Fisher says Rams' kneel-down blitz of Lions 'did not come from sideline'

Jeff Fisher says Rams’ kneel-down blitz of Lions ‘did not come from sideline’

Ron Clements

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/rams-week-6-kneel-down-blitz-vs-lions-jeff-fisher/1w0h0c8qw2rqt11uzy6itxfk9g

The Rams have drawn scrutiny since attacking the Lions’ offensive line on a pair of kneel downs to close Sunday’s game.

Much of the criticism has been directed at Rams head coach Jeff Fisher and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. But Fisher said Monday that criticism has been misdirected because the Rams’ players acted on their own.

“This approach did not come from the sideline — it was not a call, it was not something that we practiced or that we preached,” Fisher said. “I think it was a byproduct of frustration and things that (DT) Aaron (Donald) endured during the game and the players took it on themselves to do it. We’ll address it. I talked to (Lions) Coach (Jim) Caldwell after the game and apologized and I said I’d get to the bottom of it.

“If the game’s over, the game’s over, pay respect to your opponent. You guys don’t realize all the stuff that goes on inside, up front between the offensive linemen and the defensive linemen. We’ll address it and it’s unlikely that it’ll happen again.”

The Lions were running out the clock on a 31-28 victory at Ford Field with a pair of kneel-down snaps. The Rams blitzed the line each time, the second of which angered Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.

“I mean, I wasn’t real fired up about what happened on the first one,” Stafford told reporters, via ESPN.com, after the game. “We took the second knee, I’m sure that didn’t feel any better for them. So I just let them know how I felt about it.”