Rams Executive Vice President of Football Operations/Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff – December 12, 2016

(Opening remarks)
“I appreciate you all coming on short notice. Obviously, a very difficult day here for the organization in relieving Jeff (Fisher) of his head coaching duties. It’s not a decision that you ever want to make and it’s a day you never want to come, as a group. I think, collectively, we all felt that this was the best chance to move forward, to finish the season with some direction and hope, and begin the process of building for 2017.

I want to thank Jeff for five years of unwavering leadership, we put him in some tough circumstances over the past few years. Never expected a day like this this to become, never wanted a day like this to happen and always wanted to make sure that we could find a way to fight through some of the difficult challenges and he was absolutely the right person when we hired him in 2012 and the right person to help bring this club back. And, for whatever reason, this year we didn’t have the kind of success over the past few weeks that I think we all expected and wanted. It’s unfortunate for him today because this is an organizational failure. I think when you stand up here, anytime you let a head coach go, we all have to take a look in the mirror. This is not just about the head coach or the coaching staff, we have to improve across the board – personnel to operations to everything – and it’s what we told the staff today. Unfortunately, today this is being discussed as Jeff Fisher, but collectively as the Rams, we need to get better moving forward – and that process really begins today.

I think one of the things that we’ll reflect on over the past few months is really how good Jeff was to the players, to his coaches, how he led them with conviction, how hard they fought for him and what it meant to him to be the Head Coach of the Rams and we’ll be forever grateful. This is a tough day for him and his family, I think we can respect that. It’s a tough day for everybody in the organization who loved coming to work for Jeff. But, hopefully, we’ll find the right path forward, I believe we will. And that challenge begins today.”

(On if the performance in Sunday’s game against Atlanta was the deciding factor in taking this action and if he agrees with RB Todd Gurley, who said certain team members had given up)
“I think the question about Todd is a better question for Todd. I think when you look at our team, having lost eight of the past nine, some of the performances the past few weeks have been a little bit more lopsided – and I think that’s what really tipped it. I think if you look at our team over the past few years, we had some close losses – even when you look at the stretch after the 49ers game, we come back, we win three in a row. We had nine games really from Week 2 through Week 11 that were decided on the final drive or in the final two minutes. The team was competitive and playing well – and some of those breaks went our way and some of those breaks didn’t go our way. But I think when you look at the past few games, for whatever reason, it got out of reach in the second half. I think that was really the deciding factor. This was solely a performance-related issue. And when you look at the team and where it is and how we get better moving forward, I think for the fans, for the players, for the coaches, for the organization, we wanted to make sure games like yesterday didn’t happen again.”

(On why they made the decision to do this now with a game in three days)
“There’s never a good time to do this. I think as we looked at it from an organizational perspective, on a short week, we have three games left against the NFC West – Seattle, San Francisco, Arizona. We’re 2-1 in the division, this is a chance to finish strong in the NFC West, have a chance to have the best record in the NFC West. You wanted to see the players come out on Thursday with energy. This is a short week and we really felt that (Interim Head Coach) John Fassel would be the right person in our organization to go lead this team for the last few weeks. I think the other thing, when you look at it with three weeks left, this is never a good decision or an easy decision to make, no matter what the time. It’s especially harder as you get into making an in-season decision. But the players have put a lot of effort over the past few years and this year into this season, and with them still in the building, you want to give them a chance to talk with them, to debrief, to understand how we move better to how we can make this a better organization. Again, this is not just about coaching, this is top-to-bottom, how we can get better. This is not a coaching staff is 4-9, we’re all 4-9. And so I think, when we look at that, with a chance to finish with energy and to make a difference over the (final) three games. I don’t think going in to a game, even because it’s a short week – you look at this week’s schedule, we have two walk-thrus and then we fly to Seattle – this is one of those where I understand the challenges of the short week. We’ve played Seattle before, they’re a division opponent, we know them, you’re not installing a whole new game plan. So, really, this gives Coach Fassel a chance to walk in, make his impression on the team in a short time, get them through two quick walk-thrus and try to get their energy back ahead of a big, prime time game against Seattle.”

(On how this impacts General Manager Les Snead’s standing)
“I think, starting today, we’ll have a complete review of the entire organization. We sat down with Les and, again, this team is not where it needs to be and we need to own up to that from a coaching perspective, from a personnel perspective, from an administration perspective. I think all of us need to get better and I think Les will be the first person to tell you that his department can get better as well. And I think we need to analyze that department, the decisions that have been made, collectively, how we improve the roster and see where it goes. I’m sure when we bring in our prospective head coaching candidates, they’ll discuss the roster and the changes that need to be made there. Today, unfortunately, Coach Fisher was the only decision that we made, but I think, collectively, we all need to figure out ways to improve. And I think as the analysis goes on as we get towards the end of the season and the beginning of the offseason, we’ll take a look, collectively, at the football operation and make sure that we make the changes to make this successful. I think it’s always a little bit easy to say that this is just the coach’s fault, I think that that’s always a mistake. I think you have to look at this and say the coach is a representation of the entire organization and we can all be better and we can all find a way forward. I would never want to scapegoat Jeff, he’s worked too hard, he’s been too loyal to all of us to do that. Unfortunately, I would never want today to come across as this, this is just a timing thing as you move forward. But, to me, this is, as you look at Les, as you look at the entire organization, we need to make sure that 4-9 doesn’t happen again in the collective wrong. We need to find a way to get over .500, to get into the playoffs and deliver a Super Bowl trophy back to Los Angeles.”

(On why fans should get excited about a special teams coordinator becoming the interim head coach)
“You get into a three-day week, you’re not going to be able to install a new offense, whether it’s this week or in the last two weeks. Obviously, I think, the systems that we’ve put in place in OTAs and training camp or the systems that we’re going to have for the final three weeks. I think there were a couple of factors in choosing Coach Fassel. First, the players love him, they have tremendous energy, they play hard for him. I think if you look at our team, our special teams units have been among the best performing. I think for those of you who watch Hard Knocks, the energy, the excitement that the players have for Coach Fassel that he brings is evident. I also think that one of the things you look at when you make a change like this is how do you make it as least interruptive as possible. Everybody on the offensive and defensive side can go game plan this week the same way they would, they all have the same responsibilities on game day that they had. And Coach Fassel is someone who’s stood up in front of the entire team. I think when you look at the history of special teams coordinators and why they’re becoming more popular as head coaching choices or head coaching candidates is they have experience standing in front of everybody in the room – it’s not just standing in front of a position group or the offense or the defense – but they have a chance to go talk to everybody on the roster, player one through 53. I think Coach Fassel carries tremendous respect from our players, he carries tremendous respect from our coaches, he’ll bring tremendous energy. And this is about getting the most out of our group for the last few games. If there was a magical cure that would allow us to win games, to score 40 points a game or to shut people out, I think we would be searching for it today. But this is really about getting the most out of the talent we have, out of the coaches we have, and what we can do over the last three weeks to provide some excitement and then go from there. Coach Fassel is a tremendous coach, I think universally respected by peers and throughout the league and this is a great platform for him. When I chatted with him earlier, I said, ‘Take these three games as, not only an audition for us, but for everybody else in the league and coach this team to the best of your ability.’ And I think he’ll take that challenge to heart and he’ll get the best out of our players.”

(On Fisher’s reaction to the news after reports last week that he had signed a contract extension earlier in the year and his timeframe on finding a new head coach)
“Jeff was obviously disappointed. And I don’t want to speak for Jeff here, we had a good conversation this morning, I think he was obviously disappointed, he was looking forward to finishing the season strong and coming back and having the chance to get this team in a better place. I think we all shared the optimism from the beginning of this year of where we could be. I think, in terms of the extension, you have to go back in time to, really, when we look at it – which was moving this team to Los Angeles. I don’t think, (Owner/Chairman) Stan (Kroenke) or myself or anybody else in the organization thought it was fair for Jeff or Les to walk into a relocation year as a lame duck coach. And so I think our viewpoint was always that for the staff, for everybody, if you’re going to pick up your family and move, that you should have some security that went with it. I think we all wanted Jeff to have tremendous success. I think when you looked at how we finished last year, we were 3-1 to finish the end the year – we started this year 3-1 – I think we all felt good about the direction of our football team. But it was the right thing to do to give them the security to go beyond this year, to make the right decisions, to think long-term and to believe that they were going to be part of this moving forward, which is exactly what we all wanted, and what we all had hoped and I think we wanted that success. I think the one thing, as you said, this is a performance-oriented business, unfortunately the results weren’t there. And I’ve said time and time again, that you can’t just look at this year through the prism of the won-loss record, there are going to be some challenges that came with the relocation year and I think that was always our mindset going in. I think when you look at this now, this is somewhat about wins and losses, but this is more about direction and hope and where we feel we’re headed. I think had we finished the year 8-8, 7-9, in that range, I think we all would have understood some of the challenges that went with that. I think, unfortunately, just where we’ve been the past few weeks, didn’t really speak to where we were headed as a franchise and I think where we wanted to be or where we think the fans’ expectations or our expectations should be. I think the question on the coaching search moving forward – obviously today has been a tough day for everybody in the organization and I’m sure starting tomorrow, we’ll begin to gather as a group and go through all of this. But I think the most important thing, before we start our coaching search, is to identify, make sure we get our building right, make sure we get what we need right. The obvious thing people are going to say is, ‘Well, you’re going to hire an offensive coach because you’ve had a defensive or the way the offense has been.’ I think we need to find the best head for the Los Angeles Rams – whether that’s an offensive coach, a defensive coach, a special teams coach, the interim coach, a college coach – I think we have to be willing to look under every possible avenue to find the right fit to go lead this football team. I think too often, when we go through these processes, we look for the opposite of what we had as if that’s going to be the fix. I think, quite frankly, we need to make sure to find the right coach to lead these 53 players and to put together a coaching staff and to represent this organization in the best possible way. That process will start tomorrow. Obviously, we have a little bit of an advantage now with three weeks to go before the end of the season, you can’t go talk to anybody in the NFL. We’ll meet with everybody in the building from the trainers to the equipment room to the football operations staff, to the personnel side to make sure that, collectively, we all are on the same page about the qualities of what we’re looking for in a head coach. Stan will have some clear viewpoints on where we’re headed as well and set the direction and the tone. We will find the right leader for this football team moving forward. I think the worst thing you can do is set any kind of criteria or timetable for a search, you have to make sure that you go out and find the best head football coach for the Los Angeles Rams.”

(On if he can ensure that Snead will be back next season)
“It’s the same point as the head coach – I think, collectively, we need to take a look at this entire organization, and that includes personnel. I think it would be a mistake right now to say we’re satisfied with where we’re at on a personnel side and to ensure that Les would be back. I think Les would be the first person to stand up here and say the same thing – I think he told you guys that on Friday. I think the one thing, Jeff was always fantastic about standing up after games and saying, ‘I take full responsibility for the wins and losses for this organization.’ But I think we all need to do that. And I think Les will take responsibility for the won-loss record, I’ll take responsibility for the won-loss record, Jeff, obviously and hopefully Coach Fassel will moving forward. I think the most important thing for Les – our group’s in draft meetings now. They need to get that board ready, they need to carry out their duties. And we begin the organizational look, I think that’ll be the first place we’ll start. I think it would be a mistake to say that anybody in the building is guaranteed to come back next year, because now you’re starting to set criteria for where we’re at.”

(On how much the off the field noise played into this decision)
“I think it’ll be easy to say that that played into it. I think what that overlooks is the fact that all that is generated off the won-loss record. When you look at the fans, when you look at anything that’s happened the last few weeks, everybody’s been frustrated about losing eight out of nine and having some tough losses. It all comes back down to how you’re performing on the field. There were none of these issues when we started the year 3-1 or when we were back in August hosting the Cowboys. This team has had some really high highs this year and some low lows, but this is purely from a football perspective – are we headed in the right direction, do we have the necessary hope that we need and I think the answer to that right now is we’re not sure and we thought it was time to make a change. This is solely about on-field performance, the rest of it comes and goes with wins and losses. We understand that being in a major market and we understand that that goes through a season, you’re going to have years where you start well and slide at the end and people get frustrated. You’re going to have years where you start slowly and get on a run – I think you’ve seen that with a number of teams this year. If you take a snapshot of any team through four games, eight games in a season, it looks a lot different than it does towards the end of the season.”

(On going on the record a couple weeks ago about looking beyond the wins and losses when evaluating the head coaching change)
“I think, absolutely on record, I would be the first to say we’ve always been on the record about Jeff saying there is more than win-loss here. But, I think that should never be construed as the win-loss doesn’t matter. I think we always look at it as they’re going to be ups and downs this year, and it was not just about win-loss. When I said that, we were sitting there at 4-5. (QB) Jared (Goff) goes and plays, and then we had a tough couple of weeks. I think when you look at this team, it’s not just always about win-loss, it’s about where we sit. I think there were comments the same week talking about making sure there was appropriate direction and hope and how we finished the season. I think when you look at the past few years, last year we were 4-8. We went on a great run, we won three straight games. We played very tough and in Week 17, you felt a lot different about the team at the end. But I think when you look at yesterday’s performance, the Saints’ game, the Patriots’ game, I think there’s just been a tough run. When you really look through the prism, it’s did we feel we were really headed in the right direction over the past few weeks. Those things are fluid. Had this just been a team that finished 7-9, 6-10, and had some close calls the way we did at certain points, I think we may have looked at it differently. But, I think it was the way we played the past few weeks that really changed the barometer from that point.”

(On the importance of hiring someone who can foster Goff’s development and maturation in this league)
“I don’t look at this just at Jared Goff, I look at it as the entire offense. We, obviously, traded for Jared Goff, believe in him, and have seen great flashes over the past few weeks. Todd Gurley, 2015 Rookie of the Year. We have invested significant picks in the offensive line – expect them to improve. I think we’ve invested a lot of picks in the offense, and we want to see them all get better. But, I think it goes back to the question – they’re lots of ways to improve the offense and support your investment in Jared, and in Todd, and the offensive line, and the other positions. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean hiring an offensive head coach. It can mean hiring the best head coach who brings a great offensive coordinator with them, or a great quarterbacks coach with them. I think as we look at it collectively, wherever we sit right now, we’re just not functioning on offense the way we should. But, I don’t know if that’s just a function of not supporting Jared or the coaches. I think right now, we have to collectively look and say, we’re 32nd on offense. How do we get better, how do we improve? But, you may find an unbelievable head coaching candidate who you meet with, who you believe is absolutely perfect for the Los Angeles Rams, who has a defensive background. I think what’s most important, is they have a plan for how you maximize the offense, and how you improve the offense. I think it’ll be easy when you walk to some offensive coordinator candidates, obviously, you’re going to understand there, and you have a pretty good defense, and how they may view that. I think the harder challenge when you sit down with some defensive-minded candidates, is what’s your plan, not only for the defensive side of the ball, but for improving the offense. I think one of the things you look at historically, if you look at top offenses right now, a lot of them, the head coach is not the play caller. So, I think there are great ways to build a franchise utilizing all of your coaches. I think that’s really where our focus has to be. It’s going to be the right head coach. The investment in Jared is important, but so is our investment in the defensive line, the linebackers, the defensive backs, and every member of this team.”

(On if the offense is a priority)
“I think improving our record is a priority. I think if you look at Denver last year, for better or worse, was 31st in offense and won the Super Bowl title. So, if you look at us, we were 3-1 and playing close games. What’s a priority is winning football games. What’s a priority is making sure we put our best foot forward. I think it’s easy to say, this is Los Angeles, you want to be entertaining, you want to be show time, you want to fix the offense – you want to do all of that. But, what’s most important to our fans and our organization is wins and losses, and we need to make sure we get that right and find a person whose sole job is to make sure we win more games than we lose.”

(On how much trust the team has lost with the L.A. fans, and how quickly can that be regained)
“We’ll find out. I don’t think this move is designed to appease the fans in a short moment. I think this move is looking at a period of time over five years, that we think as an organization we need to move better. Obviously, the hire we make and the direction we take as football team is going to go a long way to saying whether we got this right or not. I would say it’s easy to stand up here and say you’re going to make a change. The hard part is getting the change right. I don’t want to have this be a tough day for the organization just to say we’re trying to win the fans trust back. We obviously want to win the fans trust back. Winning games and building a great organization is what brings your fans back. I think that’s a long-term commitment and everything we’ve done – Stan’s vision for what we’re trying to build here in Los Angeles is a long-term vision. We have a terrific stadium going up, a terrific project, bold move to get here, and to be a part of this franchise. We want to be here for long-term and we want to get it right. I think if you only play this in the short-term, you’re probably making a mistake. For us, this is not about knee-jerk reactions. This is about getting this right, and having the opportunity to prove to our fans that we prioritize winning above all else. I think when you look at this decision, I think that’s the message we have to send. But, that’s the message today. But, the only way fans will believe that message is if we get it right moving forward, and that’s where we need to make sure we get it right.”

(On if he will make changes to the front office before addressing the head coaching situation)
“I think as we take a look at the organization over the next few weeks, you’ll start to get an idea of where you think you’re headed with the personnel staff. When we had the opening in 2012, we hired the head coach before the general manager. We had a great selection of general manager candidates, and that worked. This time, if you decide to make a move at general manager, you may choose a general manager first and a head coaching candidate second. I think it all depends on, as you go through the process over the next few weeks, the head coaching candidates you identify. If you decide to make a change at general manager, the general manager candidates that you identify and what you think the right order is. You can win lots of games under either formula. I think if you look, there are great examples of coaches who have been paired with GM’s and had success, and GM’s who hired coaches who had success. Both the good parts and the bad parts of going through this process in the NFL is there is no proven way to get it done. You can hire first-time head coaches, you can hire college coaches, you can hire coaches who have been fired before. You can point to any examples of ones who have had great success, or ones who have struggled. I think what’s most important is finding the right fit for this organization. If we decide that we’re going to move forward with the personnel department, you have to make sure you have a head coach and GM pairing that can work, and they’re on the same page. I think you’ll find out, as I said, a lot about our team and the way people view our organization when you go through the head coaching search, and how people view our personnel. I think we have always felt, collectively, that we’re pretty close as a football team. We haven’t gotten over the hump the past few years. We have to find a way to do that. Maybe we’re not as close as we think we are, and that’s what this next few weeks are designed to tackle. Maybe we are close, and the candidates will reflect that. I think what’s important is, when we come back and we present our football leadership overall that people believe that we’re headed in the right direction, and we’ve made the right choices.”

(On the possibility of hiring a young-minded head coach the team can build around for years to come)
“I think that’s where it goes to what we said. We have a tendency to hire the opposite of what we have. I think we sometimes get cause and effect backwards. For whatever reason, we’re not performing as an organization. I don’t think that’s because we hired a veteran-minded, defensive head coach. I think that’s a mistake to look at it that way. I think whatever short-comings we have as an organization are because of our short-comings as an organization. Not because we hired a defensive-minded head coach. I think the knee-jerk reaction is to say, ‘We’re going to go hire a young offensive-minded head coach.’ I don’t know if that pendulum swing is necessary. I think what we need to do is find the right person for this organization. A person who believes in Stan’s vision, who has the tools and resources to help us win, and someone we can build long-term around. I think that’s where we have to get it right.”

(On what he’s looking to see from the team in these last few weeks of the season)
“I think it starts, you want to see Jared’s continued progression. Obviously, Jared had some really good flashes, and some tough moments over the past few weeks. I think you want to see Jared continue to progress. I think you want to see the players play hard and play with energy. For whatever reason, I think we were a little bit flat the past few weeks; whether that’s just a long season wearing on them. I think you can sit there and say this year has taken its toll – whether it’s the air travel miles or moving facilities or all of those things. Can you get a bounce-back step, can we go play? But, I also think it’s our chance – losing 8-of-9 is tough. But, that stretch has been out of the division. I think what you want to look at over the next three weeks, is how do we line up within our own division. We’ve faired pretty well against the Seahawks recently. Can we continue to do that? We had a tough outing against the 49ers Week 1. Have we improved since Week 1 to this point when we face them at home again. Obviously, we had a tough, hard-fought win over Arizona earlier this year. Where do we stand against them in Week 17? I think the closest path to making the playoffs is winning your division. You only have to be better than three teams. How we stack up against those teams, I think we want to see, from that perspective, if you can go evaluate, if we can play with the energy and passion I think Coach Fassel will bring, from that standpoint, we can try to evaluate our talent and see where we stack up, and get to a more honest assessment. But, I don’t think you want to say, hey – we’d obviously love to win the last three, and if not that, then 2-1, then 1-2. I think we want to see if we can evaluate this group, the young players, and really build some momentum into the offseason.”

(On if he has a list of candidates for the head coaching job)
“This is not been something we’ve been laying it, at night thinking about for the past few weeks. So obviously, we’re going to get together as an organization. Stan and I talked last night. We started talking this morning. Again, about the criteria that he wants for the next leader. Then, you meet with the building and establish that criteria. Then, I think you start to evaluate the potential candidates against that. You try to find where you’re going to go. I’m sure that we’ll get a number of inbound calls over the next few weeks about people who are interested. This is going to be a very attractive opening. When you look at an opportunity to play for a really good owner, and a great market, and what will be a world-class stadium, with a young QB, and back-to-back Defensive Rookie and Offensive Rookie of the Year in (DT) Aaron Donald and (RB) Todd Gurley. There is talent on this roster. This will be an attractive job. I think what’s most important is not coming up with just the setup criteria, but being flexible and being open-minded. For better or for worse, that’s what having the next few weeks gives you the chance to do. When you get to the end of the season and you start to submit the permission forms for the coordinator candidates or the candidates throughout the NFL, that you’re going to be prepared, and hopefully that you can have a plan for how that first week goes. We’ve studied the history of hiring dates and when people get hired. When you look at it, usually there’s a wave that goes January 10-12, and then the dominoes start to fall. You’d love to be in the January 10-12 group, so that you can start to build a staff. But, they’re going to be other considerations. You may find a candidate whose headed to the Super Bowl, and you may need to wait until later in the year. I think you have to be open-minded as you go and look into this process. We need to find the right fit to the Los Angeles Rams, and that starts with identifying our own short-comings, and who we think can fill those. Not just looking at whose had success, and then trying to apply that to our team.”

(On if the decision was made last night or this morning)
“I think we talked about it at length last night. These are never the kinds of decisions you want to make easier, and I think he really wanted to sleep on it and discuss it again this morning. So, we chatted again this morning. I think you have to look at how hard this is. Jeff Fisher has meant a lot to this organization; still does. He took us from a period in St. Louis where instability through a number of first-time head coaches and through some ups and down. While we didn’t get to where we needed to be, he provided stability and credibility to the organization. He brought in an excellent coaching staff. Players wanted to play for him. This was the team that, perpetually, was on the cusp. Jeff has been through a lot. We put him in a difficult situation. He gets hired a week before our stadium arbitration essentially begins. When you go through that process, you go through those years in St. Louis, then you come through the transition here. This was, as I’ve said, a day you never wanted to have happened. You wanted to see him succeed. It’s why you wanted to give him the security of the new contract, so he can go operate this year not feeling as if he was walking a tight-rope. These are not decisions that you can make lightly. I think you never want to be emotional after a game and make that decision. I think that’s why it was important to discuss it last night, to sleep on it, to reconvene this morning, and have the discussion. But, I think at the end of the day, we felt this was the right direction for our football team, which is why we made the ultimate decision we did this morning. I think as you move forward, this isn’t just about today. This is about starting a quest to bring a Lombardi (Trophy) to Los Angeles. If you don’t struggle with these decisions, then you don’t understand the lives that are impacted throughout the organization.”

(On owner E. Stanley Kroenke’s reaction to having a near empty stadium prior to the fourth quarter during Sunday’s game against the Falcons)

“I think you hate to see that under any circumstance. I think we all feel frustrations – we’re all fans. We all carry that and you want to see the crowd excited. When you juxtapose the fourth quarter of yesterday with what you saw against Dallas and Seattle – that was really a hard juxtaposition. I think it gets back to making sure that we maintain momentum in this market and this is a decision, I think, you have to make in any market, but especially as you get into a new market. I think Stan’s (Kroenke) is a competitor. You never want to see a game end the way yesterday did – whether the fans had stayed throughout the fourth quarter or not – didn’t change that we need to be better. Yesterday was not our organization’s best foot forward and we have to find a way to do that.”

(On whether he’s had a chance to speak with any of the players and what their reaction has been)

“I had a chance to talk to the team briefly. I think the way we looked at today – what was most important was that Jeff had the ability to address the coaches and the players before the news broke of this decision. I’m glad had the chance to do that and being able to inform them. After that I met with the players quickly. I asked them for their best efforts over the next three weeks and to support Coach Fassel in any way that they can. I had a chance to talk to a couple of players briefly – this is hard for them. They love Coach Fisher, and rightfully so. I think one of the things when you looked at this team – the hallmark – this team has always played hard for Jeff Fisher. This is a tough day for them. Some of these players, whether they’ve been with us for five years, for 2012, some who have been with Jeff dating back before the Rams, and even those who have come this year and rookies, who have come to love and appreciate everything he is. This is a hard day. I think it’s also a hard day when you are a player… I think we all look in the mirror and realize we’re culpable for today’s event. I think that that’s a part of what the players have to realize as well and it’s hard with three weeks left. But, we asked them for their best efforts I think there is an element of them that they want to go out and make sure they go out and present themselves. We have national primetime game on Thursday against Seattle – that’s always been a place that gets our players up to play. Then we have two home games and I think they want to go out on the best possible foot forward and be professionals. But we’re a young team and I think as they develop, this is going to be a maturation day for them. Hopefully, this will spark an improved performance over the next three weeks.”

(On the hiring process and the time frame he has in mind)

“I think the timeline is finding the best possible coach. When you look at that – just like there is no perfect formula – I think when you look at the numbers on coaching studies that no one bucket seemingly outperforms another bucket. None of the timeline hires seemingly outperform the other. If you look at the team we played yesterday with (Falcons Head Coach) Dan Quinn, who has done a nice job in Atlanta – the Falcons waited until after he was done with the Super Bowl in Seattle to go hire him. You can find great coaches at any different time. If you want to wait for someone who is playing in the Super Bowl and you think that’s what is best for your organization, then we’ll do that. If we find someone in the first interview, who we absolutely believe is the right candidate for the Los Angeles Rams, I think we’ll do that. Again, I think the biggest mistake we can make, is narrowing our search before it even starts. The timeline, I think gives you a glimpse historically when coaches have been hired. Usually it starts right around January 10-12 you get kind of that next wave – usually there is that first domino that falls in the coaching cycle. Then from there, you typically see January 15th, 16th. Then you see some, you know, maybe the coach is in the first two rounds gets an interview process in late January. But what’s most important is being able to build a staff, being able to develop a working relationship with the personnel department. Obviously, going through the entire viewpoint of how you get this correct. But this is not about getting the coaching hire right in January, this is December 12th next year and of the following year – saying we got this coaching hire right for our organization and for the fans. That’s where our focus is going to be.”

(On whether there was any concern that the players had “quit” on Fisher in terms of the way they were playing on the field)

“No. I think one of the hallmarks of a Jeff Fisher team is the teams never quit on Coach Fisher. If you look back over the history of our teams, we’ve had some tough stretches in 2012 through this year. We’ve had some series where we have won a few in a row and lost a few in a row – our players never quit on Jeff. I do not believe that at all. I think that would be unfair. For whatever reason, we didn’t perform up to our capabilities the past few weeks. As I said, maybe it’s the long year. Maybe it’s been the travel – we had two road games back-to-back – midwest, east coast, and coming home – for whatever reason we weren’t at our best. But I think it would be very unfair to say that this team quit on Jeff fisher. These players are tremendous professionals – they play hard for our coach. The fact that we may not have played at our best may be an indication of other factors, but I don’t believe this team quit.”

(On how he thought Fisher took the news and if he got the impression Fisher was surprised)

“Again, I think Jeff’s the best person to describe his emotions and going through how he took the news. He was professional. He handled it well. I don’t think any coach ever wants to hear this news. Our goal was always that Jeff would be our coach here for a very long time. I can’t tell you whether he took it by surprise or not – I don’t want to speculate on how he took it. We had a good conversation, it was short. I don’t think he was certainly expecting it. But what’s most important is that we had a conversation that will stay between us and we will move forward from there.”

(On whether Kroenke has voiced concern about the way the team has been performing and if Kroenke thinks it will affect the development of the new stadium)

“No. I think we look at this, again, through the prism of wins and losses. The project at Hollywood Park is going to be an unbelievable project and people are excited about it. The football team needs to improve. Collectively, as an organization, our discussions were about how that happens. I know Stan’s background and his expertise will make Hollywood Park and the stadium an unbelievable project. It’s the reason the other owners put faith in him to move forward and do that. Our fans don’t want to sit here and talk just about the project – they want to see the progress on the field. When you’re in the heat of the game, you’re looking at making sure that we play better. I think that’s where our focus has to be, right now, is making sure we improve. I have no doubt that the project will be a success. But I think the one thing you never want to take for granted, that the expertise in a great project can overcome people’s disappointment in the football team. Right now, it’s easy to conflate the two, but we have to attack with them separately. We have to make sure that we deliver the best possible project for Los Angeles, the city, and for the NFL at Hollywood Park. We have to make sure that we deliver the best possible football team for our fans and the organization. Ultimately they’ll come together. We want this team to be playing well – not just in 2019, not just as we go sell the building – we want to make sure we go play well against Seattle, San Francisco, and Arizona – this is the first step towards that.”

(On whether the decision to part ways with Fisher was impacted by the desire to market the new stadium)

“I think it always comes down to the point is, the best marketing is winning. We can all say that and you’re naïve to think that that doesn’t play a factor in this. Again, there has been tremendous warmth in the reception back from the community. When you look at 82,000 tickets sold yesterday – people are going to put up with ups and downs. What they want to make sure is that we’re committed to winning and we’re committed to getting it right. I think they’ll handle the good days with the bad days, as long as they see the passion from ownership that wins and losses elicit. I think you see that and feel that and see that form Stan today.”

(On why the organization never publically acknowledged the contract extensions of Fisher and General Manager Les Snead)

“Both Jeff and Les understood all that went into moving this franchise this year – from January into March, into April, into the summer. Both were selfless enough that they wanted to put others first – they wanted to get the team setup in Oxnard, they wanted to get us setup at training camp, and they wanted to make sure this building was up and running. I think they were patient and they didn’t want to push their issues. We were able to flush out some of the remaining issues and get it done towards the summer, but these things take a while to get papered and detailed, and get approved by the league office. When you go through that and then it got into the season – we didn’t want the contracts to be a distraction. Maybe that was a mistake on my part and I can certainly sit here and say that. But the goal was always that they understood that they had our full support. When you get into the season, I don’t think organizations typically should be announcing contract extensions in season – I think it’s just a distraction. If unfortunately, it became a distraction the other way, then the organization has to accept that for where it became. But I think what was most important, I think Jeff always said this, and Les as well – they always knew that Stan had the confidence in both of them. The sentiment was we wanted them to know how much we supported them in this move and we wanted to make sure we took care of them and we wanted to get it right. They knew that. Unfortunately, it dragged on longer than it did. I don’t think that ever played into the decision of where we sit today. But it was an understanding that they always knew that they would have Stan’s support throughout this year and throughout the challenges of the season.”

(On whether Fisher tried to convince him to postpone the decision until the end of the season)

“I said I’d leave our conversation to ourselves. His concern was not about him, it was about his coaches and his players and we really moved forward on that. I think that’s where we should leave the conversation.”

***

Rams Interim Head Coach John Fassel – December 12, 2016 – December 12, 2016

(Opening remarks)
“It’s been a long night, it’s been a long day. A lot has happened in a little amount of time – emotional, and we’ve got a couple of days before our next game. It’ll be an interesting couple of days. I love Coach Fisher, I respect the heck out of Coach Fisher. He gave me a great opportunity to come coach on his staff, and I’m going to try to do my best to make him proud over the next three weeks. I had a great chance to talk with him, spent about an hour with him. He told me, ‘I’m going to help you with whatever you need so you guys can have the opportunity to win these next three games. Go out and do it.’ It happened fast. I found out just about an hour before my special teams meeting. I talked to (Chief Operating Officer) Mr. (Kevin) Demoff, Coach Fisher, and they let me know that this was going to happen. I talked to Coach Fisher and basically asked what he thought, asked for his blessing. (I said), ‘Coach me up, Coach Fish on what the next couple of hours are going to be like.’ He told me everything that I needed to know. But, I know there’s a lot more that is going to be in to it than I’m prepared for. I’ll do my best to be great.”

(On if he’s in awe of all that has happened to him in a matter of hours)
“I wouldn’t say I’m in awe of it. I grew up a coach’s son, so I understand hiring and firing, and the emotions of it. But, the awe part may be that it happened so fast, and it was something that you weren’t necessarily prepared for – we didn’t go to sleep last night, so I can’t say when I woke up this morning – but, it did happen fast. I guess football, you’ve got to be able to adapt and react, and that’s kind of one of these situations that you can’t really ever prepare for it. But, I have a great staff, (Assistant Head) Coach ‘Mac,’ (Dave McGinnis) and (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Gregg) Williams have been head coaches before, so they’ll be a great support staff to help me make good decisions.”

(On if he is surprised that they came to him)
“Yeah.”

(On why he is surprised they came to him)
“I’m in the dungeon working on special teams day and night, that’s all I do. I don’t make the decisions that Coach Fisher or even sometimes the (offensive and defensive) coordinators have to make. My special teams, I got a great group of young, scrappy, tough guys that play hard. Whether they play well or not, that’s for people to determine, but they work their butt off. They gave me the opportunity, I was surprised, grateful for it – although the situation isn’t something that you want to be in, but they asked me to do it. Coach Fisher gave me his blessing, and I’ll do it.”

(On the players criticizing teammates’ lack of effort following the games yesterday and how he gets the message to the entire to the entire team to pick up the energy and the effort)
“I think after a game, everybody probably, based on emotions, said some things that maybe they regret or that aren’t necessarily the truth. But I told the guys, just real quick after practice I said, ‘If you love ball, if you love Coach Fisher, that’s got to be enough to get us through these next three weeks. We’ve got a job, all of our jobs are on the line. If you love ball and you love Coach Fisher, that’s got to get us through. If that’s not good enough, then you shouldn’t be out here.’”

(On if he addressed the team in the team meeting)
“That’s a good question. Coach Fisher addressed the team, then Kevin Demoff came in and addressed the team, and then he told the team that I would be the interim. I just told them before I make any speeches or have anything to say, I’d like to talk to Coach Fisher, because at that point, I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to Coach Fisher. I have so much respect and love for that man and that coach, that I wanted to talk to him and get his advice, get his blessing. So, that’s kind of how it went down.”

(On if he feels like he is up for the interim head coach position)
“Yeah.”

(On the ways in which he is up for the position)
“I don’t know if this matters, but I’ve been fortunate, like I said earlier, to be on the sidelines since I was five-years old, and witnessed the elations of the greatest games, and be on the sideline when the Giants are kicking a game-winning field goal in the playoffs and the snapper drops it, and then holder drops it, and you throw an incomplete pass, and it ends just like that. And then, the next year you get fired and you have got to move. So, I kind of grew up knowing that that’s part of the game even though it’s probably the worst part of the game. Special teams, every time that ball gets punted or kicked, you’re there by yourself and you’re saying, ‘Let’s go boys, go get it,’ and you’re always kind of on the front lines. Whether I’m ready for it or not, I’m going to kick ass, and do what I have to do to help the team.”

(On if he has talked to the offensive coordinator and will open the offense up and the attitude going forward on offense)
“Good question, and I haven’t really had a lot of time to speak with (Offensive Coordinator) Rob (Boras) yet, or Coach Williams. We had a good discussion about some players right now, but I haven’t had a chance to even talk to them about that. We went from the team meeting where we announced it, to the special teams meeting, to offensive and defensive breakdowns, to the practice field. So, like I said, everything is happening fast.”

(On how confident he is that he can save the team)
“To save the team – I don’t think the team needs to be saved. The team needs to just rise up, take some responsibility for what happened, because none of us think that it’s Coach Fisher’s fault, we all just take some responsibility. We got to do better, we got to win. That’s what happened, is we just didn’t win enough games – and I’m part of that, so I have a responsibility to be better.”

(On he gets QB Jared Goff ready to play in a tough environment in Seattle on Thursday)
“It’s a great question. It’s a great place to play. I think the biggest thing for a young quarterback is going to be the crowd noise. It’s awesome how loud that place can get. I think where we’re at now is as many opportunities as we can put our young guys in position to deal with playoff atmosphere, the better it’ll be down the road. I haven’t been in one quarterback meeting all season, I probably won’t be the rest of the next three weeks. But, I always talk to Jared about, ‘Come on, come to some special teams meetings.’ I think it’ll be great for him, for everybody. We won in Seattle last year as a team, kind of as underdogs. It was raining, it was cold – probably about the same time of the year. It’s an opportunity to prepare for the playoffs, even though, obviously, we’re not in it – but we look at it kind of as that type of atmosphere and that type of opportunity.”

(On if he had aspirations of being an NFL Head Coach prior to today)
“I can’t say, honestly, that the last five, six, eight years as a special teams coordinator, I was coordinating special teams to become the head coach. So I can’t say that that was an aspiration. I wanted to be a great special teams coach and if that’s all I did for the rest of my career, I’d be super happy doing that.”

(On if, after talking to management, he feels like there is anything he can show over the last three games that would put him in consideration for the permanent position)
“You know, no. Kevin Demoff just mentioned, just go kick ass, bring some energy, be yourself. But as far as after these next three games, no.”

(On the key to keeping emotions in check and uniting everyone in time for the game on Thursday)
“That’s a good question, too. I think the emotions are good. Sometimes maybe you say something you regret or it gets a little bit combative, but I always thought, just from a special teams perspective, that emotions are great and you have to find a way to corral them. And I think, in this situation, every player on the team has the utmost respect for Coach Fisher and it has to be a little bit of a rallying cry. Obviously we’re not going to go to the playoffs, so what are we playing for – we’re playing because we love ball and we’re playing because we love Coach Fisher. To me, the emotions are a great thing. As long as we have that, we’ll find a way to use them to our advantage.”

(On what his father has told him once he accepted the position)
“I actually haven’t talked to him. I know, it’s horrible – I’ll call you in a little bit, dad, I promise. I called my wife real quick. Again, like you said, it happened so fast and I’ve been trying to get caught up with Kevin and (General Manager) Les (Snead) and our trainer and everybody that, unfortunately, I’ve neglected to call the people most important to me. But that’ll happen tonight, I’m sure that they’ve heard and they know I have business to take care of.”

(On how he plans to turnaround the somber energy that’s in the facility)
“It was quiet today. It was. It was quiet today. I don’t think I can manufacture energy for the team. It’s going to be something that will probably have to be built here over the next couple days, as we get back to gameday. I don’t ever try to manufacture energy. I’ve had some advice from some people so far, like (Assistant Head Coach Dave McGinnis) Coach ‘Mac’, you know, just be yourself – if myself helps create some energy, that’s great – but I can’t fake it. There’s so much that I got to learn. It’s already a couple hours – I got a lot of studying to do. Hopefully, all of the emotions create some positive energy, so we can go out on Thursday night and perform. We got the cool old school Rams helmets. I think kickoff is actually, in exactly 72 hours. It’s going to happen fast and I’ll be ready. I’ll make some mistakes. I’ll lean on Coach ‘Fish’, Coach ‘Mac’, my dad (Jim Fassel), and some people in this building that I think are fantastic coaches, and kick some ass – I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that (laughs) – I say it in the meetings. I don’t curse, but I think that’s one I can probably get away with.”

(On how he communicates and motivates as a coach and how that’s different from what Coach Fisher does)
“That would probably be a great question for some of the players. I try to be the same every day. I try to be consistent with my presentations. I don’t make one day more important than the other and I don’t one opponent more important than the other. Every day is kind of the same and I try to be myself every day, be the same energy – if people think I have energy every day. That’s what I have to do, I got to be myself. You know, I’m a special teams coach – I’m in there with a couple guys, just grinding every day, trying to figure out how to cover some punts and all of a sudden there is a hundred cameras here – it’s kind of tripping me out. But it’ll be fun to have the opportunity to be in front of a group of men who are emotionally low and figure out a way to bring them emotionally high so they can perform because we have to, it’s pro football, it’s tough. We have to perform and we can’t let our emotions diminish our production, because we have to win.”
Rams Quarterback Jared Goff – Post Practice – December 12, 2016

(On his reaction to an emotional day)
“I think you hit it on the head, it’s pretty emotional. He’s a guy that, I think I speak for the whole team when I say, was very well liked, very giving, and he treated us the right way – he treated us the way we’re supposed to be treated and in return we didn’t do enough for him. That’s really what it comes down to – is we didn’t get it done and unfortunately it falls on him – us in the locker room blame ourselves and we need to be better.”

(On what Fisher said when he addressed the team this morning following the decision)
“Yeah, he came into the meeting and addressed the whole team, let us know the deal. Again, it’s very emotional. It sucks, it’s not fun. I think we let him down. I think it was our job to play better and be better and we let him down. That’s the bottom line. I’d like to say I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity that he gave me and them doing what they did to get up to (No.) one (overall in the 2016 NFL Draft) and draft me. I’m sure I speak for a lot of guys on the team when I say I’m thankful for the opportunity that he gave them. Again, would have loved to do more with it, and would have loved for him to still be here, but unfortunately it’s above our paygrade. Unfortunately it happened the way it did.”

(On if this will stunt his growth at all as a rookie quarterback)
“I don’t think so, no. I think I’m a pretty confident guy and confident in my abilities. Whoever the coach may be, I think I’ll be alright.”

(On if there is anything that he’s looking for in a new coach)
“Yeah, I’m going to let them make that decision.”

(On the difficulty of preparing for Seattle on a short week with the news today)
“This is just a little bit of a distraction, of course, that we’re going to have to deal with. It’s going to be hard on a short week already, and now this is another thing that we’re going to have to deal with. Like I said, today was hard, it wasn’t easy. It was a tough day – it was weird – it was a tough feeling around the facility. But, we know that we have to play Seattle in a couple of days. We have to be ready to play them – they’re a tough team, obviously. We’ve got to go up there and come away with a W, do what we can. I think (Interim Head) Coach (John) Fassel, said it best at the end of practice, he said, ‘If you love football and you love Coach Fisher, you’ll find a way to get it done the next three weeks,’ and that’s what we need to do.”

(On if he talked to Fisher personally and what he told him)
“I told him that I’m very appreciative and thankful, that I wouldn’t be here without him.”

(On what Fisher told him)
“A lot of stuff, it’s between us.”

(On how working with various position groups as the special teams coordinator will benefit Fassel as the interim head coach)
“It’ll be good. I think, more than anything, is his attitude and his approach to everything. He’s going to be really helpful. He understands what we’re going through right now is not easy and he understands that we do need some support and we do need him to be there for us during this time.”

(On if he would say that some of the players in the locker room feel responsibility for the coaching change)
“Yeah, I think that’s the first feeling you feel, especially with how Coach Fish is, and how much he loves each and every one of us. He really had a personal relationship with everybody on the team, so everybody has the same type of feeling towards him. In the short time I’ve experienced here, I haven’t had a coach like that where it’s just so personal with everybody. So, yeah, there is a little bit of a guilt and a little bit of, ‘it’s on us.’ From top to bottom, honestly, from everybody – every position group, 1 thru (53), every coach, we all feel responsible and understand that we need to be better.”

(On RB Todd Gurley’s comments on the offense following the loss to the Falcons and if that was the straw that broke the camel’s back with regards to Fisher’s fate)
“I don’t think that had anything to do with Coach Fisher. I think Todd was emotional. We all are. We’re all frustrated. He just made some comments. I don’t have a comment on that.”

(On if the coaching change adds to his frustration with the team’s performance)
“It’s completely different. I think when you’re frustrated about football, and this is completely different. This is somebody who has cared for us and who has given every one of us in this building an opportunity that’s now gone, mainly because of us. So, it’s a completely different feeling and, again, I can’t stress enough how much it hurts, but we need to find a way to move on and find a way to beat Seattle. I know there will be no one rooting for us more than Coach Fish.”

(On how he can move forward from this situation)
“Come out every day and try to get better and continue to improve. That’s all we can do. Every day, just continue to work on the game plan, continue to work in practice, work hard and come out on Thursday and put a good win together. We need to. It’s about time and there would be no better time to do it than this week.”

(On what life lesson he’s learned as a result of this experience)
“I think the No. 1 thing is, in this league, things can go away really quickly. One day you’re here and one day you’re not. We learned that today, unfortunately, the hard way, but I think it’ll allow some guys to kind of see that and me being one of them.”

====

The case of Purvi Patel: How Mike Pence won his crusade against abortion in Indiana

http://www.salon.com/2016/08/04/the_case_of_purvi_patel_how_mike_pence_won_his_crusade_against_abortion_in_indiana/

On Jan. 14, 2013 Mike Pence was sworn in as governor of Indiana. In late July of that same year, Purvi Patel went to a hospital in pain, bleeding heavily after a miscarriage.

The doctor who saw her suspected that she had induced a late abortion and called the police. When Patel woke up after sedation, there was a police officer stationed by her bed. The anti-choice doctor left the hospital and joined the police in a search for a fetus. A one-pound fetus was indeed found, by the police, in a Dumpster. Despite hospital tests showing no traces of any abortifacent in her blood work, the state of Indiana charged her with both feticide for allegedly inducing an abortion, and child neglect for allegedly having a premature baby and then allowing the baby to die. On March 30, 2015, Patel, convicted of both crimes, was sentenced to 20 consecutive years in prison. To date, she has served one year and four months of that time.

On Friday, July 22, Judge Terry A. Crone of the Indiana Court of Appeals reduced the child neglect charge against Patel and threw out the feticide charge. In his 42-page ruling, Judge Crone chastised prosecutors for charging Patel under the state’s 2009 feticide law,

In his 42-page ruling, Judge Crone chastised prosecutors for charging Patel under the state’s 2009 feticide law, finding “that the legislature did not intend for the feticide statute to apply to illegal abortions or to be used to prosecute women for their own abortions.” The court agreed with Patel’s appeal attorneys and the doctors who made the case that the state did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the fetus could have survived had she done anything differently. A unanimous panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals overturned the feticide conviction. It also reduced her child neglect conviction from a class A felony to class D. Class D convictions carry a maximum sentence of three years.

However, it’s not all good news for Patel. The Court also held that the state’s case did offer sufficient evidence to show Patel knew the infant was born alive. This, despite the fact that Patel’s attorneys challenged the use of the controversial, and historically discredited, “lung float test” that prosecutors used to argue the infant was not stillborn.

This is Mike Pence’s Indiana. This is Donald Trump’s America. One in which women are punished for abortion, for miscarriage, and potentially for any outcome of their pregnancy that doesn’t result in a healthy baby. “Healthy,” in this case, is determined by the politicians who seek to proscribe who can have an abortion, when, and for what reasons.

Though the court’s ruling on the illegitimacy of the feticide conviction and the reduction of charge is significant, and implies that the court did not flout well-established legal principles, it does not amount to justice for Ms. Patel. When the state was unable to offer actual evidence that Ms. Patel neglected a dependent, they leveraged the fact that she sought medication to terminate her pregnancy. They cashed in on well-established abortion stigma and the fact that women of color are not trusted agents of their own reproductive decision-making.

In March of this year, then Pence signed a law prohibiting women from obtaining an abortion because of the race, gender, or disability of the fetus, making Indiana only the second state in the nation to do this. This law would also hold doctors legally liable for wrongful death if it was found they had performed an abortion motivated by one or more of the prohibited reasons. These laws are targeted against women of color and result in mistrust and fear of the medical community. Purvi Patel expressed just this kind of fear and anxiety about going to the doctor, in numerous text exchangeswith her friend, when she learned that she might be pregnant. Mike Pence’s vision for for Indiana is, in fact, already in full effect.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Texas’ House Bill 2, a federal judge blocked the Indiana law from going into effect.

This is Mike Pence’s Indiana. In 2007, as a member of Congress, Pence sponsored the first bill to defund Planned Parenthood. He reintroduced the legislation multiple times until he left the House to run a campaign for Governor in 2011. As Governor, he has signed nearly every anti-choice bill that made it to his desk.

It is this anti-science and anti-choice climate that has contributed to Purvi Patel’s terrible journey. Patel was working at her parent’s store in Mishawaka, Indiana when she learned she might be pregnant. Instead of feeling safe and supported enough to turn to a medical professional who could talk with her about her options, make sure she understood them, and provider her compassionate reproductive health care, she worried about what would happen if she went to the doctor. She worried what would happen to her if her parents found out. She turned to the internet and friends for information. And then, when she arrived at the hospital in distress, she was treated like a criminal, not a patient.

That some of her sentence was overturned, and some reduced is a relief. But it is not justice. At each point, the challenges Purvi Patel faced in getting safe reproductive health care were constructed by the policies Mr. Pence has supported, and fought for. The stigma she faced is the direct result of the shaming that the anti-choice movement has imbued into American culture for decades. Her story is an important harbinger for what could happen if these forces are allowed to flourish unchecked.

That is Mike Pence’s Indiana. And this will be Donald Trump’s America.

Kenny Britt confident he will connect with Jared Goff

By JACK WANG / STAFF WRITER

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/britt-736526-rams-time.html

THOUSAND OAKS – For the 10th time in his eight-year career, Kenny Britt is playing with a new starting quarterback.

This past Sunday, the Rams finally started No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, giving fans reason to keep watching what has become an increasingly frustrating season. In a rainy debut at the Coliseum, he completed 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards — a performance that neither lifted nor doomed his team in a 14-10 loss to the Dolphins.

“He did OK,” Britt said. “He handled himself well for his first NFL game. He hasn’t been on the field for a couple of months now.”

It’s difficult to accurately assess Goff based on one game. In an offense that looked as constrained as ever last weekend, the former Cal star threw just five passes that traveled more than 10 yards through the air. Moving forward, the Rams’ hopes for an unlikely playoff push will depend largely on Goff’s ability to stretch the field more than Case Keenum, who threw nine touchdowns against 11 interceptions and was clearly miscast as a full-time starter.

But as flawed as he was, Keenum did have a connection with the Rams’ leading receiver. Dating back to last season, Britt had played 14 games with Keenum under center, more than anyone else in his career except former Titans quarterback Jake Locker. He remains on pace to become the Rams’ first 1,000-yard receiver since Terry Holt in 2007.

“Physically, he’s feeling better than he’s ever felt,” said Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who coached the Titans when they drafted Britt 30th overall in 2009.

Last month, Britt said that he and Keenum had gotten so comfortable with each other that they could communicate with a single look. Getting that familiar with Goff, who did not get a full offseason’s worth of first-team reps, won’t be accomplished overnight.

“It’s going to take that extra time in the classroom, that extra time on the field,” Britt said this week. “To tell you the truth, in camp, he was putting in the work, the extra time on our routes. He tries to get in after practice. That’s something you don’t see a lot of rooks do.”

Britt’s seven targets against Miami still tied for the team lead, though his 43 yards resulted in a season-low 8.6 yards per reception. Given time and reps, he still figures to be Goff’s most dependable weapon.

More concerning is the continued disappearance of Tavon Austin, whom the Rams just inked to a four-year, $42 million extension. The breakout that Fisher kept insisting was coming has yet to materialize: the former first-round pick is averaging just 43.7 scrimmage yards per game, down almost 13 yards from last season; his catch rate of 53.3 percent is a career low; he has only scored twice.

After a three-game stretch that saw him receive 29 targets, Austin has only seen 11 passes come his way this month. He has pulled in only one pass from Goff, gaining most of the 21 yards after the catch.

“He’s got to create separation,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said. “We’ve got to find a way to get it to him in space and let him use his ability for it – and at the same time not get it to him when everybody is expecting us to get it to him.”

“The way they’re playing me on defense, they’re taking me away,” Austin added. “It doesn’t really bother me. I can do other stuff on the field to try to get us to win.

“Just try to stay patient. Don’t get too mad about it.”

Now Jared Goff’s backup, Case Keenum has respect of teammates

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/31775/now-jared-goffs-backup-case-keenum-had-respect-of-rams-teammates

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The word “excited” was used a combined 14 times late Tuesday afternoon, first by coach Jeff Fisher and then by quarterback Jared Goff. But this was outside, in organized media sessions, with the portable backdrop behind them and a handful of working cameras in front of them.

Within the Los Angeles Rams’ locker room, what should’ve been a celebrated occasion — the naming of Goff as the starter, the beginning of a new era — was met with an undercurrent of sadness.

It was because of Case Keenum.

He worked so hard, fought so long, cared so much. He was thrust into an awkward, arduous situation and handled it with class. And though he exasperated an impatient new fan base that grew frustrated with the offense and clamored for Goff, the No. 1 overall pick, Keenum earned the respect of his teammates.

“It’s rough to hear,” Rams left guard Rodger Saffold said of Keenum being demoted to backup duties, “especially after a win.”

Greg Zuerlein kicked three field goals Sunday as the Rams edged the New York Jets 9-6 on the road. Keenum completed 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards and no interceptions.

“He helped us win the game,” Saffold said. “I mean, let’s be honest. There’s a couple of times where some things happened in the red zone and we couldn’t convert them into touchdowns, but this isn’t, at all, all his fault.”

The Rams’ biggest issue is actually their running game, considering how heavily they depend on it. Behind an offensive line that has not done a good enough job opening holes, Todd Gurley ranks 41st among 43 running backs in rushing yards per carry. The offense overall is last in the NFL in yards per game, and Keenum — whose subpar arm strength is a big reason why defenses stack the box in the first place — shoulders the NFL’s lowest Total QBR.

So the highly anticipated move was made, immediately following a three-game stretch in which the Rams mustered only two touchdowns. But Keenum was nonetheless appreciated.

Fisher pointed out that he was named a captain at the start of the season and is “still a captain.”

“His leadership, and his enthusiasm, and his commitment, and everything,” Fisher said about Keenum. “You can’t ask for anything more out of somebody.”

Goff took an assortment of questions centered on his own readiness and went out of his way to offer his own acknowledgements.

“I’ll say it now,” Goff said, while answering a question about how he was informed of the decision. “I can’t stress enough how awesome Case has been before this, in training camp, in [organized team activities], now that this has happened after. On and off the field, I can’t stress enough how good of a teammate and how awesome he’s been with it.”

Keenum went undrafted despite finishing his career at Houston with NCAA records in passing yards, completions and touchdowns. He started eight games for the Houston Texans in 2013, and led the Rams to three wins in the last four games of 2015. Then the Rams drafted Goff and every Keenum interview revolved around that, even though he would begin the 2016 season as the starter.

“I’m still batting a thousand,” Keenum said at one point during training camp. “Every interview has had Jared Goff come up.”

Keenum posted a respectable passer rating of 97.4 from Weeks 2-6, at one point setting a franchise record with 19 consecutive completions. But then he threw four interceptions in London on Oct. 23, absorbed boos from the home fans in Los Angeles after the bye week and couldn’t lead his team into the end zone in New Jersey against the Jets. And now he’s a backup.

“He’s handled this situation like a professional,” Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “He knows what’s at hand, and he’s helping Jared along, and given him advice. He accepts the role, and he understands what’s at stake, and he understands we’re trying to win games.”

The Rams snapped a four-game losing streak with the win over the Jets. At 4-5, they remain only 1½ games out of a wild-card spot. It’ll be up to Goff moving forward, but Keenum promises to be there to help.

“He’s given me advice all year,” Goff said. “I’m sure he’ll be very helpful this week and helpful on Sunday.”

Can Rams RB Todd Gurley build on breakthrough vs. Jets?

By Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/31705/can-rams-running-back-todd-gurley-build-on-breakthrough-vs-jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In the second half, late in a tedious game in which the Los Angeles Rams’ offense once again lacked life, it finally happened:

Todd Gurley was finally set free.

He gained 13 yards on the first play from the Rams’ second drive of the third quarter. Then 5. Then 6. Then another 20 yards on a couple of runs early in the fourth quarter. Then 21 yards on a brilliant run that was negated by a hold from the Rams’ oft-penalized left tackle, Greg Robinson. All told, Gurley gained 54 yards on 11 carries in the second half.

Maybe — just maybe — it’s the start of something.

“A lot of people criticize him from the outside, not knowing what he does throughout the week — the extra time he puts in on his own, whether it’s film or being one of the last guys off the field,” Gurley’s backup, Benny Cunningham, said after a season-saving 9-6 win over the New York Jets. “Seeing him get a little bit of success, that’s good for him. Hopefully we can build on it and just get back to how he was last season.”

That idea seems far-fetched, regardless of whatever good vibes Gurley’s second-half production might have provided. He still finished with a pedestrian stat line — 21 carries for 64 yards, one catch for eight yards, zero touchdowns — and gained only 10 yards on his first 10 carries. It came against a Jets defense that had allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game, but Gurley has now been held below 100 yards in 15 of his last 16 games.

The Rams were rewarded for staying with him, however.

Gurley received a combined 41 carries over the previous three games and amassed only five of them in the fourth quarter. Rams coach Jeff Fisher stressed throughout the week that Gurley needed to receive more carries, even though the matchup dictated a pass-happy approach, and he got them late.

“We were able to stay with it,” Fisher said. “We knew if we could get him the carries, that there would be some creases.”

Gurley has rushed for 515 yards on 167 carries through the first nine games of his second season, averaging a dismal 3.08 per carry. He had already gained 826 yards by his ninth start last year, but the trend was already heading in the wrong direction. Teams began to zero in on Gurley after he rushed for 566 yards in his first four starts, and the Rams have been trying to counter ever since.

Getting Gurley going in the second half, second-year right tackle Rob Havenstein said, “came down to just staying on blocks. Still, there was a lot of zero runs, a lot of negative runs that we need to correct. We have to do a better job. Todd’s a hell of a running back, Benny’s a hell of a running back. Any time he gets a touch, we want to get him at least to the second level. Let them make plays. I think we did that a little bit. Not to our full potential. That’s something we have to work on.”

Gurley nursed a thigh contusion this week, but his status for Sunday’s game was never really in question.

“I didn’t feel like my old self,” Gurley said, “but the runs was getting there like my old self.”

On one, he zipped through a hole on the right side and motored to the second level for 13 yards. On another, he patiently followed fullback Cory Harkey for a 9-yard gain, displaying the patience required to persevere behind shaky offensive line play.

The second-half difference?

“Execution, man,” Gurley said. “It’s simple. Just finishing blocks, staying on your blocks. Just going out there and beating your one-on-ones, like I say every week.”

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – November 11, 2016

(On the teams’ health going into Sunday’s game)

“We got guys back on the field. (DT Michael Brockers) ‘Brock’ came back on the field, (CB Trumaine Johnson) ‘Tru’ was back on the field, (RB) Todd (Gurley) was back on the field – all be listed as questionable, but that means that they have a good chance of playing. The only one we designated as out was (WR Nelson) ‘Nels’, Spruce.”

(On whether it helps being well traveled as a team for the upcoming road trips)

“Yeah. We talk about this morning in the meeting, we started a little bit earlier this morning to try to get them acclimated to the time change. Their wakeup call is at 5:00 a.m. our time, pregame meal is at 6:00 a.m. and kickoff is at 10:00 a.m… We were meeting at 8:00 a.m. We told them this morning another hour from now, your bodies are going to be in pregame warm-up. We adjusted, they understand it and we’ve handled it – we just need to score some points. I’m not going to tie the two together, but we need to score some points.”

(On whether the Detroit game was an earlier start)

“Detroit was an earlier start. You had that looming thing after Detroit, with the London thing after. But none of that matters, they were focused. It’s a challenge, but our division has to go do it. It’s not the first or the last 10:00 a.m. start we’re going to have, but we’re going to go out there, get ready and go play.”

(On entering the second half of the season and what he is looking to see form RB Todd Gurley)

“We’re looking for overall improvement. We want to see the arrow go up with respect to the whole football team, and that includes Todd, that includes his touches and that includes his production. That’s an offensive team oriented challenge that we have to face, that we have to meet. But he’s feeling good. The numbers are down right now, for a lot of different reasons. But, I’d like to see the numbers increase out of the backfield as well as the carries.”

***

Rams Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams – November 11, 2016

(On the emphasis of forcing turnovers this week)

“It’s that way every week, but we’re always looking for something to improve upon, (and) we’re in the middle of the pack defensively on that. Some of the better teams I’ve ever been around, some of the better teams I’ve ever coached we’re dominant in that area – it helps the offense, it helps us; taking the ball away. We kind of went back to some training camp rules on some extra drills that we did – heck, I even had to throw the ball a little this week, without getting a sore arm on the interception drill that we really do. The guys have done a great job with that. It’s not that we don’t emphasize it all the time, because we do, and every week, we have been doing it. But it’s been a focal point. The next step for them, would be to do that. We’ve had our hands on the ball enough that we just can’t drop it. We’ve had a couple of dropped interceptions, we’ve had a couple of fumbles that we didn’t quite in possession of. So now, the next time, we’ve got to a better job of that. I will tell you this, I was impressed with (Panthers QB) Cam Newton last week on some of the sacks we got on him – we’re trying to get some ball pressures that way. It tells you what a big hand he has and also what a strong man he is, to be able to protect the ball he did in the pocket last week. We had some opportunities, the next step is for us is to take the ball away – and then score, too.”

(On if it is challenging to not know who will be starting at quarterback for the opposition)

“In all honesty, no. When I say this, conceptually, you take a look at – I scout coordinators every week, too. I’ve gone against (Jets offensive coordinator) Chan (Gailey) and know that, and have a lot a lot of respect for (Jets Head Coach) Todd (Bowles). All the years that Todd was a player, I tried to sign him a long time ago and then the coordinating down here. You have to understand defensive head coaches, too, on what they want their offensive coordinators to do. We’ve got a good handle on all that, if ‘Fitz’ (Jets QB Ryan Fitzpatrick) plays – I was with ‘Fitz,’ too at Tennessee and when he was a quarterback I went against him in a lot of practices. I feel like I know quite a bit about him. He and I had a really good relationship in the meeting rooms and that kind of stuff, because he would pick defensive players’ mind and defensive coaches’ mind. He’s real sharp, not just because he went to Harvard, I told him all the time that doesn’t make you smart, because my son went to Princeton – there was a rivalry back-and-forth with him on that. Whoever plays, they’re going to adapt the strengths to that player, but it’s going to be within the concepts of, offensively, what they do.”

(On how big the challenge is for coast-to-coast road games)

“Somewhat. And I think in the older days, it was quite a bit more. Not as much so nowadays because we are more understanding of it. And I think our head coach is the best there is at that, I think he understands it very well. He takes a high priority on how we stock up during the week, how we practice during the week, monitoring the reps during the week. And then he and (director of sports medicine and performance) Reggie (Scott) and Anthony (Zamora), our (nutrition assistant), on what we do on the plane. Because we’re on the plane for a long time, that’s also captivated the players on doing what we want done on storing up energy and storing up nutrition. In the old days, it was a hamburger and fries and who knows what was going to go on. It’s a lot better now, it really is.”

(On if he has any superstitions to break losing streaks)

“Oh yeah, I come from a baseball family, too. So you know (St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster) Mike Shannon is my father-in-law, so I get a lot of baseball superstitions, football superstitions, but I just keep it to myself.”

(On if there are ways he can see DT Aaron Donald elevating his game)

“I’m proud of him. Let’s go back to the very first year – you guys weren’t covering, we weren’t out here – but everybody wanted me to compare him to somebody and I refused to do that. Last year, they wanted me to compare him to somebody, I refused to do that. You want to know why? Because people are eventually going to start comparing to him. He is his own guy and he does things I cannot coach – I can help, maybe speed up a decision – but he has instincts that are rare. Not only does he have athletic ability and strength, height and weight and things, but he has instincts that you don’t come around very much. He’s been playing very well, especially as emphasis on offensive protections and emphasis in blocking schemes are going towards him, he’s still being able to find a way to beat it.”

(On if there is anything he can offer the offense when they are having trouble running the ball)

“I really do stay in my lane, but when they come and ask me, I’ll talk to them about that, I was an offensive coordinator, too. But the big thing is, I try to do whatever I can to give a good picture, defensively, give a good picture. They’ve got a lot of good people on that side, so they’ve been doing fine with that.”

***

Rams RB Todd Gurley – November 11, 2016

(On what he’s working on to break through his current slump)

“You know, certain stuff every week. Just got to stay consistent, and read your tracks, and just stay patient.”

(On if there’s any doubt he will play this week after showing up on the injury list)

“I felt pretty good today. I’ll just leave it at that.”

(On what he can do to help get the offense rolling)

“Just do the same things. Just stay patient, read my track, read my press to the line of scrimmage. Just make sure I’m doing the things that help me out, as far as helping those guys out as well.”

(On what staying patient means as a running back)

“Even when the hole is not there, still being able to just read it the same, and don’t try to do nothing outside of the play. If the play is not designed to hit outside, then don’t make up in your mind, ‘Oh, I know it’s not going to be up inside, so I’ll just go outside.’ Just making sure you’re on the same track as everybody else, because once you start to predetermine stuff, that’s when you know you’re not on the same page as your linemen, you try to bounce it outside, you get holding calls. You just want to stay consistent.”

(On how he takes the pressure off himself)

“It’s always a must win, it’s always a must win. You’ve got to win every game. Got to play every game like you’re trying to win. It’s definitely tough going to East Coast opponents. At the end of the day, they have to come over here as well. Just go out there and execute.”

(On if he had any superstitions growing up playing sports, in regards to breaking out of a slump)

“No. Just keep it the same. Definitely work a little harder, but keep it the same.”

(On how to manage getting the ball play, after play, after play)

“Just depends. You’re getting yards play, after play, after play, or you’re not getting yards play, after play, after play (laughter). Obviously being a running back, you want the ball. You’ve just got to mentally tough to be able to get those carries play after play. The biggest thing with that is – that’s when endurance comes in. You start seeing stuff when you’re tired. Just making sure you’re doing the same thing on that first carry that you’re doing on that 25th carry.”

(On if it’s easier to sustain a consistent rhythm when you’re getting a lot of carries)

“I don’t know, you’ve just got to get your mind right. You never know what they play call is. Sometimes, like I said, I’ve had times in college where I got the ball five times in a row, and you know you’re going to get it again. But, you just got to man up and do your best.”

(On how his body feels at this point in the season, in comparison to this point last season)

“I feel like this year, my body has been a lot healthier. Definitely been better, knock on wood. I say that next week, and I feel like crap (laughter).”

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – November 7, 2016

(Opening Remarks):
“When you lose consecutively like we did there’s always a point of emphasis, or a focus that goes in, to see what’s going on. Obviously, as a staff today, as we looked at the tape, some things came up that were – I guess I’m stating the obvious with respect to them – but ten points in the last two weeks offensively is not going to get it done. That’s by and large the biggest issue that we’re facing right now, is our lack of ability to score points. Then of course, on the other side of the ball, on defense, we’ve had one turnover in the last three weeks. When you only get one turnover, it’s hard to turn the ball over to your offense. We’re not playing particularly well on third down defensively, so we’re not getting the additional drives or the opportunities for big plays. We all see it and I think the biggest challenge for us offensively is running the football. (RB) Todd’s (Gurley) not getting enough carries, our passing numbers were skewed. But if you’re realistic, we’ve had a lot of two-minute snaps the last two weeks. Those people that are saying that we are throwing it almost 50 times a game and running it 20 or 25, well 15 or so of those plays in each one of the last two games have been in two-minute, at the end. We’re doing whatever we can to try and win games, it’s just not happening.

“We put it in perspective for the players. Players understand. As we told them, we need to flip the switch, we’re in the second half of the season. Our goal, like anybody else in the league right now, is to compete and contend for the division. That starts with a potential win, a great week of preparation rather, and then a win here at New York (Jets). From a health stand point, we’re good – I think we’re better than most teams right now. I may have mentioned to you after the game, but we started the same 22 players yesterday that we basically started in the opener. That’s encouraging and we’re just going to keep working at it, get them back, and have a good week – got a long trip and go out and should we put one together. But understanding that the only change you have to put together is to score points – we need to do that.”

(On where things are at with the quarterback situation)
“Case (Keenum) is starting.”

(On what specifically is QB Jared Goff missing in order to become the starter quarterback)
“Jared is improving. I keep saying that as you guys keep asking the questions, he’s improving. But, Case right now, especially against this defense, give us our best chance. It’s an extremely complicated defense, and they can pressure the quarterback, they can do anything they want to do. They’re very, very talented. Our focus is this week against the Jets, and Case will be under center.”

(On what specifically is Goff improving on, and what has he not mastered in order to give him enough confidence to insert him as the starter)
“I’ve been saying from day one, we’re going to play him when the time is right, and when he’s ready. With each passing week, he’s getting better and better. He’s better understanding, he recognizes things, he’s prepared, he understands the challenges week-to-week. There was a moment yesterday when Case came out. He had an extreme contusion to his non-throwing hand, and there was a chance – we didn’t know on the sideline – but there was a potential chance for a fracture. So, I said, ‘Jared, get warmed up. Get ready to go.’ He goes, ‘Coach, I’m ready.’ I said, ‘I know you are. Let’s see where Case’s forearm is, and we’ll go from there.’ Then, it was determined that is was just a contusion and not a fracture. But, that’s his mindset. I know everybody wants to talk about it, and that’s the big question. Again, he’s going to play. Whether it’s the following week, or the following week, or what have you, it’s eventually going to happen. The big picture, as I keep saying, this is about making sure that he’s ready to go out there and be sharp, and give us a chance to win. The quarterback position is not easy – Andy Dalton, (Philip) Rivers, Jay Cutler, (Drew) Brees, (Andrew) Luck, Cam Newton, (Ben) Roethlisberger, (Joe) Flacco, and (Aaron) Rodgers, that’s a good list – That’s an impressive list of quarterbacks. The one thing they have in common – two things rather – other than being really, really good quarterbacks, a number of them have rings, is right now, their records are .500 or worse. So, that shows you how hard it is to play at the quarterback position. We’re taking our time, we’re being patient, and when we feel it’s the right time, he’ll be under center.”

(On if there will be a tipping point to when Goff will start) OR (On if Goff will be the starter if the team falls out of playoff contention)
“I don’t think the playoff contention is fair to the football team, so we’ll see. Our expectations are we’re going to stay in it, so we’ll see. I’m not ruling out the possibility that he’ll make a playoff run for us as well. But for right now, Case is starting and we’re going to New York.”

(On if the challenge to incorporate RB Todd Gurley in the run game was harder than he had anticipated coming into the season)
“Yeah, good question. It’s been a much greater challenge. Defenses are saying, ‘Don’t let Gurley or Tavon beat you and put the ball down the field.’ We’ve got to do a better job, we recognize that. Todd’s number of carries the last few weeks are not what we would like. I think they’re 15, 14, and 12. Those numbers need to get up in the 20s. Again, they’re offset a little bit by our third-down stuff, in addition to the two-minute snaps. But, his touches and his numbers need to increase significantly. That’s what we discussed, and what we’re working on right now offensively.”

(On why RB Benny Cunningham is better suited for the two-minute offense than Gurley)
“There’s nothing that Todd doesn’t give us in two-minutes, and there’s nothing that Todd can’t do on third down. We have a tandem, we have one, two, we’ve got Todd on first and second down, because we have so much trust in Benny on the third down stuff. Again, Benny can make plays, because you’ve seen him make plays. That’s kind of how we deploy our personnel. Todd was in on some third down reps, but when we go to two-minute, or we’re in the third-and-long, or something like that, Benny is the back that gives us the opportunity. Todd understands everything. It’s just a matter of – I don’t want to say not committing to Todd – but, Todd is going to need a break. He needs a break every once in a while, and basically our philosophy going in, that’s how we’ve been since Benny has been productive for us, that Benny has been our third down guy and two-minute, and Todd has been our bell cow during the other series.”

(On how he would evaluate the offensive line’s performance)
“We gave up four sacks and that’s not good – although, this defense sacked (Cardinals QB) Carson Palmer eight times the week before. So, there were some good things in the game. There were a couple mistakes, a couple holding penalties, but we’re healthy and we’re progressing. Our offensive struggles are related to the entire team – you can’t blame it all on the offensive line, we had five drops yesterday, we dropped a touchdown pass you can’t blame that on the offensive line. You catch the touchdown pass and you’re lucky to kick a 55-yard field goal, the game’s different, we win and our offensive line played pretty good against one of the better defensive fronts in the league. I think you have to be realistic and keep things in perspective.”

(On if not having an official determination on his future makes him uncomfortable)
“No, I’m not uncomfortable at all. I’m uncomfortable because I didn’t expect to be three-and-whatever we are, okay, but I’m not uncomfortable at all. I never look over my shoulder, we’re moving on. (Rams Owner/Chairman) Stan (Kroenke) and I are on the same page, he understands what we’ve been through, he’s as disappointed as I am at the losses – two three-points and a seven-point in the last three games. He understands that we’re competitive and we’re doing everything we possibly can to get this turned around.”

(On if he has to keep an eye on how the defense is doing mentally to make sure they don’t start to get frustrated)
“What we’re going to do, we’re going to get the defense to help the offense on the practice field, that’s how you handle that. The defense gave up 31 points three weeks ago in Detroit – or three games ago. Every week there’s a different challenge. I thought, in the game defensively, it was one of our better efforts. I thought the game-planning was outstanding, the coaches did an outstanding job, the players responded, we got everybody back, we didn’t get the turnovers, but we bottled up a very, very explosive offense and held them to 13 points. If you’re a defensive guy, the 13 points was too much because we didn’t win the football game. The attitudes are different on both sides of the ball. But, no, I’m not concerned about the defense, they played really hard, they played smart, they played fast, they played physical – there was a lot of contact in the game. We just have to make sure that that becomes our standard.”

(On what he thought of the 10 penalties on Sunday)
“We did have 10. The two on special teams, I disagreed with. The holding penalty on (DE) Eugene (Sims) on the reverse, I really completely disagreed with it. The same thing with (RB) Chase’s (Reynolds) penalty on the punt return, I didn’t agree with that, either. We had the two defensive offsides. The last penalty, which was on the onside kick, you can scratch that, that was just kind of one of those things that happens. But the holding penalties, the defensive offsides and then the DPI (defensive pass interference) – the DPI shouldn’t happen – (DB) Lamarcus (Joyner) should have played the ball better. Yeah, statistically, we had 10, I would acknowledge maybe six of them.”

(On CB E.J. Gaines’ status)
“Oh, he’s fine. Yeah, he’s fine.”

(On if the penalties, the drops and the inconsistencies are a matter of coaching or personnel and how he addresses it)
“It’s hard to talk in general terms about it. For example, we’re behind in the game and their best asset on defense is rushing the passer and (T) Rob (Havenstein) gives up an inside move – he’s been playing well the whole game – gives up and inside move and grabs to make sure the quarterback is not hit. That’s not an athletic-ability deficiency at the right tackle, it’s just one of those things that happens. You have to look at each one of those penalties, in particular, to come to conclusion on that. Nonetheless, the penalties, we had two defensive offsides, (DT) Cam (Thomas) and (DE) Rob (Quinn) just were drawn offsides, they shouldn’t be drawn offsides – they should never be drawn offsides at home – but they were trying to rush the passer. Again, the special teams penalties, I disagreed with. We don’t allow those things to happen on the practice field, we coach them. I disagreed with a number of calls. This particular crew was the crew that did the Oakland-Tampa Bay game last week, so that’ll tell you something.”

(On WR Pharoh Cooper and TE Tyler Higbee getting more integrated into the offense)
“Yeah, ‘Higs’ made the big play – it was a great throw by Case, ‘Higs’ came up and made the big play. He needs to play better, he’s starting to figure it out now and we’ve got him involved. He needs to be better at the point of attack and he knows that. Nonetheless, he did come down with the big catch and a field position change. ‘Coop,’ he’s healthy, we worked him into the offense last week. For all intents and purposes, we’re going to continue to work him in and he’ll probably see a little bit more playing time offensively. I’m pleased with where he is right now. We just need to get the ball in his hands. Then again, I’m adding another person to the list that we need to get the ball in his hands – Gurley and Tavon. He’s a playmaker, he’s taken on his special teams responsibilities and he’s accepted them. He’ll be able, I think, you’ll see more of him. I’d like to be able to keep him up now.”

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – November 4, 2016

(On how the bye week has helped the team prepare for Carolina)

“Off hand, I know Kansas City’s schedule. (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) has got a great record. I haven’t paid much attention to it, but the things that we stress are, obviously, the things that are timing related, and then penalties. We worked that this week, we talked about it, we’ve addressed it. We’ll start fast, we’ll be emotional, because we’re back home playing an outstanding opponent.”

(On if the team will do anything different defensively, against QB Cam Newton)

“I think everybody structures their plan a little differently against Carolina. First and foremost, you’ve got to defend the run. Then in passing situations, you have to be intelligent with your rush plan, because he can pull it down and run for first downs. Once they get close, they like to use him as a runner. So, we adjust the game plan accordingly.”

(On what RB Todd Gurley has to do in order to improve)

“It’s not a Gurley thing, I think it’s more of a team thing, and then it’s an opponent issue too, because they’re stopping it, they’re loading up. Like I said, we need to get it going. It’s November, and we need to get it going. What bigger challenge we’re going to have getting the run game going against this defense. This defense is really sound, and solid, especially with Luke (Kuechly) in there. Luke is telling everybody what’s going to happen before the ball is snapped. You got to give him some different looks. We got to finish, hit some creases, get receivers more involved in the blocking, and the concepts, and the schemes, and try to get Todd and Benny (Cunningham) creases. Run it in passing situations, and throw it in run situations.”

(On if Gurley needs to make any adjustments to his game)

“No, we grade everybody. You’d like to see him make somebody miss, or break a tackle. He should win against defensive backs, especially corners. But, I’m not, by any means, down on Todd.”

(On if he feels QB Case Keenum is eager to improve on his last performance)

“Case is the same every week. He loves to play, he loves to compete, he loves to prepare, practice. I know he’s a little disappointed in two of the interceptions, and the other two we don’t put on him. The week before, he put together a winning effort at Detroit. He’s excited, I know he’s excited, he’s prepared. He gets here before I get here in the morning, and I get in pretty early.”

(On if he feels as if Carolina’s secondary is an area in which the offense can exploit)

“I think we have a good plan going in to be able to mix and match our offense. Their secondary, even though they’re young, they’re improving weekly, and that’s what happens when you get snaps. They’ve gotten a lot of snaps. It’s not one of those games where you say, ‘Oh, we’re going to go after him, or go after him.’ We have to be sound, and the quarterback has to go through the progressions. Their secondary is not the issue. Like I said, just look at the quarterbacks. You have got a young secondary, look at the quarterbacks they’ve faced over the three or four weeks, that’s quite a challenge.”

(On CB Trumaine Johnson’s status)

“Trumaine was limited today in practice, and he’s listed as questionable, as is (DE) William (Hayes) and (DT Michael Brockers) ‘Brock’ and (RG) Jamon (Brown). I think the only we’ve listed as out is (WR) Nelson (Spruce). Everybody else is limited and questionable.”

***

Rams Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams – November 4, 2016

(On the challenge of stopping Panthers QB Cam Newton)

“I’ve had some experience being in that division when he came in as a rookie, playing him twice a year. I have tremendous respect for him. When you guys get a chance, if you haven’t seen him before, up front, in person, he looks better than our defensive ends. He’s got a defensive end’s body, he’s 6-6, 260 (lbs.), can run like a defensive back, running back – a great athlete. A lot of those guys like him play in the NBA and this guy’s playing in the National Football League because he’s tough enough to do it. He brings some different things to the game, and I think (Panthers offensive coordinator) Mike Shula does a great job on what they do, offensively, to fit the skillset of his players, including the quarterback. Mike and I were together at Jacksonville, so I’ve known some things and he was there at Carolina when I was at the Saints. There’s still some familiarity of what they’re doing, conceptually, but each year he’s gotten better. As quarterbacks in our league, the guys that can stay healthy and move on through the league, it’s amazing how smart they get, as far as the feel for the game and they turn into coordinators. They’re giving him a lot of freedom to do a lot of checks and a lot of different things at the line of scrimmage. So we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got to play well, we’ve got to play good.”

(On if the attention that has been paid to Newton this week, with regards to late hits, is worth a conversation with the defense going into this game)

“It really isn’t, with our guys, we play a certain way inside the white lines anyway. They really haven’t even focused anything on it. We’re just going to play football the way we are – and our guys play well, we’ve got some good team speed, we’re going to have to play the run really well there. They’re a really good run team and they take their calculated shots. They’ve got one of the tight ends that’s in this league, that’s one of the best pass-receiving tight ends in our league in Greg Olsen. Dynamically, all put together offensively, they pose some big time problems and we’re going to have to be up for it.”

(On Newton speaking with Commissioner Roger Goodell)

“No, we don’t worry about that, we just play ball. We really don’t, we just play football.”

(On how a healthy RB Jonathan Stewart changes what the Panthers do)

“He’s an extremely hard-nosed runner, but people don’t realize how fast he is. We liken him to, in this division, when Frank Gore was at his best (with the 49ers). We’ve tried to picture that to some of our players that have played against Frank in Frank’s prime, too, that they’re very similar to how they play – great pad level, can run over you in the A and the B-gaps inside the run, but don’t give on him, don’t think that he can’t outrun you outside. He’s a better pass-receiver year after year after year. Again, he’s one of those all-purpose, versatile running backs that we’ve had some experiences with. Now, can we do the same thing with him?”

(On Carolina’s wide receivers having a size advantage on Los Angeles’ cornerbacks)

“We’ve had some experience with that already this year, we had some experience with the Giants. But, really, when you take a look at Tampa Bay’s receivers, Tampa Bay’s receivers were some of the tallest that we could go against in the league, too. Those are just things; we have some tall receivers here in practice, so we get that picture all the time. So that’s no excuse for us, we just have to play.”

(On who sees the most pressure on the defense when playing against a running quarterback)

“It really has to do with what kind of a call we’re in. You would love to always say it’s defensive line, but it’s not, it could be our safeties, our linebackers and our defensive line. Conceptually, our defensive line will be the first ones there on how we go about making sure we balance the rush and have good rush discipline. But it’s all of us and it really, kind of, depends on whether it’s a man call, zone call, pressure call, all that kind of stuff. You can’t predict what you’re going to be in.”

(On if he senses that the players are antsy coming off the bye week)

“It’s fun to see how much energy they have. I’ve been teasing all week long that it brings me back to my day care, managing young kids and all that kind of stuff when I had young kids growing up. And that’s that there’s a lot of energy, they can’t wait to get on the practice field, they’ve been chippy in the locker room – I’m sure you guys have seen some of the battles and the competitions that have been going on all this week. It’s time to play. Now, I would be worried if it wasn’t this way, it would bother me. But I’m not worried about it because they’re ready to play. They’re real chippy, they just need a way to get this release and, hopefully, they’ve saved enough for Sunday to have the release that we want.”

(On the health of the defense)

“What we do is, in all honestly, we don’t worry a whole lot about that. Because if you’re on an active roster, and we’ve done a good job building our roster and we have a very defined ‘next man up’ philosophy. Our D-line is getting healthier, but all those guys can play – our secondary, our young guys have stepped up and done really well, and our linebackers have done very well. We’ve got a lot of youth in that linebacker crew and you’re going to see a few more of those guys get some more playing time now. The bye week was good for all of them. And health-wise, we’re getting close; but again, whoever Coach Fisher says is active, those are the guys we have on gameday and we’re ready to go, no matter who it is.”

***

Rams RB Todd Gurley – November 4, 2016

(On how excited the team is to play at home on Sunday after coming off the bye week)

“Pretty excited. It feels like it’s been forever since we played at home. We just have to get rid that losing streak and get a winning game.”

(On how hopeful he is that things will start opening up for him during the second half of the season)

“You just have to stay patient, stick to the plan, keep going out there, and work hard – just hope that things open up and I’m pretty sure they will.”

(On if he thinks he’ll see more action in the pass game on Sunday in hopes of exposing an inexperienced Carolina secondary)

“I think that whatever coach calls out there, he’s going to do a good job of putting us in a good situation. Just going out there and doing my job and trying to make a play after catching the ball. Whatever he calls, I’ll be ready for it.”

(On how he spent his time off during the bye week)

“I went back home to see my family and friends. I had a good time.”

(On whether the bye week came at the right time for him personally)

“It felt like it was the perfect time. I don’t know how many away games we’ve had, probably about five and we went on two away games in a row, went all the way to London, and then came back for the bye week. I felt like it definitely couldn’t have happened at a more perfect time.”

(On what stands out to him when looking at the Panthers defense)

“Obviously looking at the last game, probably one of their best games overall. Great, great, physical front seven. Linebackers are great – they know what you’re going to do before the ball…You just have to play your game and make sure that you’re studying them as good as they’re studying you, and just beat your man, one-on-one.”