Fisher, Davis, Mason, Quinn etc (transcripts/vids) + Fisher locker room speech

POSTGAME QUOTES: Rams vs. Seahawks
Head Coach Jeff Fisher

(Opening Statement)
“Well as we say from time to time, it’s hard to win in the National Football League. Just really, really grateful for the effort. An entire team effort, coaching staff effort this week after coming out on a short week. That’s a really good football team, that’s an understatement. The mark of a good team, I’m talking about the Seahawks, is when you declare eight starters, six starters, or five starters out before the game and then lose a couple more players and bring people in off practice squads and play them, and play the way they did, that’s pretty impressive. And by the way, their quarterback is an outstanding player. We have to play better defense and it’s got to happen this week. We give up way too many big plays. We did get some pressure, got some sacks, but this guy (QB Russell Wilson), he’s hard to get down. And Russell all by himself made this quite a game. I think he is to be congratulated, but has every right to be disappointed. As you guys realize, I have a great deal of respect and confidence in our special teams. I was disappointed in the production at Philadelphia. They worked hard, they pushed through it. What can you say about the execution on both those plays? It was outstanding.”

(On who came up with the football on the fumble)
“The Rams. No, an offensive player.”

(On the special teams trick play in the fourth quarter)
“I gave him a heads up after first down. I gave (Special Teams Coordinator) Coach (John) Fassel a heads up after first down and communicated in case we didn’t convert. You guys saw the flow of the game, we were having a hard time stopping Russell. There was too much time left on the clock right there and I didn’t want to give the ball back to him and I thought that was our best chance to get a first down.”

(On if he would have faked the punt if QB Austin Davis did not complete the shovel pass)
“Yes, to me that was going to be a decent gain based on the field position. This is the last thing anybody expected, that’s why sometimes those things work.”

(On the punt return for a touchdown)
“We installed it…I discussed it with Coach Fassel on Wednesday night…we installed it and worked on it Thursday and Friday and then walked it again yesterday. It was just one of those things that was executed. Something that we saw on tape, we took advantage of it.”

(On if he knew they would kick it to the left)
“We knew that we had a 90 percent chance that it was going to go there.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey catching the ball over his shoulder)
“He did it. We executed it in practice. Johnny (Hekker) gave him a really good look. And the key is that (WR) Tavon (Austin) and (S) Cody (Davis) really oversell that the ball is going…the team is expecting the ball to come down to their left, our right. And so when they saw Tavon running over, they probably thought it was miss-hit. The downside was he doesn’t catch it, the ball goes in the end zone, it’s a touch back or it’s downed. The upside was we felt like if he was able to field it, then we had a chance to probably put points on the board. This is something, it’s a copycat league okay. The Bears did this with (Devin) Hester against the Packers six or seven years ago and scored, but it was called back for holding. But we just felt, based on the information that we had and everything, we felt like…I had enough…it was an automatic based on field position as well. I told Coach Fassel to go ahead and run it if we had the right field position and we did. So it worked. Special teams obviously played a big factor in this one.”

(On no turnovers by QB Austin Davis)
“And no sacks. And we got three of those “s” words today, which was good. Those were hard to find there for a while.”

(On if the combination of no turnovers and penalties led to the win)
“Well yeah, as long as were not hurting ourselves and creating negative field position and things like that, we’re okay. Now that’s an outstanding defense. Credit Austin (Davis) for the job he did. Our last scoring drive was outstanding. Those throws he converted, he kept the drive alive. I thought that was the difference in the ballgame was our last scoring drive.”

(On being efficient)
“We wanted to attack the defense, but it’s a good defense and at times you’re going to stall a little bit. But I said to (Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) Schotty let’s just be aggressive, let’s just go. Let’s go win this game, not put someone in position where they can’t make a play.”

(On if winning this game will help their confidence)
“I think so. A young team, you talk about needs to learn how to finish. Well they learn by finishing and that’s kind of what we did today. That’s what we talked about and I just told them, ‘just find a way.’ I don’t mean to be coach speak but it is, we found a way to win this game. And we’ll just take it and move from here. I’m looking forward to correcting this thing because it’s certainly much easier to correct after a win.”

(On RB Tre Mason)
“We’re going to play all three backs. I have great respect for all three of them and Trey Watts for that matter. They are very unselfish, they root each other on. Tre got a hot hand and it was just kind of a different thing. We felt that we may have a chance to crease their defense at times with him. Now he learned a very valuable lesson, and also we continue to learn more and more about (TE) Cory Harkey, what a pro he is.”

(On if he would rather have Mason just fall down in that situation)
“Get the first down and then kneel down. But young backs like that aren’t wired that way.”

(On adjustments from the defense to stop the run in the second half)
“We did some things but they got away from that. Russell’s run was nearly back breaking. They chipped (DE) Rob (Quinn) and we couldn’t wrap him and contain him. Then we actually had, we were prepared for a couple… with his bootleg for a touchdown we put (LB Alec Ogletree) Tree in position just to play the bootleg and get him down, and that just kind of shows you what kind of athlete he is. We couldn’t do it.”

(On injuries)
“I was told that they thought that (OL) Rodger (Saffold) probably could have gone back in that last series, so that’s encouraging. Courageous…(CB Janoris Jenkins) Jenks was banged up and Jenks shook it off and so did (WR) Kenny Britt early in the game and he shook it off. So I don’t think we have any issues as far as they’re concerned.”

(On the late fumble)
“When the ball went out and there was a pile I was on the headset, with respect to time left on the clock talking to (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Gregg) Williams about what we needed to do. When they gave us the ball, obviously, I was somewhat relieved.”

Rams QB Austin Davis

(On walking off the field with a win)
“It’s the only thing we cared about. We wanted to finish the game in an offensive victory formation. We did that, and you have to tip your hat to Seattle. They’re a really good football team and you saw what it took to beat them. It took multiple great plays, it took a pretty flawless game as far as turnovers and penalties and all those things. We knew that coming in. It’s just a credit to our guys and the way we fought and we found a way to win.”

(On the long completion to WR Chris Givens on the Rams’ final scoring drive)
“It was a really good call by Coach (Brian) Schottenheimer. We thought we’d get man-to-man coverage. When they need a play, they trust their guys to cover man-to-man. Chris, with his speed, just ran across the field. I trusted it and obviously, we worked the play all week, and when we needed it, he made a big play. That’s how you win games. You’ve got to make big plays when the game is on the line. You’re going to have a chance to go down and win the game at the end or not. Today, we did it.”

(On P Johnny Hekker’s completion on a fake punt in the fourth quarter)
“I don’t know how many completions I had, but it wasn’t even close to being the most important one of the ballgame. You give Johnny a lot of credit, and obviously, Coach Fisher. He knew how big this game was for us. For him to call that, in that moment—a call that if it doesn’t go right, he gets slammed, he gets questioned—he knew what it took to win the game. We executed it, and he said he trusted us. He trusted Johnny to make the throw and he trusted the execution of the play. Sometimes, you’ve got to go get one.”

(On the contributions of the special teams)
“It was a complete win, in all three phases. (They) stepped up when they needed to. There was the return, and obviously the fake. Special, special win.”

(On the lack of turnovers and penalties)
“I think that’s how you win games in the NFL. I think it’s something that we need to watch and figure out how to repeat week to week. The turnovers and the penalties and some of those things have been what’s holding us back. We feel like we’re a good team and keep progressing, but those things have really plagued us. We found a way to play a clean game tonight, and it gave us a chance to win and we ultimately pulled it out.”

(On if the blown leads in recent weeks came to mind during this game)
“No, I was just thinking about what I could do to help the team win. There’s so much to think about situationally that you can’t think about the past. You just try to execute one play at a time and look at the scoreboard when the game is over.”

(On his preparation for this week)
“We talked all week, they’re really good in the secondary. I think this is where Coach (Brian) Schottenheimer’s experience, Shaun’s (Hill) experience and even Sam’s (Bradford) experience came into play for me heading into this game. We knew we had to be patient. We threw a lot of balls underneath, just completion plays. We probably had 50-something passing yards, but the object is to win the game. The object isn’t to throw for 300 yards, the object is to win. So I thought the play-calling and the way we managed, ‘Hey, when do we take our shots and when do we throw completions,’ was excellent and well-timed.”

(On his range of emotions through the final possession)
“First of all, I had no idea that we called the fake. I’m walking off the field, and I look back and I see Johnny with his arm reared back. I see it on the screen and I thought something has gone really wrong. Then he threw it and it was completed. The thing that happens there—the first time it’s ever happened to me—we just converted a first down, so the play clock is rolling, the game clock is rolling and the offense is walking off the field. We’ve got to get back in and we still need another first down. The game wasn’t over. It was a transition there that had to get locked back in and finished. The last play, where we lost the football, I wasn’t so sure who got the football when the play began, but I know Cory Harkey had it when it was all over. He’s a special player and he’s one of the leaders of our football team. It couldn’t happen to a better guy and I’m really happy for him.”

(On picking up the first home win of the season)
“It’s great. It’s the world champs. Until someone takes it from them, that’s what they are. They’re just a really good team and we put it all together today, and it was awesome.”

(On the performance of the offensive line)
“They did an excellent job. I think no sacks, right? You can’t do any better than that. They played an excellent football game. Across the board, I’m sure when we see the film, it’s a collective effort—guys making plays when they needed to—and that’s how you win. There’s no other way to do it.”

RB Tre Mason

(On how good a feeling it was to walk off with a win)
“Great feeling. I didn’t care how it was done, what we had to do to get it done. As long as we ended with a win, I was happy.”

(On how he felt about his performance)
“I feel like I had a great day. There’s always room to get better and you know we’re going upward from here.”

(On P Johnny Hekker completing the pass for the first down)
“When I first came here I knew he could throw the ball. I was like, ‘Well, does he play quarterback or not?’ And it showed, that man has a nice arm.”

(On the final play when the ball came loose and what was going through his mind)
“Right now there’s no excuse for a fumble. At that time I knew that I was getting excited. It’s been the first win in kind of a long time. I had the nail and I was trying to put the nail in the coffin.”

(On how he felt running the football after they were up 14-0)
“I felt great. Running behind that line, they did great today. I couldn’t do this without the rest of my team, offense and defense. It was great to win.”

(On his first career touchdown)
“I was excited. I told myself I needed to pick up where I left off and that was cool, continue scoring touchdowns. That has to be the first of many more to come.”

(On what he was thinking about during the fake punt play)
“I have faith in my team. I kind of knew. Once I heard the call, we’ve practiced it so many times in the beginning. Yeah, it’s like second nature to these guys.”

Rams DE Robert Quinn

(On the defense tallying three sacks in the game)
“It felt good to finally to get back there and get them down. Like I said, all it takes a little snowflake to start to an avalanche. The guys kept working their craft. We finally were able to get them down.

(On the fake punt)
“That was a gutsy call. Especially on the side of the field we were at. They executed it to a tee and was able to keep the clock going for our offense, for our team, helped us close out the game.”

(On beating the defending champions)
“Like I said, they’re the defending champs, they have near everybody back on their team. To beat a great ball club like that is a heck of a job. Guys put in great work day-in and day out. To play such a tough game against a team like these. We all know it’s a great feeling so we’ve just got to take this momentum and go build on it from here.”

Rams DT Aaron Donald

(On how it felt to win today)
“We just kept playing our game. We knew it would come as far as the sacks, but we just played as a good unit, as a good defense and we came away with a big win. We needed that, too.”

(On if he is feeling more comfortable with the speed of the NFL game)
“Yeah, a lot more comfortable. Things are starting to slow down to me. I’m starting see a lot more things and it’s showing. So, that’s good.”

(On if this performance by the defense is what we should expect out of them the rest of the season)
“Yeah, that’s the type of defense I’ve seen coming into the Rams. That’s the type of defense I’ve seen, playmakers, everybody making plays in the backfield it’s a fun defense when you’re doing that. We’ve got to keep building off of what we did today and you’re going to see a lot more of that.”

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll

(Opening Statement)
“We got started way too late in this game. We failed to start and they jumped out on us and did a nice job to get that done. Some unbelievable cool things that they were able to do on special teams and it made a big difference in this game. Once we got going we were back in the football game, but just didn’t get it finished. We have work to do. We have work to do to get consistent; we have work to do clean up some stuff the really basic things that broke down on us. There is so much room for improvement. It is unfortunate, but they got a very, very good win today. We have to give them all of the credit. They did a great job.”

(On the attempted fumble recovery by CB Richard Sherman)
“He was on top of the ball, but he was on his knees and he couldn’t get flat on the ground. He was right there on it, he was crunched there in the situation and he couldn’t get flat to secure it. Then the ball got moved around a little bit. They could have said he had it. They could have looked in and saw it and given him the football, but as time wore on in the pile the ball got moved around.”

(On the offense)
“We ran the ball really well. Marshawn Lynch was running the ball great, the guys were blocking well. Everything just got cranked up. We have seen this in the past, the teams start slow, the Niners did it last week and we did it here. But once we got going, we were fine. We moved the ball like crazy. we were stopping them and doing all kinds of things. They had enough special plays that they got the game.”

(On the Rams special teams success against the Seahawks)
“We have an old history here, with the hide out play, but this was great execution by them on a couple of different situations. They made a huge difference. The kickoff return was huge. That was a ball that was kind of a miss kicked ball that generally doesn’t happen like that. The punt return was a great play by them, they played to our discipline. The last play, if they didn’t catch the ball we would have kicked a field goal and go home. Very gutsy play by Jeff (Fisher), the kind of stuff he has done in the past and the way we anticipate him being and we prepared for it. They came up with a couple of defenses against us.”

(On the fake punt)
“We didn’t think they would do it in this situation. They just went with it and returned like crazy. “

(On his argument about the fake punt)
“We thought that (WR) Tavon Austin may have given a fair catch signal. We thought that maybe one of our guys saw that. I think it was when he was falling down he kind of threw his hands up.”

(On if the Punter kicked the ball where he was supposed to)
“Yes.”

(On special teams unit following the ball vs. the player)
“They did a great job, it pushed everybody that way. We chased all of our blocks in that direction. Unfortunately, on that play (WR) Ricardo Lockette was just getting lined up and checking with the official and missed the snap. I think Stedman (Bailey) was there with him and he makes the catch on it and Lock may have seen it differently had he got off right. He would have to track it.”

(On being discouraged by the teams play)
“Actually I am encouraged by the way we found it, and by the way we came back and did all of the things that you have to do to come back in a football game. We rallied in every way. We ran the football, we were throwing and catching it. We protected the quarterback after a while. We stopped them on third downs, we did all of the things you have to do try and patiently get back into the game and it happened just like that. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”

(On the play of Wilson during the third and fourth quarter)
“I don’t know how his numbers jumped, but I know it was very difficult early. We hung with and the coaches stayed with the plan and we thought we could execute and they were right because it worked and we got back on track. He did a phenomenal job of carrying out the game plan.”

(On injuries and players stepping up)
“Unfortunately, Derrick Coleman broke his foot during pregame. He took a faulty step or something and that is why you saw Robert Turbin out there. He found out as we were running out on the field that he could play. A number of guys including, (TE) Cooper Helfet did a great job of jumping in and playing all of that tight end. A lot of guys really elevated and helped us. Again, it just wasn’t enough.”

(On the trade of WR Percy Harvin)
“It was a move we made for our team. We are always trying to get better and get things right wherever we can. We thought that was the best thing for the club and it will help us down the road. We love our guys at that position. We have a lot of depth at receiver. I don’t know if you ever replace a special player like that totally but it was the right thing for our team.”

Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson

(On the offense’s early struggles)
“We struggled a little bit in the first half. They made some plays on us. They did some good things. I think the best part about today despite the loss is just our resilience. When you’re playing a good football team, they’ve lost a lot of close games and they have a very, very good defense. They fly around and make a lot of plays. Our resilience definitely showed up. Backs up a little against the wall, and that’s how you have to play. Some games aren’t going to be blowouts, some games you’re going to have to come back, some games are going to be close. We gave ourselves a chance there all the way to the end.”

(On having to come back from behind)
“I think we just didn’t make some of the plays early. I think I could have played a little bit better. I think everybody could have played a little bit better, but the game is potentially in our hands there at the end. We weren’t able to capitalize for whatever reason, and so I think that we have a team that’s full of fighters, guys that put on the boxing gloves and go round and round day-in and day-out. There’s nothing better than having your backs against the wall, and that’s where we’re at right now. You just play 1-0 and try to focus on what you can control, and what we can control is the way we practice, the way we keep our mindset, still that championship mindset. The situation is the situation, but I know for our team and what we’re about, we’re going to keep fighting and keep swinging.”

(On Seahawks WR Doug Baldwin’s performance)
“I thought Doug Baldwin played a tremendous game. His leadership really showed today, his abilities to make big time plays. I thought his quickness, his hands, everything that he does so well definitely was evident tonight. I also thought (Seahawks WR) Jermaine Kearse played well. I thought all the guys who stepped in – you talk about (Seahwks WR) Paul Richardson who steps in, plays a tremendous game, shows what he can really do, has great hands. (Seahawks WR) Kevin Norwood got in there, some of the other guys as well. You think about (Seahwks Robert Turbin having to step in and play fullback. That’s what it takes to really give yourselves a chance. That togetherness, that attitude that we’ll do whatever it takes. We were a minute short, and that’s an unfortunate situation.”

(On if he decided he was going to run more in the second half)
“I never really decide just to take off. It’s never like that for me. I really don’t want to run, to be honest with you. I’m trying to throw it all the time and keep my eyes downfield, and if it’s there I’ll take it at the last second and just try to get as many positive yards as I can. I thought the offensive line did a tremendous job protecting me for the most part today. We had a few miscues here and there, but they’re a great defensive line and a great front seven so they got to me a few times. But, I thought that we showed the ability to make plays when we needed to.”

(On his 52-yard run)
“I was looking downfield and kind of saw (Seahawks Marshawn (Lynch) and saw somebody coming deep across the field and I didn’t want to force it, I just kept my eyes downfield. I didn’t want to throw it behind myself. I didn’t want to make any bad decisions there. I was able to take off and got away from (Rams DE Robert) Quinn, who’s a fast player. He almost got me there and I was able to run down the sideline and get some positive yards.”

(On Seahawks TE Cooper Helfet)
“Cooper Helfet, for his ability to step in. We’re down (Seahawks TE) Zach Miller, we’re down (Seahawks TE) Luke Willson. He steps in and plays a tremendous football game. It shows the depth that we have at all positions for the most part, and that’s the exciting part. I think the best part of the game for our offense and just our team in general was the 80-yard drive, the, I think, 91-yard drive and the 82-yard drive three consecutive times in a row. Like I said, that shows our resiliency and you have to look forward to the next opportunity you get. It shows what we can do and it shows that we have the ability to be special.”

(On becoming the first QB to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game)
“In terms of the milestone of throwing for 300 (yards) and rushing for 100 (yards), it doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything unless you win, so I’m not about stats, I’m far away from stats. The only thing I really care about is winning. I’ve got to figure out a way to help our team win, whatever it takes. I’ve got to find ways to play better, I’ve got to find ways to step up for our team and that’s my ultimate goal.”

(On WR Percy Harvin being traded to the New York Jets)
“In terms of Percy, I wish him nothing but the best. He’s a good football player, a great football player. For whatever reason, it didn’t work here but I pray for him. I pray that he finds peace, I pray that it works for him in New York or wherever else it is. For our football team now, we just have to focus on us and what we can do together and how we can improve as a football team. I know we have great guys, guys that can really make plays and you saw that definitely today. So that’s what we have to look forward to. Like I said, I wish nothing but the best for Percy. He’s a guy from Virginia who I respect.”

(On if losing Harvin made it difficult to adjust the offense in the short-term)
“No, I don’t think it makes it tougher. I think you saw today that you have guys step up. You have Paul Richardson step up, a second round draft pick. You have Kevin Norwood, a guy who played at Alabama, SEC Conference, played a lot of great football. You look forward to those guys having an opportunity. I know I got an opportunity at a very young age, and I was able to make some plays here and there and just continued to build that confidence. Hopefully the leaders on our team continue to help them build and what they’ve done as young players against our defense in practice is pretty special to watch. You look forward to those opportunities for those guys. You know that they’re going to make the plays.”

(On if Harvin did not fit in in the locker room)
“There’s so many different things that you have to not worry about. That’s nobody’s business. The locker room is our locker room. We keep everything in-house. He fought hard for us. He played great football in terms of just battling every day. Like I said, I wish nothing but the best for Percy. He’s a tremendous football player and I just pray that it works out for him wherever he goes. Like I said, it comes back to us and what we can do right now and how we can continue to move on and focus on one game at a time.”

(On gaining momentum late in the game and carrying it into next week)
“I feel a lot of success coming around the corner. That’s what I hope for. That’s what I believe it. I believe in our football team, I believe in the guys that we have. I believe in the coaching staff that we have. We played a great football team today in terms of how hard they played. They always give us a tough game. Ever since I’ve been here at least, I know they’ve always given us a tough game. You’ve got to give their coaching staff a round of applause for what they were able to do today and their players, too. I thought their defense played a great game. I thought (RamsAustin Davis played a great game. He’s a very good quarterback, shows a lot of poise, so you have a lot of respect for what he does as a young guy, too. If we were able to get the ball back, there’s no doubt in my mind we would’ve won the game. They got us on the fake punt, and so we trusted our call and they just made a play. And the fumble, I though