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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post Practice – 12/9/15
(On how Rams Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras did at practice today)
“He did great. He’s sleep deprived, as you would expect and most of the offensive staff is and some of the defensive staff. He did a nice job today. We had a good practice. Players are excited. We’re moving forward.”
(On if he can help Boras out on gameday)
“He’s going to be fine. The big challenge is the game plan during the week. That’s the challenge in my opinion. Getting the plays called and getting them in, no, he’s not going to have any difficulty with that. No concerns about that. So, we have a really enthusiastic quarterback right now that knows this offense and wants to go out and make plays and is looking forward to his opportunity. We have to run the football. We have a huge challenge. This is a good defense. I’m familiar with this system. They’re good. They rush. They penetrate and they’re playing well. Then, the other of side of their ball, offensively, since the change has taken place, (Lions QB) Matthew’s (Stafford) playing really good and he’s got a good receiver out there. His name starts with a ‘C’ (Lions WR Calvin Johnson) or something. I don’t know what it is, but he’s got a pretty good receiver out there.”
(On how he thinks QB Case Keenum will do this time around considering the rough time he had against Baltimore)
“Yeah, it was. I mean, we couldn’t run the football against them, particularly because of the injuries we had up front and the changes that we had. But, it all starts there, and Rob’s (Boras) a fan of running the football, as I am. So, if we can run the football, then Case will have a good day. He’ll be able to put the ball down the field.”
(On his comments about getting RB Todd Gurley 1,000 yards by the end of this season)
“It came up in a conversation and it makes sense. If he’s at 835 and we’ve got four games left, it makes sense that he starts a roll for his career with 1,000-yard seasons.”
(On if he has much input on which plays are called during the games)
“I’m on the headset with all three phases, so yeah, I will have input. It’s been my philosophy not to interrupt a play calling sequence, particularly because I think that’s unfair, especially to an offensive play caller. But, suggestions will come in between series and/or if you’re in one of those situations where you’re third-and-one and you’ve got good field position, ‘Hey, you’ve got two shots.’ The worst thing that could happen to an offensive coordinator is you tell him on fourth-and-one to go for it and he hasn’t prepared for it on third-and-one. So, you want to give him an opportunity to plan and prepare.”
(On if things are looking good for CB Trumaine Johnson’s health)
“Yes. Yeah, he got out. He was limited, but he got out today. So, yeah. We could use ‘Tru’ this week, yeah.”
(On K Greg Zuerlein’s status)
“Greg was full practice. He kicked and he kicked well. So, we’re going to rest him tomorrow and then we’ll kick him again on Friday and see where he’s at. See how his kickoffs are.”
(On TE Lance Kendricks’ status)
“Lance did well today. He was limited. He exerted. He’s really ahead on the protocol. He did well. (DB) Janoris (Jenkins), on the other hand, did not. So, we’re going to be day-to-day on Janoris. It’s hard for me to predict, but we’re hoping Janoris comes around, obviously, and Trumaine, or we’re going to have some challenges in the secondary this week. But, it looks like Lance is going to be okay.”
(On if he’s still planning to make roster moves at the cornerback position)
“There is a potential for that, but we’re just waiting. We are going to create two roster spots in all likelihood, either today or tomorrow. We will be placing (DE) Rob Quinn on IR (injured reserve) for the remainder of the season with a back. He’s going to require season-ending surgery. That will also be the case for (S) T.J. (McDonald), who requires season-ending shoulder surgery. So unfortunately, we lost two really good defensive players. They’ll create a couple spots for us on the roster. We’ll probably wait a couple days until we fill those spots.”
(On how he feels about DE Robert Quinn’s back surgery)
“We’re moving forward with this. We’re being aggressive with this so that he can come back at 100 percent because this is…our concern is his future and we need to go ahead and move forward with this. He can come back. It’s a 10-12 week rehab and he’ll be back at 100 percent. We’re concerned about his future as we are T.J.’s future. He subluxed his shoulder again in the game, so he’s got more damage so he needs to get it fixed. It’s the unfortunate part of the game and we lost two really good defensive players for the remainder of the season. But, we’ll move on. That’s going to give (S) Maurice (Alexander) a chance to play. You’re going to get to see (DL) Ethan (Westbrooks) play out there because he can play out there. So, we’ll just play younger players and get them more experience.”
(On how much he misses Quinn)
“Well, yeah. I mean, when you talk about offenses are going to game plan around his presence and they’re concerned about where he is and what he’s doing, it allows you to a certain extent to dictate a little bit defensively. That’s also the case with (LB) Alec (Ogletree), too. I mean, Alec, there’s no telling where we’d be had we had a healthy Ogletree. So, yes, we’ve missed him and it’s affected the rest of the guys. That’s why I think as I mentioned Monday after the post-game press conference, the remarkable play that we’re getting out of (DT) Aaron Donald without the presence of Rob, I mean, it really speaks volumes of how well Aaron’s playing. When Rob’s out there, Aaron has a better opportunity to be productive. When Rob’s not out there, then they can focus on Aaron, as they have been doing, yet he’s still making those plays, play after play.”
(On if S T.J. McDonald’s shoulder has been bothering him or is this a new injury)
“No, he’s been dealing with it. Yeah, he’s had shoulder issues. He’s been dealing with a few things, but the shoulder subluxed and we’ve got some things we’ve got to get fixed. He’ll come back 100 percent, but it’s not fair to ask him to play under the circumstances.”
(On how good DT Aaron Donald is and what allows him to be able to keep switching positions)
“Well, he’ll line up and he’ll scan and he’ll see backfield sets and formations and anticipate things. He’s really smart as far as that’s concerned. Then, we’re doing our best to create the one-on-one in passing situations. In run situations, he’s going to get doubled and he’s still consistently splitting double teams and getting penetration and affecting the run game.”
Rams Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras – Post Practice – 12/9/15
(On what this week has been like for him)
“This week seems about a month. It’s been two days. My wife’s still waiting for me to call, but we’re excited. We’re all excited. I think the guys, the staff, everybody’s committed. We’re all moving forward. It’s been good.”
(On if he’s just texting his wife)
“I just…emojis now, so you don’t even have to type a whole word. I can just type a heart.”
(On the biggest adjustment going into the play calling role)
“We’ve all been involved with it. I mean, it’s been collective. It’s just obviously, just that thought of moving forward – always being a play in advance. We know the plan and we’re all involved with the plan. It’s just now having the ultimate decision to make the call at the time.”
(On if he feels like it will be an adjustment for him on game day)
“I’d be lying if I said no. Yeah, I mean, there’s going to be an adjustment. That’s part of the process. It’s not going to be perfect. Football isn’t perfect. I’m not going to be perfect. Plays aren’t perfect. That’s why you trust your players to move forward and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(On if he became more involved in the run game when he was promoted to the assistant head coach)
“Yeah, I’ve always been involved with it. (Offensive Line) Coach (Paul) Boudreau and (Running Backs) Coach (Ben) Sirmans and myself, I mean, it’s really been all three of us the whole time we’ve been here. It didn’t change dramatically. Maybe I was typing the scripts more and ‘Bou’ wasn’t, but at the end of the day, it was all three of us since we’ve been here doing it.”
(On if the change at offensive coordinator came as a total surprise to him)
“Yes.”
(On when he found out he would take over offensive play calling)
“(Head) Coach (Jeff Fisher) came to me at noon or whatever it was on Monday. I’ve obviously become really close with ‘Cig’ (Frank Cignetti) just since the time we’ve been here and that’s tough.”
(On if he’s been able to talk to Frank Cignetti)
“Oh yeah. He’s been great. I mean ‘Cig’ is…Frank’s a great person. The challenge to the players today was what we talked about was win today. We’ve had a lot of eye-opening things happen on this team the last couple of weeks – (WR) Stedman (Bailey), ‘Cig.’ All we’re ever guaranteed is today. That’s kind of the process that we’re doing going forward. Let’s win today and then tomorrow we’re going to come back and challenge them again to try and win today. That’s all we can do is go one day at a time.”
(On if the players are treating him differently)
“A couple of them have learned my name. (laughs) No, it’s a great group of guys. We all have our ups and downs. But, the thing we’ve said since we’ve been here, we have really good people in the locker room. They’re willing to do what they’re asked to do. We just have to be smart to ask them to do the right things. That’s a great group of guys.”
(On if much will change on Sunday)
“I don’t know how can change. Obviously, it’s a different philosophy. We have different thoughts, but at the end of the day, we’re pretty far down the road right now. There’s not going to be a whole lot that’s going to change.”
(On if it’s a little late to re-invent the wheel)
“Yeah. Finding out when we did, it’s hard to change a whole lot. You hope to become more efficient. We’ve got to try to put guys in the best position they can to make plays, but it can’t be a huge change. Guys can’t handle that right now. We’re too far entrenched with our system to think there’s going to be wholesale changes.”
(On if there is a hope to get RB Todd Gurley more touches even if it’s in the passing game)
“Without a doubt. Todd’s a special player. We have a number of special players on offense. Todd’s obviously, probably the best. Between Todd and (WR) ‘Tav’ (Tavon Austin), we’ve got special guys. Yeah, for that to happen, obviously, it’s got to be the type of game where we can keep handing him the ball. He’s too good a player.”
(On how much of it is quarterback awareness in terms of check downs and finding Gurley)
“I’ve been so focused on…again, I sit in all the meetings. I’m with the tight ends. I don’t want to say what it’s been in the past.”
(On if that’s an option to get Gurley the ball)
“Oh, sure. Yes, without a doubt. As any time, it doesn’t matter who’s coaching it or who’s calling the plays, the quarterback has a progression. You hope to put it where the guys that can make plays can get the ball.”
(On basically working in a new quarterback with Case Keenum)
“No and that’s the thing - I’m not going to pretend to go in there and pretend to be a quarterback coach now either. We have a quarterback coach and a really good one with Chris (Weinke). So, I’m not going to go in there and now start running those meetings. I’m trusting all the assistants just like I hope they would do me, just go in there and do their job. Of course, I sat in the quarterback room today and was involved with it. But, I’m not going to sit there and correct his footwork and things like that. We have a quarterback coach doing that.”
(On if he has any general ideas on how to improve third down efficiency)
“We started on it last night. We’re going to work on third down tonight as a staff and introduce it tomorrow. I’d be lying to say I had all the answers right now. I’m kind of holding on, just trying to figure out first and second down right now. We understand the inefficiencies we’ve had on third down and obviously, we need to improve on that. The way that happens, if that happens I should say, obviously, Todd has the ability and everybody on offense and they all know that, if we convert third downs, everybody has more opportunities to get touches. So, that’s going to be a big focus going forward tonight and tomorrow when we put it in.”
(On if he senses a lot of pressure to step in and try to get things turned around)
“I’d be lying if I said no. Yeah.”
(On the challenge of developing a feel for what’s going on in the game and the plays that he calls)
“Sure. Yeah and again, we all have different histories where we come from. So, within every system, it’s just maybe you’re emphasizing different parts. It’s not changing it. It’s just maybe you’re going to emphasize different things that you already have within your system.”
Rams QB Case Keenum – Post Practice – 12/9/15
(On how he’s been)
“I’ve been better, but I’m good now. I really am a lot better now. Thank you for asking, I appreciate it.”
(On how tough it was going through the protocol and not knowing when he could play)
“It was one of the tougher couple weeks for me. If it’s a sprained ankle or if it’s a sore whatever, you can kind of see the symptoms and know what’s going on and know how you feel. With your head, if I were to ask you 1,000 times in a row if your head hurts, it’s probably going to hurt after about 500 times of someone asking if it hurts. It’s hard to tell, especially with something like that.”
(On what he remembers from the play he got hurt on)
“I remember everything. I remember the play itself. Kind of a funky play, jumped offsides. I remember looking downfield and not throwing it. Obviously, not a great decision there. Trying to find my check down and he was eaten up, so I was just trying to get rid of the ball. Kind of got slammed and got shaken up a little bit. After I got up, (Director/Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) came over and I was good. He told me to go down on a knee and I told him, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ I went to the play. Got the play from the coach, went and called the next play and felt good to go.”
(On if he felt groggy at all)
“It’s hard to say in the heat of the moment what you’re feeling during a game. You don’t really have time to think about how you’re feeling when you’re trying to make a play, make a read, make a check, check your protection, react to defenses. As far as what I was feeling, like I said, I felt a little shaken up after the hit. Took a little while to get to my feet obviously, but I was fine. I told Reggie I was fine and told him, ‘I’m good to go.’”
(On if he felt like he had a concussion after the play happened)
“No, not at that point. It’s just like you do after every play. You see what just happened. You reevaluate the situation. What’s the down, what’s the distance, what’s the situation in the game? The play comes in and you go.”
(On if he imagined Case Keenum could be at the root of a big controversy)
“I think there’s a lot of other things. I think this has been kind of going on for a while. Obviously, it got blown up pretty big. Just from my phone being blown up from my friends who saw it or family members back home wondering how I’m doing. Obviously, I know it’s a big deal and it’s a touchy subject when it comes to a lot of things, but I have 100 percent trust in my training staff and my coaches that they wouldn’t put me out there if they didn’t feel I was 100 percent ready. And I’ve been completely honest with them on how I feel and that’s why I’ve been held out the last couple… the last week.”
(On what should’ve been done differently)
“I don’t know. That’s not my reason to say. For me, if you ask me if anything could be done differently, I could’ve thrown the ball on a free play to (WR) Kenny Britt who could’ve made a play and we kick a field goal and win the game.”
(On when he realized something was wrong)
“Intentional grounding. That’s what I’m thinking about is wrong. I was like, ‘I hope I didn’t get intentional grounding.’ When I got shaken up and (G) Garrett (Reynolds) was trying to pick me up, something was just a little off there. But like I said, Reggie came out, he obviously saw what happened and I was fine. I felt good enough to go. I told him, ‘I’m good to go’, got the play, called the next play perfectly and I knew what was going on.”
(On when after the game he knew he wasn’t feeling right)
“I don’t know…as far as the protocol, after the game you have so many emotions and so many things you feel. It’s hard to sit there and pinpoint what you’re feeling and what you’re thinking. Mostly you’re thinking about how it sucks that you just lost a game and I just fumbled to lose the game and they kicked a field goal. I felt pretty good the next couple of days. Tried to get out there and practice again and obviously something wasn’t right. That’s when Reggie kind of pulled in the reins a little bit and said, ‘Hey, we need to make sure you’re good to go before you get back out there.’”
(On any one or two symptoms he felt were holding him back from passing the protocol)
“That’s been the whole question. That’s what the training staff and I have been working on as far as for me, it’s not the easiest thing to articulate how I’m feeling. Obviously, my wife is the one that gets most of that. Reggie and I are like an old married couple like, ‘What are you thinking about buddy? What are you feeling?’ He was always asking and he was always there. He was good about it. As far as for me, headaches. I’m a grinder and I love to watch a lot film. When I can’t do that like I want to for a long time, that was one of the things that kind of got me a little bit.”
(On if Scott was responsible for 900 of the 1,000 times he was asked how he felt)
“Yeah, well he was the only one that I had to be 100 percent honest with. Him and my wife. There’s more similarities there.”
(On the opportunity to be the starting quarterback and what it meant to him when Head Coach Jeff Fisher told him he would be the starter)
“It means a tremendous amount. I love Coach Fisher, want to fight for him. To have the opportunity like this, obviously it’s a tough part of the season, but honestly, I’m not looking at what’s happened. I’m not looking ahead, I’m looking at today and how did practice today go. Grade myself on film today. What can I do to be better today in this next meeting here in 15 minutes? And then I’m going to go home and rest and do it against tomorrow. Take it one day at a time and then taking it this week a time. The Detroit Lions, what can we do to win this week? It’s a dream come true for me to be a starting quarterback in the NFL since I was five or six or seven years old in second grade and I told my teacher I wanted to be an NFL quarterback. She kind of said, ‘Well, OK Case.’ Well, I get to do that this week and there’s not many people that have ever gotten to do that, so I’m not taking it lightly.”
(On how coming back to a new offensive coordinator changes things)
“It is different. ‘Cig’ (Former Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti) was my guy. I love ‘Cig’ and respect him and really appreciate the football that I’ve learned from him. It’s a tough job that we play. It’s a tough game. It’s a production business and I’ve been fired three times and it won’t be the last time that I’m fired either. I’ll be fired again. I want to get into coaching and despite what everybody says I’m going to get fired when I’m a coach as well. You hope not, but that’s kind of the nature of the business. He’s a great man. He’s done some great things and he’s brought this team a long way. But, it’s just like how I approach this week. It’s looking forward to this week and looking forward to this next meeting. Looking forward toward tomorrow. (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Coach Rob (Boras) he’s done a great job today, the last couple of days and I’m really excited about the game plan and really excited about moving forward.”TR
(On how Rams Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras did at practice today)
“He did great. He’s sleep deprived, as you would expect and most of the offensive staff is and some of the defensive staff. He did a nice job today. We had a good practice. Players are excited. We’re moving forward.”
(On if he can help Boras out on gameday)
“He’s going to be fine. The big challenge is the game plan during the week. That’s the challenge in my opinion. Getting the plays called and getting them in, no, he’s not going to have any difficulty with that. No concerns about that. So, we have a really enthusiastic quarterback right now that knows this offense and wants to go out and make plays and is looking forward to his opportunity. We have to run the football. We have a huge challenge. This is a good defense. I’m familiar with this system. They’re good. They rush. They penetrate and they’re playing well. Then, the other of side of their ball, offensively, since the change has taken place, (Lions QB) Matthew’s (Stafford) playing really good and he’s got a good receiver out there. His name starts with a ‘C’ (Lions WR Calvin Johnson) or something. I don’t know what it is, but he’s got a pretty good receiver out there.”
(On how he thinks QB Case Keenum will do this time around considering the rough time he had against Baltimore)
“Yeah, it was. I mean, we couldn’t run the football against them, particularly because of the injuries we had up front and the changes that we had. But, it all starts there, and Rob’s (Boras) a fan of running the football, as I am. So, if we can run the football, then Case will have a good day. He’ll be able to put the ball down the field.”
(On his comments about getting RB Todd Gurley 1,000 yards by the end of this season)
“It came up in a conversation and it makes sense. If he’s at 835 and we’ve got four games left, it makes sense that he starts a roll for his career with 1,000-yard seasons.”
(On if he has much input on which plays are called during the games)
“I’m on the headset with all three phases, so yeah, I will have input. It’s been my philosophy not to interrupt a play calling sequence, particularly because I think that’s unfair, especially to an offensive play caller. But, suggestions will come in between series and/or if you’re in one of those situations where you’re third-and-one and you’ve got good field position, ‘Hey, you’ve got two shots.’ The worst thing that could happen to an offensive coordinator is you tell him on fourth-and-one to go for it and he hasn’t prepared for it on third-and-one. So, you want to give him an opportunity to plan and prepare.”
(On if things are looking good for CB Trumaine Johnson’s health)
“Yes. Yeah, he got out. He was limited, but he got out today. So, yeah. We could use ‘Tru’ this week, yeah.”
(On K Greg Zuerlein’s status)
“Greg was full practice. He kicked and he kicked well. So, we’re going to rest him tomorrow and then we’ll kick him again on Friday and see where he’s at. See how his kickoffs are.”
(On TE Lance Kendricks’ status)
“Lance did well today. He was limited. He exerted. He’s really ahead on the protocol. He did well. (DB) Janoris (Jenkins), on the other hand, did not. So, we’re going to be day-to-day on Janoris. It’s hard for me to predict, but we’re hoping Janoris comes around, obviously, and Trumaine, or we’re going to have some challenges in the secondary this week. But, it looks like Lance is going to be okay.”
(On if he’s still planning to make roster moves at the cornerback position)
“There is a potential for that, but we’re just waiting. We are going to create two roster spots in all likelihood, either today or tomorrow. We will be placing (DE) Rob Quinn on IR (injured reserve) for the remainder of the season with a back. He’s going to require season-ending surgery. That will also be the case for (S) T.J. (McDonald), who requires season-ending shoulder surgery. So unfortunately, we lost two really good defensive players. They’ll create a couple spots for us on the roster. We’ll probably wait a couple days until we fill those spots.”
(On how he feels about DE Robert Quinn’s back surgery)
“We’re moving forward with this. We’re being aggressive with this so that he can come back at 100 percent because this is…our concern is his future and we need to go ahead and move forward with this. He can come back. It’s a 10-12 week rehab and he’ll be back at 100 percent. We’re concerned about his future as we are T.J.’s future. He subluxed his shoulder again in the game, so he’s got more damage so he needs to get it fixed. It’s the unfortunate part of the game and we lost two really good defensive players for the remainder of the season. But, we’ll move on. That’s going to give (S) Maurice (Alexander) a chance to play. You’re going to get to see (DL) Ethan (Westbrooks) play out there because he can play out there. So, we’ll just play younger players and get them more experience.”
(On how much he misses Quinn)
“Well, yeah. I mean, when you talk about offenses are going to game plan around his presence and they’re concerned about where he is and what he’s doing, it allows you to a certain extent to dictate a little bit defensively. That’s also the case with (LB) Alec (Ogletree), too. I mean, Alec, there’s no telling where we’d be had we had a healthy Ogletree. So, yes, we’ve missed him and it’s affected the rest of the guys. That’s why I think as I mentioned Monday after the post-game press conference, the remarkable play that we’re getting out of (DT) Aaron Donald without the presence of Rob, I mean, it really speaks volumes of how well Aaron’s playing. When Rob’s out there, Aaron has a better opportunity to be productive. When Rob’s not out there, then they can focus on Aaron, as they have been doing, yet he’s still making those plays, play after play.”
(On if S T.J. McDonald’s shoulder has been bothering him or is this a new injury)
“No, he’s been dealing with it. Yeah, he’s had shoulder issues. He’s been dealing with a few things, but the shoulder subluxed and we’ve got some things we’ve got to get fixed. He’ll come back 100 percent, but it’s not fair to ask him to play under the circumstances.”
(On how good DT Aaron Donald is and what allows him to be able to keep switching positions)
“Well, he’ll line up and he’ll scan and he’ll see backfield sets and formations and anticipate things. He’s really smart as far as that’s concerned. Then, we’re doing our best to create the one-on-one in passing situations. In run situations, he’s going to get doubled and he’s still consistently splitting double teams and getting penetration and affecting the run game.”
Rams Assistant Head Coach/Offense Rob Boras – Post Practice – 12/9/15
(On what this week has been like for him)
“This week seems about a month. It’s been two days. My wife’s still waiting for me to call, but we’re excited. We’re all excited. I think the guys, the staff, everybody’s committed. We’re all moving forward. It’s been good.”
(On if he’s just texting his wife)
“I just…emojis now, so you don’t even have to type a whole word. I can just type a heart.”
(On the biggest adjustment going into the play calling role)
“We’ve all been involved with it. I mean, it’s been collective. It’s just obviously, just that thought of moving forward – always being a play in advance. We know the plan and we’re all involved with the plan. It’s just now having the ultimate decision to make the call at the time.”
(On if he feels like it will be an adjustment for him on game day)
“I’d be lying if I said no. Yeah, I mean, there’s going to be an adjustment. That’s part of the process. It’s not going to be perfect. Football isn’t perfect. I’m not going to be perfect. Plays aren’t perfect. That’s why you trust your players to move forward and that’s what we’re going to do.”
(On if he became more involved in the run game when he was promoted to the assistant head coach)
“Yeah, I’ve always been involved with it. (Offensive Line) Coach (Paul) Boudreau and (Running Backs) Coach (Ben) Sirmans and myself, I mean, it’s really been all three of us the whole time we’ve been here. It didn’t change dramatically. Maybe I was typing the scripts more and ‘Bou’ wasn’t, but at the end of the day, it was all three of us since we’ve been here doing it.”
(On if the change at offensive coordinator came as a total surprise to him)
“Yes.”
(On when he found out he would take over offensive play calling)
“(Head) Coach (Jeff Fisher) came to me at noon or whatever it was on Monday. I’ve obviously become really close with ‘Cig’ (Frank Cignetti) just since the time we’ve been here and that’s tough.”
(On if he’s been able to talk to Frank Cignetti)
“Oh yeah. He’s been great. I mean ‘Cig’ is…Frank’s a great person. The challenge to the players today was what we talked about was win today. We’ve had a lot of eye-opening things happen on this team the last couple of weeks – (WR) Stedman (Bailey), ‘Cig.’ All we’re ever guaranteed is today. That’s kind of the process that we’re doing going forward. Let’s win today and then tomorrow we’re going to come back and challenge them again to try and win today. That’s all we can do is go one day at a time.”
(On if the players are treating him differently)
“A couple of them have learned my name. (laughs) No, it’s a great group of guys. We all have our ups and downs. But, the thing we’ve said since we’ve been here, we have really good people in the locker room. They’re willing to do what they’re asked to do. We just have to be smart to ask them to do the right things. That’s a great group of guys.”
(On if much will change on Sunday)
“I don’t know how can change. Obviously, it’s a different philosophy. We have different thoughts, but at the end of the day, we’re pretty far down the road right now. There’s not going to be a whole lot that’s going to change.”
(On if it’s a little late to re-invent the wheel)
“Yeah. Finding out when we did, it’s hard to change a whole lot. You hope to become more efficient. We’ve got to try to put guys in the best position they can to make plays, but it can’t be a huge change. Guys can’t handle that right now. We’re too far entrenched with our system to think there’s going to be wholesale changes.”
(On if there is a hope to get RB Todd Gurley more touches even if it’s in the passing game)
“Without a doubt. Todd’s a special player. We have a number of special players on offense. Todd’s obviously, probably the best. Between Todd and (WR) ‘Tav’ (Tavon Austin), we’ve got special guys. Yeah, for that to happen, obviously, it’s got to be the type of game where we can keep handing him the ball. He’s too good a player.”
(On how much of it is quarterback awareness in terms of check downs and finding Gurley)
“I’ve been so focused on…again, I sit in all the meetings. I’m with the tight ends. I don’t want to say what it’s been in the past.”
(On if that’s an option to get Gurley the ball)
“Oh, sure. Yes, without a doubt. As any time, it doesn’t matter who’s coaching it or who’s calling the plays, the quarterback has a progression. You hope to put it where the guys that can make plays can get the ball.”
(On basically working in a new quarterback with Case Keenum)
“No and that’s the thing - I’m not going to pretend to go in there and pretend to be a quarterback coach now either. We have a quarterback coach and a really good one with Chris (Weinke). So, I’m not going to go in there and now start running those meetings. I’m trusting all the assistants just like I hope they would do me, just go in there and do their job. Of course, I sat in the quarterback room today and was involved with it. But, I’m not going to sit there and correct his footwork and things like that. We have a quarterback coach doing that.”
(On if he has any general ideas on how to improve third down efficiency)
“We started on it last night. We’re going to work on third down tonight as a staff and introduce it tomorrow. I’d be lying to say I had all the answers right now. I’m kind of holding on, just trying to figure out first and second down right now. We understand the inefficiencies we’ve had on third down and obviously, we need to improve on that. The way that happens, if that happens I should say, obviously, Todd has the ability and everybody on offense and they all know that, if we convert third downs, everybody has more opportunities to get touches. So, that’s going to be a big focus going forward tonight and tomorrow when we put it in.”
(On if he senses a lot of pressure to step in and try to get things turned around)
“I’d be lying if I said no. Yeah.”
(On the challenge of developing a feel for what’s going on in the game and the plays that he calls)
“Sure. Yeah and again, we all have different histories where we come from. So, within every system, it’s just maybe you’re emphasizing different parts. It’s not changing it. It’s just maybe you’re going to emphasize different things that you already have within your system.”
Rams QB Case Keenum – Post Practice – 12/9/15
(On how he’s been)
“I’ve been better, but I’m good now. I really am a lot better now. Thank you for asking, I appreciate it.”
(On how tough it was going through the protocol and not knowing when he could play)
“It was one of the tougher couple weeks for me. If it’s a sprained ankle or if it’s a sore whatever, you can kind of see the symptoms and know what’s going on and know how you feel. With your head, if I were to ask you 1,000 times in a row if your head hurts, it’s probably going to hurt after about 500 times of someone asking if it hurts. It’s hard to tell, especially with something like that.”
(On what he remembers from the play he got hurt on)
“I remember everything. I remember the play itself. Kind of a funky play, jumped offsides. I remember looking downfield and not throwing it. Obviously, not a great decision there. Trying to find my check down and he was eaten up, so I was just trying to get rid of the ball. Kind of got slammed and got shaken up a little bit. After I got up, (Director/Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott) came over and I was good. He told me to go down on a knee and I told him, ‘I’m good, I’m good.’ I went to the play. Got the play from the coach, went and called the next play and felt good to go.”
(On if he felt groggy at all)
“It’s hard to say in the heat of the moment what you’re feeling during a game. You don’t really have time to think about how you’re feeling when you’re trying to make a play, make a read, make a check, check your protection, react to defenses. As far as what I was feeling, like I said, I felt a little shaken up after the hit. Took a little while to get to my feet obviously, but I was fine. I told Reggie I was fine and told him, ‘I’m good to go.’”
(On if he felt like he had a concussion after the play happened)
“No, not at that point. It’s just like you do after every play. You see what just happened. You reevaluate the situation. What’s the down, what’s the distance, what’s the situation in the game? The play comes in and you go.”
(On if he imagined Case Keenum could be at the root of a big controversy)
“I think there’s a lot of other things. I think this has been kind of going on for a while. Obviously, it got blown up pretty big. Just from my phone being blown up from my friends who saw it or family members back home wondering how I’m doing. Obviously, I know it’s a big deal and it’s a touchy subject when it comes to a lot of things, but I have 100 percent trust in my training staff and my coaches that they wouldn’t put me out there if they didn’t feel I was 100 percent ready. And I’ve been completely honest with them on how I feel and that’s why I’ve been held out the last couple… the last week.”
(On what should’ve been done differently)
“I don’t know. That’s not my reason to say. For me, if you ask me if anything could be done differently, I could’ve thrown the ball on a free play to (WR) Kenny Britt who could’ve made a play and we kick a field goal and win the game.”
(On when he realized something was wrong)
“Intentional grounding. That’s what I’m thinking about is wrong. I was like, ‘I hope I didn’t get intentional grounding.’ When I got shaken up and (G) Garrett (Reynolds) was trying to pick me up, something was just a little off there. But like I said, Reggie came out, he obviously saw what happened and I was fine. I felt good enough to go. I told him, ‘I’m good to go’, got the play, called the next play perfectly and I knew what was going on.”
(On when after the game he knew he wasn’t feeling right)
“I don’t know…as far as the protocol, after the game you have so many emotions and so many things you feel. It’s hard to sit there and pinpoint what you’re feeling and what you’re thinking. Mostly you’re thinking about how it sucks that you just lost a game and I just fumbled to lose the game and they kicked a field goal. I felt pretty good the next couple of days. Tried to get out there and practice again and obviously something wasn’t right. That’s when Reggie kind of pulled in the reins a little bit and said, ‘Hey, we need to make sure you’re good to go before you get back out there.’”
(On any one or two symptoms he felt were holding him back from passing the protocol)
“That’s been the whole question. That’s what the training staff and I have been working on as far as for me, it’s not the easiest thing to articulate how I’m feeling. Obviously, my wife is the one that gets most of that. Reggie and I are like an old married couple like, ‘What are you thinking about buddy? What are you feeling?’ He was always asking and he was always there. He was good about it. As far as for me, headaches. I’m a grinder and I love to watch a lot film. When I can’t do that like I want to for a long time, that was one of the things that kind of got me a little bit.”
(On if Scott was responsible for 900 of the 1,000 times he was asked how he felt)
“Yeah, well he was the only one that I had to be 100 percent honest with. Him and my wife. There’s more similarities there.”
(On the opportunity to be the starting quarterback and what it meant to him when Head Coach Jeff Fisher told him he would be the starter)
“It means a tremendous amount. I love Coach Fisher, want to fight for him. To have the opportunity like this, obviously it’s a tough part of the season, but honestly, I’m not looking at what’s happened. I’m not looking ahead, I’m looking at today and how did practice today go. Grade myself on film today. What can I do to be better today in this next meeting here in 15 minutes? And then I’m going to go home and rest and do it against tomorrow. Take it one day at a time and then taking it this week a time. The Detroit Lions, what can we do to win this week? It’s a dream come true for me to be a starting quarterback in the NFL since I was five or six or seven years old in second grade and I told my teacher I wanted to be an NFL quarterback. She kind of said, ‘Well, OK Case.’ Well, I get to do that this week and there’s not many people that have ever gotten to do that, so I’m not taking it lightly.”
(On how coming back to a new offensive coordinator changes things)
“It is different. ‘Cig’ (Former Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti) was my guy. I love ‘Cig’ and respect him and really appreciate the football that I’ve learned from him. It’s a tough job that we play. It’s a tough game. It’s a production business and I’ve been fired three times and it won’t be the last time that I’m fired either. I’ll be fired again. I want to get into coaching and despite what everybody says I’m going to get fired when I’m a coach as well. You hope not, but that’s kind of the nature of the business. He’s a great man. He’s done some great things and he’s brought this team a long way. But, it’s just like how I approach this week. It’s looking forward to this week and looking forward to this next meeting. Looking forward toward tomorrow. (Assistant Head Coach/Offense) Coach Rob (Boras) he’s done a great job today, the last couple of days and I’m really excited about the game plan and really excited about moving forward.”TR
