TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher & QB Kellen Clemens, 12-4-13

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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post-Practice – December 4, 2013

(On who he likes in the SEC Championship game)
“I said this the other day, what a great accomplishment on behalf of both programs. For Mizzou to be only in their second year in the SEC to have a shot at the SEC Championship and the way both programs have turned things around in just a year is pretty impressive. So, I will be watching it as a dad, however, so you’ll know which way I’m leaning.”

(On if he will be rooting for the Tigers)
“Yes, rooting for the Tigers.”

(On if he thought Auburn had it in them to make it this far)
“You look at the ball games all year and come from behind and the Georgia game and then, of course, the Iron Bowl. They needed a lot of special things to happen to get there. It was pretty impressive.”

(On how surprised he was to see Missouri make it to the SEC Championship game)
“Not surprised. I got to watch a couple ball games when we were on the road and stuff and look at the talent level that they had. The quarterback’s playing great, the receivers are huge and they’re running the football and playing good defense. Like I said, it’s not going to be a 6-3 game this weekend.”

(On C Tim Barnes’ development)
“Tim’s done a great job. Last year in the preseason when he got a chance to play, he played well. You see the skillset, and he’s dedicated, he’s a pro, he prepares. He’s ready to go, so Tim will be fine.”

(On G/C Barrett Jones progression)
“Barrett has done a real good job in the weight room, and he’s gained a lot of strength. So, he’ll be ready to go. Obviously, he’ll know what to do and how to do it, he just hasn’t had an opportunity.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey’s progression)
“He’s doing fine. He’s making plays, catching the ball and he can run after catch. It’s a matter of time before he shows those skills.”

(On why DT Jermelle Cudjo was inactive against San Francisco)
“We decided defensively, we’ve been having trouble going with eight defensive linemen, so we decided last week that we’d give (DT) Matt (Conrath) a shot. They’re both playing on kickoff return, but we decided we’d give him a shot.”

(On why LB Daren Bates was inactive last week)
“He was down because of an illness.”

(On what he sees from Arizona now compared to in Week 1)
“Well, defensively they’re healthy, playing well. New scheme in the opener, a new quarterback to a new offense in the opener and they’ve just grown together – that’s been the key. They’re playing good special teams, they’ve got an outstanding returner. (QB) Carson (Palmer) is really comfortable in the offense right now. I’m really impressed how (WR Michael) Floyd has come on. They’re dead even in catches, they’re 55, 54 he and (WR Larry) Fitzgerald, but Floyd’s making a lot of plays on early downs and their offensive line’s playing better than it did in the opener.”

(On the NFC West continuously getting better and more difficult to play in)
“Yeah, we anticipated that.”

(On playing all 10 top-10 defenses this season)
“Well, that’s where it was earlier in the year, too, when we started lining up against Carolina, Dallas was playing good at one point and the 49ers. It just seemed like week after week that’s what we were facing. But that’s good, it’s a good test. You get better that way.”

(On what makes Fitzgerald so special)
“He’s still unique. He’s a pro and everything he does every step along the way, run or pass, touchdown catch, incompletion, drop, he acts the same. It’s really impressive. It’s a great example for young receivers.”

(On if WR Tavon Austin was trying to throw the ball out of bounds on his pass attempt last week)
“He threw it away, yeah. He made a good decision and threw it away.”


Rams QB Kellen Clemens – Post-Practice – December 4, 2013

(On if there are any differences in Arizona’s defense now compared to when the Rams played them in Week 1)
“There are quite a few differences. (Cardinals S Tyrann) Mathieu’s starting now for them, still playing the nickel when they go sub (package), but starting, still making a lot of plays. Then, I think they’ve got (LB) Daryl Washington back, obviously. He’s a good addition. Then, I think they found a little bit of a groove too. Obviously, they’ve had an opportunity to get up on some opponents offensively, and then, turn the dogs loose on the defense. They’re playing good football. It’s going to be a good test for us.”

(On how he assures his receivers sure that he’s still confident in them in regards to dropped passes against the 49ers)
“The only thing that I’ve said is drops are going to happen. You’re not going to catch all of them. That’s just part of the game. It happens. I haven’t lost a bit of confidence in any of these guys and we’ll get back going. It’s one game. I think sometimes people have a tendency to overreact to either drops or to losses, poor performance by the quarterback. We’ll get back in the saddle this week and get back to it.”

(On WR Stedman Bailey’s progress in the offense)
“He’s growing. He’s growing with every week. He wasn’t getting a lot of work in early in the season and then we started giving some opportunities to start making the most of it. His workload has increased each week and it’s a testament to how he’s worked, how he’s prepared, how he’s studied and he’s a good football player. He’s going to play in this league for a long time.”

(On how to get WR Chris Givens going)
“I’ve got to throw him better, for one. The Chicago game, going back to that he was targeted, gosh, four or five times and there were plays there to be made and I missed him. We’ll see kind of as the game plan unfolds, see if there’s some opportunities – just get him one-on-one, just get him a catch here and there, maybe get him a carry or something, get him going. We’ll see.”

(On how Givens’ mindset is)
“You’d have to ask him. I haven’t seen anything that would lend itself to panic, but you’d have to ask him.”

(On Arizona’s pass rushers)
“They’re bringing a lot of pressure, bringing a lot of pressure from the linebackers. Every once in a while they bring everybody. They’ve played more ‘zero’ coverage where everybody’s in man and there’s no post safety in the middle of the field. They’ve played, I think, a higher percentage of that than we’ve seen from any other opponent, probably. They’re pinning their ears back and coming. It’s a high-risk, high-reward mentality and we’ve got, obviously, the playmakers on the outside where if they can make these guys miss one tackle, then it’s a house call.”

(On if Cardinals LB Daryl Washington is good at interior blitzing)
“Yeah. They bring him quite a bit. They bring him in a combination of (Cardinals LB Karlos) Dansby. Obviously, (Cardinals OLB) John Abraham is a beast coming off the edge. They do a lot of different things. Keep you off balance, a lot of different pressures from similar looks. So, you’re not sure where it’s coming from. They’re very well-coached. They’ve got a great scheme.”

(On facing four top-10 defenses over the last four weeks of the regular season, Arizona ranking seventh)
“We’ll work on the seventh this week, and then, go from there. It’s some great opportunities for us to kind of see where we measure up and hopefully this week we do better than last week.”

(On if he and starting center Tim Barnes did any extra work together this week)
“The good news is I’ve been taking snaps from ‘Barnesy’ for a couple years. So, it’s kind of just like riding an old bike. You just kind of get back on and go. We didn’t hardly even take any snaps at halftime last week and didn’t have any problems. So, I’m not going to lose a lot of sleep over it.”

(On how different the Arizona defense is with Washington back)
“Schematically, they’re more aggressive right now, I think, and then they’re just executing better. I think in big part just comes from his presence and his experience, would be my best guess.”

(On if the speed of the game has slowed down as he’s gotten more weeks under his belt)
“Yeah. We’ve slowed down a little bit. The biggest challenge now is just getting in a rhythm of recovering physically from one week into the next. I have much deeper appreciation for what (QB) Sam (Bradford) does going through it 17 weeks. It’s a challenge.”

(On getting a win over a division opponent this week, especially after not achieving the success they had in the division last season)
“At this point in December, every win is a good win. I don’t care if you’re playing a team that’s 10-1, 1-10, but obviously, this is probably the best division in football, I think at this point. So, if you can get a win within the division you’re doing some good things.”

(On what it would mean to have RG Harvey Dahl back for Sunday’s game)
“Harvey brings an attitude and a toughness that we really appreciate about him. Obviously, he’s a veteran guy with a lot of experience, but he plays the position with a mindset that, especially as a quarterback, you really appreciate. You go back to when Sam got hurt, Harvey was going to hurt somebody – and we’re glad that he didn’t – but you appreciate that mindset, as a quarterback, in an offensive lineman.”

(On if he is worried about the continuity of the offensive line due to injuries)
“There’s circle of control and there’s circle of concern. I’ve tried to just keep them matched up as much as I can. Obviously, (T/G) Rodger (Saffold) is a guy that has played on the left side. So, I’m not worried about it.”

(On if he is in a circle of control or concern)
“I’ve switched back and forth. I’ve tried to stay in the important one, but not perfect.”
 

jap

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I'm kinda looking forward to seeing how Tyrann Mathieu does against Tavon this weekend, now that Tavon is a lot more seasoned in his many duties. Let's see how much of a 'Tavon stopper' he really is. Of course, the less accurate Kellen will be tossing the rock instead of Sam but still!