Fisher, Schottenheimer – 10/10 … transcript & vid

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – October 10, 2014

(On RB Zac Stacy’s progress and how practice went)
“Zac was full practice today, which was good. We did alright. We had a good day. I thought both sides are really into the plan. We got a lot done on the practice field. They have a great deal of respect for our opponent and we’ve got to finish up with a good practice tomorrow.”

(On what the team can do to generate more sacks and better defend against the run)
“We’re getting pressure on the passer. I think what we proved we were capable of over the last two years, teams go in and they game plan and the ball’s coming out. We had plenty of hits and plenty of pressures last week, we just didn’t get him down. I’m not concerned about it. Those things are coming. Our defense against the run, you kick out a couple of those long ones, particularly the one against Minnesota, it’s not bad. It’s getting better. We’ve had a lot of tackles for losses and those kinds of things, and we need to continue that. We cannot give up the creases – the 20 and the 30 yards – that swing field position. We’re playing some young guys. We’ve had some misfits in the run, but I expect us to continue to improve and the sacks will come.”

(On what has caused challenges for the team on run defense)
“Well, in run defense everybody has to be on the same page. Credit the offense at times with their ability to gain an angle. If you get angles and cut the defense, you’ve got problems. So it’s just been a combination of things from the defensive line, linebackers, even some run support things in the secondary. Like I said, I expect it to improve.”

Rams Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer – October 10, 2014

(On what to expect from San Francisco and their consistency)
“Yeah they do what they do. They do it well. Obviously, a few new faces but for the most part we’re pretty comfortable with them. What do you say? They’re good players, good scheme,-big fan-(49ers Head Coach) Jim (Harbaugh) does a great job with those guys. They play hard and it’ll be quite a test.”

(On how the defense is managing without LB Aldon Smith and LB NoVarro Bowman)
“Again, it speaks to their depth. We played against (LB Michael) Wilhoite last couple times we played them and he’s a really good player. Small school guy, but I’m not saying he’s N0varro Bowman, but he’s a really good football player. Then obviously, (LB Dan) Skuta on the outside has done a nice job as well also. I think again it speaks to the organization. They’ve done a great job with depth. They haven’t missed a beat. They do what they do and they don’t over think it.”

(On the turnover in their secondary and what he sees)
“They lose (S Donte) Whitner, so they bring in (S Antoine) Bethea. So they bring in another veteran that knows what he’s doing. I think I’ve seen, I notice (S Eric) Reid’s really grown up and become a really good player. Been some transition at corner, some guys been in and out. (CB Tramaine) Brock was out for a while, they’ve got again good players there with (CB Chris) Culliver and (CB Perrish) Cox. Again, the big things for us is we know where they’re going to be. It’s going to come down to us executing.”

(On the importance of having physical approach when playing the 49ers)
“Obviously, they’re going to be a physical team. So, if you don’t match their physical play you’re going to struggle. They’re great fundamental technicians. They do a great job with their hand placement and they move people around. (DT) Justin Smith is one of the strongest guys in the league. We want to be physical. We try to play physical every week, but this is one of the games where you better have an extra chin strap because you might break the first one in the first quarter or the first half.”

(On if there are any concerns about putting QB Austin Davis on the national stage)
“No, I think Austin will be ready to go. It’s just the next challenge, the next chapter. It’s just obviously, a very good defense. Top three or two in most every category, so it’ll be a tremendous challenge for us. Again, he doesn’t have to do it by himself, we have to do it as a team.”

(On if he’s excited to face a challenging 49ers defense)
“Absolutely. We don’t expect to have our game come off much. We’re just going to go out there and do what we do. Again, they’ll certainly make some plays, they always do, they’re a good defense. They’ll be tough stretches I’m sure but, again, it’s going to come down to 60 minutes. Again, we’ve played some good defenses, this is probably an elite defense, but we’ve played some good defenses. It will be exciting and we’ll know where we stand on Monday night.”

(On the progress of OL Greg Robinson)
“Well I think first and foremost, you hear him making calls and understanding the system. That’s been good to see. You see him working, you see him getting reps, he’s doing a nice job. It’s a process. We saw it last year with some of those guys like (WR) Tavon (Austin) some of the younger plays it takes time. Especially for a guy coming from a school that had a limited playbook, they didn’t do a whole lot. Again, you see the confidence, you see him making calls, you see him in meetings even kind of communicating things that he wouldn’t of seen maybe three, four months ago, so that’s exciting. Again, going to be a really, really good player in this league.”

(On how 49ers DE Justin Smith continues to play at a high level at this stage in his career)
“Unbelievable. Again, we never look forward to playing him. Obviously, talked about how strong he was you look at that but the motor. He’s the lynchpin of the group, he gets them going. Obviously, have tremendous respect for him. Have followed him for a long time, competed against him a number of times even going back to Cincinnati. He’s just a terrific player. It’s quite remarkable.”

(On what improvements QB Austin Davis has made since his NFL debut in Week 1)
“Again, there hasn’t been a whole that I’ve noticed. He’s played pretty consistently the whole time. I think obviously, he’s much more comfortable running the show. In terms of what he’s really improved on I think it’s just he’s gaining more experience, he’s gaining more confidence. He’s got a better feel with the guys that he’s throwing to. Again, I just think that’s something that comes from playing and having some success which he’s done. But again, he knows this system really, really well. Got good command of that and he’s playing well.”