Fisher Foles Brown Laurinaitis Mason McDonald Givens…8/29… vids/transcripts

Nick Foles Postgame Press Conference – 8/29

Quarterback Nick Foles talks postgame after the team’s preseason game against the Colts.

http://www.stlouisrams.com/videos/videos/Nick-Foles-Postgame-Press-Conference—829/fa37bed5-d7b9-49a5-acb8-81465aa286c0

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher- 8/29/15

(On the Rams injuries)
“I’ll start off with the two players, the noticeable players who left the game Tre (Mason) and JB (Jamon Brown). Tre has a mild hamstring strain so we’ll evaluate it. I don’t know how long that’s going to be, but he’s a quick healer. It appears to be mild at this point, but it would be unlikely that he would play this coming Thursday. But I think he’ll be fine. For JB it appears to be a lateral ankle sprain. When you’re talking high ankle you’ve got problems, when you’re talking lateral sprains they’ll come back fast. He (JB) wanted to come back in the game, but we held him out. Beyond that we ended up fairly good in the game from an injury standpoint.”

(General comments on the game)
“In the big picture nobody after Week 3 is where they think they need to be and nor are we. I think we got better. I think we improved this week, with a week of practice and some of the things that we saw in the game. Nick’s (Foles) numbers were good, but it’s really unfortunate that he got offensive pass interference called in that first drive. I didn’t see it, but I was told it was questionable. That was a big throw on that drive. We could have done some things on that drive. So, unfortunately for the offense because of that and then they stole a possession from us with surprise on-sides kick. We didn’t get the possessions that we wanted with our guys, but still nonetheless he (Nick Foles) was 10-of-11 and in control. I thought he did a good job spreading the ball around.”

Defensively, it was a great challenge against Andrew (Luck). You know, we blew a coverage and he threw a touchdown pass. There was some confusion and he found the tight end but beyond that we made them drive the football and they weren’t going to let him get hit. The Colts came out quick and they ran it. We tackled better.

From a big picture standpoint we still have some work to do. Obviously tonight is a great illustration of if you turn the football over you have costly penalties at the wrong time it will cost you a ballgame. We’ve got to get the penalty thing under control.”

(On Foles performance being masked by the offensive penalties)
“I thought it was yes. His numbers were good. He knew where to go with the ball. We had a couple of protection issues, which I think you attribute to preseason. He knew he was going to get hit and he got back up and he kept playing.”

(On the offensive line switches)
“We started Jamon (Brown) at left (guard) and went ahead and started Demetrius (Rhaney) over at right (guard). We were just getting them work.”

(On the Rams defense against the run)
“The numbers reflect that we were better, a couple of issues, we had a couple of bounce out things. Both teams tonight set themselves up to stop the run and I think both teams – us and the Colts – did a good job playing the run defense.”

Rams QB Nick Foles

(On the importance of the first team offense being productive tonight)
“Absolutely. We haven’t really…we haven’t seen the end zone so just to get in there…I felt like we had opportunities. We had a couple good drives. We could have had an opportunity to get in there more, but I think the big thing is we have to clean up the penalties. That’s going to be something that’s going to be really stressed each and every day because those are drive stoppers and puts you in a tough position. I think just today, we moved forward as a team. We have a long ways to go. We’re not there yet. We just have to keep plugging along. I think our young o-line has done a great job coming along. We were able to get some really good run plays going, some play action down field to (WR) Chris (Givens). Chris did a great job tracking the ball, going to get it and showing his athletic ability.”

(On his trust factor with Givens)
“I have a trust factor with all my guys. They know that I trust them and when that ball is in the air, they’re coming down with it. I don’t care who’s on. They know they have to go win on their routes because I’m going to get it out. I’m going to let them go do their thing. They’re extraordinary athletes. They’re great teammates. I believe in them.”

(On his reaction when G Jamon Brown went down)
“Yeah, trust me, I was extremely excited about the touchdown, but when I saw Jamon down…that’s the most important thing. I knew I could go celebrate with (WR) Chris (Givens) and everybody after. A guy that’s coming along…he’s such a great teammate. The guy’s protecting me each and every down and to see him down, you think the worst, but he’s a tough guy. I know he’s going to bounce right back. So I was excited to see him walking around and have a smile on his face.”

(On the offensive line)
“We just have to keep working. It’s a process. We just have to…and I know I…it sounds like a broken record, but it really is every day you just have to keep working on it and keep thinking positive, keep correcting. If you mess up again, just keep correcting because they’re coming along. They’re getting better and better and they’re doing a great job right now. They’re going to continue to improve.”

(On if he feels comfortable throwing on the move)
“Yeah, I do feel comfortable throwing on the move. I’m trying to keep my eyes down field because I don’t have the burners like a lot of guys do so I try to use my arm in those situations. I think just having a pocket awareness, knowing when it’s breaking down or could break down, getting out. Receivers did…(WR) Kenny (Britt) did a great job on one play giving me a body to throw to and he made a great catch. So those are times on third down or throughout the course of the game you’re going to have a couple plays that break down and you just have to use your feet and make something happen.”

(On if he wishes the offense was further along, even though it’s still preseason)
“I think with the penalties…that’s one thing that we need to cut out. We were moving the ball well. We definitely need to keep improving. We’ll always want to keep improving, but we’re where we’re at right now and we just have to go from there.”

(On if he would like to play in the fourth preseason game Thursday)
“We get reps every day. I don’t know what the situation will be. I know I’m always ready to play. That’s my mindset no matter what. But each and every day is an opportunity to get better so we’ll be back in the office tomorrow looking at this film, looking at what to improve on and it’s a never ending process so no matter what happens, I’ll always be ready to play no matter…even if I don’t.”

(On what he had to work with as far as game planning and selection)
“A little bit more but still the preseason. You’re trying to get your offense going. You’re trying to get players going. It’s a lot of different variables. Defense isn’t…they install stuff every week too, so you’re watching film on them. They’re going to bring out something new so it’s not like you have all their stuff to game plan. We definitely had a little more time to study them because we practiced against Dallas when we were playing against Tennessee. That’s never an excuse, but as we move on we’re going to continue to game plan. The season is right around the corner, so it’s about to get real, real soon.”

(On if this was his last preseason game, if he is satisfied with his play)
“I feel like we’re improving. To answer your question, I feel like every day I’ll have an opportunity tomorrow to get better. Whether or not I play in the game, I’ll still continue to improve. I’ll continue to work and be ready to play. That’s just how I’m engrained.”

(On him hitting 10 of his 11 passes)
“I felt like there was improvement. I still expect more from myself. I expect more from this offense, as does every player on this offense. Can’t say enough, I feel like it’s a one step in the right direction and just have to continue to improve on it.”

G Jamon Brown

(On his leg injury in the first half)
“We’ll take a look at it and go from there.”

(On deciding if he should return to the game following his injury)
“We kind of played it by ear and seeing how I was feeling, but ultimately they want to make sure I’m healthy going into the next game and into the regular season. So we thought it was a good idea to pull me out of this one.”

(On if it mattered to him playing right or left guard)
“Oh no, it doesn’t matter. I’m comfortable either way with those. As long as I’m out there, I’m comfortable.”

(On if he felt like he was missing out on reps because of his injury)
“I was eager to play because it was a good football team we were playing and a good coach. And I wanted to get the reps and get the experience and have that game experience. But unfortunately, I took an injury so I have to keep going and keep working.”

Rams RB Tre Mason

(On how he felt the team did as a whole in Game 3)
“We took a step forward to get better. We’ve got a lot to learn from this loss, but from here on out we’re going to figure out ways to get better and put in the pieces to the puzzle.”

(On how QB Nick Foles played against the Colts)
“He’s a great leader. He has a strong arm and he does what he does best. He comes out to take over our offense and he has a good, deep arm and has a very long throw. You know, he’s a good quarterback and a great leader.”

(On the first team offense scoring a touchdown)
“We’re so anxious to get in the end zone all the time. That’s our job, to get down there and score points. We’re always anxious to score.”

(On if he dodged a bullet on his hamstring injury)
“Definitely. It’s always scary when a (hamstring’s) involved. But we played it safe and I don’t want to make it any worse.”

Rams S T.J. McDonald

(On how the defense played)
“We didn’t start as fast as we’d like. We always want to start fast. At the same time, we did respond and we came back, we were able to make some plays and get the noise going and get into a groove. We’re definitely not where we want to be right now, but we’re moving in the right direction.”

(On the penalties)
“Penalties will hurt us. That is one thing that we have to eliminate. That’s one thing that beats us. You can’t beat yourself like that with penalties and win. Like you said, with the (CB Janoris) Jenkins interception, that takes away big momentum from the game. We just have to play disciplined and stay on top of everything and make sure that we’re on top of everything. We had busted coverage where they scored a touchdown. That’s something that we’re going to have to clean up. Things like that happen, but I think after that we took a step in the right direction as far as communication and the communication stepped up and we were able to start doing things the right way.”

(On if it’s tough to mix and match with first and second team players on the field)
“No, whenever you’re out there, you’re a starter, that’s my philosophy.”

(On how much his game has evolved since playing Andrew Luck in college)
“The game has slowed down for me a lot with this being my third year. Definitely being in the same scheme for a second year and having all 11 guys back on the field it’s definitely slowed down for me and I feel like I’m able to play a lot faster a diagnose what’s going on a lot faster. I’m not too worried about what I’m doing, what my job is, just because I know that from preparation from out the week, that allows me to focus more on what the offense is trying to do to us. I think a lot of our guys on our defense have matured that way. We’re taking steps in the right direction. We still have a long ways to go, we’re not where we want to be by any means, but we’re taking steps to get there.”

Rams LB James Laurinaitis

(On how the defense played)
“We did a really good job against their first unit. Progress, but we’re not where we want to be yet. Good, but this last week will be crucial here, especially in practice, because I’m not sure what the game reps will be on Thursday.”

(On getting good work done in practice since the starters will not get a bunch of playing time in the final preseason game)
“We’ve done really well during our practices. Our communication has been really good. I thought after that first series we talked well on the sidelines. Like I said, the one busted coverage, the one run was more of a, they got us a call that can be tricky against the run play. They had a good run on it. Before that last two minute drive, we put in two secondary, I looked up and they had 101 yards. Holding number 12 (Colts QB Andrew Luck) to that, like I said, I’m taking the optimistic outlook on it. I really like the way we practiced this last week too. We had a really tough, physical practice.”

(On how much fun it was when they backed up the Colts)
“That’s the way it needs to be. That’s the play that we expect, or that I expect out of our defense. It’s kind of like people got upset and decided to take it to another level. Our d-line fired off big time three plays in a row. ‘Brock’ (DT Michael Brockers) and (DT) Aaron (Donald) were all over it. They tried to do a lot of unbalanced runs today against us, tackle over type of stuff, which was interesting, especially for this early in the season, or preseason. I don’t know if they’re trying to get teams to prepare for it in the first four games of the season, but it didn’t work well for them. They tried to do that backed up, I think on the second play when we ran through. Brock had a good swim there. That’s the fun, those are the fun series, when you’re rolling like that. When everyone is on the same page, that’s what this defense can be. It’s just, are we going to be on the same page for 55-60 snaps every game and if we are we’ll be salty and if not then we at least we hope we have all of the eligible covered and we roll from there.”