Fisher, Cignetti, Gurley… 12/3 … transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – – 12/3/15

(On why he’s not wearing shorts)
“(I’ve) been cleared to wear long pants. It’s December.”

(On if he had to look to find his pants)
“Oh, no it took me a while. I had to call the equipment guys to tell them to bring them up (to my office).”

(On if he’s still going to continue this tradition if he’s coaching in his seventies)
“Still do it, yeah.”

(On if the reason he doesn’t wear pants until December has to do with a tradition he had as a player for the Bears)
“Yeah, we didn’t have an indoor facility. So, when the weather got bad, we’d just hike about three blocks to the neighborhood and practice at the little public park in the snow. It’s kind of one of those deals whatever you wear at training camp, you wear through December.”

(On the quarterback situation)
“Case (Keenum) was limited. Nick (Foles) took most of the reps. Case has still not cleared the protocol yet. He’s feeling better, feeling good, but he’s not completely cleared.”

(On if Keenum is getting tested every day with the protocol)
“It’s part of the protocol, we’re just evaluating him. All the tests with the neurologists and things are okay. It’s just about him feeling 100 percent.”

(On if Keenum were to say he’s feeling 100 percent tomorrow then if he would start)
“Then he’s got a chance to be a (No.) two this week, particularly because he’s missed two days of practice. So it’s unlikely…what we’re hoping for is whether he’s a (No.) two or just inactive. So, Nick’s going.”

(On if the starting quarterback is Nick Foles for Sunday)
“It’s Foles, yeah.”

(On how he plans to get RB Todd Gurley going again)
“We had a slow first half against the Cardinals, then we had a big second half. We’ve looked hard at it. We just have to continue to give him opportunities. So, we’ll get creative in the run game and got to get hats on hats and let him go.”

(On if he still thinks Gurley is physically fresh)
“He’s in great shape right now. Great shape, he feels good.”

(On if when Keenum is ready will he be the starting quarterback)
“Yes. But, that doesn’t mean to say he’s the starter this week. I clarified that.”

(On if he has any updates on WR Stedman Bailey)
“He’s getting better, yeah. He’s getting better. We got good news. I don’t have specifics for you, but he’s getting better.”

(On if anyone from the Rams organization is down in Miami with Bailey)
“We’re in communication with his fiancé, his agent and the medical staff. We got permission to talk to the attending medical staff there.”

(On Bailey’s condition)
“He’s improving.”

(On Gurley’s state of mind and if he’s frustrated)
“He’s not frustrated. He’s a team guy. He’s having fun, wants to help us win. He knows he’s a big part of this team. His production on the field not only helps offense, it helps defense, it helps everything. He’s in good shape.”

(On Bengals OT and President of the NFL Players Association Eric Winston saying the Rams should be fined over the handling of the QB Case Keenum situation)
“I’ll say this, I have great respect for Eric, as a player and also in the position that he currently holds within the union, the Players Association. It’s awfully difficult for an active player to stay involved and understand everything that went on. I don’t think Eric has all of the facts. The facts were all discussed with the league, with the union. I can see his position. His position is to protect players. But, his position is no different than mine, nor (Director/Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) or anybody else associated with the league. That’s very unlikely that anybody is going to be penalized. As I said two weeks ago, it’s been going on for a long time now. We’re trying to close the loophole so to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

(On how he handles Mark Schlereth calling him a liar)
“I had a really positive conversation with Mark today. He apologized to me. Again, Mark didn’t have all of the facts. Those things happen. That’s the world we live in right now. When you have the facts and you understand what happened, everything that led up to that incident and any other incident for that matter, unless you’ve got all the facts, you should probably keep your mouth shut. I have great respect for Mark as well. I think Mark’s one of the best, so we had a really good conversation today.”

(On if he called Mark Schlereth)
“Yes. Would you call somebody if they called you a liar? Probably. So I did. I have great respect for Mark and we got it resolved, no problem.”

(On how DE Robert Quinn is doing)
“He didn’t practice today. He’s day-to-day, we’ll see.”

(On if K Greg Zuerlein will kick tomorrow)
“Hopeful. Don’t know. We’re going to have to see how he feels tomorrow.”

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Rams Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti – 12/3/15

(On why he’s wearing shorts in December)
“I love it. It’s nice and comfortable out here.”

(On if he’s trying to be the last coach to wear shorts in December)
“Between Coach (Rob) Boras and myself, we enjoy wearing shorts. We go for a while.”

(On if this weather is like the weather in Pittsburgh)
“It is. That it is.”

(On how he plans to get RB Todd Gurley going again)
“Ultimate team game, it takes all 11. One got to get him at bats, get him his carries. Just like today, we had a great practice. We’ve had great preparation. Get at bats in the running game. Through four quarters of it, we impose our will. Hopefully like last time, you continue to get better throughout the game.”

(On why the long runs for Gurley have kind of disappeared)
“No, you don’t point your finger at one thing. First off, you give defenses credit. Defenses have done a very nice job. We’re going to continue to give him at bats. The big ones will come.”

(On if Gurley is refreshed for this week after not having many carries last game)
“No, he didn’t and we want to get more carries. We don’t want to play from behind. We have to score more points. Is he fresher? I think (Head) Coach (Jeff Fisher) does a great job of keeping all the players fresh and healthy.”

(On if he thinks Gurley is okay physically)
“I think he’s great. (Director/Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott), (Running Backs) Coach (Ben) Sirmans have done a great job with him. We have a great schedule for our guys to stay fresh with the recovery.”

(On if much has changed with Arizona’s game plan the second time around)
“They’re doing the same things. One, they’re an outstanding football team. Outstanding defense, 3-4 defense, aggressive, have a very good front. The back end’s excellent. They got a great sub package. Like the first time we played them, we have a great challenge ahead of us.”

(On Arizona’s man-to-man defense)
“Absolutely. They love to play their man.”

(On if a man-to-man defense is easier on a quarterback)
“Well, every team has their DNA. They like to play post-safety man. They’ll mix up coverages. They do a great job of it.”

(On how important it is to get T Rob Havenstein back)
“It’s great getting Rob back. All the linemen are making progress. Once again, you see it out here every day. Every day they’re making steps. For Rob, it’s great having him back.”

(On if Havenstein has met his expectations as a rookie)
“Oh, absolutely. He’s smart, tough, physical. He’s making tremendous progress every day, every game.”

(On if Arizona blitz’s as much as they did before)
“There’s still a lot of pressure. The defense hasn’t changed much. They do a great job. They make you prepare, that’s for sure.”

(On if it’s tougher facing the same team again because of the familiarity)
“I don’t think so. Yeah, it’s vice versa. We know each other very well. We’ve played against each other now, it’s going on our fourth year. I’m looking forward to it. We’ve got a great challenge.”

(On if it’ll be good to be back playing at the Edward Jones Dome)
“Absoutely.”

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Rams RB Todd Gurley – 12/3/15

(On what he thinks about former Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt getting the Miami job)
“I’m happy for him. I knew he’d get a job sooner or later.”

(On if he’s going to visit him down in Miami)
“We’ll see.”

(On it not taking long for Richt to get a job)
“No. He coached 15 years. Of course somebody else is going to get you.”

(On this being his first rematch game)
“They’re a good team. They’re going to play physical. We beat them at home. Gave them their first loss of the season, so they’ll definitely be looking forward to playing us.”

(On if he still feels fresh and if he’s hit a wall)
“What wall? I’m good.”

(On what he remembers most about the second half of last game against Arizona)
“We won the game. Big road victory. Hopefully we can get that again and be undefeated in the division.”

(On what it’s going to take to get the running game going again)
“It’s execution. Doing what we’ve got to do. Taking the right steps, taking the right track. Whether it’s getting a double block or a triple, single. Just basically execution.”

(On how much all of the changes on the offensive line has complicated things)
“It’s different people. Same schemes at the end of the day. One man goes down, another man has to step up. It is what it is.”

(On getting T Rob Havenstein back)
“It’s good. Rob’s a great player. But like I said, whoever is in there, we feel confident and we’re going to try and get the job done. Rob is a great player, so definitely happy to have him back.”