TRANSCRIPTS: HC Jeff Fisher, OC Frank Cignetti, QB Nick Foles - Post Practice 10/7/15

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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post Practice – 10/7/15

(On the music played at practice)

“Well, we’re just kind of substituting crowd noise for a little bit of music and get them to focus a little bit. So, it’s been good, and rather than turn it off when the defense goes on the field, we just left it on. The defense can communicate through it too. So, it worked for us last week.”

(On who comes up with the playlist)
“That’s pretty much up to the players and our music staff.” (laughs)

(On what songs he would have on a playlist)
“Some of the stuff if you’ve paid attention to it has been coach’s playlist. Not mine, but just kind of the old I guess classic rock n roll stuff.”

(On if the playlist played today featured the classic rock and roll)
“When the guys were walking out and the ‘Macarena’ was playing, none of them had heard it before. They weren’t born.”

(On the principle being using an air horn at practice)
“That’s just a message to the D-line on the hard count. No one uses the hard count better than (Packer QB) Aaron (Rodgers). And everybody week after week, you’ll read clips and things and all the defensives work against it. We were ready for it. He pulls them offsides two or three times a game. So, I woke them up in their meeting room this morning with the horn, just to send a message.”

(On if some of the players were groggy this morning and that’s why he used the air horn)
“No, some were pissed. (laughs) It scared them.”

(On getting Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to make mistakes)
“He doesn’t. He throws the ball away and that’s the thing about him. If he gets himself in a third down situation that he doesn’t like, he just sails the ball out of bounds and knows he’s going to get another series. He’s very, very accurate and knows exactly where to go with the football. When he draws you offsides, he completes balls down the field.”

(On how underrated Rodgers is when it comes to his ability to be able to get outside the pocket and use his feet)
“I don’t think there’s anything underrated about him at all. You watch him on tape, he extends plays. He extends to his right, to his left, steps up, runs for first downs and just he knows what to do with the football. He’s pretty impressive.”

(On the comparison between Rodgers and Seahawks QB Russell Wilson)
“Well he’s different from Russell from a standpoint that he’s just a little bit taller. He can see. So, if you keep him in the pocket, he’s going to hurt you in the pocket. At times, Russell will lose track of what’s going on down the field and take off. He’ll beat you with his legs and his arm. But you just have to change things up as best you can and challenge their receivers. Then he puts them in the perfect situations in their run game as well.”

(On what characteristics he sees in Green Bay’s pass rush)
“Well, they can rush with four. They’re not hesitant to bring more than four. When they bring them, they bring them. So, the ball comes out and then they challenge routes. So, that’s a very talented group. It’s especially difficult there at home.”

(On how much of a difference it is for the Packers to have DT B.J. Raji back as an anchor in their interior defensive line)
“Oh, he definitely helps them. I mean, (LB) Clay (Matthews) can…they all can play the run. The safeties are big run support guys and corners will fill. But it’s a talented group. I mean, (LB Julius) Peppers is strong and playing at a high level. Clay gets off blocks really quick. They’re good at slipping blocks. They’re also really good at penetrating and tackles for losses in the run game. Which, second-and-12 and second-and13 are hard to overcome there.”

(On if Peppers is playing truly a linebacker spot or if he’s up on the line in a pass rush situation)
“He’s a defensive end for them, but he’s playing a linebacker spot because they’re an odd front, a 34 front. So, he’s rushing most the time.”

(On Matthews’ position)
“He’ll play inside and then in passing situations, he’ll be one of their rushers. He’s a relentless player. He plays with great effort. He usually gets home if you make the quarterback hold the football.”

(On his appreciation for Lambeau Field)
“Well, it’s a classic place. It’s really changed since I was first there way back when. It’s like the Hall of Fame with a first class stadium. There’s so much history there. Players will look forward to the experience.”

(On if he’s gone against Packers Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers’ defense over the years)
“Yes.”

(On what it’s like going against Capers defense)
“Well, we’ve faced him at Pittsburgh and faced him at Houston. So, we’re familiar with what he does. The great thing about Dom is he’s going to adjust based on his personnel. So, every defense that he puts on the field year after year is different. So, he adjusts to the strengths of their defense. That’s why he’s been in the league for so long.”



Rams Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti – Post Practice – 10/7/15

(On what clicked for the running game against Arizona)

“I tell you what, I just think it’s perseverance like we’ve talked about every time here. Every day we’re getting a little bit better. My hat goes off the coaches emphasizing the run game, the offensive line doing a great job. Obviously, the running backs made good, decisive reads, and I think you saw the progress.”

(On what he sees week-to-week with the offense’s progression)
“Yeah, every time you watch the practice tape, you watch the game tapes of the first three games, you could see that there’s progress being made and that we were so close to getting things done. So, what you saw in the second half was we clicked pretty well.”

(On what adjustments he made at halftime against Arizona)
“We stayed the course. We have a plan. We trust our plan. We trust our preparation. Frankly, that’s what we told our guys. ‘It’s all about us. It’s not about Arizona. It’s about how we approach the game and how we play the game.’ And we stayed to the game plan. The results came. My hat goes off to the players. They did a great job preparing. They did a great job performing.”

(On making adjustments that quickly at halftime)
“You certainly can, and you can get a lot done in between series. But what we do is we have a game plan. We work hard during the course of the week as a coaching staff to put a plan together for all the different situations. We’re not going to get too far off course. We obviously try to do what’s best in all the phases.”

(On how the win against Arizona gives the young offensive linemen a confidence boost)
“I think it gives everyone confidence. There’s nothing like success. So, I think when you look at the whole offense just having some success, obviously, again the victory was big. We want to move on and get another one.”

(On symbiotic relationship between RB Todd Gurley and WR Tavon Austin and their skill sets)
“I think you have two players that have unique skill sets. We’re just going to continue to try to put Tavon in position to make plays.”

(On if there is an effort to get more deep throws to Austin)
“We’ve said it all off season and (training) camp, Tavon Austin’s a complete player. He’s a great route runner, whether it’s taking the top off or running intermediate routes, short routes. He has a unique skill set where we can get him touches on the perimeter. He’s doing a great job. I’m very impressed with his play and his preparation.”

(On how excited he is for the challenge Green Bay’s pass rushers present)
“Every Sunday’s a challenge. We’re always excited. We’re always excited about our preparation. We’re excited about our practice and plan. And we’re always excited to see our guys go out there and compete.”

(On how much can it help an offense to have a running back like Gurley)
“Well it certainly helps. A quarterback’s best friend is a great running game. We’ve got a good set of running backs, so it certainly helps. I know it certainly helps myself as a play caller.”

(On if the Packers play man coverage)
“(Defensive Coordinator Dom) Capers mixes it pretty well, but they do play a lot of man-to-man.”

(On what he’s seen from QB Nick Foles and his ability to handle pressure when standing in the pocket)
“He’s done a great job handling the pressure. He’s made good, decisive decisions, and his ball location’s been outstanding.”

(On LB Clay Matthews)
“Well, what a football player. Fun to watch, high-motor. I mean, he’s what this game’s all about – guys who love football and play relentless.”

(On having a 3-4 defense three games in a row and how much that helps his game plan)
“Oh, it’s great. When you’ve got a run of teams that are a 3-4 structure, it certainly helps. There’s carry-over.”

(On his relationship with Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy)
“Well, Mike and I go back, 1989. Mike and I are very much like brothers. Love each other. Respect each other. We know we’re there for each other. It’s more off the field than on the field. Myself, I got a chance to be his quarterback coach in New Orleans for two years. My father and Mike are the two guys who really showed me how to become a coordinator. How to implement the run game, the protection phase, the passing game, how to organize it, how it train the quarterback, so, I think a lot of Mike. We have a great friendship.”

(On if he hopes McCarthy has a bad day on Sunday)
“(laughs) Whatever it takes, baby. He would say this: ‘Whatever it takes. No style points.’”



Rams QB Nick Foles – Post Practice – 10/7/15

(On how he likes the music at practice)

“I like it. I think it’s great for us just having distractions. I’m a big guy on making it hostile at practice as much as possible in the sense of making guys distracted by hearing the music, making it loud for communication purposes. We have to over-communicate in the huddle. We have to over-communicate at the line. Guys have to really pay attention to the play because at first you want to dance to it, guys want to enjoy it, but you realize you’ve got to hear the play call, you’ve got to play. It’s sort of getting you as ready as possible to step into the game and having all of the crowd noise, having all of the adrenaline. You get it a little bit in practice so you can be better prepared for the game.”

(On the offensive linemen celebrating after RB Todd Gurley’s big run and how you work on that)
“That’s why we have the music at practice, man. You get rid of that. They were excited for Todd and rightfully so, having those big plays. Being the quarterback, I’ve got to keep everybody together in the sense that the game clock is going on and we only have so much time to get a play off. So, I just try to get everybody in the huddle. It was loud at Arizona, so we were trying to communicate.”

(On how excited he was to see Gurley go off and how that can help the passing game)
“Being the quarterback, you always want the run game to be going because it opens up everything else in the passing game. You can really get a rhythm to your offense. Having Todd go in there and run like he did, that was great for us and the O-line did a great job of getting him some holes and he did a great job of maneuvering through those holes and exploding through them.”

(On the key for quarterbacks when staring down the pressure and going through reads)
“You really just have to trust your linemen, trust them to pick it up. Or if they have an extra guy, just maneuver around in the pocket. The situation during the game at the end is we needed a score, so it’s one of those times where no matter what it takes, you try to get the ball off and give the guy a chance. On that particular play, (WR) Tavon (Austin) was able to really get across the field and I was able to put it around the guy. It all started with the O-line keeping the guys off of me.”

(On if it brings a smile to his face to go back and look at the tape and see everybody on the play do their job to help him buy time for the pump fake)
“Yes, absolutely. It wasn’t a pump fake, I actually was trying to throw it and I pulled back because I was able to react to what was going on. In those times, you can’t really predetermine a pump fake. There’s a lot going on, so that was more of a pullback and then let it go.”

(On how bunch formations help the receivers get open)
“It’s tough on a defense with bunch formations at times, just because there’s a lot going on at the snap. It’s one of those packages that we have and most teams have. It can be tough, but defenses at times can stop it. It’s one of those things where you just try to get the ball out on time and in rhythm. Usually if you do that, you’ll be successful.”

(On how aware of Packers LB Clay Matthews he has to be)
“Clay is a tremendous player. He’s one of the best in the game. He’s been one of the best in the game for a long time. When I’m dropping back, that’s where I have to trust the guys. I can’t just focus on him and key on him. I’ve got to drop back and look down field. He’s a guy that makes a lot of plays, so we definitely have to key him and stop him as much as possible. I’m looking forward to going against their defense. Their defense has been playing extremely well this year. They play with a lot of speed. They rally to the ball and they’re really aggressive, so it’ll be a great challenge for us.”

(On if a quarterback is aware when he’s going through a streak of not throwing interceptions)
“You’re not really in a sense worried about a streak. You’re probably aware of it because you’re probably asked about it in interviews every day. That’s why I was aware of it while I was going through it. When you’re playing, you don’t think about it. You understand what the play design is for. You recognize the defense. You know in those situations you just want to be smart with the football. If you have an opportunity, be aggressive. If it’s not the look you wanted and it looks a little gray, just check it down and take positive yards. I think (Packers QB) Aaron (Rogers) does a great job of, if he doesn’t like it, he just gets it to his back right away. He’s also a guy that really gets the ball down the field. He just has a great gauge for that. He’s played the game for a long time. He’s got a great feel for it. That’s why he’s one of the best.”

(On how big it was to have all three touchdown passes last Sunday come on third down)
“Converting on third down, especially in the red zone is huge. You’ve got to, like I talked to you guys last week, getting touchdowns on the road in the red zone, that’s really big. You can’t come away with field goals when you’re playing away. Converting on third downs in those situations was big for us. That was a step in the right direction. But, like you said, we still have a really long ways to go to improve.”

(On what they have to do up front against a defensive like Green Bay that gets so many sacks)
“I think we’ve just got to do a good job getting off the ball. Do a good job of switching up what we’re doing, keeping them off balance.”

(On how important it is to keep the momentum rolling)
“It’s really important. This is the most important game of the season because it’s the game that’s coming up. When you can really get on a roll or back-to-back games, that’s when you can really start building and going. It’s hard to win in the NFL. Every game is going to be tough. Every game we’ve played this year has been really close and really tough. We’re going into an environment where they play really well at home. It’s a great challenge for us. We’ve got to keep working hard this week to detail our work up and do the extra things that give us an opportunity to play and compete on Sunday.”

(On if the success they had running the ball can be a momentum boost or a confidence builder for the offensive line)
“I’d say both. I’d say it’s definitely a confidence boost and a momentum boost. It’s something you need. Just to show that you can do it. Show that you can get the run game going and there’s explosive plays there. It’s something we can build off of. It’s something that the line can build off of. As an offense, we can continue to improve our run game, improve our screen game, our drop back and all of that. But, it all stems from the run.”

(On if the Packers predominately play man coverage or if they’ll mix it up)
“They’ll mix it up, but they like to play man coverage. Their defense is flying around. They want to cover the guys and they want to make you make plays.”