Fisher, Cignetti … 11/18 … transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher –– 11/18/15

(On his biggest concerns about the Ravens offense)
“Just as a team overall, I talked about the point differential all year. They could very well be 7-2. Bad break the other night. They’re playing really well. Special teams – leading the league in punt net and kickoff return and punt return. So, they’re very well-coached which you would expect from (Head) Coach (John Harbaugh). Defensively, they’re solid. Their secondary is healing up a little bit. And then offensively, (Ravens QB Joe) Flacco can make every throw. They’re well-coached, they’re game planning. They run the football. Tight ends are catching the ball. They’ve got some injuries outside, but we all know what (Ravens WR) Chris (Givens) can do, he can really get down the field. This is a really good football team.”

(On if Givens is playing a lot)
“Yes, he is. He’s playing. He’s playing good.”

(On if he kept a closer eye on QB Case Keenum today)
“No. We had the meetings, we’ve had the install. He spent the time, he’s been in early, we had our walk-thru. He’s no different than (QB) Nick (Foles). He’ll ask to review a couple of plays in practice where he probably didn’t see what he needed to see, so we’ll repeat it. But, I thought he had a good day.”

(On if he has to change much in the game plan with injuries on the offensive line)
“No, nothing changes. We don’t take that into consideration. You may need to go an consider at some point helping one of the tackles because of (LB Elvis) Dumervil in passing situations, but that’s no different than every other week.”

(On what Dumervil does so well as a pass rusher)
“Well, it starts with that. He’s got a great lean and bend and great outside speed. You have to respect the outside speed and then he’ll come down the middle and he’ll bull-rush. He’s a good run defender as well.”

(On if he talks to players about not being able to lose too many more games in order to make a playoff push)
“Does not. Can’t put that kind of pressure on them. We’re just, ‘Hey, it’s the next game.’ Subconsciously, I think they’re aware of it. I don’t know. There may be well over a dozen teams in the league right now that are 4-5. We’ve just got to play.”

(On how T Greg Robinson is progressing aside from the penalties)
“He’s coming. He’s further along than he was last year, which you would expect. He’s had some good match-ups. He’s played well out there. Once he gets comfortable, I think he’ll have a chance to get comfortable here for the remainder of the season with the guys as far as who’s lining up next to him and that’s different. We’ve asked him do a lot of things and asked him to control that edge for us, which is hard to do.”

(On if Baltimore players Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are Hall of Famers in his mind)
“Yeah, I was asked about that on the conference call today about Ed Reed. I think they’re going to recognize him at the game. For us, what comes to mind as far as Ed’s concerned is what a threat he was as a punt rusher and the kicks that he blocked over his career. He was outstanding. I think it illustrates the kind of player he is. Not only was he a great safety and made all kinds of plays, but those other aspects of the game were important to him. He was outstanding. We’ve got tape and shown our guys tapes and plays of Ed Reed as a punt rusher off that side. So, he’s one of the best that have ever done it. Yeah, outstanding career. Same thing with Ray. The two of them, they were the heart and soul of that defense.”

(On if he thinks it’s unusual for a team to have a run as long as the Ravens did with a good defense)
“Well, I don’t know how long the run was, but we faced them a few times. We had some battles. We won a few of them and we lost a few of them.”

(On if he’s had many chances coming in contact with Missouri’s Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel over the years)
“Just several times, yeah. We’ve talked about it. Just wish him well with his personal challenge and understand how much he meant to that program. He did a great job. I’ve heard that he’s come out and said that he’s done coaching. But, been there, done that. Heal up and go out a year and come back and see what happens.”

(On if when he stopped coaching he had planned to not come back)
“I was never coming back. Man, I was going fishing.”

(On how long he was fishing)
“About two weeks.”

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Rams Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti –– 11/18/15

(On how he thought QB Case Keenum looked today)
“He had a nice day today. He had a good day in preparation. He had a nice practice.”

(On how changing quarterbacks changes things for him)
“It really doesn’t. The quarterbacks all prepare the same, whether they’re starting or not. The coach’s schedule stays the same. We just press on.”

(On what’s unique about Keenum’s skill set)
“Well, every player’s a little different. They have different attributes. When you look at Case, like (QB) Nick (Foles) is, they’re both tremendous leaders. They prepare very well. They practice well. To look at the difference in them, Nick’s a big guy. Case is a little smaller, little more athletic, got a little more movement to him.”

(On if he can use Keenum’s mobility to his advantage in different ways)
“Well, we will certainly try to. As coaches, what we try to do is look at every individual and try to put him in a position to be successful.”

(On what else he can try on offense to be more effective)
“Well, it comes down to having great preparation at practice. Taking a look at the game plan, we play Baltimore this week. Schematically, what we do feel matches up well against them, putting guys in a position to be successful. When you cross the white line, executing and believing in yourself and believing in your training.”

(On if he looks at the numbers with RB Todd Gurley’s carries and would like to get him more touches)
“Oh, absolutely. When you look at it, you’d certainly like to get the running backs more carries.”

(On how tough it is to integrate some new offensive linemen into the rotations)
“Well, Coach (Paul) ‘Bou’ (Boudreau) and (Andy) Dickerson do a great job doing that. Guys have great opportunities to step forward.”

(On if he has a good feel for Keenum)
“Yeah, I think we have a good feel. You have to remember, Case was with us last year. So, I got a chance to work with him for a while. He’s been with us all year. Yeah, I think we’ve got a pretty good feel for Case.”

(On what challenges Baltimore presents)
“Very good defense, another 3-4 team. Front seven’s outstanding. The back end plays well. They have an excellent sub package. Like we talk about, every team in the National Football League presents different challenges.”

(On if he’s looking forward to seeing former Rams WR Chris Givens)
“Chris Givens was a professional for us. It’ll be good to see him. Appreciate everything he did while he was he was a Ram.”