TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher (9-20-16)

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post Practice – September 20, 2016



(Opening remarks)

“We got our start. We got our start late yesterday on the Bucs. I thought today went really well. This is our first normal week – we had a long week, then we had a short week, so this is our first normal week. Typically what we do on Tuesdays is all about installing basic concepts and emphasizing rest and recovery and all of those things – we had a good day inside, good day outside. We’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll have a solid normal practice tomorrow. Pleased with the way they are right now. We got a great challenge. This is a good football team. (Buccaneers Q Jameis (Winston) is playing really well. I know they’re disappointed with what happened to them in Arizona. But, their game against Atlanta was extraordinary on all three phases. It’s unusual to play a non-division team, four, five years in a row. There’s some familiarity there from a player match-up. We just have to have a good week.”



(On how surprised he was that DB Lamarcus Joyner was able to play on Sunday with a broken toe and how he thought Joyner played)

“He played really well. He’ll be a little bit limited, I think, this week. But it was nothing that was going to keep him from playing. You can kind of get an appreciation for his commitment to this game and his teammates – playing through that is not easy.”



(On if he thinks Joyner’s toughness is unique)

“It was rare, that’s why we drafted him. We watched him for a couple years there at Florida State and he’s one of those guys – he shows it every day.”



(On how he would assess the play of the secondary through the first two games)

“They’ve been battling. They’re tackling well. The safety-play has been solid. ‘Tru’ (CB Trumaine Johnson) has played well. We’ve played five or six DBs or three safeties and three corners, we’ve played a lot of DBs. I thought, specifically last weekend against Seattle, I thought they played, they tackled well, all of them were contact players in the game.”



(On if LB Alec Ogletree has excelled at the middle linebacker position quicker than he imagined)

“He’s taken it further, sooner than we expected, if that makes sense. Really happy with what he’s doing. He’s got a great feel for it, he gets people lined up – (defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) puts a lot of stuff on him – he makes the adjustments and he goes. With each week, each passing week, he’s going to be more decisive and you’ll see more plays out of him.”



(On when he knew DE Robert Quinn was back to how he played before his injury)

“When we got to camp. We were going to hold him back off the conditioning test the first day of camp when the vets reported, but he wanted to do it. When I saw him do the conditioning test, he made significant strides from the OTAs before camp. He’s back. His weight is great, his strength is good, no issues.”



(On how beating the Buccaneers three times in a row effects the team’s confidence level)

“It’s kind of the same approach we took with Seattle. We had success against Seattle, but there’s no guarantee you’re going to have success again, you have to get stuff done on the practice field. They’re a much better team. The last couple of years, they’ve had some significant injuries, they were missing people in our game against them late last year – although we were as well, we were without (S) T.J. (McDonald) and ‘Tree’ (Ogletree) and Rob (Quinn) on the defensive (side). Both teams are healthy right now, at least defensively, I know they’re dealing with some offensively. They’ve done a good job building that team. The quarterback is playing well.”



(On the differences he’s noticed with Tampa Bay’s new coaching staff)

“Well (defensive coordinator) Mike Smith, whenever he’s coached defense, wherever he’s coached it, he does a great job. The defensive side of the ball is very disciplined, they can rush, the linebackers are really good, they can close – they’re sideline-to-sideline players. The schemes are a little bit different, but they’re doing well in the scheme right now. And offensively, they’re very creative. We saw that last year with Jameis – he was frustrated and we got ahead and you could see, just the passion that he had at the position, the control he had over the offense. Now, you add another year with (Buccaneers Head Coach) Dirk (Koetter), he’s only going to get better and better.”



(On if WR Nelson Spruce, WR Pharoh Cooper and CB E.J. Gaines are closing in to being ready to play in the game after practicing today)

“Yeah, we’re going to see. Tomorrow is a full-speed day – today was not – and we’ll see how they respond tomorrow. And then we’ll watch them on Friday and see. We’ll have an injury report for you at some point tomorrow.”



(On if Jameis Winston poses any particular challenge that Blaine Gabbert or Russell Wilson didn’t)

“Yeah, he can push the ball down the field and he’s got outstanding weapons outside, so that’s a concern. He sees well, if he needs to pull it down and run, he can, he can extend plays. He’s made some great throws. In our game last year, he just missed a few. And one can only imagine had he hit them. We can’t afford to give him those opportunities. He’s going to be one of the top quarterbacks in this business for a long time.”



(On how the team has done from a run-blocking standpoint and if there is anything more the offensive line can be doing)

“We have to get better. I thought we improved, against Seattle – even though the numbers don’t reflect it – we were really close on a number of carries. With (R Todd (Gurley), he ran hard and hit the hole quick. When there’s an extra guy, an unblocked guy, it’s hard. That’s the nature of the run game. You have to be able to line up and say ‘Hey, whether there’s one or two extra guys, we’re going to line up and run it.’ That’s what we’re committed to.”