Fisher, Keenum, Gurley, Austin, Donald, Hayes … 12/17 … transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher

(Opening remarks)
“Wow, it’s nice to have the short week over with. They’re not easy. They’re OK for the players, but it wipes coaches out. That was a great way to end the week. We had a sense yesterday at practice, with the energy out there and the way they were running around, and I don’t want to say intensity, but just the emotions and excitement about this game. Started out fast for us, which is good. We haven’t had that experience in recent weeks. Credit to (QB) Case (Keenum). Case made a lot of great plays and great throws early and got us some points. Our defense was as we anticipated. We had tremendous respect for their run game. Their running back is really good. He’s a strong, powerful player. So we had respect for them. Our plan, our hope, was to get up and get them out of the run game so we could play one-dimensional defense. We did and we didn’t do it very well, but we hung in there. Disappointed in the four-play drive for a touchdown. When you get up like you do, you have to start managing the clock and running time off the clock. We gave them a quick score and then we return the ball to the two-yard line and answer with three points. The clock had barely moved. Anyway, it was a great win for us. We came through it healthy. We have some normal bumps and bruises. We still, as you can see on both sides of the ball, we still have things to work on. They committed to stopping our run and they did for the most part. Our ability to call runs certainly the difference in the game. What can you say about (RB) Benny (Cunningham)? I don’t know how many years it’s been, you guys know better than I do, that the Rams return a kickoff for a touchdown. We thought we had it. We thought we had it and got a couple of yards away. But his two returns were difference-making plays in the game.”

(On his relationship with Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras)
“It was a difficult decision two weeks ago, 10 days ago. It was a tough week on him. But he had the success last week against Detroit and so it was much easier this week, even though it was short. It was a tough 10 days for him, handing the keys to Rob and then having two games in 10 days. He settled down and we had a good couple of days of practice and I thought he did a really good job calling plays. When the head coach says run it, we have to run it because we have to run time off the clock. I thought he did a really good job of that.”

(On QB Case Keenum’s play the past two weeks)
“He’s done a good job. Today, he was on time. He was reading well. He had one little missed opportunity for them for a big play. But beyond that, right before half, he took the sack because we had an opportunity. It was a screen pass and we had linemen down field and he didn’t want to throw the ball away, stopping the clock. He picked up the sack. I thought he did a nice job managing the game. He made some really good throws and we caught the football today. We made tough catches. We had some runs after catches, which were good. We needed to do that.”

(On the offensive line’s play)
“We had good protection. We protected what’s a good pass rush, for the most part. I’ve got to look at the tape. Some of the runs weren’t pretty, but that’s usually the case when people know you’re going to run it and they’re behind and they’re trying to get the ball back.”

(On what emotions were prevalent at practice Wednesday)
“It was the enthusiasm about playing another game and having an opportunity to play on national TV, even though it was a short week, and accepting the challenge and realizing you’re playing a pretty good opponent that was pretty well into the playoff race.”

(On why the offense is clicking with QB Case Keenum and Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras)
“I made the change for that reason, because I anticipated that. They worked well together, (QB Coach Chris) Weinke had a lot to do with this, too. Chris is doing a good job with Case and Case is enthusiastic in the way he practices and prepares. He’s relaxed and he was making throws on time today.”

(On if QB Case Keenum’s decision making is really quick)
“Yes, it is. It was three step, it’s a little play-action, and then he did a nice job getting us in and out of runs.”

(On QB Case Keenum’s ability to play two games in a row)
“He’s healthy. He’s practice and taking all the reps in practice and has a good feel. Whether it’s a long week like last week or a short week like this week, he has some say in what he likes and what he doesn’t like and what he feels good about.”

(On the offense’s production despite not having a great run game today)
“You have to rely on three phases. The special teams, obviously, has given us an opportunity for the most part throughout the season. The run game will get better, as we have more continuity up front. The play action pass game will complement itself and will compliment the run game. The good thing today was points. You need points and we need to get up to create a situation where they are one-dimensional. (Buccaneers QB) Jameis (Winston) is an outstanding young quarterback and you saw that today. You heard about it but you saw it. He’s fiercely competitive and he’s highly intelligent and in addition to that, he has a very good arm as you saw. He has every right to be frustrated with the loss because he hates losing, because he’s not use to losing and that’s a good quality for a young quarterback.”

(On Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston picking up zero coverage and blitzes quickly as the game progresses)
“It’s going to be much harder. You can see his frustration when he’s trying to get people lined up when they weren’t right. He was moving people around, changing protections. That’s quite a deal for a young quarterback.”

(On RB Todd Gurley reaching 1,000 yards on the season)
“He got a late start as we all know. Everybody knows we’re going to run it and he still got 1,000. That speaks volumes for him. He pass protects, he gets out and catches the football and keeps drives alive as well. As we said way back in April, we’re drafting Todd to be our future. I didn’t anticipate he was going to play as early as he did, but knew once he got going, he’d be productive. We got two weeks left.”

(On why DT Aaron Donald is so dominant)
“I’m asked about it all the time. He’s a stud, and he has a great sense for offensive formations and anticipates plays on where he needs to get to. Then he puts himself, and we help on occasion, putting him in a one-on-one situation. He’s very, very powerful. His lower body strength and leverage makes him very hard to block. I talked to (Buccaneers Head Coach) Lovie (Smith) before the game and he goes, ‘Wow. That’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.’ So pretty impressive.”

Rams QB Case Keenum

(On how it felt getting off to a fast start tonight)
“It felt great. I mean, you can’t script a better opening drive. It was pretty incredible. I think you have to give a lot of credit to our coaches – (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Coach (Rob) Boras and all those offensive coaches for really putting us in a great position there early. Getting momentum like that and defense making a couple of big stops, forcing them to kick field goals is huge. The fourth down, I think we were able to play off that and stay on the field. Second half, held on, did enough, so it was a…came out on top.”

(On his relationship with Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras has been like these past few weeks and how he’s helped him adjust into the starting quarterback role)
“Obviously, he’s in our meeting room quite a bit more. The tight end room actually is right…there’s like a little partition that divides us, so we can always hear him coaching up the tight ends or used to. Now, it’s just he’s in our room. We hear a lot more of him that way, but it’s been great. He’s very, very detailed and does a great job presenting whatever new play or whatever new concept that we have, so it’s been great. He does a great job.”

(On if he wanted to have a more balanced attack on offense going into the game)
“You always want to have a balanced attack and it’s hard to tell sometimes how the game’s going to go. Obviously, Tampa Bay does a great job stopping the run. They really do. They loaded the box. Traditionally, they’re a ‘Tampa Two’ team, playing two safeties high, but they looked down and brought another safety out of the box quite a bit. That opened up the guys outside and got some playmakers outside that can do some special things with the ball in their hand. Our offensive line did a great job tonight. I really wasn’t even hit. The ones I was hit on were movements and stuff where I’m holding on to the ball and screens, stuff like that. So, offensive line did a great job and the guys made great plays for me down the field.”

(On his comfort level with the offense)
“It’s gotten better, it has. I mean, game experience, there’s nothing like it. Obviously, there’s stuff that I need to work on, I need to get better at. Times where I can hold on to the ball a little bit more, when the protection is as good as it was tonight at times. I tried to rush it a little bit. I got ancy. I just need to trust my feet, trust my read, trust my eyes and trust the offensive line to do their job.”

(On if having to prepare for this game on a short time span helped him in any way)
“I think it did. It’s like I said on Monday or whatever day I talked to you guys, that there was less time to prepare, but at the same time, you keep things simple. You don’t overthink things. You don’t overthink reads. You don’t have as much as time to watch film, but you watch film and you take what you get. You learn, you write it down and you move on to the next area of the game. I think a lot of guys prepared really, really well. I think the coaches put it on us to prepare. I think guys did and it showed.”

(On what he would say to the fans who might have left the game tonight feeling like that could have been the last game in St. Louis)
“I don’t know what the fans are thinking, but obviously, the fans tonight were incredible – chanting and yelling and being loud when the defense needed them to be loud. It was a great atmosphere tonight. I think it was a great atmosphere for the nation the watch and see. I think it was a good football game. Those guys played hard. They fought to the end and our crowd was in it till the end. It was a lot of fun out there. Tonight, I think it was a great football game.”

Rams RB Todd Gurley

(On reaching 1,000 yards rushing)
“It means a lot, but at the end of the day, credit to the O-line, to the receivers, tight ends, for blocking for me.”

(On if 1,000 yards rushing may mean more later)
“Oh yeah, for sure, after the season. But right now, you’re in the moment and you’re just playing.”

(On what worked offensively)
“(QB) Case (Keenum), man. He did a great job. Everybody…the receivers… it was just one of those nights we’ve been waiting for for the longest.”

(On if the offensive rhythm felt good)
“Oh yeah, for sure. Guys have been loading up the box and we finally got the results.”

(On working with assistant head coach/offense Rob Boras over last two weeks)
“It’s been good. He’s a good coach. He’s a real chill coach. He’s not uptight. He’s just a great coach.”

(On the offensive execution)
“I feel like we did a great job. We didn’t put the defense in situations like we did in the past. We scored points. That was the biggest thing.”

(On getting off to a fast start)
“Yeah, definitely getting off to a fast start because nobody wants to keep going three-and-out. They gave us the ball first and we put up points, so that was definitely a good start.”

(On joining Eric Dickerson and Jerome Bettis as Rams RBs rushing for 1,000 yards in rookie year)
“It feels good. Like I said, it’s a big accomplishment. But it’ll be something you look back at down the road.”

(On why things have clicked with Boras)
“Like I said, the biggest thing was execution. Last week we did a great job of running the ball. This week we did a great job of passing the ball. We were able to balance those things.”

Rams WR Tavon Austin

(On if there was any added motivation coming into this game due to potential relocation)
“I mean, I don’t want to get into that. We come pumped up every game, not just in case it might be our last game here. It’s out of our control. We’re going to come in and play our game and handle our business.”

(On how he would rate the team’s overall performance tonight)
“For the most part I believe we played well. There’s always room for corrections. Tomorrow we’ll go over the tape and try to get it better.”

(On if he wonders why the team has not played all season like they did tonight)
“I mean, we always had it. We always had it. It’s not just about a one game performance. It started coming together and that’s what we did tonight.”

(On how the change in the coordinator helped change things around for the offense)
“For the most part he saw upstairs what the defense was going to give us, and whatever they gave us we were going to take advantage of, and that’s what we did today. You have to take your hat off to Tampa Bay’s rushers. The wide receivers came through. It was our day to shine and that’s what we did.”

Rams DT Aaron Donald

(On how getting the win feels)
“It feels good. Anytime you win…the fans played a huge part being loud, you’re going to be excited. The fans did a great job today.”

(On if it means something to him to send the fans home with a win knowing this might be the last game in St. Louis)
“That’s out of my control. I’m just trying to finish the season up strong and finish up these two games with a win.”

(On how much the game being ‘chippy’ got the defense going)
“That’s a part of football. You’re going to go at it and things are going to happen. It’s a physical sport. You’re going to be jawing back and forth. We always are going to be into it with our offense moving the ball how they were and special teams doing how they’re doing. We just fed off of each other.”

(On if how the team’s lead helped them on defense)
“It’s huge. Like I said, we’re feeding off of each other. From special teams to offense to defense. We just feed off each other. When they score, we’re just trying to get the ball back to them when they’re hot.”

(On how much it means to close out the season as strong as they can)
“That’s what our goal is, win these last two games now. We’ve got to just stay hot and stay on the right track and we’ll be alright.”

Rams DE William Hayes

(On how big time of possession is to keep the defense fresh)
“It’s awesome. Going into the third and fourth quarter, to a certain extent you still feel pretty fresh. Like I said, you can play a lot harder. We’re doing a good job of moving the chains right now. I give (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Coach (Rob) Boras all of the credit. He’s got those guys playing at a high level. He’s got them believing. He’s got such a positive vibe. I think that’s the things guys can really feed off of. He’s always positive and he always is trying to push his players to get more out of them.”

(On what kind of challenges Tampa Bay’s offense presented to them on short rest)
“It was tough. (Buccaneers RB) Doug Martin is an elite back. (Buccaneers QB) Jameis Winston is an up and coming guy. Dude’s a stud. I was telling people early, the dude is probably one of the biggest competitors I’ve ever played against. He can sit up there and take those hits. After he gets up, he’ll tell you to bring it back again, talking crazy to you. He’s a competitor. You can just tell by the way he operates his offense. He demands a lot for them. I was up there looking at him and like I said, he earned my respect tonight.”

(On if he heard the crowd chanting, ‘Keep our Rams’)
“Yeah, I heard it. I thought it was pretty awesome. Like I said, I can’t determine what happens with that. That’s above my pay scale. When we find out what happens, if we’re going to be here or not, you will find out when I find out. It was just great for them to come out and show their support tonight and it was a beautiful thing. We haven’t been putting the best product on the field the whole year. For them to come out and support us is a beautiful thing.”