Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher – Post-Practice – December 17, 2014
(Opening Statement)
“Today, we just did our injury report and (C) Scott Wells is the only one of the injury report and it was a coach’s decision to give him the day off. Good news from a health standpoint. Guys took care of themselves. Took advantage of the couple days off and we’ve had a good day.”
(On if DE Chris Long practiced)
“Yes, he was out there.”
(On his impression of Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr.)
“Really an outstanding athlete. As good as receiver out of frame as you’ll see, especially at a young age. They’re really on the same page. The run after catch ability is off the charts. They ran a reverse pass and he threw the ball 40,50 yards. They tell us that he throws with either arm. He’s an outstanding athlete. He’s having a great year. ”
(On their interest level in Beckham during the draft)
“We spent a lot of time with him. Really liked him. Knew he was going to be a real good pro.”
(On if the team frequently discusses their three-game streak in which their opponents have not scored touchdowns)
“No, it’s really not. The back-to-back shutouts were good. The defensive effort was good, holding Arizona to field goals, but every week’s a challenge. This team can strike. They can score. They can run it. (Giants QB) Eli’s (Manning), you know his record and what he’s accomplished in the past speaks for itself. He’s an outstanding quarterback and he’s got good players around him. It’s a big challenge for us this week. Great challenge for us as a matter of fact. Uncommon opponent, well-coached, disciplined, probably leading the league in sacks last two or three or four weeks. Really good edge rushers. ”
(On what to expect from Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin)
“Tom is always going to have a very disciplined team. They’re going to play hard and they’re well-coached, that’s what he does. His offense is going to run it. His defense is going to be aggressive. They’re good tacklers. It’s a team that’s built on fundamentals, that’s why he’s been so successful.”
(On what he wants the team to accomplish in final home game vs. the Giants)
“Our focus is on trying to find a way to win it. That’s where our focus is. It’s a challenge. This team has played well the last couple weeks. They had a stretch, they had a difficult stretch, much like us from an opponent standpoint. It was the Seattle, San Francisco and Dallas and Philly. It was those common opponents. They’ve settled down. They’ve played two good games as of late. ”
(On the Giants’ defense)
“Their sack numbers as I said. They’re playing well. I thought they put really good pressure on the RedSkins last week. The week before I think they had six or seven sacks against Tennessee. That’s been the difference, is they’re getting the quarterback on the ground.”
(On if considers CB E.J. Gaines a pleasant surprise)
“No. I wouldn’t say that. We drafted him because of his ability. We thought he had the ability to play in the league. He took advantage of an opportunity when ‘Tru’ (CB Trumaine Johnson) went down in the preseason game. He has not batted an eye since. If there’s any element of surprise, it would be his ability to jump inside and play the nickel spot as well as he has. The first half of the season or thereabouts, he was primarily just a corner and he jumps inside and plays it very well.”
(On his initial thoughts on Gaines)
“He’s an outstanding young man, he’s a very smart football player. Does his job. Does it well.”
(On how DT Michael Brockers has performed this year, the adjustments he’s made since DT Aaron Donald joined the line, and if he’s playing more nose tackle as opposed to left or right tackle)
“A little bit more. ‘Brock’ is healthy…he’s dealt with some ankle issues over the past couple years. He stayed healthy and his hands and upper body strength has improved. I think he’s learning to anticipate things, blocking combinations and those things. He’s had a good solid year.”
(On if QB Shaun Hill’s performance in the last two games can determine whether he will stay)
“We’ll address all that after the seasons over. No reason why we wouldn’t have interest in both Shaun and (QB) Austin (Davis). They’ve worked hard.”
(On if Well’s not practicing is because of an elbow injury)
“No, coach’s decision. He’s been taking Wednesdays off for the last month or so. (OL) Davin Joseph has been taking Thursdays off. So, he’ll probably take tomorrow off. I have to add him to the report as well.”
(On what challenges the Giants present)
“Well, they’re a good defense. I think they’re fourth in the league in sacks. They get after the passer. They play good team defense.”
(On if the Giants ability to bring pressure affects his game plan)
“I mean, it just depends on the play. Every play has it’s specific design. It just depends on the play.”
(On the Giants success in getting to the quarterback over the last three weeks)
“Well they have good personnel and they play good team defense. Some of them are, ‘These guys can’t get open,’ and coverage things and some of them their guys up front just win and get there and some of them are pressures. They do all of those.”
(On if there was some frustration after not finding the end zone last week)
“Yeah, obviously. That’s our job is to score touchdowns and we didn’t get it done. Yeah, that was the frustrating part.”
(On what he would like to accomplish in the last home game of the season)
“A win. We’d like to win.”
(On if he thinks about what a potentially good last two weeks can do for his future as a Ram)
“Well for this team, it’s important for us to end the season on a high note. That’s win at home. That’s what we have this week. We’ll worry about next week, next week. Yeah, that’s our main focus is to win. I’ve seen it transpire into streaks going into the next year. Finishing on a high note can carry through an offseason. That’s something that’s very important to us.”
(On what can the offense do to play more consistent)
“Well, just stick with it. We play against professional football players also and they get paid to stop us. It’s going to happen at times. We’ve just got to stick with it and just keep grinding really. Some games are going to be like that and some of them are going to go our way. The main thing is to have that mental focus and that fortitude every week.”
(On the Giants secondary)
“They have some veterans that have been around a long time and know what they’re doing, play the scheme very well and make plays whenever they’re afforded the opportunity to make them. We’re going to have to be ready to go.”
(On if it’s tougher to fool veterans in the secondary as opposed to younger players)
“Yeah, they’ve kind of seen it all. Yeah, at times it can be, for sure.”
