TRANSCRIPT: Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher, 9-4-16

Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Press Conference – September 4, 2016

(Opening remarks)
“We’ve had a really good couple days here, from a standpoint of moving in and getting settled; and then from the standpoint of making hard decisions with respect to the roster. We’re not done; 75 to 53 (man roster) is not easy. We’re there, but there’s moving parts right now, and there’s probably going to be moving parts over the next couple of days. I will probably not comment on some of the things that we’ve done, particularly because we’re not finished. We’re starting to add back our practice squad, which is really good. We’re not there; we’re not at 10 yet. We still have a few spots that we have to confirm. Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll have some more information for you. Everybody has worked really hard to move in, get settled. We’re all in the midst of unpacking boxes, and get ready for the practice week.”

(On the LB Akeem Ayers roster move)
“Again, all of the decisions that you make are difficult, and some of the decisions that you make are not permanent. That’s all I can say. Akeem has played well for us. We’ve enjoyed having him. But, we’re kind of hopeful that this is not the end between us and Akeem - I’ll just say that.”

(On what he’s seen from the linebacker group the past couple weeks that made him comfortable with his decisions)
“(Cory) Littleton, and (Josh) Forrest, and (Nicholas) Grigsby, they showed improvement week after week, after week. And they also showed that they can be productive on special teams in practice, really since the rookie minicamps and the OTAs. I’m pleased with their progress. They have got a ways to go, and we’re young at the position, but we like what the future is right now with that group.”

(On if carrying three safeties on the roster will fall into the ‘moving parts’ category)
“Yeah, there’s moving parts. We have got work to do. I can’t comment on the 53 right now, I can’t stand up in front of them tomorrow and say ‘Hey, this is the group we’re going to war with,’ because there’s change – and you see it across the league, nobody is settled right now.”

(On his initial impressions of the California Lutheran University facilities)
“We left our meeting – we had a team meeting Friday afternoon after we made the majority of the decisions there at Irvine. Everybody got in a car, I came up here – just really impressed to see how prepared everybody was for us, our IT and everybody, they were all set up. Things are still coming in – I’m looking for my clock – there are a few things I haven’t found yet, but they’re still coming in and we’ll be up and rolling. As the players came through today – it’s a day off, mind you – but so many of them came through just to see it. They all said ‘Boy, this is a lot better than I thought it was.’ They’re excited about it. Once you get in, you guys haven’t seen the inside, but in a lot of ways, there’s more space than what we had in St. Louis. There’s a newness to it, guys are excited about the fields, it flows well. People worked really hard and we appreciate Cal Lu, we appreciate everyone that’s worked hard – especially Graebel (van lines) – it wouldn’t be possible had it not been for Graebel moving us around.”

(On if the decision to have seven wide receivers on the roster falls under ‘moving parts’ and if he thinks the team will open the season with seven on the roster)
“We have numbers that are unusual - that we have not had at a number of positions – receivers, offensive line, secondary. Again, it falls under that same category. If you were to assume that this is the group we’re going to San Francisco with, it would be incorrect.”

(On the decision to keep WR Nelson Spruce on the roster after only playing in one preseason game)
“Nelson did a lot of things well, in addition to the preseason game that he played in. It made sense. He’s healing up, we feel like he has a chance to contribute and make plays.”

(On maneuvering through the decisions on who will make the roster and the practice squad)
“If our decisions get tough, which they were, that means we’re getting better. That’s the best way to explain it. They were hard – they were hard going to 75 – let alone trying to get to 53 and we’re not done. That would suggest that we’re getting better. We want to keep these players, we don’t want to let them out. In the event that you do let them out, if we’re doing our jobs, many of them are going to play for other teams. (C) Eric Kush is a great example – Eric Kish was a hard decision to make and Eric Kush was claimed by the Bears today, so he’s a Chicago Bear, on their 53. And there will probably be more players here over the next few days that end up on someone else’s roster. And if that’s the case, then we’re doing our jobs.”

(On what CB Troy Hill did to make the current 53-man roster)
“Troy has played good defense and Troy has shown us some extraordinary things on special teams, that’s why he’s here. We saw a little bit at the end of last year, but he’s taken his stuff from the (practice) field to the game. He’s going to be a big contributor for us.”

(On RB Tre Mason’s situation at this point)
“Tre Mason is on our Reserve/Did Not Report list, that’s where he stands. He can stay there – I appreciate you asking. We’ve been in communication with the family – not Tre, but with the family. The organization’s position, including the league and the players’ association, is to take care of him and help him to get the help that he needs to get through this life crisis that he’s having.”