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Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post-Practice – August 21, 2013
On the ‘dizzy bat drill’ becoming a rookie tradition to end training camp)
“Well, it’s been a tradition for a long time, something that we’ve always finished camp with. It’s just basically a reward for the rookies to let them know that they just made it through their first training camp.”
On the tradition being a reward)
“Yeah. It’s an honor to be able to do that. We had one out here today that’s probably as good as any I’ve seen and that would be a running back, Mr. Benny) Cunningham. That’s pretty impressive.”
On Cunningham’s being the best ever)
“Pretty close to the best ever.”
On what made Cunningham’s the best)
“That was purely balance. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen. It’s interesting that with a football in his hand, under normal circumstances, he’s got great balance.”
On the communications’ interns being involved)
“Yes, we like to get an intern from each department – media relations, equipment, and training room.”
On if there is any way to prepare for the altitude of Saturday’s game in Denver)
“The best thing to do is hydration because that’s usually the issue, especially when you’re traveling there. Dehydration is part of the trip and you’re on an airplane, so we’ve educated them this week about the importance of hydration.”
On what the conversation was like with RB Terrance Ganaway who decided to leave the team Wednesday)
“It was a great conversation. He came in this morning and said that he’s decided that he wants to go back to school and he’s talked it over with his wife and his family. I was happy for him. It’s not often a guy can walk away from the game on your own terms. I also told him that I felt like he had ability to play in this league. He can walk away having participated, a great college career with an outstanding football team and take those memories with him and go on with his life.”
On what he thought about RT Rodger Saffold returning to practice Wednesday)
“Rodger was much better. It’s good to get him out, get him in pads and get him going. We’ll continue to watch him with expectations that he should be able to play.”
On WR Tavon Austin returning to practice Wednesday)
“Yes. WR) Stedman Bailey) was probably more excited than anybody. Stedman was lost.”
On WR Chris Givens’ ability to be a special player)
“He’s improving. He improved throughout the season last year. He’s had a great offseason, he’s carrying the little detailed things into the game and he’s making a lot of big plays. He can really run and QB) Sam’s Bradford) got a sense for timing and his speed, which has shown up in the last couple of weeks.”
On how he feels about playing the Packers, Broncos, and Ravens consecutively in the preseason)
“It’s a great challenge. You like to be able to go outside and kick if at all possible, so both of our road trips are on grass. We’ve got back-to-back outstanding quarterbacks and of course, we’ve got the World Champions. Of course, it’s doesn’t get any easier once we start.”
On his relationship with General Manager Les Snead and how their personalities balance each other)
“Obviously, it seems like we’ve been together for a long time. I think we’ve gotten to know each other very well and he has a good feel for the needs of this football team and how to get them accomplished. At the same time, he says sometimes he’s a little impulsive. Over the years, I’ve learned sometimes you need to just maybe assess the situation before you make a decision.”
On how he has evaluated LB Will Witherspoon so far after his limited time in the Green Bay game last week)
“Will was fine. He didn’t get a lot of snaps particularly because of Green Bay’s personnel sets that they put on offense. We played a lot of Nickel. He played some with the second group, but he was fine. He was active and where he needed to be.”
On the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot)
“It’s been difficult to evaluate particularly because of what we we’re seeing in the second half from the defenses. We had seven straight pressures at one point from Green Bay. When you’ve got young offensive linemen, some of them we’ve just recently signed, sometimes there’s going to be some additional pressure, unneeded pressure on the passer that are hard to evaluate. But, we’re hoping that the next couple weeks that we can solidify things up front in the second half and give them a chance."
Rams QB Sam Bradford – Post-Practice – August 21, 2013
On if the game against Denver will be a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the offense)
“I would imagine so. To be honest, we haven’t been told the amount of snaps we’re going to play, but I would assume that we’d play the whole first half and if not some of the third quarter. I think I’m excited to get out there and play a little bit more, get some more snaps. We still have a lot of work to do, and I think this is a great opportunity for us to improve.”
On how he feels about the preseason strength of schedule)
“I think it’s great. Obviously, you want to face the best each week. You want to face someone that’s going to make you better. I feel like all of the defenses that we’ve seen have made us better, and we’re just looking to improve each week to go out and play a clean game, execute what’s in the game plan and really try to limit the penalties.”
On if the play has slowed down and if he’s seeing plays develop downfield better in Year 4)
“I would say that things probably have slowed down a little bit. It seems like now I’ve just had so much more experience and I’ve seen things that it’s rare that I see something that catches me totally off guard. Obviously, there’s different variations of coverage and there’s different variations of blitzes, but I do feel much better just seeing things in general.”
On if he sets goals for passing yards and touchdowns)
“I don’t because they really don’t matter if we don’t win football games. That’s the bottom line. We’re trying to get to the playoffs, we’re trying to win our division. The win column is the only number that matters to me, and it’s the only number that matters to anyone in that locker room.”
On what it’s like being in the locker room with so many young guys on the roster)
“It makes me feel old, number one. But, I think it’s great. I think those young guys bring a certain energy to our locker room. They’ve got a lot of energy. They’ve got more than some of the vets and it’s great. I think it gives us a spark. At the same time, it’s fun for me because I get to take more of a leadership role and try to help mold some of those young players and teach them the game and teach them through experiences that I’ve had. I think it’s great that we have a lot of young guys. I think it gives us an opportunity to take a lot of steps forward.”
On the hardest thing about being a rookie receiver in the NFL)
“It’s tough. It’s not an easy position to come into this league and play. The coverages are so much more complicated than they are in college. We ask them to read coverages and be able to dissect things and run certain routes against certain coverages. So, I think just seeing the game in general is probably the biggest adjustment for them mentally. And then just physically, everyone they play against is so much faster and so much bigger than the guys they faced in college. I think sometimes getting off the ball against a press coverage) cornerback) in the league is a little bit different than playing against a soft cover-4 in college.”
On if he can afford to be patient with the young receivers)
“I think there’s obviously a certain level of patience that you have to have. Obviously, we’re going to go through growing pains, but at the same time those guys have to understand what they’re expected to come in and do – and that’s play at a high level. I think that we’ve tried to make that clear to a lot of the rookies, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They might be rookies, but they have to grow up fast because we are depending on them for our offense to be successful. So, we can’t afford them to have a season of learning. They’ve got to be able to come in and help us immediately.”
On if last year’s young roster helped him prepare for another young roster this year)
“Yeah, obviously I think we were young last year and played some young guys. RB) Daryl Richardson) played quite a bit, WR Chris) Givens played quite a bit last year. I think dealing with them did kind of help me for this year, given that we do have so many young guys on our side of the ball now.”
On if he feels sorry for the rookies in the relay race at the end of camp)
“Yeah. To be honest, I think they have it pretty good in camp. That’s about the only hazing that they get, so I think they get off pretty light. But, it is fun to watch them out there stumbling around.”
On the ‘dizzy bat drill’ becoming a rookie tradition to end training camp)
“Well, it’s been a tradition for a long time, something that we’ve always finished camp with. It’s just basically a reward for the rookies to let them know that they just made it through their first training camp.”
On the tradition being a reward)
“Yeah. It’s an honor to be able to do that. We had one out here today that’s probably as good as any I’ve seen and that would be a running back, Mr. Benny) Cunningham. That’s pretty impressive.”
On Cunningham’s being the best ever)
“Pretty close to the best ever.”
On what made Cunningham’s the best)
“That was purely balance. It’s the worst I’ve ever seen. It’s interesting that with a football in his hand, under normal circumstances, he’s got great balance.”
On the communications’ interns being involved)
“Yes, we like to get an intern from each department – media relations, equipment, and training room.”
On if there is any way to prepare for the altitude of Saturday’s game in Denver)
“The best thing to do is hydration because that’s usually the issue, especially when you’re traveling there. Dehydration is part of the trip and you’re on an airplane, so we’ve educated them this week about the importance of hydration.”
On what the conversation was like with RB Terrance Ganaway who decided to leave the team Wednesday)
“It was a great conversation. He came in this morning and said that he’s decided that he wants to go back to school and he’s talked it over with his wife and his family. I was happy for him. It’s not often a guy can walk away from the game on your own terms. I also told him that I felt like he had ability to play in this league. He can walk away having participated, a great college career with an outstanding football team and take those memories with him and go on with his life.”
On what he thought about RT Rodger Saffold returning to practice Wednesday)
“Rodger was much better. It’s good to get him out, get him in pads and get him going. We’ll continue to watch him with expectations that he should be able to play.”
On WR Tavon Austin returning to practice Wednesday)
“Yes. WR) Stedman Bailey) was probably more excited than anybody. Stedman was lost.”
On WR Chris Givens’ ability to be a special player)
“He’s improving. He improved throughout the season last year. He’s had a great offseason, he’s carrying the little detailed things into the game and he’s making a lot of big plays. He can really run and QB) Sam’s Bradford) got a sense for timing and his speed, which has shown up in the last couple of weeks.”
On how he feels about playing the Packers, Broncos, and Ravens consecutively in the preseason)
“It’s a great challenge. You like to be able to go outside and kick if at all possible, so both of our road trips are on grass. We’ve got back-to-back outstanding quarterbacks and of course, we’ve got the World Champions. Of course, it’s doesn’t get any easier once we start.”
On his relationship with General Manager Les Snead and how their personalities balance each other)
“Obviously, it seems like we’ve been together for a long time. I think we’ve gotten to know each other very well and he has a good feel for the needs of this football team and how to get them accomplished. At the same time, he says sometimes he’s a little impulsive. Over the years, I’ve learned sometimes you need to just maybe assess the situation before you make a decision.”
On how he has evaluated LB Will Witherspoon so far after his limited time in the Green Bay game last week)
“Will was fine. He didn’t get a lot of snaps particularly because of Green Bay’s personnel sets that they put on offense. We played a lot of Nickel. He played some with the second group, but he was fine. He was active and where he needed to be.”
On the battle for the No. 2 quarterback spot)
“It’s been difficult to evaluate particularly because of what we we’re seeing in the second half from the defenses. We had seven straight pressures at one point from Green Bay. When you’ve got young offensive linemen, some of them we’ve just recently signed, sometimes there’s going to be some additional pressure, unneeded pressure on the passer that are hard to evaluate. But, we’re hoping that the next couple weeks that we can solidify things up front in the second half and give them a chance."
Rams QB Sam Bradford – Post-Practice – August 21, 2013
On if the game against Denver will be a ‘dress rehearsal’ for the offense)
“I would imagine so. To be honest, we haven’t been told the amount of snaps we’re going to play, but I would assume that we’d play the whole first half and if not some of the third quarter. I think I’m excited to get out there and play a little bit more, get some more snaps. We still have a lot of work to do, and I think this is a great opportunity for us to improve.”
On how he feels about the preseason strength of schedule)
“I think it’s great. Obviously, you want to face the best each week. You want to face someone that’s going to make you better. I feel like all of the defenses that we’ve seen have made us better, and we’re just looking to improve each week to go out and play a clean game, execute what’s in the game plan and really try to limit the penalties.”
On if the play has slowed down and if he’s seeing plays develop downfield better in Year 4)
“I would say that things probably have slowed down a little bit. It seems like now I’ve just had so much more experience and I’ve seen things that it’s rare that I see something that catches me totally off guard. Obviously, there’s different variations of coverage and there’s different variations of blitzes, but I do feel much better just seeing things in general.”
On if he sets goals for passing yards and touchdowns)
“I don’t because they really don’t matter if we don’t win football games. That’s the bottom line. We’re trying to get to the playoffs, we’re trying to win our division. The win column is the only number that matters to me, and it’s the only number that matters to anyone in that locker room.”
On what it’s like being in the locker room with so many young guys on the roster)
“It makes me feel old, number one. But, I think it’s great. I think those young guys bring a certain energy to our locker room. They’ve got a lot of energy. They’ve got more than some of the vets and it’s great. I think it gives us a spark. At the same time, it’s fun for me because I get to take more of a leadership role and try to help mold some of those young players and teach them the game and teach them through experiences that I’ve had. I think it’s great that we have a lot of young guys. I think it gives us an opportunity to take a lot of steps forward.”
On the hardest thing about being a rookie receiver in the NFL)
“It’s tough. It’s not an easy position to come into this league and play. The coverages are so much more complicated than they are in college. We ask them to read coverages and be able to dissect things and run certain routes against certain coverages. So, I think just seeing the game in general is probably the biggest adjustment for them mentally. And then just physically, everyone they play against is so much faster and so much bigger than the guys they faced in college. I think sometimes getting off the ball against a press coverage) cornerback) in the league is a little bit different than playing against a soft cover-4 in college.”
On if he can afford to be patient with the young receivers)
“I think there’s obviously a certain level of patience that you have to have. Obviously, we’re going to go through growing pains, but at the same time those guys have to understand what they’re expected to come in and do – and that’s play at a high level. I think that we’ve tried to make that clear to a lot of the rookies, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They might be rookies, but they have to grow up fast because we are depending on them for our offense to be successful. So, we can’t afford them to have a season of learning. They’ve got to be able to come in and help us immediately.”
On if last year’s young roster helped him prepare for another young roster this year)
“Yeah, obviously I think we were young last year and played some young guys. RB) Daryl Richardson) played quite a bit, WR Chris) Givens played quite a bit last year. I think dealing with them did kind of help me for this year, given that we do have so many young guys on our side of the ball now.”
On if he feels sorry for the rookies in the relay race at the end of camp)
“Yeah. To be honest, I think they have it pretty good in camp. That’s about the only hazing that they get, so I think they get off pretty light. But, it is fun to watch them out there stumbling around.”