Foles press conference, 3/13 … + Fairley …. vid & transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher, General Manager Les Snead, QB Nick Foles – Press Conference – March 13, 2015

(Opening remarks)
Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher: “Good Morning. Appreciate you coming. You all know why we’re here. This is a special day. You’re going to get an opportunity to meet Nick. So, let’s bring Nick in.”

DT Nick Fairley walks into the press conference.

“Nick Fairley needs to go upstairs and sign his contract. He will be available to you later. Now, we want to introduce you to the other (Qcool smiley Nick (Foles).”

General Manager Les Snead: “Last time I was at the podium, I think there was breaking news about some sort of trade for (Qcool smiley Sam (Bradford). You guys that have been here, you’ve written probably 100 different ways, the quarterback conundrum we were in. At that point in time, I think all of us – you guys included – with football acumen, deleting Sam Bradford wasn’t going to be the solution. Any solution was going to come in the addition, so we went to the Combine; we had never heard anything about a trade. Nobody had mentioned wanting to trade for Sam Bradford. Deleting him wasn’t going to be the solution to our problem. Obviously, when news like that breaks – guess what? Some other teams start dabbling. I think the first team approached me at the Combine at some point, even in the elevator and said, ‘Hey, when we get off the elevator can we chat?’ Long story short, at the end of the day, probably after we got back from the Combine, probably a week or so after, a lot of teams started checking in. There were multiple teams checking in. I think, like all trade talks go – they’re dabbling. Trying to figure out if we really want to get rid of Sam or not. They figured out that we really didn’t, that deleting him wasn’t going to be the solution. Long story short, the reason that made our trade the other day the right fit was the addition of Nick Foles because our conundrum at quarterback was going to require an addition. What made it awesome is this: you got a young guy who’s got a lot of physical skills to play in this league. He’s got a lot of metrics that show you how he can produce on the field, but the best thing about Nick is this, is he’s won games. A good organization, good team, won good games in a good division and even got a team to the playoffs, so that’s what made the addition intriguing and why everything went down. So, when we said deleting Sam wasn’t the answer – that was true. When Coach ‘Fish’ said he was his QB – that was true because at that moment there was no trade and there was definitely no one like Nick coming into the building. With that, I’ll introduce you Nick and we’ll take questions.”

(On if Sam Bradford would still be with the team if it weren’t for the pay cut)
Fisher: “Probably not. It was an issue and it was an issue that was addressed for quite some time and it was not an issue with respect to the transaction as far as they were concerned. So again just to elaborate a little bit more on the process, Tuesday around 10 a.m. I visited with Sam and as we stayed in touch with him, but more specifically he wanted to know what was going on and at that point I told him we were fielding calls and having some discussions. I actually told him who it was with and told him that I would keep him informed and keep him posted on everything that was going on. Just told him the truth and then two hours later things really accelerated. So, I was able to get in touch with him simultaneously with (Eagles Head) Coach (Chip Kelly) being able to get in touch with Nick and then we got in touch with our new quarterbacks and then shortly thereafter it was out.”

(On where the trade rumors that broke out the NFL Combine came from)
Snead: “Again, I was at the podium. I forget who asked the question. Not sure where he got it from, but he did ask the question when I was at the podium, you’ll have to figure out who asked it. I’m not sure where that…and hey, it’s been swirling. We were going on two years of Sam Bradford trade rumors, so that might’ve just been a nice combine question they asked.”

(On why interest from other teams would change their decision not to ‘delete’ Bradford)
Snead: “In anything in life, things change. The key point you’ve got to get is and the semantics is, you guys know football, deleting a good QB from your roster and not adding another good quarterback doesn’t help you. So what changed probably in all of this is we had multiple teams, and I don’t blame them for wanting Sam. He’s a good young player, got years left. But, the Eagles offered a chance for us to get another good young player who’s won game in this league and we felt like that’s what our team needed. So, that’s really the essence of what changed, being able to add Nick Foles to our roster.”

(On his reaction when he heard he’d been traded)
Foles: “I got a call from (Eagles Head Coach) Chip (Kelly) and I was actually finishing up a workout. He told me what had gone on with the transaction. I think the first thing, if I’m being honest, you go through is there’s a lot of emotions you go through. I’ve been very fortunate to start my career in Philly and it’s been three great years. I have nothing but great things to say about Philadelphia, but at that time, emotions kick in. Then I was able to talk to Coach Fisher and after I got off the phone, I felt really good about it. I was honored that a team wanted me. As the days passed on, you get to know people. I’ve been very fortunate to get to know people in this building, players, personnel, whoever, and I feel at home. I’m thankful for the opportunity to be here because it really is a blessing to play in the NFL. As a young player, you always want to play with your first team, but I’m thankful I’m here. I’m excited to be here and I’m ready to get to work.”

(On what he thought of the Rams after playing them last season)
Foles: “I remember playing this team and I remember thinking this is a talented team. The defense was scrappy, all over the place. Really tough to go against. I think the big thing I noticed, though, was the fight. I admire teams that continue to fight throughout the game because we had gotten, Philadelphia had gotten up by several points. The Rams kept fighting back, fighting back, and that’s when you know that that team’s together as one. You know that the coaching staff has everything together, the players are playing together. It was a tight game at the end and I really admired that. That was a game that I looked back and said, ‘That is a team that is going to be reckoned with.’ Now I’m a part of it and I’m excited about that.”

(On what convinced the Rams that Foles was the right fit)
Fisher: “It’s what he did in college. What he was able to accomplish there, the system he was in. Then of course, we went back to his rookie year with (Former Eagles Head Coach) Andy (Reid) and watched him finished up the year. Then ’13 was so impressive, what he was able to do, all the throws. We really felt like he fits into our style of offense. The mobility, the athleticism. He loves to put it down the field. He’d be the first to tell you he likes to put it down the field and we’ve got guys that can do that.”

(On if he looks as the trade as a fresh start)
Foles: “It’s a great opportunity to be with a great team. I’ve been able to meet some of the players and get to know them a little bit. It’s an honor to be here. It’s definitely a new start, but I’m going to continue to be me. I think being the best quarterback you can be is just being who you are. So, I’m excited to just get to know my teammates and just get to know the locker room, because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about that culture. It’s about knowing your guys and developing that relationship because that’s what wins games. We’re all going to be in it together. We’re going to run plays and everything, but sticking together, like I said, which I admired of the Rams last season, that’s what I love about it and I just want to add to it.”

(On his health after suffering a clavicle injury last year)
Foles: “Yeah, I’m 180 percent right now. I’m better than I was. The collar bone is healed, it’s healthy. I’m excited to be healthy and I’m excited to throw it.”

(On if Foles is the Rams’ starter and if they’re happy with the quarterback position now)
Fisher: “Yes, he’s our starter. Case (Keenum), we were able to acquire Case, too. Incidentally, they’re very close. We have a different room right now. It’s a fresh start, but Case was important to us at that time on Tuesday that we were able to get that done.”

(On what they saw in Keenum last year that they liked)
Fisher: “To be honest, he didn’t get a lot of opportunity on the field, particularly because of what happened: losing Sam (Bradford), Shaun (Hill) stepping up and getting Austin (Davis) ready. The No. 2 (quarterback) for the most part got the reps against the defense, but when he got the opportunities, he made plays. We could see that and see what he did the previous year, how he was in the preseason for Houston. Then of course, when he left our practice squad and went back to Houston, he won two games for them. So, he can play this position.”

No guarantees Rams are done adding quarterbacks

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17044/no-guarantees-rams-are-done-adding-quarterbacks

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Poor Nick Foles. Surrounded by the pomp and circumstance of a glorified pep rally Friday afternoon at Rams Park, Foles was supposed to be the center of attention as the new, albeit possibly temporary, face of the St. Louis Rams franchise.

But Foles’ first chance to meet with the St. Louis media went largely under the radar as coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead attempted to offer explanations of how the seismic shift in their quarterback room came about.

After Fisher surprised the staff in attendance by trotting out about to sign defensive tackle Nick Fairley, he introduced Foles before turning it over to Snead. For those who might not remember, it was at February’s NFL scouting combine and in the week before it in which Snead and Fisher had repeatedly and emphatically expressed their confidence in Sam Bradford as the quarterback.

Although the Rams had been rumored to have interest in Foles as early as the Senior Bowl in January, it was at the combine where plans for Bradford embarked down a path that would lead to Philadelphia.

In Indianapolis, a rumor popped up that Bradford was being shopped around. At the time, the spin was that Bradford’s camp was being given an opportunity to shop around to get a better gauge on what his value might be for a pay cut. Because Bradford was due to count $16.58 million against the cap in 2015, the Rams had been very clear that they wanted that number reduced and the theory went that getting a chance to shop Bradford might yield a middle ground.

Although it’s unclear exactly how much of a pay cut the Rams wanted Bradford to take, there have been strong indications that the numbers came in below what he might have been able to fetch on the free-agent market.

Back on the Lucas Oil Stadium podium, speaking to reporters, Snead was taken aback by a question about Bradford’s availability and made the comment that “deleting” Bradford wasn’t the best move for the team. Fisher followed two days later by declaring that the reports about Bradford’s availability were “inaccurate” and had previously noted that Bradford was involved in the hiring of Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator and Chris Weinke as quarterbacks coach.

According to Snead, soon after his turn on the dais he began receiving calls about Bradford, gauging the Rams interest in trading him.

“We went to the combine, we had never heard anything about a trade, nobody had mentioned wanting to trade for Sam Bradford,” Snead said. “Deleting him wasn’t going to be the solution. Obviously when news like that breaks, guess what, some other teams start babbling. I think the first team approached me at the combine at some point and said, ‘Hey, when you get off the elevator, can we chat?”

As Snead tells it, the Rams started getting interest only after the “news broke” that the Rams were interested in trading Bradford. But that “breaking news” wasn’t made up; it had to have come from somewhere, right? Bradford’s camp was caught off guard by the rumors meaning it wasn’t that side leaking the information.

“I was at the podium,” Snead said. “I forget who asked the question. I’m not sure where he got it from. You’ll have to figure out who asked. It’s been squirrelly.”

In the meantime, no progress was made on reducing Bradford’s salary. The longer that stalemate lasted, the more the Rams began looking at their options.

“It was an issue, and it was an issue that was addressed for quite some time,” Fisher said. “And it was not an issue with respect to the transaction as far as they were concerned.”

Asked if Bradford would still be in St. Louis had he agreed to a pay cut, Fisher responded, “probably not.” Fisher spoke to Bradford on Tuesday morning and informed him that they were discussing trades and which teams they were discussing them with.

For his part, Bradford told the Philadelphia media that he knew of a possible move to the Eagles about three or four weeks ago. Foles told 101 ESPN radio in St. Louis that he had started hearing rumors of going to St. Louis around the Super Bowl.

Fisher said two hours after his conversation with Bradford, the deal with Philadelphia was consummated. It was a deal that was probably in the works much longer than the Rams let on, but they insisted Friday that acquiring Foles was the key to it all.

“When we said deleting Sam wasn’t the answer, that was true,” Snead said. “When Coach Fish said that was his QB, that was true because at that moment there was no trade and there was definitely nobody like Nick coming in the building.”

Fisher has already declared Foles the starter and offered a strong recommendation on Case Keenum, whom the team reacquired from Houston for a seventh-round pick soon after the Bradford trade. Foles and Keenum join Austin Davis (who has been tendered but not signed) as the three quarterbacks on the current roster, though none of the three are under contract beyond this season.

When asked about his comfort level with the quarterback position as a whole and whether the Rams had designs on adding another in the draft, Fisher gave a vote of confidence to the current group while ignoring the draft piece of the query.

“It’s a different room right now,” Fisher said. “It’s a fresh start.”

As we dive further into the silly season, deception and misdirection are part of the deal and it’s clear there was plenty of it that went on before the swap. It’s a deal that makes plenty of sense for the Rams on multiple levels.

But it should also serve as a reminder that any statements made about the team’s comfort level in its quarterbacks, or just about anything else, are only as true as the amount of salt you’re willing to ingest it with.