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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On what he likes about recently acquired T Max Starks)
“Max is an experienced tackle that’s played a lot of plays in this league and can still play. We just brought him in for a workout and really liked his workout. He’s been working very hard since being released. You can’t have enough experience on your offensive line, so we got Max in and we’ll get him ready to play in different packages and ready to back up if we need him.”
(On if it’s easier for a veteran to adjust to a new playbook and a new team)
“Yeah, because football’s football. You relate terminology to the terminology that you’re used to. He’s a quick learner. He’s very experienced.”
(On if T Mike Person playing in San Francisco helps)
“Mike, they let him go, and he’s got versatility. He can play all the positions. He’s a smart guy, a tough guy, and we liked what we saw on film. We’re just making sure that we’ve got numbers there for back-ups and that kind of thing. It’s a little unusual that we carry 12 (offensive linemen) on the active, but you’re probably going to see more than the normal deactivated on Sundays.”
(On if young players typically are down on themselves after a loss like WR Tavon Austin was on Sunday)
“No, I think it’s a good sign. It’s a good thing. It’s a positive for him. He bounces right back, but he was disappointed in a couple things that happened on the field. He has high expectations for himself and wants to help the football team.”
(On how Austin graded in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons)
“Yeah, he was OK. We all needed to get better. He had some good plays, and he had some plays where he needs to improve. It’s not necessarily lack of effort or lack of understanding. It’s just a route that may be a couple yards short or something like that.”
(On what makes Cowboys WR Dez Bryant tough to cover)
“He’s very explosive. He’s strong. He’s hard to get down. He elevates very well, and he’s got a big wing span. He can go up and makes all the catches. He runs well. He’s a really good receiver. We’ve got back-to-back-to-back really good receivers thus far.”
(On if it seems like there are more great receivers in the NFL now compared to past years)
“Well, it seems like every week everybody’s got at least one, maybe two. When you go into the game you think, ‘Well alright, gosh, if we could maybe pay attention here and shut this one down,’ you’ve got another on the other side that’s hurting you.”
(On if he is expecting more of a running attack than Dallas has showed thus far in the season)
“I don’t know what to expect. We’re going to go in there and we’re going to have to defend the run and we’re going to have to defend play action pass on third down and (QB) Tony Romo. It’s a handful. It’s a very talented offense, well coached, don’t make a lot of mistakes. If they decide they’re going to run it more then so be it. We have to stop it anyway.”
(On if the Dallas defense is more evolved than just their Tampa-2 coverage)
“They’re very disciplined. They play very hard. They’re talented. They don’t do a lot of stuff. They’re not real exotic. They make you beat them. I think that’s been kind of the hallmark of his defense just that – we’re not going to surprise you. We’re not going to trick you in normal situations and we’re going to make you beat us – and it’s hard to do.”
(On if DE DeMarcus Ware is as much of a threat as he’s ever been)
“Yeah. He’s a very good player, very good player run and pass. He’s an outstanding pass rusher, and they do move him around. He plays the run very well.”
(On if the carries in the backfield would be spread out to Benny Cunningham or Zac Stacy)
“No, Daryl (Richardson) practiced today. Don’t think it’s going to be an issue. He’s fine.”
Rams Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On Cowboys DE DeMarcus Ware)
“They do a great job. Obviously, he’s one of the best of all time, elite pass rusher. But again, they’ve got (DE Anthony) Spencer on the other side, really good inside. I think their Mike linebacker is one of the better Mike linebackers in the league. He does not get enough credit and then the secondary is talented, especially out on the edges. Playing them there is always tough, very talented team and it will be a good challenge.”
(On if they move Ware around)
“They do. If you had to pinpoint him on a certain play, he’s going to be to our left more than anything, but they move him around so you can’t find him.”
(On if the Dallas defense will try to take advantage of T Rodger Saffold being out)
“Well, I think they’re going to move him around all the time, just try to get different match-ups at different times. Again, a player like that, they’d be crazy not to move him around.”
(On if short passes are becoming an extension of the run game)
“I think that’s certainly things you talk about, even during the week game plan wise. Can a quick slant or something make me six or seven yards, where a great run makes me four or five yards? Again, I know the thing we want to do is be balanced. That’s a big part of it. Games come down to the fourth quarter and sometimes you’re going to have to try to throw it like we did last week and try to come from behind. Other times, you’re going to have to run the football in four-minute and try to put people away. If you have a quarterback like Sam (Bradford) with the ability to throw the ball as accurately as he does, certainly you should hit a high percentage of those short routes. But, nothing replaces the ability to run the football when the opponent knows you’re going to have to run it.”
(On how to be more productive)
“In the running game, I think there’s plenty of room for improvement. I think it just comes down – we’ve got young backs. We put ourselves in some positions where we haven’t had favorable numbers, whether it was the score board or just some heavy boxes and stuff trying to run against. It just comes down to execution. I think we’ve kind of tightened things down a little bit this week in the plan, and we know what we’re good at. They do a lot of ‘two-Tampa’ and some things like that, so try to get back just to a real simple plan rule, core group of plays that we want to try to feature and hopefully that helps.”
(On RB Daryl Richardson making improvements as a pass catcher)
“Absolutely. You see it out here every day in practice. He’s made a lot more plays this year than he’s missed opportunities, so, I don’t have a problem with it. That was a tough play – the ball was on him fast and again, another fortunate thing. But, I’m proud of the guys, they moved on and tried to fight back.”
(On if Bradford’s interceptions this year were flukes)
“They’re kind of flukes. The one, the defensive tackle makes a great play, and then, of course, last week the ball gets on Daryl fast, hits him in the facemask and it just so happens they’re in a ‘fire zone’ (coverage) and (Falcons DE) Osi’s (Umenyiora) dropping off into coverage. The biggest problem is just where the ball’s been caught. On the one, it was right back on our goal line and the other one, it was caught out in space where we had nobody around to try to make the plays. We all know Sam’s extremely accurate. Those are some flukes and you’re going to have a few during the course of the year and hopefully we’ve used up our allotment for the while.”
(On the young receivers)
“Doing good. Mentally, I’m very, very pleased. I think Tavon last week had a couple drops but bounced back. Again, we’re working along. Another good day today working third down, working some things with blitz pickup and stuff like that, but very pleased with all of them.”
(On TE Jared Cook)
“We knew that Atlanta obviously would pay a lot attention to him after his first game. Our big thing is try to move him around, put him in different spots and if they’re taking care of him, then other guys are going to have big games like (WR) Chris (Givens) stepped up last week. Chris kind of got shut out a little bit in the first game against Arizona and came back last week with a big performance. Who knows who it will be this week. But, we have a bunch of guys that are selfless and just want to move the ball, make plays, help us win and they don’t really care who’s getting the credit.”
(On his confidence level in T Joe Barksdale)
“Very high. Go back to last year, I mean his first start, I think ever in the league if I’m not mistaken, was against (Packers LB) Clay Matthews, and he goes out and basically pitches a shutout. Tremendous talent, we have all the confidence in the world. He’s played in a lot of football games for us. I think he’ll do a great job.”
Rams Defensive Coordinator Tim Walton – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On how to stop Dallas WR Dez Bryant)
“You’ve got to make sure you take care of him. You’ve got to double him. It’s the same thing, he’s one of the best receivers in the league – physical and they’re going to get him the ball. We have to try to do a better job of taking away guys’ No. 1 threat and he is their No. 1 guy.”
(On Bryant’s ability to catch every kind of route)
“You have to be physical with him. You’ve got to try to not let him get separation because they are going to him, and he catches all routes. They’ll throw him on the inside breaking routes, they’ll try the back shoulder fades and he’ll go up top also. Like I said, he’s a playmaker and a very skillful athlete and we have to make sure we take care of business on him.”
(On Dallas using multiple tight ends)
“They have very athletic tight ends. They’re trying to create mismatches and open up the spread job in their ‘12’ personnel and create space. And they do a good job because those guys have receiver skill sets.”
(On if he expects their offensive attack to be more balanced)
“I think they’re going to try to run a little bit more to balance it up and play-action and do those kinds of things and try to throw the ball down the field a little bit. But, I think they will make a conscious effort to try to run that ball more to take some of it off of (QB) Tony (Romo) always having to throw it.”
(On RB DeMarco Murray)
“He’s a good back. He runs the ball, he’s a slash-type runner. He can get on the edge, catch the ball well out of the backfield. He’s a power runner, he can get in the open field and he can do some things. He’s a good football player for them, and I think they’re going to make a point to get him more touches.”
(On if he has to do certain things schematically to protect the young safeties)
“No, you just have to keep teaching them and keep trying to coach them up so they can, as much as you can, try to tell them about things that they’re going to see. Obviously, the experience thing will help, but those guys are knowledgeable, they work hard at it. We have to just keep doing stuff to just keep putting them in position. That’s my job – to make sure I put them in position so they can have success.”
(On how to tighten up the pass defense)
“The main thing is technique, but getting off the field on third down. That’s what I have to do. I have to clean up that part of it and put them in better situations to allow them to get off the field on third down. That’ll take care of most of it right there because if you get off the field more on third down, that eliminates the extra plays that you have to play during the course of the game. That takes 10-12 plays off the game and that’s on me to get that done.”
(On the importance of pressuring Romo)
“I think you have to have a mixed bag with him, because he can keep the play alive also. He’s very good at breaking the contain of the pocket and extending plays, so I think you just have to mix it up with him and give him a different look.”
(On DE Robert Quinn’s development)
“It’s good. He has really taken a big step forward, but he does it every day at practice. (Defensive Line) Coach (Mike) Waufle has done a great job with him – technique, leverage, alignments. And he’s done that through OTAs, training camp and you can see now in the first couple games of the year, he’s off to a great start with that. He plays with a great motor, which all of those guys do. But, the technique part of it and the details of the game is where he’s starting to be able to hone in on, and he already has the athletic ability. So, once he cleans that part up, he can run with the best of them. He has a very athletic skill set, so when you add in that other part and playing with a lot of strength, that makes him hard to stop.”
(On CB Janoris Jenkins’ progression)
“He’s coming along fine. I think, the thing I have to do is help keep putting those guys in good situations on third down. That’s my job to get that part done, to help him out. He’s gotten his hands on some balls. There’s a play or two here or there that guys have gotten up on him, and that’s on me to get that part down, like I said. He’s been active, he’s been productive and I like his development. I think he’s going to be much better as the games go along.”
(On Jenkins’ competitiveness)
“He’s a very competitive player. Like I said, he’s going to be a very good football player for us. I’m pleased with him and keep working on it and keep growing with it. That part will show up in the games coming up.”
Rams Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On the kickoff coverage and leading the league in opposing drive start)
“I didn’t know that. Two games into it, there hasn’t been a ton of reps to really sort it out – are you really good or are you not – because one good rep or bad rep could skew the numbers. We’ve got some young guys on it that are aggressive, so we’ll see as the season keeps going if we can maintain that stat. I think we’ve covered probably only three. The other ones were touchbacks, but those three we’ve covered I think were pretty good. We’ve got some fast, hungry, young guys.”
(On if LBs Daren Bates and Ray Ray Armstrong have performed like he expected they would)
“Yeah. They’ve been what we hoped they’d be and I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and they know that. Then, other guys have stepped up too. Stedman Bailey, a receiver, has kind of been a nice surprise and helping for us on teams. Couple other young defensive backs. (S) Rodney McLeod has now been starting, so we haven’t been able to use him as much on teams. So, some guys have stepped up. We’ve got a couple issues in some of our other phases to work on and we’ve been doing that. Two games into it, there’s still a lot of ways to go.”
(On if it seems that there have been more touchbacks around the league than in past years)
“Yeah, I think. I remember last year, it was kind of the same. Indoor games, fresh legs, getting the touchbacks. Usually, as the season progressed, just looking back and remembering last year, colder games, tired legs gave you a few more chances. Yeah, there hasn’t been many, for anybody really.”
(On what ways they could do better, specifically in terms of field position)
“The big thing is in the Atlanta game we killed ourselves with those penalties. On the kickoff return, we backed ourselves up. On a couple punt returns, took away any few yards that we did have and then you back yourself up 10. The worst thing that can happen is turn the ball over, but the second worst thing is you get a penalty and you lose any return yards you might get and you back yourself up. That’s something we’ve got to really fix on special teams, just helping our offense out on our return phase in the drive start or not getting penalties. Same thing for our defense, keeping them backed up so we aren’t working on short fields and stuff like that.”
(On if he doesn’t want a ball returned from eight or nine yards deep in the end zone)
“No, we don’t want that. It’s just young guys and decision-making. I’ve definitely got to do a better job of putting them in the right spot and just giving them balls that are kicked right on the line – ‘do I take it out or do I not?’ – so they get used to making those decisions.”
(On if there’s anything WR Tavon Austin could be doing different on punt return)
“No. We’ve been bottled up a few times. The last two games (P Matt) Bosher did a real nice job of putting the ball out by the sideline. He hit a couple close to five-second hang times. We’ve got to do a better job of holding up, but give credit to their guys. They put the ball up there pretty good and they put it in the corner. It’s hard to dig it out when you get a good punt with good hang time and good direction. That’s kind of what we try to do, too.”
(On how P Johnny Hekker has done)
“So far, just from last season, he’s just gotten better and better with three crucial things – his hang time, distance, and direction – and trying to match all three of those up for a quality punt. Putting all three together for one punt is hard, and that’s part of his growth which has been really nice.”
(On if there was anything Austin could have done with the short kick against the Falcons)
“No. We’ve actually practiced fielding a bouncing ball. We haven’t had the return yards we’ve hoped for on punt return, but Tavon has actually made a couple really good decisions. Arizona, he blocked the gunner, the ball went into the end zone. Atlanta, it might have rolled inside the 3, 4, 2-yard line, he picked it up got us out to about the 10 or 12.That one was tough because we pressured them and the guy got the punt off fast and didn’t hit a great punt. So, he could have got up and caught it, but if it was kind of in that range, gosh, it’s going to be a dangerous catch, I don’t want to muff it, back off, try to one-hop it, and we just can’t get the bounce. So at that point you have to make the ‘poison’ call and get away. They got a lot of net yards on that. Unfortunately, we could have blocked it.”
(On if Dallas blocking a field goal is a concern)
“Yeah. It always is for anybody. (CB Patrick) Peterson the first week and Atlanta’s got some big guys inside. Dallas historically has been real good at blocking field goals even though they’ve got a new coordinator. I remember (DT Jay) Ratliff a couple years in a row, blocking them interior, then a guy’s off the edge. That’s always something that we do look at as part of our scheming on special teams, is field goal block in the field goal phase of it.”
(On Cowboys WR Dwayne Harris)
“The first two games, I told the guys, he’s kind of like Josh Cribbs kind of reincarnated not only returning punts and kickoffs, but his gunner reps and his cover on kickoffs has been fantastic. He’s been really super, and gosh, the way he’s played the first couple weeks, impressive guy.”
(On what he likes about recently acquired T Max Starks)
“Max is an experienced tackle that’s played a lot of plays in this league and can still play. We just brought him in for a workout and really liked his workout. He’s been working very hard since being released. You can’t have enough experience on your offensive line, so we got Max in and we’ll get him ready to play in different packages and ready to back up if we need him.”
(On if it’s easier for a veteran to adjust to a new playbook and a new team)
“Yeah, because football’s football. You relate terminology to the terminology that you’re used to. He’s a quick learner. He’s very experienced.”
(On if T Mike Person playing in San Francisco helps)
“Mike, they let him go, and he’s got versatility. He can play all the positions. He’s a smart guy, a tough guy, and we liked what we saw on film. We’re just making sure that we’ve got numbers there for back-ups and that kind of thing. It’s a little unusual that we carry 12 (offensive linemen) on the active, but you’re probably going to see more than the normal deactivated on Sundays.”
(On if young players typically are down on themselves after a loss like WR Tavon Austin was on Sunday)
“No, I think it’s a good sign. It’s a good thing. It’s a positive for him. He bounces right back, but he was disappointed in a couple things that happened on the field. He has high expectations for himself and wants to help the football team.”
(On how Austin graded in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons)
“Yeah, he was OK. We all needed to get better. He had some good plays, and he had some plays where he needs to improve. It’s not necessarily lack of effort or lack of understanding. It’s just a route that may be a couple yards short or something like that.”
(On what makes Cowboys WR Dez Bryant tough to cover)
“He’s very explosive. He’s strong. He’s hard to get down. He elevates very well, and he’s got a big wing span. He can go up and makes all the catches. He runs well. He’s a really good receiver. We’ve got back-to-back-to-back really good receivers thus far.”
(On if it seems like there are more great receivers in the NFL now compared to past years)
“Well, it seems like every week everybody’s got at least one, maybe two. When you go into the game you think, ‘Well alright, gosh, if we could maybe pay attention here and shut this one down,’ you’ve got another on the other side that’s hurting you.”
(On if he is expecting more of a running attack than Dallas has showed thus far in the season)
“I don’t know what to expect. We’re going to go in there and we’re going to have to defend the run and we’re going to have to defend play action pass on third down and (QB) Tony Romo. It’s a handful. It’s a very talented offense, well coached, don’t make a lot of mistakes. If they decide they’re going to run it more then so be it. We have to stop it anyway.”
(On if the Dallas defense is more evolved than just their Tampa-2 coverage)
“They’re very disciplined. They play very hard. They’re talented. They don’t do a lot of stuff. They’re not real exotic. They make you beat them. I think that’s been kind of the hallmark of his defense just that – we’re not going to surprise you. We’re not going to trick you in normal situations and we’re going to make you beat us – and it’s hard to do.”
(On if DE DeMarcus Ware is as much of a threat as he’s ever been)
“Yeah. He’s a very good player, very good player run and pass. He’s an outstanding pass rusher, and they do move him around. He plays the run very well.”
(On if the carries in the backfield would be spread out to Benny Cunningham or Zac Stacy)
“No, Daryl (Richardson) practiced today. Don’t think it’s going to be an issue. He’s fine.”
Rams Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On Cowboys DE DeMarcus Ware)
“They do a great job. Obviously, he’s one of the best of all time, elite pass rusher. But again, they’ve got (DE Anthony) Spencer on the other side, really good inside. I think their Mike linebacker is one of the better Mike linebackers in the league. He does not get enough credit and then the secondary is talented, especially out on the edges. Playing them there is always tough, very talented team and it will be a good challenge.”
(On if they move Ware around)
“They do. If you had to pinpoint him on a certain play, he’s going to be to our left more than anything, but they move him around so you can’t find him.”
(On if the Dallas defense will try to take advantage of T Rodger Saffold being out)
“Well, I think they’re going to move him around all the time, just try to get different match-ups at different times. Again, a player like that, they’d be crazy not to move him around.”
(On if short passes are becoming an extension of the run game)
“I think that’s certainly things you talk about, even during the week game plan wise. Can a quick slant or something make me six or seven yards, where a great run makes me four or five yards? Again, I know the thing we want to do is be balanced. That’s a big part of it. Games come down to the fourth quarter and sometimes you’re going to have to try to throw it like we did last week and try to come from behind. Other times, you’re going to have to run the football in four-minute and try to put people away. If you have a quarterback like Sam (Bradford) with the ability to throw the ball as accurately as he does, certainly you should hit a high percentage of those short routes. But, nothing replaces the ability to run the football when the opponent knows you’re going to have to run it.”
(On how to be more productive)
“In the running game, I think there’s plenty of room for improvement. I think it just comes down – we’ve got young backs. We put ourselves in some positions where we haven’t had favorable numbers, whether it was the score board or just some heavy boxes and stuff trying to run against. It just comes down to execution. I think we’ve kind of tightened things down a little bit this week in the plan, and we know what we’re good at. They do a lot of ‘two-Tampa’ and some things like that, so try to get back just to a real simple plan rule, core group of plays that we want to try to feature and hopefully that helps.”
(On RB Daryl Richardson making improvements as a pass catcher)
“Absolutely. You see it out here every day in practice. He’s made a lot more plays this year than he’s missed opportunities, so, I don’t have a problem with it. That was a tough play – the ball was on him fast and again, another fortunate thing. But, I’m proud of the guys, they moved on and tried to fight back.”
(On if Bradford’s interceptions this year were flukes)
“They’re kind of flukes. The one, the defensive tackle makes a great play, and then, of course, last week the ball gets on Daryl fast, hits him in the facemask and it just so happens they’re in a ‘fire zone’ (coverage) and (Falcons DE) Osi’s (Umenyiora) dropping off into coverage. The biggest problem is just where the ball’s been caught. On the one, it was right back on our goal line and the other one, it was caught out in space where we had nobody around to try to make the plays. We all know Sam’s extremely accurate. Those are some flukes and you’re going to have a few during the course of the year and hopefully we’ve used up our allotment for the while.”
(On the young receivers)
“Doing good. Mentally, I’m very, very pleased. I think Tavon last week had a couple drops but bounced back. Again, we’re working along. Another good day today working third down, working some things with blitz pickup and stuff like that, but very pleased with all of them.”
(On TE Jared Cook)
“We knew that Atlanta obviously would pay a lot attention to him after his first game. Our big thing is try to move him around, put him in different spots and if they’re taking care of him, then other guys are going to have big games like (WR) Chris (Givens) stepped up last week. Chris kind of got shut out a little bit in the first game against Arizona and came back last week with a big performance. Who knows who it will be this week. But, we have a bunch of guys that are selfless and just want to move the ball, make plays, help us win and they don’t really care who’s getting the credit.”
(On his confidence level in T Joe Barksdale)
“Very high. Go back to last year, I mean his first start, I think ever in the league if I’m not mistaken, was against (Packers LB) Clay Matthews, and he goes out and basically pitches a shutout. Tremendous talent, we have all the confidence in the world. He’s played in a lot of football games for us. I think he’ll do a great job.”
Rams Defensive Coordinator Tim Walton – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On how to stop Dallas WR Dez Bryant)
“You’ve got to make sure you take care of him. You’ve got to double him. It’s the same thing, he’s one of the best receivers in the league – physical and they’re going to get him the ball. We have to try to do a better job of taking away guys’ No. 1 threat and he is their No. 1 guy.”
(On Bryant’s ability to catch every kind of route)
“You have to be physical with him. You’ve got to try to not let him get separation because they are going to him, and he catches all routes. They’ll throw him on the inside breaking routes, they’ll try the back shoulder fades and he’ll go up top also. Like I said, he’s a playmaker and a very skillful athlete and we have to make sure we take care of business on him.”
(On Dallas using multiple tight ends)
“They have very athletic tight ends. They’re trying to create mismatches and open up the spread job in their ‘12’ personnel and create space. And they do a good job because those guys have receiver skill sets.”
(On if he expects their offensive attack to be more balanced)
“I think they’re going to try to run a little bit more to balance it up and play-action and do those kinds of things and try to throw the ball down the field a little bit. But, I think they will make a conscious effort to try to run that ball more to take some of it off of (QB) Tony (Romo) always having to throw it.”
(On RB DeMarco Murray)
“He’s a good back. He runs the ball, he’s a slash-type runner. He can get on the edge, catch the ball well out of the backfield. He’s a power runner, he can get in the open field and he can do some things. He’s a good football player for them, and I think they’re going to make a point to get him more touches.”
(On if he has to do certain things schematically to protect the young safeties)
“No, you just have to keep teaching them and keep trying to coach them up so they can, as much as you can, try to tell them about things that they’re going to see. Obviously, the experience thing will help, but those guys are knowledgeable, they work hard at it. We have to just keep doing stuff to just keep putting them in position. That’s my job – to make sure I put them in position so they can have success.”
(On how to tighten up the pass defense)
“The main thing is technique, but getting off the field on third down. That’s what I have to do. I have to clean up that part of it and put them in better situations to allow them to get off the field on third down. That’ll take care of most of it right there because if you get off the field more on third down, that eliminates the extra plays that you have to play during the course of the game. That takes 10-12 plays off the game and that’s on me to get that done.”
(On the importance of pressuring Romo)
“I think you have to have a mixed bag with him, because he can keep the play alive also. He’s very good at breaking the contain of the pocket and extending plays, so I think you just have to mix it up with him and give him a different look.”
(On DE Robert Quinn’s development)
“It’s good. He has really taken a big step forward, but he does it every day at practice. (Defensive Line) Coach (Mike) Waufle has done a great job with him – technique, leverage, alignments. And he’s done that through OTAs, training camp and you can see now in the first couple games of the year, he’s off to a great start with that. He plays with a great motor, which all of those guys do. But, the technique part of it and the details of the game is where he’s starting to be able to hone in on, and he already has the athletic ability. So, once he cleans that part up, he can run with the best of them. He has a very athletic skill set, so when you add in that other part and playing with a lot of strength, that makes him hard to stop.”
(On CB Janoris Jenkins’ progression)
“He’s coming along fine. I think, the thing I have to do is help keep putting those guys in good situations on third down. That’s my job to get that part done, to help him out. He’s gotten his hands on some balls. There’s a play or two here or there that guys have gotten up on him, and that’s on me to get that part down, like I said. He’s been active, he’s been productive and I like his development. I think he’s going to be much better as the games go along.”
(On Jenkins’ competitiveness)
“He’s a very competitive player. Like I said, he’s going to be a very good football player for us. I’m pleased with him and keep working on it and keep growing with it. That part will show up in the games coming up.”
Rams Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel – Post-Practice – September 19, 2013
(On the kickoff coverage and leading the league in opposing drive start)
“I didn’t know that. Two games into it, there hasn’t been a ton of reps to really sort it out – are you really good or are you not – because one good rep or bad rep could skew the numbers. We’ve got some young guys on it that are aggressive, so we’ll see as the season keeps going if we can maintain that stat. I think we’ve covered probably only three. The other ones were touchbacks, but those three we’ve covered I think were pretty good. We’ve got some fast, hungry, young guys.”
(On if LBs Daren Bates and Ray Ray Armstrong have performed like he expected they would)
“Yeah. They’ve been what we hoped they’d be and I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and they know that. Then, other guys have stepped up too. Stedman Bailey, a receiver, has kind of been a nice surprise and helping for us on teams. Couple other young defensive backs. (S) Rodney McLeod has now been starting, so we haven’t been able to use him as much on teams. So, some guys have stepped up. We’ve got a couple issues in some of our other phases to work on and we’ve been doing that. Two games into it, there’s still a lot of ways to go.”
(On if it seems that there have been more touchbacks around the league than in past years)
“Yeah, I think. I remember last year, it was kind of the same. Indoor games, fresh legs, getting the touchbacks. Usually, as the season progressed, just looking back and remembering last year, colder games, tired legs gave you a few more chances. Yeah, there hasn’t been many, for anybody really.”
(On what ways they could do better, specifically in terms of field position)
“The big thing is in the Atlanta game we killed ourselves with those penalties. On the kickoff return, we backed ourselves up. On a couple punt returns, took away any few yards that we did have and then you back yourself up 10. The worst thing that can happen is turn the ball over, but the second worst thing is you get a penalty and you lose any return yards you might get and you back yourself up. That’s something we’ve got to really fix on special teams, just helping our offense out on our return phase in the drive start or not getting penalties. Same thing for our defense, keeping them backed up so we aren’t working on short fields and stuff like that.”
(On if he doesn’t want a ball returned from eight or nine yards deep in the end zone)
“No, we don’t want that. It’s just young guys and decision-making. I’ve definitely got to do a better job of putting them in the right spot and just giving them balls that are kicked right on the line – ‘do I take it out or do I not?’ – so they get used to making those decisions.”
(On if there’s anything WR Tavon Austin could be doing different on punt return)
“No. We’ve been bottled up a few times. The last two games (P Matt) Bosher did a real nice job of putting the ball out by the sideline. He hit a couple close to five-second hang times. We’ve got to do a better job of holding up, but give credit to their guys. They put the ball up there pretty good and they put it in the corner. It’s hard to dig it out when you get a good punt with good hang time and good direction. That’s kind of what we try to do, too.”
(On how P Johnny Hekker has done)
“So far, just from last season, he’s just gotten better and better with three crucial things – his hang time, distance, and direction – and trying to match all three of those up for a quality punt. Putting all three together for one punt is hard, and that’s part of his growth which has been really nice.”
(On if there was anything Austin could have done with the short kick against the Falcons)
“No. We’ve actually practiced fielding a bouncing ball. We haven’t had the return yards we’ve hoped for on punt return, but Tavon has actually made a couple really good decisions. Arizona, he blocked the gunner, the ball went into the end zone. Atlanta, it might have rolled inside the 3, 4, 2-yard line, he picked it up got us out to about the 10 or 12.That one was tough because we pressured them and the guy got the punt off fast and didn’t hit a great punt. So, he could have got up and caught it, but if it was kind of in that range, gosh, it’s going to be a dangerous catch, I don’t want to muff it, back off, try to one-hop it, and we just can’t get the bounce. So at that point you have to make the ‘poison’ call and get away. They got a lot of net yards on that. Unfortunately, we could have blocked it.”
(On if Dallas blocking a field goal is a concern)
“Yeah. It always is for anybody. (CB Patrick) Peterson the first week and Atlanta’s got some big guys inside. Dallas historically has been real good at blocking field goals even though they’ve got a new coordinator. I remember (DT Jay) Ratliff a couple years in a row, blocking them interior, then a guy’s off the edge. That’s always something that we do look at as part of our scheming on special teams, is field goal block in the field goal phase of it.”
(On Cowboys WR Dwayne Harris)
“The first two games, I told the guys, he’s kind of like Josh Cribbs kind of reincarnated not only returning punts and kickoffs, but his gunner reps and his cover on kickoffs has been fantastic. He’s been really super, and gosh, the way he’s played the first couple weeks, impressive guy.”
