(On how the quarterback reps were distributed)
“(QB) Austin (Davis) took 95 percent of the reps and (QB) Shaun (Hill) did a little bit of stuff. We’re just going to be day-to-day on that. Just like I’ve said.”
(On if Hill will practice more tomorrow)
“We’ll have to wait and see tomorrow.”
(On if it was great to have WR Stedman Bailey back with the team)
“Yeah it was great. His teammates were really excited. He came running into the building as fast as he could. He’s in the plan. He made it for the walk-thru. So, it’s good to have him back.”
(On Bailey’s performance in practice today and if he stayed in shape)
“Yes, It was very, very important to him to stay in shape and come back ready. I think once the rumors started to circulate a little bit, last week and at the he end of the week prior about the chance of them reaching an agreement, I think that really motivated him as well.”
(On practice today)
“I thought practice was good. The guys understand the challenges this week. Dallas is a very talented football team. They turned the ball over a few times against the Niners, but they played the Niners very well. Rarely does a team rush for a 100 yards against the Niners and they rushed for over a 100 yards in a losing effort. So, we all we have our hands full with their run game. That thing stung for a long time last year. We’ve got to play much better on defense. (Cowboys RB) DeMarco’s (Murray) an outstanding back. They’ve really done a nice job with their offensive line. They’re blocking well. They’re in sync. They kept the ball for 41-plus minutes against Tennessee. Tennessee’s got a good defense. Our defense has our work cut out for us. Offensively, we’ve got to do some things to keep the ball away and so on, so forth. So we’ve got a good start. We got a good first day of practice. We had a good start.”
(On if Bailey will pick up where he left off from the offseason)
“Yeah, that’s our expectations. He went right into practice today. This is the first day of the preparation week and he made it. He missed the meetings, but he picked it up. He’ll be fine. We’ll plug him in, in his familiar roles on special teams, hopefully and we’ll see how he does for the offense.”
(On if SS T.J. McDonald is the designated “blocker” on special teams)
“T.J. did it in college. According to him, he’s very, very talented as far as that’s concerned. They were huge plays. In a two-point game to block a field goal and block a punt and be the same person who did it, I would think you would get a little bit of consideration for (NFC Special Teams) Player of the Week. Apparently, those people that voted must’ve thought we had our bye week last week or something, I don’t know what’s going on. Again, (Arizona Cardinals WR/PR) Tedd Ginn’s a really good player and I have nothing against Ted, but I thought maybe he would’ve gotten some consideration.”
(On if there are similarities between McDonald and his father)
“From a physical standpoint, from an instinct standpoint, movement standpoint, yeah. I got to coach his dad, by the way, in San Francisco.”
(On if it was planned for McDonald to block both kicks)
“Those blocks would not have been possible if it weren’t for a team effort. There’s scheme involved to that and so they executed very well.”
(On if he voted McDonald for NFC Special Teams Player of the Week)
“I voted for him.”
(On who will return punts if WR Tavon Austin is unable to play on Sunday)
“We have some options.”
(On if Bailey will have a big role with the offense on Sunday)
“It’s possible. Yeah, we’ve got a couple more days of preparation and game planning. But, yeah, it’s quite possible that he could play quite a bit.”
(On what he needs to see out of Hill to see if he will be ready to play on Sunday)
“More than what we’re seeing right now. Again, this is about not setting him back so we don’t want to put him in position out here on the field to where we’re risking setting him back. He’s day-to-day and we’ll see where it goes.”
(On if Bailey’s return gives them more versatility and time to get Austin healthy)
“We’re going to play Tavon when Tavon’s ready to play. We’re not going to let him go out there if he can’t, if he doesn’t have his speed and quickness. We’ll just see how that goes. Obviously, he didn’t do anything today. He’s better, but, he didn’t do anything today. With ‘Sted’ coming back, Sted gives us some versatility. Perhaps we can fill in some of those voids in the event that Tavon can’t play.”
(On if he thinks the Minnesota Vikings have done the right thing regarding their situation with RB Adrian Peterson)
“I’m just going to say this. I’ve been in the league a long time and I know that it’s not wise to comment on anything unless you have all the facts. I do not have all the facts because I haven’t paid attention.”
Rams QB Austin Davis – Post Practice – September 17, 2014
(On practice today)
“We kind of build of off last week. A really good Dallas team coming to town. We’ll have our work cut out for us.”
(On if the game is slowing down)
“Well I would say ideally the game would slow down for you. I think getting the reps in practice and being able to prepare helps because you kind of have a plan going in and you know what you need to do. I get more and more comfortable with every rep.”
(On if during the game he felt like he was back playing a college game)
“Yeah I think, it just felt like the same game. It’s been awhile since I got out there and played other than the preseason. But it did, it felt very similar. It was good.”
(On if throwing to the Rams tall wide receivers helps with the adjustment to the NFL game)
“Oh it’s tremendous. I tell (WR) Kenny (Britt) and (WR) Brian (Quick) all the time. I just need you to be at your spot and regardless of what the defense is doing, what the corners are doing, I can just throw it up and I know you’ll go make a play for me. It’s a huge benefit to have those guys. You saw last week, made a lot of great plays, just tossing it down the field and they’ll go get it for you.”
(On if his childhood favorite team was the Dallas Cowboys)
“It was actually Tampa Bay, fitting enough. I really just picked them because of their uniforms. But now it’s all St. Louis.”
(On if a lot of people contacted him after the win)
“Not quite. I heard from a lot of coaches, a lot of friends and family back home that were just excited and rooting for me, rooting for this team. A lot of Rams fans in Mississippi, you wouldn’t know it but there is.”
(On if he’s excited to have the opportunity to start at home on Sunday)
“Great. I’ll be ready. Obviously we’re trying to get (QB) Shaun (Hill) healthy and that’s just life in the NFL. If he’s not healthy, I’ll be ready to go. If he is, he’ll play.”
(On what problems the Dallas defense presents)
“Hopefully none (laughs). I think they’re a similar defense to last week. They’re probably going to play a little more post safety. They’re going to disguise coverages probably a hair better. Rotate the safeties later. They have a real active group up front. Really good defensive line, a solid linebacking core. The corners Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr are really, really good players. They’re going to try and come up and press us and not allow our receivers to get off the line of scrimmage. I think that will be key is our ability to beat press, to beat man-to-man and win down the field.”
(On what he means by post safety)
“Single high safety.”
(On if they are a ‘Tampa 2’ base defense)
“I think they obviously have that in their package. But they can call anything they want to and we’ve got to be prepared.”
(On how hard was following the ’24-hour rule’ after his first win)
“Sometimes you want the 24-hour rule and sometimes you don’t. But that’s the way it is. You’ve got to keep rolling, you’ve got to keep getting better. And really we have to build off of last week instead of us kind of living on it. We did some good things but we did a lot of things we could improve. We’ve got a really, really good Dallas team coming in here. They’re hungry for a win and so are we. So, we’re looking for another dog fight.”
(On if after looking at the game tape if he saw things he could’ve done better)
“Absolutely. Yeah, we left some points on the field. We’re not going to be able to that this week. Dallas has a great offense. They’re going to score points and we’re going to have to match that.”
(On how he prepares during game week)
“You prepare as a starter every week. Whether I’m getting the reps or not I’m preparing as a starter. As a one, two, or even the three.”
(On what WR Stedman Bailey brings to the offense)
“Well, it’s great to have him back. He’s a guy that obviously knows the system very well. Has great hands, has great feel, knows exactly what we’re trying to get done. So he’s another playmaker out there when those other guys get tired, or Sted steps up and makes a big play. We’re glad to have him back.”
(On if Bailey’s role)
“I don’t know, I can’t give away any secrets. We don’t want any personnel secrets. We’ll see. We’ll give it to the fastest guy we can find.”
(On the offensive line’s performance last week)
“I didn’t really get touched. I thought the offensive line did an awesome job. I stayed upright for the most part.”
Rams QB Shaun Hill – Post Practice – September 17, 2014
(On how he’s feeling)
“Better and better every day, absolutely. That’s about all I can say about it. It certainly is getting better every day.”
(On how the quad felt today during practice)
“Good, was able to do some more things and certainly no setbacks. It felt good.”
(On if he feels like he will be able to play on Sunday)
“I think that’ll be determined later in the week. But, the idea going in is to just keep progressing and see what happens when we get later in the week.”
(On how frustrating is it to not be able to play)
“That is something I struggled with, big time, originally when it happened. It’s been hard for me to get on the field, especially the last few years. And finally when you get the chance, for that to happen, it’s harder to come back off. What can you do? You pick yourself back up and get yourself back as quick as you can.”
(On his thoughts on his performance against Minnesota)
“It felt like we had some good rhythm. Just as an offense we just kept shooting ourselves in the foot. Just doing something on every drive to kind of set us back. But, I felt like there were times when we were executing really well, just weren’t able to sustain drives long enough to get points. Of course, the bad decision late in the half, was just that: it was a bad decision.”
(On what WR Stedman Bailey brings to the offense)
“He’ll help us for sure. Just another weapon added to that group. The more weapons you have the better. He’s certainly a good player for us and can generate some offense for us.”
(On how he helped QB Austin Davis last week)
“One thing is throughout the week of preparation just to be there for him and being another set of eyes. To be honest with you, I’ve probably played or prepared against (Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach) Lovie Smith’s defense…I don’t know 15 times, maybe more in my career. I had a good feeling about what they were doing on defense. So I was kind of able to help him with that. I didn’t know their personal as well but I knew their scheme well. So, I was kind of able to help him out a little bit there.”
(On if he is able to help with the preparation for Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin’s defense because it is similar to Tampa Bay’s scheme)
“A little bit. We played against them last year. Not as much as there was with Lovie.”
(On if he is getting a lot of treatment or getting a lot of rest)
“A lot of both. Everything we can do to get back as quick as possible.”
(On if he’s talked to Davis about his performance on Sunday)
“I told him how great he did. That was the only evaluation you could come up with for that game. He played wonderful. Very, very excited for him.”
