TRANSCRIPT: Jeff Fisher and Brian Schottenheimer (11-6-14)

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Posted 06 November 2014

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post-Practice – November 6, 2014


(On the amount of false start penalties called at University of Phoenix Stadium by the visiting teams)
“I think, gosh, we survived Kansas City and last week was loud as well. Again, we don’t make a big deal over it. We won’t…we’ll have a sound period somewhere Friday. I’m actually more concerned about (Cardinals QB) Carson (Palmer) pulling our defense offsides because he’s really good at that with the hard counts and things like that.”

(On if the Cardinals offense runs through RB Andre Ellington)
“Well, I mean they’re using him out of the backfield. He free releases a lot. They create match-ups on linebackers and defensive backs. He’s got great quickness. Then they use him in the running game. Their running game’s not real sophisticated, it’s just very affective. They double both tackles and come off on the linebackers. They cover you up and you can’t find him. He’ll bounce outside or cutback, a lot like (Kansas City Chiefs RB) Jamaal Charles.”

(On if Arizona still throws a lot of deep balls with Palmer)
“He’s going to take his deep shots. Carson’s leading the NFL in third down passing right now, about 65 percent completion. He’s converting over 50 percent of his third downs. Their numbers aren’t there particularly because he didn’t play three games. I can’t remember when I faced a quarterback that’s converting 50 percent of their third downs. That says a lot for him and his understanding and what they’re doing with him.”

(On the challenges Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd present for the secondary)
“You’re going to have to play team defense. You have to try to recognize when they’re going to go to which one of them. They’re both outstanding receivers. Larry’s still very, very good. Just a big catch radius that makes him so hard (to cover) and Carson’s extremely accurate.”

(On getting WR Tavon Austin more touches)
“It’s part of the game plan and that’s what you do. Like everybody, you’re going to spread the ball around. He’s involved in it. At this point for him in the punt return, it’s not going to be the last one he puts in the end zone, I know that. He’s got a good feel for that.”

(On if the reason the blitz packages were so affective last week was due to the fact the defense is more familiar with Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams’ scheme)
“No, we had the right things on at the right time. We’re adding a little bit and we wanted to fill up the rush lanes, the escape lanes for (49ers QB Colin Kaepernick) ‘Kaep’. That was our number one priority. Then of course getting there is a bonus but if you can fill up the rush lanes then you’ve got a chance to make him throw it down the field. We got good pressure and we got good four-man pressure as well. A number of our sacks came from four-man rush.”

(On Palmer’s ability to play in the pocket)
“He’s really good in the pocket, he steps up, he knows…he’ll step up in either gap if you get the outside rush. He has a good feel for moving in the pocket. What he’s done for years is he keeps his eyes down field. The eyes don’t come off on the rush. His eyes are down field all the time. He’s got a natural, instinctive movement and flow in the pocket and that’s what makes him affective. That’s why he’s not getting sacked very often.”

(On if looking at the pass rush instead of looking down the field will mess with a quarterback’s rhythm)
“Yeah it does. It really destroys everything. You look at the pass rush, then you try to find a way to get out and duck around. By that time the route concept has changed.”


Rams Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer – Post-Practice – November 6, 2014

(On how he gets offensive production going again this week)
“Obviously, this will be another challenge this week. We’re at our best when we’re balanced, when we can get the running game going. We all got to do a better job of converting third downs that helps us. This will certainly be a challenge. They’re playing really, really well on defense. Again, the secondary’s outstanding. A lot of respect for what they’re doing defensively (Cardinals Defensive Coordinator) Todd Bowles does a great job. It comes down to execution, us doing our job, guys making plays, taking things one play at a time. Hopefully, it’ll be a good week for us to get back on track.”

(On if the challenge gets tougher for QB Austin Davis the more he is seen playing)
“We believe in what we do is more important than what they do. But yeah, when you get a scouting report on a guy it’s a little easier. We haven’t put ourselves in a position, going back to Kansas City, we’re in a game where we could kind of stay balanced, we had to throw the ball around a little bit. Last game, I thought we made the plays we needed to play against a great defense. This week, again, it’ll be another problem just because of playing out there in Arizona and the noise, another great defense. Again, what we’ve got to do is to take care of the football. They’re number one in the league at taking the ball away.
They make a lot of plays doing that.”

(On if Arizona’s defense is as varied as any he’s seen)
“I think so. Creative, whatever you prepare for you’ll get something different. It’s one of those games we say, ‘You got to trust what you see, trust your rules.’ They come with different packages, different people. They played Dallas a bunch of four-man fronts. They played a bunch of Bear against Oakland, they do different things. Very creative. How do you mask that? You do what you do and say, ‘Hey guys, get ready to adjust on the run.’”

(On if Coach Bowles blitzes a lot)
“Yeah. They come a lot. I think they’re the highest in the league on third-down, if not in the top two or three. They come from a lot of places.”

(On if he missed WR Brian Quick last week more than he thought)
“Quick was playing really, really well. I just think it was a situation where San Francisco’s a really good defense. Missed a few plays here and there, had a couple shot plays we weren’t able to get off. It’s a new week. Another challenge, throwing the ball on the edges against CBs (Antonio) Cromartie and (Patrick) Peterson. I think we’ve got some things that we like that we can take advantage of. It’s going to come down to us executing. ”

(On if it’s a focus to get WR Tavon Austin more involved)
“I think so. We obviously have plays that are designed for ‘Tav,’ passes, runs, different things. Gimmicks, if you will. We don’t always get to him. But, I think last week you saw him make a couple big plays for us in the passing game, third-down conversions, he should be good with that stuff. When the games going you go in with a mindset of, ‘Hey, let’s do this during the game.’ But, when the game gets going you kind of go with what you’re seeing on film or what you’re seeing on the pictures and try to adjust. But, he can help us just because he’s so explosive.”

(On if he senses any frustration in Austin because he is not having many explosive plays this season)
“I do think so. He comes to work every day. He had a big punt return last week called back, or offsetting penalties, I guess. It’s just we’ve seen him break out before. We’ve seen that happen in Indianapolis, Chicago things like that. You never know when it’s going to happen, but when it does it comes in bunches. I think he’s a guy that gets in the rhythm of things and when he’s feeling really good, he’s got the hot hand. I don’t sense frustration with him. I think he’s a competitor. He wants to do what he can to win and when we get him the ball, he’ll make the most of those chances.”

(On him getting WR Stedman Bailey involved too)
“Obviously, we have one ball. Can’t get everybody involved. We’ve got tight ends that want the ball. We have packages of plays. What you try to do in the passing game is come up with progressions. Where the ball can get spread around, we tease the guys all the time we say ‘you want the ball? Get open, because Austin will find you, he’ll read his progression.’ A lot of good players and that kind of comes with the territory.”

(On why Arizona has been so effective on run defense)
“Number one it’s an eight-man front. They’ve got safeties down all around the line of scrimmage. They jam the front, which means the cover the center and the two guards. The linebackers play as fast downhill across the line of scrimmage as probably anybody I’ve seen. It’s just an aggressive scheme. They move, they penetrate, they knock people back, which makes it hard to find running lanes. ”

(On if they trust their corners to play good man-to-man defense)
“Absolutely. So they can funnel everything inside and trust that those guys will do their job on the outside. Again, they don’t give up a lot of very big plays. They have been penalized some on the back end. Terrific, terrific run defense and then of course they mask that with the pressure that they bring on third-down. It makes it difficult.”

(On if he feels Arizona is one of the best in the NFC)
“Absolutely, Absolutely. They’re playing with a lot of confidence. They cause problems. Again, they cause problems different then say San Francisco. San Francisco’s good, but you know where they’re going to be. We’ll go in on Sunday and we’ll have a plan of what we want to do, but we’re going to have to adjust on the sidelines. You’ll probably see us scurrying around a lot saying ‘Hey, here’s what the pattern is.’ And we’ve got to be ready for it. I think they’re one of the best that we’ve gone against this year.”

(On how Arizona’s defense has been so successful in the fourth quarter)
“I think they’ve had the lead quite a bit. So that helps. Teams are trying to throw the ball, get back. They all have great ball skills. Being around Cromartie in New York, he’s got great ball skills. We all know about Patrick Peterson, (Tyrann Mathieu) the Honey Badger’s got ball skills. I think it’s been a product of they’ve been up, teams have had to try to go and throw it. They bring all those pressures. Sometimes they’ve got free runners so the quarterbacks just kind of throwing the ball to get it pushed and they come down with it.”

(On how Davis has been during in-game changes)
“He’s been really good. Again, couple weeks back when we were playing really, really well he was the same guy. He’s the same guy now. He adjusts well. He sees things really, really well. He knew on the interception last week. He said, ‘Hey I saw the guy, I thought I could get over him.’ The one (S Antoine) Bethea got. He just underthrew the one. Again, just very, very poised and he handles all the adjustments and things we do really, really well. Having a veteran center with Scott (Wells) and some of the stuff we’ll see protection wise certainly helps.”
 

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Injury report as of today...

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Mojo Ram

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Good to see you -X-

I will offer this little nugget of strategery when the Rams are on offense. I've seen every Cards game this year with the exception of last week.
AZ has blitzed the opposition 47% of the time since DC Todd Bowles took over last season. Not exactly new info, but when they blitz they bring ALOT of extra guys. Quite often when i saw them blitz on 2nd or 3rd down they were sending the farm on a full on psycho blitz quite often, meaning they don't disguise it, and they basically just put 8 guys on the LOS with most of them in an upright, standing position. What is frustrating is how often QB's haven't been ready for it or been able to convert even a completion against it. I'm really hoping out guys are ready for it when it comes.

Here are a few tidbits from a write up from last week on their defense and blitzing.
http://espn.go.com/blog/arizona-car...ne-for-effective-successful-cardinals-defense

But it’s not like teams don’t know what’s coming against the Cardinals. Five of their seven opponents this season have faced their most blitzes against the Cardinals, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Even when teams know what’s coming, the Cardinals are still effective, leading the NFL with five interceptions on blitzes. They’re one of three teams in the league with a negative touchdown-to-interception differential when blitzing.
With how often the Cards blitz, masking them has become an important part of their success. Opposing quarterbacks struggle slightly against the blitz, completing 60.3 percent of the passes against the Cardinals’ blitz compared to 63.8 percent without facing a blitz. Even though Arizona has the second-fewest sacks in the NFL with seven, four of them have come when they’ve blitzed.
“A lot of times we come up the middle and the outside so it’s hard for them to realize where we’re coming from.”
And sometimes the Cardinals don’t hide it. They’re just coming.
 

Merlin

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Davis is really a critical element in this game. The Rams won last week based on the defense keeping the score way down. No guarantee they can do that this time around, they're gonna need Davis to be on his game to give them their best chance to win.

Very worried about the offense in general in this one. Starts with Davis of course, and the WRs being on the same page when those blitz opportunities arise. Cards will stuff the Rams' running game, gonna come down to the passing game in this one plain and simple. Hopefully they start fast and play a full 60.
 

RamFan503

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Anything on Chris Long? I know they don't want to rush him but last I heard, he was supposed to start practicing this week.
 

Jorgeh0605

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Good to see you -X-

I will offer this little nugget of strategery when the Rams are on offense. I've seen every Cards game this year with the exception of last week.
AZ has blitzed the opposition 47% of the time since DC Todd Bowles took over last season. Not exactly new info, but when they blitz they bring ALOT of extra guys. Quite often when i saw them blitz on 2nd or 3rd down they were sending the farm on a full on psycho blitz quite often, meaning they don't disguise it, and they basically just put 8 guys on the LOS with most of them in an upright, standing position. What is frustrating is how often QB's haven't been ready for it or been able to convert even a completion against it. I'm really hoping out guys are ready for it when it comes.

Here are a few tidbits from a write up from last week on their defense and blitzing.
http://espn.go.com/blog/arizona-car...ne-for-effective-successful-cardinals-defense
Well when you have the corners that they do, quick passes are a bit harder. Their defense is built quite nicely to their personnel. Can't really pick a weakness in it. Just kind of have to play better then them.
 

RamzFanz

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Well when you have the corners that they do, quick passes are a bit harder. Their defense is built quite nicely to their personnel. Can't really pick a weakness in it. Just kind of have to play better then them.

The one sure way: Dick tackles.
 

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Not happy to see JJ not practicing yet. Anyone have any news on his return?
 

Mojo Ram

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Well when you have the corners that they do, quick passes are a bit harder. Their defense is built quite nicely to their personnel. Can't really pick a weakness in it. Just kind of have to play better then them.
True. It's difficult to beat them once you get into catch up mode.

I realize they are 3rd in rush defense(79 yds/gm) but I really think that you've got to stick with attacking their defense with the run. The middle, the edges, musdirection etc...
Teams have tried...and failed, and quit on it. I've seen it.

AZ's opponents so far this season and their overall rushing offense ranking in yards/gm to date:
San Diego 30th
NY Giants 16th

SF 11th
Denver 27th
Washington 17th
Oakland 32nd

Philadelphia 8th
Dallas 1st

So they haven't faced too many good run teams with the exception of SF, Philly and Dallas.
SF only rushed 11 times vs AZ if you remove Kaepernicks scrambles. SF has averaged 29 attempts/gm(including Kraps runs) for the season. They quit on it.
Philly rushed 26 times vs AZ. Philly averages 29 attempts/gm, so they almost hit their average. They stuck with it and lost by 4 pts on the road.
Dallas rushed 25 times vs AZ. They have averaged almost 32 carries/gm. They quit on it.

Rams really need to force the issue with the run IMO.
 

Mojo Ram

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Davis is really a critical element in this game. The Rams won last week based on the defense keeping the score way down. No guarantee they can do that this time around, they're gonna need Davis to be on his game to give them their best chance to win.

Very worried about the offense in general in this one. Starts with Davis of course, and the WRs being on the same page when those blitz opportunities arise. Cards will stuff the Rams' running game, gonna come down to the passing game in this one plain and simple. Hopefully they start fast and play a full 60.
Rams can't fall for this IMO.
We need a repeat of the Seattle gameplan last season(first meeting).
 

Jorgeh0605

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True. It's difficult to beat them once you get into catch up mode.

I realize they are 3rd in rush defense(79 yds/gm) but I really think that you've got to stick with attacking their defense with the run. The middle, the edges, musdirection etc...
Teams have tried...and failed, and quit on it. I've seen it.

AZ's opponents so far this season and their overall rushing offense ranking in yards/gm to date:
San Diego 30th
NY Giants 16th

SF 11th
Denver 27th
Washington 17th
Oakland 32nd

Philadelphia 8th
Dallas 1st

So they haven't faced too many good run teams with the exception of SF, Philly and Dallas.
SF only rushed 11 times vs AZ if you remove Kaepernicks scrambles. SF has averaged 29 attempts/gm(including Kraps runs) for the season. They quit on it.
Philly rushed 26 times vs AZ. Philly averages 29 attempts/gm, so they almost hit their average. They stuck with it and lost by 4 pts on the road.
Dallas rushed 25 times vs AZ. They have averaged almost 32 carries/gm. They quit on it.

Rams really need to force the issue with the run IMO.
I completely agree. That is just a proposition with this team. Now if your runningback can find a way to get to that second level I think that is where they are vulnerable. Hopefully Tre can do so, I also think getting Stacy in on some obvious passing downs to max protection would be a good idea. I disagree that we need to win with the passing game. Their defense seems to hold all of our offense's weaknesses as strengths. You really want to put the game in the hand of Saffold, Wells, and Joseph against a defense that loves to rush the middle? Do you really want Davis, who tends to make costly mistakes to have to force balls to defensive backfield that capitalize on every mistake a QB makes? I'm not sure I do. Running the ball, and running more two TE seems to be the best option. The players that need to step up are Cook, TA, and Mason. Cook can challenge the seams, TA can hopefully provide some misdirection, and Mason needs to perform.

That is my two cents anyways.
 

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Good to see you -X-

I will offer this little nugget of strategery when the Rams are on offense. I've seen every Cards game this year with the exception of last week.
AZ has blitzed the opposition 47% of the time since DC Todd Bowles took over last season. Not exactly new info, but when they blitz they bring ALOT of extra guys. Quite often when i saw them blitz on 2nd or 3rd down they were sending the farm on a full on psycho blitz quite often, meaning they don't disguise it, and they basically just put 8 guys on the LOS with most of them in an upright, standing position. What is frustrating is how often QB's haven't been ready for it or been able to convert even a completion against it. I'm really hoping out guys are ready for it when it comes.

Here are a few tidbits from a write up from last week on their defense and blitzing.
http://espn.go.com/blog/arizona-car...ne-for-effective-successful-cardinals-defense
Sounds like a good opportunity to exploit man coverage with Tavon Austin.

You hear me talkin', Schotty boy? Time to get medieval of dey asses.
 

Mojo Ram

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I completely agree. That is just a proposition with this team. Now if your runningback can find a way to get to that second level I think that is where they are vulnerable. Hopefully Tre can do so, I also think getting Stacy in on some obvious passing downs to max protection would be a good idea. I disagree that we need to win with the passing game. Their defense seems to hold all of our offense's weaknesses as strengths. You really want to put the game in the hand of Saffold, Wells, and Joseph against a defense that loves to rush the middle? Do you really want Davis, who tends to make costly mistakes to have to force balls to defensive backfield that capitalize on every mistake a QB makes? I'm not sure I do. Running the ball, and running more two TE seems to be the best option. The players that need to step up are Cook, TA, and Mason. Cook can challenge the seams, TA can hopefully provide some misdirection, and Mason needs to perform.

That is my two cents anyways.
Agree. No way. That's exactly how they can beat us. You can't get into that shootout mentality vs them either(unless you're Payton Manning). :ROFLMAO:

Rams need to shorten this game offensively. Use Tre much like they use Ellington, and give them a healthy dose of Stacy/Cunningham too. Get Cook involved this week. AZ still can't cover TE's.
I'm fairly confident we can get to Palmer defensively.
 

Jorgeh0605

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Agree. No way. That's exactly how they can beat us. You can't get into that shootout mentality vs them either(unless you're Payton Manning). :ROFLMAO:

Rams need to shorten this game offensively. Use Tre much like they use Ellington, and give them a healthy dose of Stacy/Cunningham too. Get Cook involved this week. AZ still can't cover TE's.
I'm fairly confident we can get to Palmer defensively.
That offense isn't as good as some people think. Palmer isn't an elite qb. They were playing just as good without him.
 

Mojo Ram

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Sounds like a good opportunity to exploit man coverage with Tavon Austin.

You hear me talkin', Schotty boy? Time to get medieval of dey asses.
Suck em in wit da run. Trow da bomb.
th


But seriously, yeah we need to get Tavon out there...much like AZ has done with John Brown. Brown is not a great route runner, but they get him and his speed in one-on-ones and take their shots. I know folks have complained about the whole running Tavon between the tackles is silly...but i'd really like to think that Shotty boy is setting up the Mother of all Play action with that.
 

A.J. Hicks

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Anyone feel like with Fisher it is coach speak? But with Schotty it is genuine? For some reason I feel like Schotty answering in that manner is just him.
 

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Rams can't fall for this IMO.
We need a repeat of the Seattle gameplan last season(first meeting).

Way I see it Bowles is going to load the box until the Rams' passing game forces him out of it. This game hinges on how well Davis can read and react. If he doesn't do a good job there, only hope the Rams have is their defense absolutely dominating the Cards offense.

I don't think Davis will have a lot of time in this one, either. He's gonna face a lot of pressure, really hope he's ready to make quick reads and get that ball out fast.
 

Mojo Ram

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That offense isn't as good as some people think. Palmer isn't an elite qb. They were playing just as good without him.
I actually think it's very good. Not necessarily in the sense of being a juggernaut, but they execute so well, and they just don't make any mistakes. Palmer isn't getting sacked or throwing picks. They are +10 in turnover ratio. 2nd in the league, and it's not like they're running a Jurassic offense either. They're aggressive.

That's where our D really needs to step up and create turnovers and mistakes. We have the front four to do that. AZ hasn't faced a pass rush like ours. Our guys are better than what Denver, SF and Philly threw at them.

Eat Bird.
 

Tweed335

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Right now, for me, the irony with the Rams is when 67% of the phases are clicking, the other 33% are nowhere to be found. This team has not put an entire 100% complete game together yet this year.

Minn: 100% no show; TB: ya know? can't put my finger on it but neither side of the ball gave me reason to declare victory....thankful of the clock in those situations; 9'rs at home: D went away....a couple goal line stands, frantic Offense that never got into a rhythm and played ketchup, that's a recipe for disaster; Seattle: Best example of 2/3rds of the game being won by the Rams, yet! we all know if the D has to win this game, it ain't happenin'!; Chiefs: D showed up and left the O at the bus stop or in parking lot with some BBQ in the back of their pants; 9'rs last week? big helping of Defensive Schematics....Offense was over at the Haight while the D finally took things seriously.

If all of the phases(ST, offense and defense) show up, I truly feel this team could beat 30 out 32 teams on any given week; or at the very least compete. I think we'll see a Rams team that runs into a buzz saw of a team in the AZ Cardinals and get beat....unfortunately. We are just too inconsistent....be it coaching, execution, or discipline to beat a good team on any given Sunday right now isn't reliable. If this team were to fire on all 3 cylinders on Sunday, I don't think there are very many teams, including AZ, that could beat them. However, I haven't seen much reason to believe that this young team will put it all together this sunday. Hope I'm wrong.