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Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians – Conference Call – December 4, 2013
(On how the Cardinals are different from when they played the Rams in Week 1)
“Gosh, almost dramatically. We had some injuries and some changes in positions like everybody else has coming down the stretch. I think we’ve gradually gotten better, running the ball a little bit better and stopping the run a little better.”
(On how having LB Daryl Washington back has helped the Cardinals’ improved defense)
“Tremendously. You take a Pro Bowl player out of the game for four weeks, it makes a huge difference. (LB) Jasper Brinkley played his tail off as hard as he could play, but Daryl just gives you so much more flexibility in what you can do with your linebackers and who they cover and he’s a great blitzer. So yeah, it’s a huge thing, the speed he brings back to the field.”
(On how OLB John Abraham has helped the defense)
“We lost all three starting outside linebackers in the Saints game (Week 3) and John got thrown into the outside linebacker job and is playing full time and is just flourishing, playing great. Averaging 50, 55 snaps a game, which is higher than we thought we would have him play. But, he’s doing a great job in holding up and he’s got a great sack streak going.”
(On DE Calais Campbell playing consistently over the last couple seasons for the Cardinals)
“Yeah, he’s really improved using his hands and playing at a very high level on a very consistent basis now.”
(On what it’s like playing in the NFC West where just about every team as an elite defense)
“I don’t think there’s any doubt, it makes it extremely tough. It’s very hard on young quarterbacks when you have to go against those kinds of defenses twice a year, but it’s fun. It reminds me a lot of the AFC North four or five years ago. Everybody was extremely physical, all had great young quarterbacks. It’s a great division.”
(On if the Cardinals can put last week’s loss to Philadelphia behind them going into this week)
“Yeah, there’s no doubt. We felt like we had a chance and didn’t play our best football. Philadelphia, give them all the credit. They won the football game and we had our chances in the fourth quarter to get back and didn’t do it. But, I think when you have good leadership you never want to lose two in a row. You never want to lose at home and our focus is on winning a division game. We haven’t won a division game in a long time. So, we definitely want to play our best on this Sunday.”
(On what has changed most about the Rams offense)
“The biggest thing is (RB Zac) Stacy running the football, and I think Kellen Clemens is a heck of a quarterback. He beat me when he was with the Jets, he beat us in Pittsburgh. I’ve got all the respect in the world for him. I think he’s a top-flight guy. He never beats himself, and it looks like (WR) Tavon (Austin) has found his niche in the offense. With those two guys outside, you’ve got tremendous speed, which opens it all up for (TE) Jared Cook, who I think is the biggest game breaker. But, Stacy running the football has been very impressive and then ‘Schotty’s’ (Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) doing a heck of a job with him.”
(On what he sees from the Rams’ defense)
“Same thing (Head Coach) Jeff’s (Fisher) always had – great speed, 4-3 defense and they’re very aggressive. Those two ends are probably the best young pair in the league. Robert’s (Quinn) playing at an extremely high level. But the entire group – speed at linebacker, probably one of the best young groups in the league, and their back end’s holding up pretty solid. So, yeah, they’re a huge challenge.”
(On if there is a particular reason for their success at home this season)
“We’ve had good crowds and they’ve been very passionate. We had the one loss to Seattle, but we’ve been playing very well at home and we want to continue that. That’s the one thing that when you play in a tough division, you’ve got to win your home games.”
(On QB Carson Palmer and his rapport with the receiving corps)
“They’ve been having very good success. We did have some interceptions this past game where we haven’t had many, but one was a bad throw and the other two, he was getting hit when he was throwing. So, we had the other one and the sack fumble, that’s exactly what we have to guard from this week and we can’t let anybody run the corner on the back edge to get that ball out.”
(On if teams have been focusing their passing attack up the middle due to the strength and skill of their cornerbacks)
“Well, I think we match up pretty well on the outside. We’ll have some big challenges this week, but I think that’s throughout the entire National Football League. The athletic, young tight ends, that’s probably the one position that’s gotten so much better in the last five years that create mismatches on linebackers and safeties. When you’re running the football, you’re going to get guys down in the box, and then a linebacker or safety has got to cover a guy like that.”
(On if many athletic tight ends coming into the league have been a recent trend)
“Yeah I think there’s a bunch of guys that decided they weren’t going to make it in the NBA and decided they could make it in the NFL. They’re very athletic and they’re all 6’6”, 6’7” and can run. He’s (Jared Cook) obviously one of the best ones to come out in a while.”
(On the tight ends maybe not being able to shoot a jump shot and trying their hand at football)
“Yeah, that’s kind of an inbetweener for basketball. You’ve either got to be 7’1” or 6’8” to play point guard.”
(On WR Michael Floyd’s development)
“Michael has had a great month and he’s playing with a bum shoulder, so I’m very proud of him. I knew he should have a breakout year. He works extremely hard, and he and Carson (Palmer) have a pretty good rapport right now.”
(On if he discusses the playoff race with his players)
“No, we try to stay away from it. We try to stay game to game. We’ll just add them up at the end. This is a situation this year, heck, 11-5 might not get in in the NFC, so you just try to win each game and see how they fall.”
Arizona Cardinals DE Calais Campbell – Conference Call – December 4, 2013
(On the differences of the Cardinals team from their first meeting with the Rams to now)
“That was the first game of the season with a very new team. A lot of guys that were new pieces to the puzzle, so we tried to get really a feel for each other, and then we also had ‘D. Wash’ (LB Daryl Washington) out. That was a big loss because he’s one of our premier players on defense, so a lot has changed since then. That was the first game of the season, so it’s always one of those, you’ve just got to get a feel for each other.”
(On the biggest changes in the Rams’ offense since Week 1)
“That Stacy (RB Zac Stacy) guy, the running back Stacy, he’s a lot more elusive it seems like. He has really good vision, and I feel like he’s really running the ball better than we’ve seen lately.”
(On if the Rams having QB Kellen Clemens changes anything in their preparation)
“His style, I feel like it affects the play calling. I think when they had (QB Sam) Bradford back there, they really threw the ball a lot more, trying to let him become their premier quarterback, but now that Clemens is there, it’s like just manage the game well and just make sure we win it, which sometimes I feel like it might be a better game plan – just do what works. I feel like with the defense that the Rams have, it’s a really good game plan because they let the defense do what they do, and then Clemens just gets the ball into the playmakers’ hands.”
(On if their defensive style is more aggressive than in previous years)
“Yeah, a whole lot more aggressive. Our style is definitely completely different. It’s the same scheme but the style is different. That’s what makes it different than in years past is really we’re just a lot more aggressive getting off the ball and getting penetration as opposed to gap control, sometimes playing a gap and a half or two gaps. So, now it’s just get up field and wreak havoc and it think that’s more of our style. I think for the personnel we have on our defense, getting up and wreaking havoc really works for us.”
(On the biggest difference in how they’ve played in the second half of the season)
“I feel like any time you have a new system, it really is buying into it and trusting the system. It usually takes the guys a few weeks to really buy in and trust what the coaches want to do. I felt like we started buying in to what our coaches are preaching and it’s just worked for us. It really took us to another level.”
(On how tough it is playing in the NFC West)
“Yeah, I guess I was listening, according to some statistics out there, our record against opponents out our division and our record in our division, so it really is the best division in football, in my opinion, and it’s tough. Everybody in this division knows that every win comes with a hard fought battle. Nothing comes easy in this division, and that’s what makes it special, though, but it’s been too long. It’s something that we’re really hoping to get now going almost two years without a division win, that’s unheard of. This is the NFL. It isn’t supposed to be that way, so we’ve got to find a way to be competitive in our division.”
(On how confident they feel playing at home, being 5-1 this year at home)
“Yeah, home is a big deal for us. The game plan is usually win all your games at home and then scratch up a few on the road, that’s what Coach (Bruce Arians) always says. That’s pretty much the goal – you’ve got to protect home field advantage. Any time you have your crowd behind you, you have to utilize them and really make teams pay.”
(On if the team put the tough loss in Philadelphia last week behind them as they look forward to this weekend)
“Yeah, you have to. In the NFL you have to have a short-term memory. That game really hurt, we wish we could’ve won it, we had opportunities. I think we started a little too slow and turned it on a little too late. I feel like it was one of those things, we put ourselves in a very bad situation, so the future, these next four games, we have to play our best football. We have to play mistake-free and play a hard game to really give ourselves a chance to be a playoff contender. But it really starts just with…let that game go and move on to this week. It’s one game at a time and just play our best football every time we’re on the field.”
(On if it feels like it’s been a long time since he was in the Super Bowl as a rookie)
“To a degree, it feels like it was yesterday, but then when you actually look at the thick of things, it’s like wow, that was a long time ago. Our team has changed so much. I think from that team, we only have five players still on the roster. Out of 53, that’s not much at all. It definitely is one of those things where as a rookie I didn’t understand how sweet it was. I knew it was a big deal, but I didn’t know how hard it was to get there, and now having been a seasoned vet and been in the league for six years, I’ve realized the opportunity only comes so often. Hopefully we get a chance to get back there during my career, but it’s one of those things where I know it’s possible because I’ve been there before, so it’s just motivation to get back.”
(On how the Cardinals are different from when they played the Rams in Week 1)
“Gosh, almost dramatically. We had some injuries and some changes in positions like everybody else has coming down the stretch. I think we’ve gradually gotten better, running the ball a little bit better and stopping the run a little better.”
(On how having LB Daryl Washington back has helped the Cardinals’ improved defense)
“Tremendously. You take a Pro Bowl player out of the game for four weeks, it makes a huge difference. (LB) Jasper Brinkley played his tail off as hard as he could play, but Daryl just gives you so much more flexibility in what you can do with your linebackers and who they cover and he’s a great blitzer. So yeah, it’s a huge thing, the speed he brings back to the field.”
(On how OLB John Abraham has helped the defense)
“We lost all three starting outside linebackers in the Saints game (Week 3) and John got thrown into the outside linebacker job and is playing full time and is just flourishing, playing great. Averaging 50, 55 snaps a game, which is higher than we thought we would have him play. But, he’s doing a great job in holding up and he’s got a great sack streak going.”
(On DE Calais Campbell playing consistently over the last couple seasons for the Cardinals)
“Yeah, he’s really improved using his hands and playing at a very high level on a very consistent basis now.”
(On what it’s like playing in the NFC West where just about every team as an elite defense)
“I don’t think there’s any doubt, it makes it extremely tough. It’s very hard on young quarterbacks when you have to go against those kinds of defenses twice a year, but it’s fun. It reminds me a lot of the AFC North four or five years ago. Everybody was extremely physical, all had great young quarterbacks. It’s a great division.”
(On if the Cardinals can put last week’s loss to Philadelphia behind them going into this week)
“Yeah, there’s no doubt. We felt like we had a chance and didn’t play our best football. Philadelphia, give them all the credit. They won the football game and we had our chances in the fourth quarter to get back and didn’t do it. But, I think when you have good leadership you never want to lose two in a row. You never want to lose at home and our focus is on winning a division game. We haven’t won a division game in a long time. So, we definitely want to play our best on this Sunday.”
(On what has changed most about the Rams offense)
“The biggest thing is (RB Zac) Stacy running the football, and I think Kellen Clemens is a heck of a quarterback. He beat me when he was with the Jets, he beat us in Pittsburgh. I’ve got all the respect in the world for him. I think he’s a top-flight guy. He never beats himself, and it looks like (WR) Tavon (Austin) has found his niche in the offense. With those two guys outside, you’ve got tremendous speed, which opens it all up for (TE) Jared Cook, who I think is the biggest game breaker. But, Stacy running the football has been very impressive and then ‘Schotty’s’ (Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) doing a heck of a job with him.”
(On what he sees from the Rams’ defense)
“Same thing (Head Coach) Jeff’s (Fisher) always had – great speed, 4-3 defense and they’re very aggressive. Those two ends are probably the best young pair in the league. Robert’s (Quinn) playing at an extremely high level. But the entire group – speed at linebacker, probably one of the best young groups in the league, and their back end’s holding up pretty solid. So, yeah, they’re a huge challenge.”
(On if there is a particular reason for their success at home this season)
“We’ve had good crowds and they’ve been very passionate. We had the one loss to Seattle, but we’ve been playing very well at home and we want to continue that. That’s the one thing that when you play in a tough division, you’ve got to win your home games.”
(On QB Carson Palmer and his rapport with the receiving corps)
“They’ve been having very good success. We did have some interceptions this past game where we haven’t had many, but one was a bad throw and the other two, he was getting hit when he was throwing. So, we had the other one and the sack fumble, that’s exactly what we have to guard from this week and we can’t let anybody run the corner on the back edge to get that ball out.”
(On if teams have been focusing their passing attack up the middle due to the strength and skill of their cornerbacks)
“Well, I think we match up pretty well on the outside. We’ll have some big challenges this week, but I think that’s throughout the entire National Football League. The athletic, young tight ends, that’s probably the one position that’s gotten so much better in the last five years that create mismatches on linebackers and safeties. When you’re running the football, you’re going to get guys down in the box, and then a linebacker or safety has got to cover a guy like that.”
(On if many athletic tight ends coming into the league have been a recent trend)
“Yeah I think there’s a bunch of guys that decided they weren’t going to make it in the NBA and decided they could make it in the NFL. They’re very athletic and they’re all 6’6”, 6’7” and can run. He’s (Jared Cook) obviously one of the best ones to come out in a while.”
(On the tight ends maybe not being able to shoot a jump shot and trying their hand at football)
“Yeah, that’s kind of an inbetweener for basketball. You’ve either got to be 7’1” or 6’8” to play point guard.”
(On WR Michael Floyd’s development)
“Michael has had a great month and he’s playing with a bum shoulder, so I’m very proud of him. I knew he should have a breakout year. He works extremely hard, and he and Carson (Palmer) have a pretty good rapport right now.”
(On if he discusses the playoff race with his players)
“No, we try to stay away from it. We try to stay game to game. We’ll just add them up at the end. This is a situation this year, heck, 11-5 might not get in in the NFC, so you just try to win each game and see how they fall.”
Arizona Cardinals DE Calais Campbell – Conference Call – December 4, 2013
(On the differences of the Cardinals team from their first meeting with the Rams to now)
“That was the first game of the season with a very new team. A lot of guys that were new pieces to the puzzle, so we tried to get really a feel for each other, and then we also had ‘D. Wash’ (LB Daryl Washington) out. That was a big loss because he’s one of our premier players on defense, so a lot has changed since then. That was the first game of the season, so it’s always one of those, you’ve just got to get a feel for each other.”
(On the biggest changes in the Rams’ offense since Week 1)
“That Stacy (RB Zac Stacy) guy, the running back Stacy, he’s a lot more elusive it seems like. He has really good vision, and I feel like he’s really running the ball better than we’ve seen lately.”
(On if the Rams having QB Kellen Clemens changes anything in their preparation)
“His style, I feel like it affects the play calling. I think when they had (QB Sam) Bradford back there, they really threw the ball a lot more, trying to let him become their premier quarterback, but now that Clemens is there, it’s like just manage the game well and just make sure we win it, which sometimes I feel like it might be a better game plan – just do what works. I feel like with the defense that the Rams have, it’s a really good game plan because they let the defense do what they do, and then Clemens just gets the ball into the playmakers’ hands.”
(On if their defensive style is more aggressive than in previous years)
“Yeah, a whole lot more aggressive. Our style is definitely completely different. It’s the same scheme but the style is different. That’s what makes it different than in years past is really we’re just a lot more aggressive getting off the ball and getting penetration as opposed to gap control, sometimes playing a gap and a half or two gaps. So, now it’s just get up field and wreak havoc and it think that’s more of our style. I think for the personnel we have on our defense, getting up and wreaking havoc really works for us.”
(On the biggest difference in how they’ve played in the second half of the season)
“I feel like any time you have a new system, it really is buying into it and trusting the system. It usually takes the guys a few weeks to really buy in and trust what the coaches want to do. I felt like we started buying in to what our coaches are preaching and it’s just worked for us. It really took us to another level.”
(On how tough it is playing in the NFC West)
“Yeah, I guess I was listening, according to some statistics out there, our record against opponents out our division and our record in our division, so it really is the best division in football, in my opinion, and it’s tough. Everybody in this division knows that every win comes with a hard fought battle. Nothing comes easy in this division, and that’s what makes it special, though, but it’s been too long. It’s something that we’re really hoping to get now going almost two years without a division win, that’s unheard of. This is the NFL. It isn’t supposed to be that way, so we’ve got to find a way to be competitive in our division.”
(On how confident they feel playing at home, being 5-1 this year at home)
“Yeah, home is a big deal for us. The game plan is usually win all your games at home and then scratch up a few on the road, that’s what Coach (Bruce Arians) always says. That’s pretty much the goal – you’ve got to protect home field advantage. Any time you have your crowd behind you, you have to utilize them and really make teams pay.”
(On if the team put the tough loss in Philadelphia last week behind them as they look forward to this weekend)
“Yeah, you have to. In the NFL you have to have a short-term memory. That game really hurt, we wish we could’ve won it, we had opportunities. I think we started a little too slow and turned it on a little too late. I feel like it was one of those things, we put ourselves in a very bad situation, so the future, these next four games, we have to play our best football. We have to play mistake-free and play a hard game to really give ourselves a chance to be a playoff contender. But it really starts just with…let that game go and move on to this week. It’s one game at a time and just play our best football every time we’re on the field.”
(On if it feels like it’s been a long time since he was in the Super Bowl as a rookie)
“To a degree, it feels like it was yesterday, but then when you actually look at the thick of things, it’s like wow, that was a long time ago. Our team has changed so much. I think from that team, we only have five players still on the roster. Out of 53, that’s not much at all. It definitely is one of those things where as a rookie I didn’t understand how sweet it was. I knew it was a big deal, but I didn’t know how hard it was to get there, and now having been a seasoned vet and been in the league for six years, I’ve realized the opportunity only comes so often. Hopefully we get a chance to get back there during my career, but it’s one of those things where I know it’s possible because I’ve been there before, so it’s just motivation to get back.”
