Fisher, Keenum, Gurley, Donald, Brockers, Johnson…transcripts

Head Coach Jeff Fisher

(Opening remarks)
“Well, they’re never easy. Just really proud of the way the guys played the whole game, even after the onside kick recovery, which was a great kick by the way. The defense just rallied and was just going to find a way to take that game over against an outstanding quarterback. Really pleased with what they did. I thought (QB) Case (Keenum) did a nice job with the game. Stayed in some plays, made some good throws. Handled the run game really well – the checks and things like that – and then of course we stuck with it. That was our intentions, especially at halftime. Just stick with the run and get (RB) Todd (Gurley) the ball and things could change. Obviously, he took the game over. I thought it was an outstanding effort by the defense. I think, (Lions QB) Matt’s (Stafford) an elite quarterback. He knows where to go with the football and we got good pressure on him. (CB) Trumaine’s (Johnson) play was a big time play, obviously a game-changing play. They bounced back, like we’ve been talking about. We had a rough five weeks, but they came back and played hard, practiced hard, and now we have to shower up and go back to the office.”

(On why RB Todd Gurley was able to break loose in the second half)
“If you give him enough opportunities, he’s going to find a way. I thought, albeit without a tape, particularly (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Rob (Boras) changed some runs. We made some adjustments at halftime and they were good. They were solid adjustments both times. Most of his runs there were a lot of people on the line of scrimmage.”

(On if this was the best game DL Aaron Donald had played)
“I have to look at the tape, but he was certainly disruptive – the tackles for losses and the sacks and the hurries and things. You take into consideration, there’s nothing against them, but they’ve had 10 days to prepare for Aaron Donald, and that just shows you the type of player he is. They’re double teaming him, he’s breaking double teams. We created some 1-on-1 matchups for him by call design, and when you do that, he usually wins.”

(On CB Trumaine Johnson’s play against Lions WR Calvin Johnson)
“He was a little iffy. He was limited in practice on Wednesday, coming off the quad. We weren’t quite sure, but then by Friday, we felt like he was going to be able to go, and he did. I talked to him last Saturday night about coming back and taking that challenge on with Calvin this week because he was inactive last week. I thought he did a nice job. We did some coverage adjustments at times, which everybody does, no matter when you face Calvin. I thought Trumaine played a really good game. That was a great interception, almost two.”

(On how satisfied he was with Rob Boras’ first game handling offensive coordinator duties)
“He worked really hard, as the staff did and the players. The players supported the staff this week, knowing it would be difficult. That’s what we want to do. We want to run the football and play good defense. I’m sure he’s looking at it right now, wishing he could have a bunch of calls back. As a first time play caller, it’s hard to convince him sometimes when you don’t get a first down on first down, it’s not your fault if you’re playing good defenses. It’s hard just to call things and have success all the time. You set things up, and the most important thing from our perspective, which he did, was adjust. I thought the staff did a good job of adjusting.”

(On if he felt the team took responsibility for the offensive production)
“They’ve been approaching things consistently on a week to week basis. It’s hard when you lose consistently, like we did for the past month, to sense a change in them. But they were themselves all week. They had fun. When we went out to practice every day they had fun. This game was important to them, as Thursday night is, as they all are. It’s important for them to have a chance to win at home here in the final two home games.”

(On how Gurley’s big run affected the game)
“We haven’t been able to benefit from that, but that’s a momentum changer. It certainly is, when you flip the field like that. Again, it comes after we were trying to (return a) punt for a touchdown and it’s called back. Guys were disappointed and no one saw the hold. It was good to be able to do that, and in retrospect, it was a wild drive. You score on the punt, they get the ball back and (Lions QB Matt) Safford has the ball in his hand again. Instead, we’re backed up and we took time off the clock.”

Rams QB Case Keenum

(On what the feeling is like walking off the field and into a winning locker room)
“It’s awesome, man. I told somebody earlier…actually, I think it was a couple years ago, I got a text from John Lackey, who was a pitcher for the Cardinals. He’s an Abilene (Texas) guy. We both grew up there. We were struggling a little bit and he said those heart breakers, those tough ones that we’ve had…we’ve had some tough ones. We were on this streak of not being successful. That’s what makes winning just feel so good. I mean, it may not look pretty at times, but coming in that locker room, any winning locker room is pretty awesome.”

(On RB Todd Gurley’s production lifting the offense)
“I mean, it gives everybody a lift. You saw the fans and how they reacted to that. (No.) 30’s pretty special with the ball in his hands, so we’re going to figure out a lot of ways to get him the football. It was great to watch him again today. He’s continued to get better. It’s pretty scary how good he can be.”

(On if he dreams about the day when the fans start chanting his name in the Edward Jones Dome)
“(laughs) No, I’m good with whoever they’re yelling for, as long as they care. That’s what somebody else told me one time, too. It could be that nobody cares but it’s great. It’s great that Todd’s lighting it up and I’m loving it.”

(On what the mood was when WR Tavon Austin’s punt return for a touchdown was called back)
“Obviously, everybody was upset. I thought, ‘Heck, screw it. Let’s go. Let’s go 90 yards or whatever it is.’ The offensive line did a great job of holding their water. We hard counted them and then (WR) Kenny (Britt)…I just kind of threw up a floater. It was a bad enough ball where the defender, I don’t know, he kind of slipped in behind him there and Kenny did a great job. I threw it this time, instead of letting some guys dribble my head on the turf like I did the last time that happened. Then, Todd went off and we ended up making some big plays and scored. You could feel the momentum changing in the huddle.”

(On if the Gurley runs were checks at the line by him)
“It’s hard to say. I mean, I don’t know. Our coaches put us in great situations where we’ll call two or three plays in the huddle and then be able to check to a different play if we don’t get the right look. But, that’s everybody being on the same page and making sure that we get in and out of the huddle on time so we can call what the play is and run it. The offensive line did a great job today. Obviously, pounding the ball how we were, we were able to. Most of the hits and sacks are on me. It’s protection stuff that I didn’t see or missed. I think they did a great job today.”

(On if he has a name for the pass he threw to WR Kenny Britt)
“I’ll let you come up with it. Just have some options for me tomorrow. Yeah, at least three and then we’ll name it.”

(On if he likes the name ‘water balloon’)
“Yeah, maybe the water balloon launcher.”

(On how he plans to get ready for the Buccaneers on Thursday with the quick turnaround)
“I’ve played on Thursday, I guess two years ago. It’s been a while, but it’s fast. Obviously, everybody’s body is going to be beat up tonight and tomorrow, but I think tomorrow is going to be like a Thursday for us. Regular week, so we may not get as many physical reps but the mental reps have got to be there, watching film and being prepared and I like it. You don’t have time to overthink yourself. You go out there and put in a game plan and go play football.”

(On what it was like having Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras calling the plays this game)
“It’s hard for me to sit there and tell. There’s obviously some differences. I’ll have to go back and watch the film, but for me, it’s kind of been the same as it always is. I’m trying to take it one play at a time, trying to not think too much about what has happened or going to happen. I think he did a great job today.”

(On what it was like for him as a quarterback to see the defense put up seven points)
“You can count on our defense to get turnovers week-in and week-out and to score points, too. I told somebody earlier I’m glad I don’t have to play our defense because they are salty. It’s really nice for me knowing third-and-whatever is maybe we have a chance at a down the field route, but I can check it down and know that we’ve got the best punter in the league, who’s going to pin them, who absolutely played his tail off today. Then, the defense that it’s really hard to gain the yards on, so that gives you confidence as a quarterback knowing that you can be safe with the ball, make smart decisions and not try to force something down field and play a little field position game like we did early on.”

Rams RB Todd Gurley

(On how it felt to break a long run and score a touchdown)
“It felt good. We had lost four in a row, so that’s never a good feeling. I know we got the win today. We want to finish on a strong note. We might not be going to the playoffs, but it’s always good to bring that momentum going into the offseason.”

(On if he felt like today was his best game of the season)
“I don’t know. I’m just out there playing. Those guys did a great job blocking for me up front, the tight ends and everybody. It was just a good day. We got a win.”

(On if the team made some adjustments in the run game at halftime)
“We just got some more opportunities. We didn’t get too many opportunities in the first half. We had a game plan and we wanted to stick to that. We just got a chance to get me the ball a couple times in the second half and things worked out pretty well.”

(On when he decided to leap towards the end zone on his first touchdown)
“I was going to see if I could kind of run over him but I was at the three-yard line so I don’t know if I’m that strong to carry somebody three yards. So I kind of used my instincts and just jumped in the air.”

(On having Jay-Z in the locker room)
“I saw him after the game and he just said, ‘Good job.’ I told him appreciated I him coming. It’s always good for your agent and your agency to come show love and support. The team was happy. We got a win. Everybody was happy to see him.”

Rams DT Aaron Donald

(On how winning today’s game feels)
“It feels real good. We feel blessed, but we’ve still got a lot more football to play.”

(On if he feels like he’s the best pass rusher in the league)
“I’ve still got work to do. I’ve still got a lot more work to do. I’m not satisfied yet, so I’ve got to just keep working.”

(On if he’ll ever be satisfied)
“When I’m done playing probably, but right now I’m still working.”

(On if he feels like he’s elevated his game this year)
“Yes, I feel like I got better – from rushing the passer to stopping the run. I worked my but off during the offseason. Just having more pass rushers to change up with and work with helped me a lot me this season, too. I feel a lot more comfortable, too. It’s just working for me.”

(On if getting in 1-on-1 situations helps the team)
“It means everything. You’re supposed to win 1-on-1s. That’s why they brought me here. When I get (a 1-on-1 opportunity), I’m supposed to win it. I’m just doing my job.”

(On how to build on this win)
“That’s the plan. No matter what your record is, we’re going to keep playing and keep battling. We’ve got to finish strong. That’s what it’s about. That’s what we’re going to do.”

(On how the defense was able to give the team a spark today)
“Anytime you’re making plays through the game, it’s going to bring that spark and keep the crowd into the game and keep your team into the game. We’ve just got to keep doing this and we’ll be fine.”

Rams DT Michael Brockers

(On the last defensive possession)
“We just knew we had to play three downs or four downs of football and we knew we had a victory. We mustered all of the energy we could and played four great downs.”

(On a player like DT Aaron Donald that can get to the quarterback at will)
“It’s difficult. He has great leverage and I think that’s what a lot of guards and centers have trouble with when he’s pass rushing because he’s always in the great leverage position to either power you or run you over. And also he’s quick enough to get around you. Guards and centers struggle against him because they don’t know what he has in his tool belt and he has everything. Really getting them on their toes and making them wonder what you’re doing is a good thing for him.”

(On if today was a total team effort)
“Definitely. Total team effort. You’ve seen little glimpses from special teams, defense and offense today. It just showed how well we prepared this week and we put it all together today.”

(On RB Todd Gurley)
“Ridiculous. That’s why we drafted him, to make runs like that. He fights for every inch, every yard. That’s what I appreciate about him. He doesn’t just go down after one tackle. He tries to fight for everything. Really appreciate his efforts today and it just shows how good he really is.”

Rams CB Trumaine Johnson

(On the key to shutting down Lions WR Calvin Johnson)
“I feel like there is no key. You’ve got to just go out there and compete. I feel like I can compete versus anybody in the league. It was a great match-up, definitely.”

(On if he expected to hold Johnson to only one catch)
“It’s a team effort. I’m glad our defense shut them down. We know coming into this game he was a big target. To hold him to one catch is good.”

(On what statement he’s made to the league with his play in a contract season)
“Just stepping up and being consistent. This is my fourth year. I love my teammates. The chemistry is there on the defense. I’ve been playing with those guys for three or four years. I’m not too worried about that. I’ll worry about that after the season.”

(On when he knew Calvin Johnson was going to be his assignment)
“It was Johnson versus Johnson the whole week. Even in practice I was going with (No.) 81 the whole practice. I knew it was going to be a tough match-up, but I feel like I can match-up with anybody with my big frame, especially with him.”

(On the defensive effort with all of the injuries)
“It’s always been next man up philosophy. With me being out the last two weeks and (CB) Marcus (Roberson) stepping up, he held his own today. He did really good. The whole secondary did good. The defense was clicking on all cylinders.”

(On what it was like to give his team a spark)
“We said in the beginning of the game, somebody had to set the tone and I was glad it was me.”