Fisher, Austin, Stacy, Quinn, Laurinaitis…transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher

(Opening statement)
“Last week, after the Tampa game in the locker room, I told guys, ‘Hey, we’ll take the win, but there’s so much room for improvement.’ Despite the fact that this is a very, very difficult loss for us and the way they’re feeling right now, there’s a significant improvement in this football team this week and today. We can’t overcome a mishandled snap and turn the football over to an offense like that or a drop in coverage for a touchdown. Those things against good football teams are hard to overcome, and we nearly overcame those things. We’ve still got some work to do. We’ve got some time to look at what we’re doing and make some adjustments and heal up and we’ll go from there. But I’m very disappointed for our players, because they played very, very hard and very smart today.”

(On losing a 21-0 lead)
“You go up 21-0 and you know you can’t ever let up. That’s precisely why I went for it on fourth and less than a yard. We need touchdowns and we needed to execute and we didn’t. This is an explosive offense with balance, and based off of our matchups and our history, we needed points. Thirty-one points should be good enough to win, but we need to do a better job defensively. You can’t make excuses. We had three or four rookies playing, but they had a bunch of people hurt, too. We just have to play better defense when the offense is controlling the football like that.”

(On his thoughts regarding a couple flags that went against the Rams)
“I’ll have to look at the tape. It’s not going to be fair for me to comment in detail on some of those things. Let me look at the tape, and I’ll see. I’m hoping they got the wrong jersey number on the hold there on Eugene (Sims). I’m really hoping that maybe there was a hold somewhere else on the defense.”

(On the Rams’ pass rush on third-and-long)
“We were rushing three, trying to take some things away. They matched up well and he (Cowboys QB Tony Romo) got rid of it when he needed to. We knew we were facing a good offensive line and we’ve got a deep one-on-one. We did get there, we missed him, and then we came back and tried to get him again and we hit him in the shoulder and we got a penalty for that. We’re going to keep working. Our defense needs to get better in all areas right now.”

(On how QB Austin Davis played)
“Oh, I think you saw how he played. He’d love to have two balls back, and that’s how this game is. He was in complete control again. He has a touchdown pass dropped—possibly two—I didn’t get to see it. I thought he played well enough for us to win.”

(On if Davis played well enough to merit a change from Shaun Hill as the starter)
“No. I’ve stood behind that decision.”

(On what happened when the Rams were stopped on 4th-and-1)
“I have to look at the tape. We got stuffed inside. The way we were going, we were knocking them off the ball. We also made some plays where we knocked some people off the ball consistently today.”

(On if he received an explanation from C Scott Wells regarding the botched snap)
“Did not. Schotty (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) and I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but obviously, he thought we were under center and brought the ball up and we were in gun. That’s pretty much all on Scott. Fortunately, we were able to hold them to a field goal.”

(On if being stopped on 4th-and-1 was a momentum changer in the game)
“No. Like I said, we needed the points against this football team. If I had to do it all over again, we’re going to go on 4th-and-inches. Running teams make those plays.”

QB Austin Davis

(On how difficult this loss was)
“Yeah this one’s tough. Just felt like we played a good ball game and had a chance to win and kind of let one get away tonight. So this one’s tough to swallow for sure.”

(On the interception)
“Obviously, I’d love to have that one back. I probably forced it a little bit. We’re down three, really just trying to get into field goal range. Of course if we get a score it’s even better, but I’d just love to have that one back. I put one up for a Quickie (Brian Quick), and I thought the corner made a good play, so that’s just football.”

(On being up 21-0 to start the game)
“We came out and the offense was rolling and started with a good drive and then defense made some big plays. Kind of lulled right there before half and they kind of got back in it. And we knew all along they were going to score points, and we didn’t do enough to win the ball game.”

(On how much more comfortable he was starting this week opposed to last)
“Honestly, it felt about the same. I thought guys really made some good plays down the field and put us in position to win the ball game, and just kind of building off of last week.”

(On what the difference was between the first and second half)
“Obviously, we didn’t get the job done. We were probably a play short here or there. So it felt good, we were rolling, just kept waiting to make that big play to get the win. Tip your hat to Dallas, they made those plays and we didn’t.”

(On what he did or didn’t see on his interception)
“I had a little edge pressure and tried to step up and just forced one. That’s the one I’d really love to have back. We were kind of backed up in our own territory, trying to get one pushed, and just didn’t see that guy at all. I’d love to throw that one away and live to fight another down.”

(On TE Jared Cook putting the loss on himself)
“Well, obviously he can’t put this game on himself. You can go down the list, there were numerous plays that we all could have made to change the outcome of the game. On the sidelines we’re all frustrated, trying to keep it together. I mean that’s stuff happens all the time. We talked, we’re fine. I didn’t even think twice of it.”

(On the missed snap from C Scott Wells)
“It was just a miscommunication. We were trying to do something with a protection. Just one of those plays obviously we’d like to have back. In the course of a game you make a play here and there and you feel like that was just the game, but it’s really the accumulation of everything. So I’d love to have that one back too.”

(On if he feels he has done enough to be the starter going forward)
“Well I’m not really thinking about it, honestly. I just wanted to come in and play hard for this team and give us a chance to win. This one hurts, would’ve liked to have gotten a win. (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher has been pretty clear, when (Qcool smiley Shaun (Hill) is healthy, he’ll be the starter. Until I hear different, that’s my approach.”

(On the deep balls to WRs Brian Quick and Kenny Britt)
“I just trust those guys. They make really good plays down the field and they’re big, tall receivers. Pass rush in this league is serious, so you have to get the ball out and sometimes you just have to trust that they’ll make plays. More times than not they do.”

RB Zac Stacy

(On Austin Davis’ second career start)
“AD did a great job today, just keeping his poise, making his reads and everything. It just goes back a couple of plays here and there to put us back in this ball game.”

(On that opening drive being a key drive for the offense)
“It’s just a matter of execution, whatever play is called we try to execute to the best of our abilities. It’s always good to open a drive like that. We want to have that mentality each and every week.”

(On having three running backs get carries)
“We bring a lot to the table. For the most part it’s about keeping us fresh.”

(On the fourth down missed conversion and momentum)
“Just execution, it’s just a must have situation we have to have. It really didn’t change the momentum. We have confidence in our defense to get us back on the field.”

(On being up by 21 and watching the second half)
“Despite the 21 point deal, any loss is frustrating. We just have to get better, plain and simple. We actually did a lot of good out there on the field, couple of penalties here and there, couple of bug plays would put us on top. We just have to get better.”

DE Robert Quinn

(On how they lost this game after leading 21-0)
“It’s frustrating. We had the game going the way that we wanted and Dallas made some great plays and got the momentum on their side. Games like that, we have to finish. Put them on the defense. We had a 21 point lead and there’s no way that we should lost that but Dallas came back and made plays that they needed to win the game.”

(On the pass rush)
“We are getting good rushed. We have been back there but when we get our opportunities to get them down we have to get them down. Guys are going to constantly continue to work and try to build on that.”

(On some the close calls that went against the Rams today)
“It’s frustrating but you have to play through it and make a play to correct it. Guys are out there selling out trying to make a play to win the game and we were just one play too short today.”

(On how they contained Dallas RB DeMarco Murray today)
“He had a few good runs but for the most part we contained him. To be up 21-0 and to give that game away, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Dallas made the plays when they needed to make them and gave them an opportunity to win the game,”

LB James Laurinaitis

(On the frustration after the loss)
“Extremely frustrating. At home up 21-0, that’s got to be a blowout. I just feel like each phase made mistakes and regardless of all of that, heck, even at the end we have a chance to win it. But goodness, 21-0 it shouldn’t come down to the fourth quarter.”

(On if he feels snake bitten by the penalties)
“It does but you can’t allow yourself to go there. Otherwise every time something goes wrong you’re just going to say, ‘Gosh, here we go again.’ You can’t allow your mind to go there. So, you have to rise up above the penalties. Some were questionable but heck, there are those in every single football game. We’ve just got to self-check, gut-check, go to work. This bye will be a good week for us to really self-examine who do we want to be as a team. So, I’m looking forward to getting to work and trying to correct some of the stuff that we screw up with.”

(On how you get over a loss like Sunday’s)
“I wish there was some magic potion we can all drink and forget about it. Quite frankly having two weeks to really settle in a loss is going to be hard to get over. But you’ve got to do it man. That’s what this profession’s all about. You’ve got to have amnesia in the mist of the game and definitely after the game. We’ll look at and goodness we’ve got to correct it. We’ve got to go back to work because we’re getting into the meat of this thing here now. We know what we’re up against. We’ve got to get back to work and just I wish I had something more you. But really to me it comes down to what are you doing individually for your craft? How hard you work individually? Check yourself and say, ‘Hey I am really doing everything I can?’ Then you go back out there and do more. I trust the guys in this locker room that we’ll do that.”