good

(On if he’s going to rule anybody out later in the week, particularly RB Todd Gurley)
“I’ll have an injury report for you guys on Friday like we normally do. Then we’ll just wait and see, yeah.”

(On what he thinks about DT Aaron Donald and WR Tavon Austin being named NFC Players of the Week)
“I was told it’s the first time in the franchise history that we’ve had two guys in the same week get player of the week, which is good. They’re both very deserving of it, in my opinion. I thought Aaron played as good a game since he’s been here. Then Tavon’s return was one of the difference makers in the game. So it was good to get some attention from the league.”

(On if he thinks teams can game plan against Donald in particular or is the defensive line is too deep)
“When you rush with four and they’ve got five and they’re chipping and keeping people in, we adjust. We try to move him around as best we can and create the one-on-one matchups whenever possible. He’s difficult to block one-on-one and he’ll be double teamed consistently. He’s got that art of penetration where he can be very disruptive, both in the passing game and the run game.”

(On how to stop Washington’s run game)
“They ran the ball well. They’re a good running football team. Their offensive line’s much improved. Tight ends are blocking well. Runningback is a heavy back. As I’ve mentioned, I have great respect for (QB) Kirk Cousins. I think he understands the offense, can distribute the ball and is really good in the short passing game. He knows where his problems are. It’s a completely different challenge than what we faced last week from a run game scheme standpoint and then a passing game standpoint. “

Rams Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti – Post Practice – 9/16/15

(On if he’s pleased with what he saw on Sunday)
“I tell you what, just winning. The goal and objective is to win. That’s what we came away with is a great team victory. There’s things we did well as an offense and there’s things we need to get corrected as an offense.”

(On what he saw from the offensive line)
“They did a great job. They did a great job in the run game, minimized negative runs. (They) did a great job up front in the protection phase. They did a nice job holding up in protection. Overall, we thought they did a really nice job.”

(On if he thought G Rodger Saffold seemed a little rusty because of the time he missed)
“No, I don’t think so. Rodger’s a pro. He’s played a lot of football. Rodger did very nice, very good job.”

(On how rookies T Rob Havenstein and G Jamon Brown graded out)
“Yeah, absolutely. But hey, football is a game where you strive for perfection, but you never reach it. So you’re always striving to play better. Things happen where you always want to correct it. We’re very pleased that the bottom line is we won the football game.”

(On if he expected to have as many explosive plays going into the game)
“Well by design, you never know where the ball’s going to go. There’s a starting point and then based on how the defense reacts, whether they take the starting point away or not, you truly don’t know whether it’s going to go to the primary receiver or the secondary receiver. Just happened to be one of those times where the primary receivers became opened down the field.”

(On if he was worried when QB Nick Foles went down in the game)
“Absolutely not. We knew Nick would get up and lead us down the field the next series.”

(On what challenges Washington presents)
“Well first off, all 32 defenses in this league are a challenge. Washington’s a very good defense. They’re tough and physical up front. The linebackers are downhill players. Secondary does a nice job. Once again, it’s all about us as an offense. We talk about it every day, worry about the things we can control, our preparation, the way we practice. We’re excited about our preparation and playing Washington.”

(On RB Todd Gurley’s status)
“Gurley’s doing a really nice job. He’s coming along.”

(On if Gurley is getting more reps each day)
“Yeah, Todd gets a few reps here and there. He’s doing a nice job.”

(On his game plan against Washington’s defensive line)
“Regardless of who you play, you want to do what we do well. (Offensive Line) Coach (Paul) ‘Bou’ (Boudreau) and (Assistant Offensive Line) Coach (Andy) Dickerson, they’ll look at the run game and protections, make sure we do things that we do well. Put our guys in a position to be successful. Get those five guys, including the tight end and fullback working together. It’s a team effort.”

(On RB Benny Cunningham’s play)
“Outstanding. Very pleased. Remarkable effort. Great performance. Outstanding.”

(On having the ability to use the screen game and short passing game and what kind of asset that is when the run game maybe hard to come by)
“(RB) Benny’s (Cunningham) dependable. You can hand him the ball. You know he’s going to protect for you. You know he’s going to catch the football out of the backfield. Benny’s a good, complete football player.”

(On if he would like to be more productive in the running game)
“You always want to be more productive regardless of how well you play. We talk about the four phases: the running game, the screen game, the passing game and the protection phase. You always want to be more productive. You’re always striving to play better.”

(On how much of an asset WR Tavon Austin can be out of the backfield)
“Well Tavon is a tremendous athlete. Comes out here, works hard, prepares well. He’s got a skill set where you’d like to get the ball in his hands, because he can make people miss.”

(On if he was a little more nervous before this game calling his first plays in the NFL)
“No, you know what, as a staff we put a good plan together. You trust it. You trust your preparation. It’s what we ask our players to do. We ask our players to trust themselves, believe in themselves, trust their teammates, believe in their teammates. It starts with myself, as the coordinator and leader. I have to trust the plan. I have to trust the coaches and players. There’s a call sheet and you have to dial it up.”

Rams QB Nick Foles – Post Practice – 9/16/15

(On if he likes the new practice schedule)
“Yeah, I think it’s going to work great for us. I think it gives us the ability to come in here earlier in the week and get some work done and then once we get a couple of the work days in, get a day of rest. We’ll still be looking over our game plan, studying the film, but just sort of resting up and getting a couple of more good days in before the game starts, so I like it.”

(On if Washington has changed much from what he knows of them)
“New d-coordinator, so they’re running a little bit of a different scheme. Some of the same players that I’ve gone against the past couple of years, but it’s a talented group of guys. It’s the NFL. Every team has players. We have to come out on Sunday and be ready to execute.”

(On if knowing the Redskins personnel helps him)
“A little bit, but they also know me. They’ve gone against me, so I’d say it’s pretty even. I think the big thing is you go into this game and we need a great week of preparation and go in and execute our game plan in the game. That’s how it is every week. You’re going to have to make a couple of plays on the fly, scrambling around or doing some stuff like that, but it’s going to come down to who wants it more and who executes better.”

(On how important it is for the offense to keep the chains moving with how much time of possession the Rams had last week)
“It’s really important because we need our defense off of the field so they can rest. You want to definitely control the ball and let our defense rest so they can go out there and do their thing, be overly aggressive and running around. So, it’s definitely important to extend the drives with third down conversions, staying within the chains on first and second down.”

(On how important it is to win this week to really give last week’s win meaning)
“It’s important every week. Any week, you have to deal with the emotions of the previous game within that 24 hour span and then you move on to the next week. All we’re thinking about is the Redskins and going out and executing. It’s one game at a time, one play at a time. That’s the mentality you have to have as a competitor. I know that we as athletes say it all of the time, but it’s the way you’re successful. If you overlook anything or you get too excited about something, usually it doesn’t go well. We just had a great practice, starting this week with a great week of preparation and we just need to do that every single day.”

(On how he would grade himself after last week’s game)
“I think I went out there and gave us an opportunity to win on offense. I don’t really like talking about myself, I like talking about my team, so I think we as a team played well together. Me as a quarterback, I have to make sure we execute, especially third downs, making sure we convert the chains. I thought we played really well on all sides of the ball and we just have to do that every single week for us to have a chance to win.”

(On what he thinks about his tight ends)
“It’s a tremendous group of tight ends. They work their butts off. They have a great coach that coaches them up every single day. The sky is the limit for those guys. (TE) Cory Harkey is also a guy that’s in the backfield that does a lot of grunt work that doesn’t get recognized, but he’s a beast out there. Those three guys are a tremendous part of this offense.”

(On if he talked to former Rams Head Coach Dick Vermeil)
“Coach Vermeil, when I was in Philly, would be at practices, so we’d get to talk it up with him a little bit. So, it was neat having him out here today at practice watching.”

(On Vermeil being a fan of his)
“Yeah, he’s a great guy. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him the last few years. It’s always exciting to have a guy like that out there watching practice and you can talk to him and gain wisdom from what he’s gone through, through the years being a coach and being around the league.”

(On if it means anything to a player when you switch divisions)
“You definitely know the division rivals and you know what it’s like, but I think you really have to play in the game to understand why. Playing in the game last week, I understand. I’ve played against the Redskins when I was in the NFC East and I know what it’s like with that rivalry when I was in Philly. Going into that environment, it’s going to be a harsh environment, but I’m excited to go in with these guys in this locker room.”

(On if he pays any attention to how full the crowd is)
“No. When you’re at home, you want the crowd to be loud and they were loud last week. They gave us a huge advantage. As a player, I’m always so focused on the field, you zone out everything. You can feel the energy of the crowd, but at the same time, it comes down to focusing on what’s in front of you and really just getting rid of everything else around it and just focusing on what matters and that’s executing the play.”

(On if he ever looks up to see the crowd)
“When you win. Yeah, you want to look.”

(On what Washington does defensively that presents a challenge)
“They’re going to be aggressive. They’ve got really talented guys rushing the ends. The down linemen are very talented and they rally to the ball. They’re going to rally to screens and they’re going to as soon as the ball’s caught, they’re going to try to get there as fast as they can. There’s not much loafing, so a defense like that, you really have to execute, get the ball, feel it and get some extra YAC yards.”

(On what he remembers about his time at Michigan State with Redskins QB Kirk Cousins)
“Kirk’s a tremendous competitor. He’s a really intelligent guy. I really enjoyed my time there with him and I’m not surprised at all with the success he’s had. Just the going through adversity, he experienced that at Michigan State. Just the man he’s become, the player he’s become, it doesn’t surprise me everything he’s gone through, now to be the starting quarterback in Washington. They have a great leader in him and I’m excited for Kirk.”

(On how much he keeps up with Cousins and Texans QB Brian Hoyer)
“Kirk and I will keep in touch every now and then. If I run into Brian…you just are really around your teammates all of the time. If I tried to keep in touch with every teammate I’ve ever had, I’d never keep my head up from my phone. So, I try to stay in the present as much as possible.”

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from Washington Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden – Conference Call 9/16/15

(On what stands out first to him about the Rams’ defense)
“I just think the speed that they play with. I think (Defensive Coordinator) Gregg Williams is obviously one of the best defensive coordinators out there. You can tell they play with a lot of passion and that’s half the battle. And then you throw a very talented defensive roster for him to go along with a good coach and they play hard, it’s a great defense. They have a great scheme, number one. They play extremely hard. But most of all, they are very, very talented and athletic.”

(On what he sees from DT Aaron Donald on tape)
“I see him very disruptive. You see a guy like Donald and I remember him coming out, a dominant player in college. Dominant senior bowl. Just very, very disruptive. He’s a great pass-rusher. The one thing you think you can do against him is you can run the ball and get some movement on him, but he’s so quick off the snap, he’s very disruptive in that regard also. He’s got the total package for a defensive lineman, three technique. He can play anywhere. He can be disruptive and is one heck of a player for them.”

(On how he chooses who to scheme against on the Rams’ defensive line)
“You just have to challenge your offensive lineman and tight ends and backs and know what type of game it’s going to be. You take one play off and it could be the difference in a sack/forced fumble or the difference in the game and we learned that the hard way last week. We had a couple of plays we wish we had back. We had a couple of holding calls that really took us out of some field position. Some offensive PIs that hurt us. You take one lazy pass set against these guys and it’s the difference in a possible sack/forced fumble or a first down. We just have to be really, really focused in on our pass sets, our run sets – everything – our assignments, because one false step late off the count and they’ll make you pay.”

(On how much QB Nick Foles changes the Rams offense from what he saw last year)
“I don’t know how much they’ve changed. Obviously, they have a new coordinator. Their running game is similar. But, Nick Foles, I liked Nick in Philadelphia, I think he was a good, solid quarterback. He can keep plays alive. He’s not so much a running quarterback, but he has great pocket awareness. He can hold the ball until the last second and give his receivers time to get open. He’s an accurate guy and very, very tough is one thing that I noticed about him playing against him. He can take a lot of shots and he stands in there. He’s not afraid at all and that’s another trait you want to see in a quarterback. Can he stand down in the face of the pass rush and still deliver the ball accurately and on-time and I think Nick has shown the capability to do that. He’s a young quarterback developing also. I’m sure the Rams have high hopes for him and deservedly so. It’ll be a great challenge for us.”

(On if Foles playing in the NFC East before helps him in terms of looking at him in the Rams’ new offense)
“Not really. It’s a totally different offense. We’re really studying the scheme. Obviously, you look at the talent of each individual player. But, you’re more looking for quarterbacks than scheme, what kind of offense they run and protection schemes and running schemes and all of that good stuff. Most of the quarterbacks, all of the quarterbacks that we’re going to face this year are very, very talented. It’s also trying to stop the guys like Tavon Austin, the strong running game that the Rams have, a big tight end and everybody else, so we have a great challenge ahead of us.”