Fisher, Bradford, Donald, Ogletree post-scrimmage – vids + transcripts

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – August 2, 2014

(Opening statement)
“Well that puts an exclamation point on a really good week of training camp practice today. You know the players are always to come down to this event particularly because of the fan participation and the attendance. We had a great attendance and I think the fans got to see a lot of good things did today, as we did from a coaching standpoint. A lot of big plays down the field. If there’s any question about Sam’s ability to play the position, I think it was answered today, at least early here in camp. He’s really had a good week of camp. Some great throws today. So we’re going to a take a little break, get their bodies back. We’ll get back to work on Monday and be back here in the building here in less than a week. So, the players are excited about it.”

(On what WR Stedman Bailey can bring to the team and on how much they’ll miss having him in the beginning of the season due to his suspension)
“I think, not only ‘Sted,’ but all the receivers are having a really big camp. (WR) Brian Quick took the day off today. He’s had some really good days thus far, but Sted made a lot of plays today. He’s there. He knows how to get open, and knows how to make the plays. Yes, we’ll miss him, but he’s going to push right through camp and we’ll get through his ordeal and we’ll get him right back in the lineup.”

(On how he plans to go about deciding where to work Bailey in considering his suspension)
“He’s going to get plenty of work and so are the other guys. We’ve got four preseason games and there’s plenty of snaps, plenty of practice snaps to have him ready. We’ll probably adjust things right prior to the final cut down.”

(On if any of the rookies were ‘wide-eyed’ during their first time playing at the Edward Jones Dome)
“No, there was nobody. This game is not too big for any of our rookies. They’ve all accepted their responsibilities very well. They’re practicing well and again we’re mixing them in with the veterans. We had a young period there at the end, it was predominantly young players, but for the most part on the practice field the ‘rooks’ are mixing in with the ‘vets’ and doing just fine.”

(On the strength on Bradford’s arm)
“Well he did a lot of extra conditioning in addition to the rehab on the knee. He is, he’s throwing very well. We’re watching the pitch counts right now and he’s not having any problems and you can see those balls were humming today, especially the deep ball to (WR) Kenny (Britt).”

(On if there is a specific pitch count for Bradford)
“Well we’re just watching and monitoring it. We’re going to make sure we don’t do too much.”

(On if there is a preset number of throws for Bradford each practice)
“I’m not going into detail, how many. You can see how he did today and those that have been to practice here, you can see that he’s not having any difficulty with the ball and the arm.”

(On if any rookies stood out today in the scrimmage)
“Well, we’ll take into consideration the fact that they had a lot of reps prior to that and they were tired. And it was obvious just watching them they were tired, so they weren’t as explosive. And at the end of the camp they are going to be tired, but we’ll get there legs back. But yeah, they’re all contributing in different ways. (OL) Greg (Robinson) is playing two different positions right now. Obviously (DT Aaron) Donald made a big play, which we expect out him at the goal line, in the second goal line live period. We’re expecting those kind of things out of them. We’ve got a couple guys that are nicked that we expect back on the field next week.”

(On how Greg Robinson is doing playing two positions)
“He’s doing fine. He’s handling it. Doing fine.”

Rams QB Sam Bradford – August 2, 2014

(On it being a productive day)
“Yeah. It was a pretty productive day. To be honest, I think we’ve had a really good first week as an offense. We pushed the ball down the field. The guys on the perimeter are playing great right now making a lot of plays for us. It’s always a good thing to see it from my end.”

(On the depth of the wide receiving core and how many guys can play a role)
“Absolutely. I think this is probably the deepest group we’ve had since I’ve been here, the most talented group we’ve had since I’ve been here. I think they’ve shown it. We rotate five or six guys in there with the 1s, you don’t really notice a drop off no matter who’s in there and to have the ability to do that, to kind of move guys from position to position, I think that’s going to be a big advantage for us.”

(On how he manages the ball and gets chemistry with each player)
“It’s just a lot of work. You have to throw it out on air, getting the feel for where we’re going to be in certain contact. But I think it was big this spring. We put a lot of time into just throwing routes and I think it’s paid off or us during the early part of training camp.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey’s continuing to practice hard)
“Sted’s looked good all camp. He’s a very smart receiver. He’s always in the right place. He’s got a great instinct, just about feeling different zones and getting open. I think he’s going to be a big target in the offense this year and I think it showed today. He caught a lot of balls out here today.

(On whether his upper body has gotten strong due to his knee injury)
“Yeah. I think coming into this camp, obviously, if you go back to the time of the injury you spend more time working on your upper body just because you are limited as to what you can do with your lower body. So coming into this camp is probably the strongest I’ve been from the waist up and I think it probably has paid off a little bit. I feel like I do have a little more zip on the ball and feel like I can make some of those throws that maybe were a little slower last year.”

(On his general thoughts on the offense as a whole at this point in camp)
“Really pleased with where the offense is right now. Some of the things we’ve done early in camp. I think going into next week, a big part of our plan is going to be attention to detail. We’ve had the bulk of our install. We’ve put in most of the playbook. Next week is going to be more of a review and making sure we cleanup some of the mistakes we had this week.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey’s performance)
“Stedman’s been great all camp, all spring. I think he’s going to be a big part of what we do when he gets back. Obviously, it’s a bummer that he’s not going to be with us the first four, but when he comes back, the timing and everything that we’re doing right now is to make sure that we’re ready when he does get back. He’s been very productive.”

(On how valuable his time with Bailey was in Norman, Okla. over the offseason)
“It’s huge. Especially knowing that we were going to spend a couple weeks without him. I think those two days with him in Norman were probably even more valuable than with some of the other guys. Making sure that we have everything down before he has to leave the building.”

(On if he is on a pitch count and if the number of throws are being monitored)
“No, it’s something that we actually started when (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher arrived. We’ve done it every year. One of our assistant strength coaches kind of monitors my drop backs and my throws, lets me know at the end of the day and that way I can track it over a couple day period and make sure it doesn’t exceed a certain number.”

(On if he knows coming in if he has a throw limit)
“It’s not really a set limit. It’s just more for my knowledge and Coach’s knowledge to know where we’re at. If he gets a little excessive over a couple-day range, then we back it down, especially some of the deeper throws.

(On if he has been backed down this year in a practice so far)
“Not yet. Not this year, no.”

(On if he feels the brace when he has it on and if he thinks about it)
“No. I mean I’ve worn this brace since college. So I don’t really notice it. It’s funny all the other quarterbacks they have to wear them now, too, and they kind of complain. But, I’m like if you wear it for a while it kind of goes away.”

(On if it’s the exact same brace)
“Oh no. Not the exact same one.”

(On if he would be less hesitant to run the ball considering his injury)
“No. I mean, you’ve got to be the same quarterback. Obviously, I think I’ll be a little smarter about getting down. If there’s anyone in my vicinity, I’ll probably slide and get to the next play. But, you know you can’t be afraid to take off and run. It’s part of the position. Part of the game.”

(On if there’s a jolt of energy practicing at the Edward Jones Dome in front of the fans)
“Yeah. This is probably the most exciting day we have in training camp. Just for the fact that it breaks the routine. We get to leave Rams Park. We get to come to the Dome. The fan turnout was great today. We don’t have this many people come out just to see a regular practice.”