Fisher, Keenum, Goff, Ogletree, Austin, Brown … 8/20, transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher –– August 20, 2016

(Opening remarks)

“Well, thanks for waiting. That was fun. It was fun to start the preseason off 2-0, especially here at home. You know, I can’t say enough about the environment, the atmosphere and the fans. So many of them stayed and it’s unusual that they would stay through the game like they did, and then when we needed them they came around and they were loud. So we’re really looking forward to the home field advantage that we’re going to get with their assistance here when we come back the next time for our home field opener against Seattle. I was impressed with that. Some things happened in the game that obviously we’ve got to get corrected and there’s a lot of things we’ve got to learn from. Last week I was talking about how proud I was about the penalty numbers and we had two penalties and we need to keep that going, and all of a sudden today it breaks out and we even got a player ejected, which should never happen. It’s a learning experience as I mentioned we’d like to have them tonight rather than week three or four of the regular season, so they have to learn from it.

“But I thought (QB) Case (Keenum) did a nice job early on managing the game. The scoring drive was outstanding. You can see (RB) Todd’s (Gurley) value. I’m glad we got Todd in for the series. We kept Case in and then came back with (QB) Jared (Goff) with the starters. Then he had the mishap there in the backfield, lost the ball, but I think the more he played the more comfortable he got, which is good. Initially our plan, as I said there’s no perfect world, was to let (QB) Sean (Mannion) take the fourth quarter, but we had a hard time getting the ball back on defense. I didn’t look at the time of possession, but I would guess it was probably close to 40 minutes, 40 to 20. So not enough offensive snaps, but we got a lot done offensively, especially in the run game. You know, you’re getting to become more familiar with some of the younger guys. What can you say about (RB) Malcom (Brown) and his performance tonight. Overall, we have a lot of things to get corrected. From an injury standpoint, you’ll have some more information. (WR Bradley) Marquez, we will have to do some studies and some MRIs, things like that here in the next couple of days and have more information. I think we’ll be okay with regard to everybody else. I don’t think there were any issues there.”

(On QB Case Keenum’s first two touchdowns)

“Yeah, he’s putting the ball in the end zone. He’s got a good feel for what we’re doing. We’re keeping things simple, but he’s making the plays. That was a great throw to (WR) Kenny (Britt) where we got the defensive pass interference call. He read it out and let it fly and good things happen when you do that. I was pleased with what he did.”

(On QB Jared Goff’s confidence)

“He’s a confident young man. He loves to compete, and anytime a quarterback starts to get in a rhythm and gets an opportunity then good things happen. He had a couple drops that were not his issue, and balls accurately thrown. I was pleased with it. We said that his best friend is going to be the running game early on as a young quarterback. The running game was working, and so the rest of the stuff down the field was working.”

(On what he see’s in QB Jared Goff on the sideline when he does have some of these struggles)

“Drops aren’t his fault, but he did lose a ball in the pocket and he just said, ‘I should’ve got rid of the ball.’ He said he should’ve got rid of it, ‘I tried to make a play,’ and the rush got in his face and he lost the ball, so he learns from it. That’s the impressive thing about him.”

(On the focus of the team this year being on carrying the ball)

“It’s going to start there. With (RB) Todd (Gurley), (RB) Benny (Cunningham) and (RB) Malcom (Brown) showing what he can do, yeah it’s going to start there. We’ve got three guys who are capable of pushing the ball and then everything else unfolds off of that. We still have to put it down the field. We still have to convert third downs and those kinds of things, but the run game really helps everything. It especially helps your score, your red zone offense if you will. You get down into plus 20 and most people pick it up and throw it, but we’ll be able to run it in there.”

(On QB Jared Goff’s improvements from preseason week one to week two)

“He got to play a little more and he executed different plays than he did last week. It was good.”

(On the thought process behind letting QB Jared Goff stay in the game)

“Well, it was because we couldn’t stop anybody on defense. Again, it goes back to the time of possession. Had we got a few stops in the first half, I think we might have been 4-4 or 5-5 on third down. If we got the third-down stop, then we force a punt, then we get another drive offensively. We just didn’t have snaps, so that’s the reason that we discussed. I told staff to just let him finish.”

(On WR Nelson Spruce’s health)

“He’s doing better.”

(On the two wins combined and how it speaks to the team coming together)

“Well, we still have a ways to go. We’re not regular season ready. I’ve been doing this so long now, and once we get down to 53 and regular season starts, no one is going to remember what happened this preseason. It’s good to win football games, because there’s just a feeling that generated throughout the team that permeates everybody when you win. It’s easier to come back after a win and make your corrections.”

(On whether this game felt like a regular season game)

“It was great. That’s what I said earlier. It was loud and everybody’s excited. We got the score and went up and we were managing the clock from a standpoint of they were down in field goal range, and then they had the penalty, and then we got the takeaway, the turnover. I was prepared to use the first timeout right at 2:07, and then it went to the two-minute warning and I had two timeouts to stop the second and third down, thinking that they would kick because they were in field goal range. I told the offense ahead of time, ‘Be prepared, we’ll get the ball back.’ No timeouts but I’ve got four seconds left and field goal’s going to win so get (QB) Jared (Goff) ready. Then, bang, things change. We get the fumble, and now we’re in four-minute mode, which is try to get a first down. So quickly how things change, but the end result was good.”

(On playing time distribution in week three)

“No thoughts yet. We’ll let you know.”

(On WR Bradley Marquez’s injury)

“All I can tell you right now is they’re looking at his ankle.”

***

Rams QB Case Keenum- August 20, 2016

(On what is leading offense efficiency)

“I think we are doing a good job staying on the same page. I think operation between plays is good, communication is within that, making sure that we are in the right play, we are lined up right, we are getting snapped on time. I think the guys are making plays. The guys are running the ball really hard. (WR) Todd (Gurley) ran some really good runs down there in the red-zone. (RB) Benny (Cunningham) had again another great game, which you guys are going to come to expect from him every week and see that from him every week more so. It’s nothing new. (RB) Benny (Cunningham) has been playing at a high level and it’s fun to watch.”

(On the team’s chemistry to win the second pre-season game)

“You know, we are fighting. I think across the board, whoever is out there, is fighting. It’s not always going to go your way as we saw tonight and even last week, but to be able to battle through when things aren’t going your way, when the ball is not rolling your way, I think can say a lot more about your team than when everything happens to go your way.”

(On QB Jared Goff’s performance with his first touchdown of the game)

“I thought (QB) Jared (Goff) battled through it. Just like I said, when you don’t get into a rhythm, when things aren’t happening the way you expect them to, to be able to get back on track is really tough to do and it was good to see him do that.”

(On wanting to stay on top of the depth chart)

“I’m just playing football, man. I don’t think about anything, that’s you guy’s job. You go write about it, talk about it and dissect everything. For me, if I’m totally honest, the opinions that matter for me are in this locker room – that’s with teammates and coaches. I’m trying to do the best I can. I think we are doing a pretty good job right now.”

(On if he expects to get more playing time in the third pre-season game)

“I expect to get more. I would say, I’m the type of guy that is never going to turn down reps. With that being said, I do want to play. I love playing football whether it’s pre-season and it counts or doesn’t. But that’s not my decision. There are a lot of things out of my control, that I can’t control, and I can control when I’m in there. That’s what is important to me. At a quarterback position, I’ve been on a lot of teams where you play different guys throughout the year, so we all have to be on the same page when it comes to a lot of different things.”

(On how it was to play with RB Todd Gurley)

“Who? Todd? Oh yeah. I’m just kidding. It’s always nice to have Todd out there, as you can see. He’s a good player. I think he’ll let you know that, too. It was fun. He played really well. He ran the ball well.”

***

Rams QB Jared Goff – – August 20, 2016

(On his opening drive)

“Yeah, I felt good on that drive. We had a couple of big runs by (RB) Malcolm (Brown). We were able to finish it off with him making a great catch. But yeah, I felt really good. Started to settle in there after a few drives. I felt much better as the game went on, felt a lot more comfortable. It’s the same story as it’s been the last few weeks; every day gets a little bit better. Every game gets a little bit better, every drive, every play. So, I felt think I’ve made some good strides.”

(On handing off to RB Todd Gurley)

Yeah, that always helps. When guys are ripping off runs like Malcolm (Brown) was in that drive, and a lot of guys throughout the whole game, it always helps. It opens up the pass game, it open up the run-action pass, you can score a few touchdowns doing that as well.”

(On whether it was hard to get in sync)

“Yeah, but that stuff is going to happen every game. You kind of just have to fight through that, you can’t let it affect you. It just takes a drive or two to kind of get into the rhythm. But once I did, I was happy I was left in there as long as I was. I was able to get into my rhythm and feel good about how the way things finished.”

(On throwing his first NFL touchdown)

“It’s exciting. It really didn’t hit me until I hit the sidelines and was like, ‘Man, that was my first one.’ It kind of felt like a regular touchdown; like it was at Cal or in high school. It was cool, but I was much more happy we won the game. Ultimately, that’s what we wanted.”

(On his expectations on the next two preseason games)

“I hope to just continue to improve. I don’t want to set any statistical goals for myself. I just want to continue to improve, and feel more comfortable, and feel confident and more natural. That’s what I think I’ve done up until this point, and just continue that.”

(On if there’s a gap he needs to make up in the race for the starting quarterback job)

“I’m just worried about what I’m doing, and on myself. (QB) Case (Keenum) has played well, and Case is doing a great job. But at the same time, I’m not going to concern myself with him. I need to focus on myself and continuing to get myself better, because I have plenty of things I need to work on.”

(On the in-game adjustments he made)

“I don’t know if there’s anything in particular. It’s just like a rhythm. It’s something that comes, especially at the quarterback position. It’s something you kind of have to get into. Like I said, after a few drives, it felt like I was back in college and back doing the same thing I’ve always done my whole life. It wasn’t so much thinking. It was more playing. You’re seeing stuff better, it just kind of falls in your vision. That’s kind of how I felt towards the end.”

(On playing in shotgun formation and if it was a coincidence that he had two completions after moving to shotgun)

“I don’t think so. I think we all go in shotgun quite a bit here. I had a lot of completions under center today as well. I don’t think they were doing it on purpose or anything.”

(On whether he feels more comfortable in shotgun than under center)

“Not at this point, not really. I feel just as comfortable under center, and can do basically the same things that I’m asked to do under center. It felt really good.”

(On the fumble)

“I tripped. It was a quick-hand play. I was stepping up. I was going to run. Tripped over my O-lineman and fell, and put the ball down, and it came out. Can’t do it. It’s ball security. I got to hold onto the ball there. I think that’s what the preseason is for, and that’s what these reps are for; for myself to make mistakes that I hopefully won’t make again and that I can learn from. I was trying to throw it. I don’t know if it was a fumble or incomplete pass. I was just trying to throw it, and got hit.”

(On facing a 3-4 defense)

“Our defense does a little bit of it, so we were able to see some of it in practice. It was fine. We game planned it a little bit. And I’ve seen it in my life before. So it’s nothing brand new to me. I thought the O-line did a great job, I thought the running backs did a great job of picking up everything they were throwing at us. I was happy with the way we were able to pick up the momentum in the second half, and finish the game.”

(On the speed of the game)

“It’s starting to slow down. It’s finally starting to slow down. I think today that I took a big jump. Mentally, physically and everything. Just confidence and everything just took a big jump today. I was able to settle in like I said, and feel more comfortable and let everything come a little bit more natural to me.”

(On what he does to forget the mistakes, and just move on to the next play)

“Same thing I’ve done my whole life. It’s not my first fumble that I’ve had. It’s not the first mistake I’ve ever made. Won’t be the last. You just have to come back. I think the best way to judge a person is how they come back. So I just try to focus and dial in and just forget about it. Short memory and come back.”

(On whether he gets a lot of text messages after games)

“Yeah, I always do after these games.”

(On getting more reps with the first team O-line and if that helps him develop a rhythm)

“Yeah, I think that’s part of it. But at the same time, it’s getting reps, which were vital today. I was happy they left me in there. I obviously want to play as much as I can, and get as many reps under my belt as I can, and learn as quickly as I can. I was happy they left me in there and gave me reps.”

(On whether this is the right team fit for you)

“Yeah, I love it. The fans were awesome tonight. They were fabulous. It’s been two games in a row now they’ve stayed the whole game and have been loud. All the way through the fourth quarter, loud, making a difference. Hopefully, they can continue that through the season, and I expect them to.”

***

Rams LB Alec Ogletree – August 20, 2016

(On if he was happy with the intensity that the defense brought and if he was comfortable with his change to ILB)

“Definitely. Once you settle down and play, everything just kind of flows and you get in a groove of things. I definitely felt better about the next series after we did the first series.”

***

Rams WR Tavon Austin – August 20, 2016

(On if was pleased with the way the offense played tonight)

“Definitely happy with how we played tonight – that comes with the game. Just to knock out one last week – the big thing about it is we got one more win and that’s all that matters.””

(On what he needs to see from the team in the preseason, especially when QB Jared Goff is in the game)

“Just a little bit more completions. I think we need to be more in the game, we had a couple more mistakes – the offensive linemen and the wide receiving crew, that’s the only thing I can speak on. Just getting on the same page, keep on doing what we’re doing, we should be alright.”

(On what he thinks of Goff’s progression and if he’s looking more settled down and confident)

“Oh yeah, definitely. Goff is doing a great job. Some days he’s going to be alright and some days he’s not going to. The good thing about it is he stayed strong in there, he didn’t look down and he kept on moving the team.”

***

Rams RB Malcolm Brown – August 20, 2016

(On the touchdown reception he had from QB Jared Goff)

“Oh man, it was a free release from me. Jared, he put it to where nobody else could get it, it was my job to make the catch, the offensive line protected great. Like I said, it was my job to make that catch and it just worked for us. It was a great play call by our coaches and it just happened.”

(On how much confidence he thought Goff got out of that touchdown pass)

“I know definitely that was a great thing for him. Just because, as a rookie, you kind of have to get under your feet a little bit, get your head right. Scoring the first touchdown, or throwing the first definitely a confidence booster.”

(On being 2-0 in the preseason)

“It’s great for us. Just to start off fast, get two close wins and have our fans out here. The way they are, it’s definitely helping us out tremendously. It’s just great for this team, just to get off to a fast start and build some confidence.”