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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post-Practice – June 6, 2013
[stl]11953dcc-3f59-400d-bc07-82c472708602[/stl]
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center/videos/Head-Coach-Jeff-Fisher-Press-Conference/11953dcc-3f59-400d-bc07-82c472708602" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center ... c472708602</a>
(On if he will be using some of the questionable tactics he used last year at the celebrity softball game)
“Yes. The results are already in the books. Our team won again. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but I know we’re going to end up with a win.”
(On if he is predicting victory in the commercials for the softball game)
“Yes, I am. I’m guaranteeing a victory. I had an opportunity a couple days ago to have a draft and draft my team. I went in my office, shut the door by myself and put my team together.”
(On expectations the second year for the softball game and if it is going to be bigger and better)
“We expect it to be because we’ve had a lot more time. The organization, I thought did a great job, and we’ve had a lot more time. We’ve brought some new sponsors on board and the weather is going to be great. I think having it on Sunday, late afternoon, early evening works out just great for us.”
(On what he has seen out of RB Zac Stacy)
“He’s done a good job. We went down and did a private workout with Zac and really liked what we saw. You do the film study. When you lead the SEC in rushing – you’ve got some skills. He’s done a great job of picking everything up right now. He’s doing well out of the backfield. You have to wait until the pads go on to fairly evaluate everybody, but he’s off to a good start.”
(On RB Isaiah Pead’s suspension)
“I can say this, we were aware of it for quite some time. This was an incident that took place last summer, so we dealt with it at that point knowing that the league was probably going to follow up. We were disappointed. So much time between the incident and where he’s at now, I believe it is behind him. Obviously, he has to suffer the consequences and miss the game but I’m pleased with how he’s bounced back and his professional approach to being a member of this team this year.”
(On if Pead’s suspension will factor into the competition at running back)
“It will not, no, whatsoever. There’s great competition there. He’s not going to be penalized as far as reps and carries during the preseason. We’re getting ready for a long haul and we’ll be without him for one week, which we understand, but it doesn’t complicate things.”
(On QB Sam Bradford moving around quickly at practice this year)
“He’s always had that ability, but you saw things pick up the middle part of the season last year as he became more familiar with what he was doing and his teammates. He’s done a great job with that.”
(On if that is a matter of Braford being in the same offense for a second year)
“Well, I think it’s being familiar with the guys around you, looking forward to the new pieces that we brought in and getting the sense of timing with them - that being Jared (Cook), and Tavon (Austin) Steadman (Bailey), and Austin (Pettis) is having a great offseason – it’s a byproduct, a reflection of the time that they’ve put in together, without the coaches. Sam (Bradford) took it upon himself to get the guys together numerous times before we started.”
(On taking a chance on a player like Terrell Brown and his thoughts on him)
“Well, I think I made this comment. You know when you’re on that Southwest flight and the middle seat is the only seat that’s open on the airplane and he walks in the door. It’s quite an experience. He’s a big man. You don’t want him sitting next to you on the airlines. He didn’t get a chance to play there on defense much and we brought him in and worked him out. We just felt like he would be better suited at the right offensive tackle position and nobody’s better than ‘Boo’ (offensive line coach Paul Boudreau) to try to develop him, so we’ll give him a chance.”
(On S Darian Stewart and where he is at this offseason)
“Well, he comes in penciled in as a starter. He had a great offseason up until last week, he’s got some soft tissue issues in the calf, so we’re holding him back right now. He’s got a good feel for what we’re doing and making all the calls and working well with the other three safeties.”
(On how LB Alec Ogletree has been so far)
“He’s done fine. He’s not having any issues. He’s picking it all up. He’s got some rare skills out there, from ball skills to instincts to gap fills to covering, rushing – he’s off to a good start.”
(On if Ogletree is more of a strongside linebacker)
“We’re going to play left and right, so he’ll be on the left side and Jo-Lonn (Dunbar) will be on the right.”
(On how satisfying it is when the ‘light comes on’ for the rookies)
“It’s satisfying, but from a rookie standpoint, the light will come on, but then they’ll go home for a week and it comes back off. That’s what you need to see, just the consistency day-to-day and we’re getting there.”
(On the keys to making the team for players that come from small schools)
“You come in the building, you learn what we’re doing, you’re comfortable and you have confidence on the field and confidence that you know you can compete, and then you have to have football instincts and be smart. That’s what a lot of these guys have done.”
(On if S Matt Daniels will be ready by training camp)
“Yes, it will be close, but it’s the ACL thing. He may start off on the PUP, we’ll see, but he’s working. He’s working good right now.”
(On his expectations for G Rokevious Watkins this year)
“Rok needs to continue to focus on his conditioning, continue to focus on his weight and focus on his football. This will be a big challenge for him. Last year when he left, he came back let me just say, he did not meet his weight requirement when he reported to camp. This year, he needs to do that when he comes back. Make sure he’s down.”
(On Watkins looking like he is in good shape)
“He’s been working very hard, yes.”
(On if his concern is the five weeks between OTAs and the start of camp)
“Yes. And that’s been expressed.”
(On TE Jared Cook saying that he was under-utilized in Tennessee and if he thinks Cook is just scratching the surface in the NFL at this point)
“What we’re getting from Jared out here is what we expected. The ball’s going around, we’re matching him up, we’re creating mismatches, he’s making plays. Whether he was or not, we feel like he can add a dimension to our offense that we don’t have.”
(On how he handles the rookies and signing contracts)
“We just feel like they’ll be better suited if we can take them through step A and B or financial planning 101 before we give them the money. It’s just that simple. We’ll get them all signed and we’re communicating with them. They have a roof over their head and three meals, and they’re doing fine right now.”
(On if part of it is that he wants to set expectations for them on and off field before signing contracts)
“Exactly. It’s a life-changing event for them. Try to better prepare them for that.”
Rams QB Sam Bradford – Post-Practice – June 6, 2013
[stl]275d3bef-1eeb-4f82-b11d-2a4261b8ab9f[/stl]
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center/videos/QB-Sam-Bradford-Press-Conference-/275d3bef-1eeb-4f82-b11d-2a4261b8ab9f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center ... 4261b8ab9f</a>
(On how the rookie wide receivers are coming along since the start of OTAs)
“It’s definitely come a long way since two, three weeks ago when we first started with those rookies. I’ve been really impressed by some of the young guys that we’ve had – Tavon (Austin), Stedman (Bailey) – thought they’ve done a great job. We’re asking them to play a lot of different positions right now. Of course there’s still mistakes, but for the most part they’ve been extremely sharp. The chemistry, I think, is really coming along. We put some time in after practice together and obviously the more reps we’ve gotten together on the field in practice, things have really started to click.”
(On if he will take some of the receivers to Norman, Okla. this year)
“Yes. I’m actually planning on that. I’m having a camp. I believe it’s the second weekend of July. So, I’m planning on bringing those guys in and getting a few days of work with them and hopefully they can stay and help out with my camp as well.”
(On who will get to stay in the Sam Bradford themed-room this year when he brings the receivers to Oklahoma)
“I don’t know yet. That’s up to the people at the hotel. Hopefully no one has to stay in that room. We can get them some better players to stay in.”
(On what he thinks the biggest adjustment is for the newer receivers)
“A lot of it is just timing. Everyone has different steps, different speeds. They see things and anticipate things differently. Obviously, after working with Danny (Amendola) and Gibby (Brandon Gibson) for three years, building our chemistry, it was really good and I had a great feel for where they were going to be and how they were going to run routes. I think the biggest thing is just getting on the same page – how they see the route and how they want to run the route. Then also myself having some input on how I believe it should be run and where the ball should be caught. It’s just getting all that timing and steps down.”
(On if he thinks the offense will be significantly different in terms of passing considering the loss of Steven Jackson and the WRs drafted in the past two years)
“I wouldn’t say more pass happy, but it’s definitely going to be a different offense. I think if you look at the speed we have now compared to the speed we’ve had in past years, we have significantly more speed this year. Obviously with Steven gone, we don’t have a big, physical running back. The running backs we have now are a little smaller, but they’re quicker in space. I don’t know if it means if we’re going to throw the ball more. I’d be fine with that. I would definitely think we’d probably move more to the one back world, spread people out. I think that’s probably the direction we’re going.”
(On if he was surprised when he found out the Rams weren’t having a veteran minicamp)
“To be honest, we get the same work done in OTAs as we do at minicamp. We’re allowed to be here a little longer, so we can meet longer. I think (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher knows exactly what he’s doing. If he thought we needed the minicamp, we’d be here. But the way that we’ve been able to come out and get work done during OTAs, I think we’re going to get just as much accomplished.”
(On if the playbook is similar to last year)
“For the most part it’s the same. I think the installs have gone a lot faster. Last year, year one, you really have to start with the basics, with everything. You start with formations. I mean, everything is very simple and then you build your way into third down, red zone, the different situations that you get into during a game. Whereas in year two, we went back and looked at some of the areas we need to be better at and we need to be better on third down. We need to be better in the money zone. So, starting day one we were able to start working on those areas and I think that’s been one of the biggest differences, is just the speed that we’re able to get to different situations.”
(On the growth he has seen from WR Chris Givens)
“I expect Chris to have a great year. He works extremely hard. I think one of the most impressive things about him these past couple weeks, is we’re starting to move him around, too. Where last year he primarily played ‘Z’ for us, now he’s being asked to play inside. He’s being asked to go backside and play ‘X’. He’s a really, really smart football player. He understands the game. He understands our offense. I think by moving him to different spots in our offense, he’ll be able to run more routes. There’s only so many routes you can run from one position, but when you move him to two or three different spots, you can incorporate him in the whole offense. It just gives him the opportunity to run different routes and be in different spots.”
(On his early impressions on TE Jared Cook)
“He’s good. I don’t know if you guys have noticed that, he’s good. Cook, he’s been great so far. Just the added dimension, obviously (TE) Lance (Kendricks) has some speed, but now that we’ve got him and Lance, that’s a lot of speed inside. He’s a big body running down the middle of the field. It’s going to be hard for people to match up with him. If they want to put a ‘Mike’ linebacker on him, then we’ll take that matchup all day. It’s just going to give us the ability to open the playbook and kind of stretch the middle of the field and put stress on the defense in there.”
(On if he thinks NFL has evolved where offenses are more speed-based as opposed to power-based)
“I think you’ve seen it, the numbers. Everyone’s throwing the ball more, which I think would indicate that it’s definitely gone to more of a finesse passing, speed game as to a power run game.”
(On how different the culture is in the building compared to when he walked into OTAs last year)
“It’s completely different. Obviously, just going into year two, we’re comfortable with the coaching staff. We know what to expect on a day to day basis. We know how the meetings are going to be run. We know how the practices are going to be run. On the offensive side of the ball, year two of the offense, we’re much more comfortable in what we’re doing. We’re not hearing things for the first time and then coming out here and trying to run them. We’ve run everything. I think the confidence, just being in year two, when everyone’s comfortable, everyone’s confident. I think there’s just a sense of confidence in this building. We’re looking to build upon what we did last year.”
(On if St. Louis is sending more trucks to Oklahoma for tornado relief due to the large amount of donations received)
“I’m not positive. To be honest, I think they just put it in one really big truck. But I do know they collected, I think, over 80,000 pounds of goods. I think they raised over $15,000 in donations at the site. So it was extremely successful and I want to thank everyone again for what they were able to do.”
(On if he went back home after the last OTA)
“I was home for a couple days last week.”
(On Oklahoma and St. Louis enduring tornados last week)
“Hopefully they’re done now.”
[stl]11953dcc-3f59-400d-bc07-82c472708602[/stl]
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center/videos/Head-Coach-Jeff-Fisher-Press-Conference/11953dcc-3f59-400d-bc07-82c472708602" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center ... c472708602</a>
(On if he will be using some of the questionable tactics he used last year at the celebrity softball game)
“Yes. The results are already in the books. Our team won again. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but I know we’re going to end up with a win.”
(On if he is predicting victory in the commercials for the softball game)
“Yes, I am. I’m guaranteeing a victory. I had an opportunity a couple days ago to have a draft and draft my team. I went in my office, shut the door by myself and put my team together.”
(On expectations the second year for the softball game and if it is going to be bigger and better)
“We expect it to be because we’ve had a lot more time. The organization, I thought did a great job, and we’ve had a lot more time. We’ve brought some new sponsors on board and the weather is going to be great. I think having it on Sunday, late afternoon, early evening works out just great for us.”
(On what he has seen out of RB Zac Stacy)
“He’s done a good job. We went down and did a private workout with Zac and really liked what we saw. You do the film study. When you lead the SEC in rushing – you’ve got some skills. He’s done a great job of picking everything up right now. He’s doing well out of the backfield. You have to wait until the pads go on to fairly evaluate everybody, but he’s off to a good start.”
(On RB Isaiah Pead’s suspension)
“I can say this, we were aware of it for quite some time. This was an incident that took place last summer, so we dealt with it at that point knowing that the league was probably going to follow up. We were disappointed. So much time between the incident and where he’s at now, I believe it is behind him. Obviously, he has to suffer the consequences and miss the game but I’m pleased with how he’s bounced back and his professional approach to being a member of this team this year.”
(On if Pead’s suspension will factor into the competition at running back)
“It will not, no, whatsoever. There’s great competition there. He’s not going to be penalized as far as reps and carries during the preseason. We’re getting ready for a long haul and we’ll be without him for one week, which we understand, but it doesn’t complicate things.”
(On QB Sam Bradford moving around quickly at practice this year)
“He’s always had that ability, but you saw things pick up the middle part of the season last year as he became more familiar with what he was doing and his teammates. He’s done a great job with that.”
(On if that is a matter of Braford being in the same offense for a second year)
“Well, I think it’s being familiar with the guys around you, looking forward to the new pieces that we brought in and getting the sense of timing with them - that being Jared (Cook), and Tavon (Austin) Steadman (Bailey), and Austin (Pettis) is having a great offseason – it’s a byproduct, a reflection of the time that they’ve put in together, without the coaches. Sam (Bradford) took it upon himself to get the guys together numerous times before we started.”
(On taking a chance on a player like Terrell Brown and his thoughts on him)
“Well, I think I made this comment. You know when you’re on that Southwest flight and the middle seat is the only seat that’s open on the airplane and he walks in the door. It’s quite an experience. He’s a big man. You don’t want him sitting next to you on the airlines. He didn’t get a chance to play there on defense much and we brought him in and worked him out. We just felt like he would be better suited at the right offensive tackle position and nobody’s better than ‘Boo’ (offensive line coach Paul Boudreau) to try to develop him, so we’ll give him a chance.”
(On S Darian Stewart and where he is at this offseason)
“Well, he comes in penciled in as a starter. He had a great offseason up until last week, he’s got some soft tissue issues in the calf, so we’re holding him back right now. He’s got a good feel for what we’re doing and making all the calls and working well with the other three safeties.”
(On how LB Alec Ogletree has been so far)
“He’s done fine. He’s not having any issues. He’s picking it all up. He’s got some rare skills out there, from ball skills to instincts to gap fills to covering, rushing – he’s off to a good start.”
(On if Ogletree is more of a strongside linebacker)
“We’re going to play left and right, so he’ll be on the left side and Jo-Lonn (Dunbar) will be on the right.”
(On how satisfying it is when the ‘light comes on’ for the rookies)
“It’s satisfying, but from a rookie standpoint, the light will come on, but then they’ll go home for a week and it comes back off. That’s what you need to see, just the consistency day-to-day and we’re getting there.”
(On the keys to making the team for players that come from small schools)
“You come in the building, you learn what we’re doing, you’re comfortable and you have confidence on the field and confidence that you know you can compete, and then you have to have football instincts and be smart. That’s what a lot of these guys have done.”
(On if S Matt Daniels will be ready by training camp)
“Yes, it will be close, but it’s the ACL thing. He may start off on the PUP, we’ll see, but he’s working. He’s working good right now.”
(On his expectations for G Rokevious Watkins this year)
“Rok needs to continue to focus on his conditioning, continue to focus on his weight and focus on his football. This will be a big challenge for him. Last year when he left, he came back let me just say, he did not meet his weight requirement when he reported to camp. This year, he needs to do that when he comes back. Make sure he’s down.”
(On Watkins looking like he is in good shape)
“He’s been working very hard, yes.”
(On if his concern is the five weeks between OTAs and the start of camp)
“Yes. And that’s been expressed.”
(On TE Jared Cook saying that he was under-utilized in Tennessee and if he thinks Cook is just scratching the surface in the NFL at this point)
“What we’re getting from Jared out here is what we expected. The ball’s going around, we’re matching him up, we’re creating mismatches, he’s making plays. Whether he was or not, we feel like he can add a dimension to our offense that we don’t have.”
(On how he handles the rookies and signing contracts)
“We just feel like they’ll be better suited if we can take them through step A and B or financial planning 101 before we give them the money. It’s just that simple. We’ll get them all signed and we’re communicating with them. They have a roof over their head and three meals, and they’re doing fine right now.”
(On if part of it is that he wants to set expectations for them on and off field before signing contracts)
“Exactly. It’s a life-changing event for them. Try to better prepare them for that.”
Rams QB Sam Bradford – Post-Practice – June 6, 2013
[stl]275d3bef-1eeb-4f82-b11d-2a4261b8ab9f[/stl]
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center/videos/QB-Sam-Bradford-Press-Conference-/275d3bef-1eeb-4f82-b11d-2a4261b8ab9f" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.stlouisrams.com/media-center ... 4261b8ab9f</a>
(On how the rookie wide receivers are coming along since the start of OTAs)
“It’s definitely come a long way since two, three weeks ago when we first started with those rookies. I’ve been really impressed by some of the young guys that we’ve had – Tavon (Austin), Stedman (Bailey) – thought they’ve done a great job. We’re asking them to play a lot of different positions right now. Of course there’s still mistakes, but for the most part they’ve been extremely sharp. The chemistry, I think, is really coming along. We put some time in after practice together and obviously the more reps we’ve gotten together on the field in practice, things have really started to click.”
(On if he will take some of the receivers to Norman, Okla. this year)
“Yes. I’m actually planning on that. I’m having a camp. I believe it’s the second weekend of July. So, I’m planning on bringing those guys in and getting a few days of work with them and hopefully they can stay and help out with my camp as well.”
(On who will get to stay in the Sam Bradford themed-room this year when he brings the receivers to Oklahoma)
“I don’t know yet. That’s up to the people at the hotel. Hopefully no one has to stay in that room. We can get them some better players to stay in.”
(On what he thinks the biggest adjustment is for the newer receivers)
“A lot of it is just timing. Everyone has different steps, different speeds. They see things and anticipate things differently. Obviously, after working with Danny (Amendola) and Gibby (Brandon Gibson) for three years, building our chemistry, it was really good and I had a great feel for where they were going to be and how they were going to run routes. I think the biggest thing is just getting on the same page – how they see the route and how they want to run the route. Then also myself having some input on how I believe it should be run and where the ball should be caught. It’s just getting all that timing and steps down.”
(On if he thinks the offense will be significantly different in terms of passing considering the loss of Steven Jackson and the WRs drafted in the past two years)
“I wouldn’t say more pass happy, but it’s definitely going to be a different offense. I think if you look at the speed we have now compared to the speed we’ve had in past years, we have significantly more speed this year. Obviously with Steven gone, we don’t have a big, physical running back. The running backs we have now are a little smaller, but they’re quicker in space. I don’t know if it means if we’re going to throw the ball more. I’d be fine with that. I would definitely think we’d probably move more to the one back world, spread people out. I think that’s probably the direction we’re going.”
(On if he was surprised when he found out the Rams weren’t having a veteran minicamp)
“To be honest, we get the same work done in OTAs as we do at minicamp. We’re allowed to be here a little longer, so we can meet longer. I think (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher knows exactly what he’s doing. If he thought we needed the minicamp, we’d be here. But the way that we’ve been able to come out and get work done during OTAs, I think we’re going to get just as much accomplished.”
(On if the playbook is similar to last year)
“For the most part it’s the same. I think the installs have gone a lot faster. Last year, year one, you really have to start with the basics, with everything. You start with formations. I mean, everything is very simple and then you build your way into third down, red zone, the different situations that you get into during a game. Whereas in year two, we went back and looked at some of the areas we need to be better at and we need to be better on third down. We need to be better in the money zone. So, starting day one we were able to start working on those areas and I think that’s been one of the biggest differences, is just the speed that we’re able to get to different situations.”
(On the growth he has seen from WR Chris Givens)
“I expect Chris to have a great year. He works extremely hard. I think one of the most impressive things about him these past couple weeks, is we’re starting to move him around, too. Where last year he primarily played ‘Z’ for us, now he’s being asked to play inside. He’s being asked to go backside and play ‘X’. He’s a really, really smart football player. He understands the game. He understands our offense. I think by moving him to different spots in our offense, he’ll be able to run more routes. There’s only so many routes you can run from one position, but when you move him to two or three different spots, you can incorporate him in the whole offense. It just gives him the opportunity to run different routes and be in different spots.”
(On his early impressions on TE Jared Cook)
“He’s good. I don’t know if you guys have noticed that, he’s good. Cook, he’s been great so far. Just the added dimension, obviously (TE) Lance (Kendricks) has some speed, but now that we’ve got him and Lance, that’s a lot of speed inside. He’s a big body running down the middle of the field. It’s going to be hard for people to match up with him. If they want to put a ‘Mike’ linebacker on him, then we’ll take that matchup all day. It’s just going to give us the ability to open the playbook and kind of stretch the middle of the field and put stress on the defense in there.”
(On if he thinks NFL has evolved where offenses are more speed-based as opposed to power-based)
“I think you’ve seen it, the numbers. Everyone’s throwing the ball more, which I think would indicate that it’s definitely gone to more of a finesse passing, speed game as to a power run game.”
(On how different the culture is in the building compared to when he walked into OTAs last year)
“It’s completely different. Obviously, just going into year two, we’re comfortable with the coaching staff. We know what to expect on a day to day basis. We know how the meetings are going to be run. We know how the practices are going to be run. On the offensive side of the ball, year two of the offense, we’re much more comfortable in what we’re doing. We’re not hearing things for the first time and then coming out here and trying to run them. We’ve run everything. I think the confidence, just being in year two, when everyone’s comfortable, everyone’s confident. I think there’s just a sense of confidence in this building. We’re looking to build upon what we did last year.”
(On if St. Louis is sending more trucks to Oklahoma for tornado relief due to the large amount of donations received)
“I’m not positive. To be honest, I think they just put it in one really big truck. But I do know they collected, I think, over 80,000 pounds of goods. I think they raised over $15,000 in donations at the site. So it was extremely successful and I want to thank everyone again for what they were able to do.”
(On if he went back home after the last OTA)
“I was home for a couple days last week.”
(On Oklahoma and St. Louis enduring tornados last week)
“Hopefully they’re done now.”
