Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher
(On having Tom Mack and Jack Youngblood visit today)
“Yeah, it’s always good…since we’ve got here, we’ve opened the doors to all the alums and they take advantage of it. It’s great to have them around. They’re not the first, not going to be the last. It’s really nice to spend some time with them. It’s a lot of good football there between the two of those players. A lot of Pro Bowls.”
(On how practice went today)
“Today was fun. Was a good day. Padded up, got some work done. Worked on the run game, worked on stopping the run. I thought it was a good day overall.”
(On what WR Brian Quick needs to show him to play on gameday)
“He just needs to keep practicing. Just be patient. He understands that we have to go to 46 (players) and it’s a numbers game. He’s in much better shape right now than he was a few weeks ago, so it’s nothing structurally or physically to do with his shoulder at this point.”
(On how Quick is handling the adversity)
“It’s like anybody that’s missed a significant part of the offseason program and was limited in training camp, you’re going to be a little bit behind. That’s his only issue. So I’d like to think he’s caught up by this point.”
(On Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s request to know if RB Todd Gurley is playing this weekend)
“You guys just have him give me a call. I’ll talk to him. I’d rather talk to him in person.”
(On how much RB Todd Gurley has improved this week)
“He’s had two good days. He had a good day today in pads and he had a good day in the three-quarter speed practice yesterday. So he’ll get a day off tomorrow and we’ll see how he is Friday.”
(On if Gurley will get more reps this week)
“He had a good day today, so I’m not counting his reps.”
(On why WR Chris Givens isn’t receiving the ball as much)
“It’s a by-product of just our offense. We didn’t have a lot of opportunities because of the self-inflicted wounds last weekend, so we didn’t have very many plays. He’ll be part of our offense.”
(On if he’s spent extra time this week preparing for the Steelers 2-point conversion attempts)
“I mean since the rule changed, we’ve been spending considerable time on the two-points, in the meetings and on the practice field. They converted their first two then missed their first extra point of the game, so we have to expect that they’re going to attempt to go for two. But teams don’t typically repeat their two-point plays, so they’re creative and they come up with new ones. So we just have to prepare our defense to be ready for anything.”
(On how many classic Steeler defense traits does he see on display even with the new defensive leadership in Pittsburgh)
“Well you see it all up front. It’s continued with the same system – a few minor tweaks. But you see the aggressive, firm, shock-and-shed approach with the front seven. Their secondary has always been well-coached, regardless of who’s been playing.”
(On what he’s seen from LB Ryan Shazier)
“He’s a good football player. He’s got great speed and he’s really, really smart. I remember going through the draft process. He’s highly intelligent, he gets it, he understands, he’s always getting to the right place. He’s hard to get blocked, too. He’s usually one of those unblocked guys that arrives at the ball carrier.”
(On what makes Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger so good)
“He’s stayed healthy. He’s in his third year of the system now. He’s got great people around him. He’ll extend plays. He’s not looking to run, but he’s looking to buy time and push the ball down the field. Their run game, their short passing game, their screen game, sets up their deep passing game. He’s got a deep arm. He’s one of those guys in the league, one of those rare guys that can throw it a mile and he throws it with accuracy.”
(On if he would like to go for more two point conversions)
“If we score some touchdowns and we might go for two. Touchdowns are the issue right now, it’s not the extra point.”
(On why Roethlisberger is so tough to sack)
“He’s just got exceptionally strong lower body strength. He can shed, he twists and torques and sheds off defenders. He’s always been that way.”
(On what he’s seen from DT Aaron Donald since he’s had him here with the Rams)
“Nothing different. Mike’s (Tomlin) on the competition committee and he commented in several of the meetings early this offseason that he’d seen Aaron in there in late January, early February every day. He just gets up in the morning and goes to work and works out. He’s all about business. It’s certainly paid off for him.”
(On what steps the offense has made this week)
“Well, we still have some work to do throughout the rest of the week, but we’re not, not scoring on purpose. We’re working to do those things. We’ve just faced two pretty good defenses. You stress the importance of getting better every day and improving and minimizing the mistakes and making the plays when you get the opportunities. Our offensive touchdowns are a team, it’s a byproduct of the team, too. It’s not just offense, it’s the defense not getting the ball back, it’s the special teams not getting field position, all of those things.”
(On how much the work ethic in a player can be the edge)
“It’s a difference. You see it over the years. The great ones that come through that play a long time that are perennial Pro Bowlers, they just don’t do it based on God-given ability. They do it as a result of hard work and preparation and dedication and all of those coaching clichés. That’s what Aaron does. Aaron is about football. He loves the game. He studies the game. He studies each and every opponent – individual opponent. He understands our system and he’s been blessed with that great leverage and strength quickness and he’s taking advantage of it.”
Rams Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti
(On how he makes amends this weekend from last week’s loss)
“Well you know what, the formula never changes. You put the last game behind you – that 24 hour rule. Then you come out here and you prepare. It starts in the classroom and then you have great meetings. You come out here, you have a great practice like we did today and you press on and you move forward. It’s all about the Steelers now.”
(On if he has had a lot to correct from last weekend’s game)
“No, there’s not a lot to fix. There’s things we’d like to fix. Regardless of how well you play or how poor you play, there’s always things you can do better in the running game, in the protection phase and in the passing game. So you’re always striving for perfection. You’re always striving to do things better.”
(On how RB Todd Gurley looks this week)
“Todd looks good.”
(On if Gurley looks better than last week)
“Yeah, I think you look at him here today he did a really nice job.”
(On what he sees from WR Brian Quick on the practice field)
“I think Brian’s doing a great job. You look at him going through individual and all the group work. ‘Quickie’s’ made strides. He’s doing a really nice job out there.”
(On what Quick has to do to play on game day)
“Well we just have to see where he is and where we are. Time will tell when it’s the right time for him to be up.”
(On if the reason Quick isn’t playing is because of stamina or strength)
“No, no. Those are questions like when you talk to Coach Fisher, those would probably be better for Coach Fisher.”
(On how big his offense needs to be this weekend)
“Well we think every week we need to be big. We have a job to do out there. We have high expectations of ourselves. We want to go out there and protect the football. We want to score points. We want to finish games.”
(On how the young offensive linemen are doing)
“I tell you what, I’ve said it every time here, I think they’re doing a good job. There’s a progression to it. Coach (Paul) Bou (Boudreau) is doing a great job with them. They’re doing a great job preparing. They come out here and practice very well, and you can see in the first two weeks that there’s progress being made.”
(On if he thinks QB Nick Foles took a step backwards from last week’s game)
“No, he didn’t take a step back. It’s tough out there. Every Sunday’s tough out there. There’s going to always be plays that the quarterback would like to have back. In our situation, you look at it, football’s a situational game. We didn’t do a very good job on third down. When you don’t convert on third down, you don’t get another set of downs.”
(On if he’s preparing as if Gurley will play this weekend)
“We always prepare for whoever’s going to be available. We come out here and we run our offense and whoever’s up, they’re prepared to go.”
(On what kind of problems the Steelers present defensively)
“Well first off, they’re a 3-4 defense. They’re a 3-4 defense that will play over and under, very good personnel, tough, physical, active, excellent sub-package, very well coached. There’s a tradition there. They have great tradition in their defense and a lot of pride.”
(On what he sees from the Steelers linebacker group)
“It’s a physical group. Active, physical, they do a great job.”
(On how closely this Steelers defense resembles what he’s seen in the past)
“Well I think (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Keith) Butler’s doing a great job. I think you can see that there’s a resemblance.”
(On if he could see himself playing at 37 years old like Steelers LB James Harrison)
“Absolutely not.”
(On if he’s amazed when he watches Harrison on tape)
“It’s amazing. I’m amazed at almost all these athletes out here, how gifted and how talented they are.”
Rams Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel
(On the Steelers PR Antonio Brown)
“Yeah, he’s pretty easy to notice. Veteran guy that’s kind of like a lot of the best punt returners in the NFL. He’s fast, great ball skills, hard to tackle. He’ll be one of many that we face this year that are like that.”
(On if it’s unusual to see an elite receiver returning punts)
“Yeah, it really is. A credit to him is he’s still courageous and he wants to catch and he wants to run them. He’s trying to break tackles. It is unique to see a guy that’s five, six years in the league still really care that much about being good at that.”
(On if he thinks the Steelers will kick to WR Tavon Austin)
“We’re always planning on them kicking to us. If they don’t, then we adjust, but our game plan is they’re going to kick it.”
(On if it looks like the Steelers will kick it to Austin from what they’ve done in the past few games)
“Yeah, I think they will. They have a good punt team. Their coach I’m sure is confident in their ability to cover it. We have a good punt return team, so hopefully they do and we can play some football.”
(On if a punter can kick the ball and make it roll short on purpose)
“No, I mean I don’t think he’s trying to do that on purpose. We had Tavon at the yardage that we thought he’d punt it. If he punted it how we thought he would…they went straight up and straight down, not very far. Then there’s one you have a 20-25 yard roll. One went for about 14 (yards). Tavon’s decision-making is excellent. So every one of those punts, I was very happy to see he went up, didn’t try to make a catch, which could be a muff and then the giveaway…protect our field position, protect the football as best as he can and great decisions.”
(On if it’s up to Austin to try and catch short punts or let them roll)
“Yep, all the way on him. Like I said, he’s a great decision-maker. His first two years and two games in the NFL and into his third season, I thought he’s made great decisions every time he’s been back there. Those were tough balls because you want to catch them, but you just can’t because it’s a risky catch and you don’t want to risk losing possession of the football.”
(On if he would be running into the coverage by catching a short punt)
“Yeah, he’s got his eyes in the sky on the ball, and then there’s going to be 21 other bodies probably around him. So it’s a tough catch, and I think he made the right call on every single one of them.”
(On having RB Isaiah Pead returning kicks Game 1 and RB Benny Cunningham Game 2 and if he’s still looking for answers on who his returner will be in Game 3)
“No, we only had one ball to bring out against Washington. Benny Cunningham is our answer, who was excellent last year. He had been excellent in really his one return he’s had this year. He took it out eight deep. He’ll be excellent the rest of the season. Benny’s the guy and he’s going to do a good job.”
(On K Greg Zuerlein’s struggling last season against Washington and him making his field goal this year at Washington)
“It says that he’s improved. Says that’s he’s got like I’ve always said, a very strong mindset to be like a cornerback. You get burned deep, forget it and move on to the next one. What was great was it was going the same direction on the same hash, the two kicks he missed last year and it was about a 25-yard further kick. I was on the sidelines just saying he’s going to kill it. He’s going to hit it. He’s going to hit it. He went out there and he piped it. It was great for him to him to hit it, but that’s what we expected and he’s improved.”
(On if he likes what he’s seeing from his punt coverage team ever since the hiccup with Tyler Lockett against Seattle)
“Yeah, I mean that first one…he was good. He hit it right up the shoot. We lost (RB) Chase (Reynolds) early on that cover, so we kind of missed him in our fit. Two years ago the very first punt of our preseason game no.1 against Cleveland, Travis Benjamin ran it back. We learned a lot from that and we made big improvements the rest of the season. So I would hope that it’s going to kind of follow the same suit.”
(On the emergence of S Maurice Alexander the first two weeks of the season)
“Well really he’s picked up where he’s left off from last year. The first probably eight weeks last season, he was kind of…he was young. It was new to him. Then the final eight weeks of last season, he really started to ascend and became a core guy for us. Then the first two games this year, he’s been fantastic. Really kind of picked up where he left off last year, and he is a huge part of our special teams and I expect him to be one of our best.”
(On how much WR Bradley Marquez is an asset on special teams)
“It’s huge, especially from a receiver position. Not only a guy who contributes on all four phases, but a tough guy and a smart guy. He’s been a huge asset for us, especially not having (LB Daren) Bates the first game and then losing (RB) Chase (Reynolds) and not having Chase this past game. He’s kind of filled in and he’s done a really nice job.”
Rams QB Nick Foles
(On what challenges they face from the Pittsburgh defense)
“It’s a defense that everybody knows about their history of their defense. Their front seven are among the best in the league. They do a really good job of stopping the run. It’s really going to come down to execution. We need to gain yards with our running game to open everything up. That’s something that going back to the Washington game that we’ve been working on this week. It’s going to be a tough task. It’s a really talented team, so I’m looking forward to facing them.”
(On what he sees from their linebacker core that features four first round draft picks)
“They’re big guys. Like I said, they’re really good at stopping the run. Great front seven, so we’re going to have to do a good job in the passing game and really try to get them out of that box so we can run it. But, it always comes down to execution. We know what kind of talent they have, so we’ve got to go out there and do a great job with our blocking. I’ve got to do a great job with recognizing what they’re doing, making sure we’re in an appropriate play.”
(On what would be his biggest critique of himself was from last week)
“I think we just didn’t get into a rhythm. That’s on me. I’ve got to make sure to get some easy completions here and there. Football is such a rhythm game that if you can’t get into a rhythm, it’s very difficult to sustain a drive, convert on third down, keep your defense off of the field and we didn’t do a good job of converting on third down. That’s a big thing. That’s a big emphasis this week. It’s really just gaining that rhythm throughout the game and holding onto the ball to help our defense out.”
(On if they never got into a flow offensively last week)
“Yeah I think that we just shot ourselves in the foot. Maybe just the little things. We had penalties, missed throw, missed opportunities, staying behind the chains. So, we’ve got to stay within the chains to give us an opportunity on second and medium, third and short, stuff like that. That gives you a higher percentage than being in third and long.”
(On if there are things that are easily correctable)
“Yeah, nothing is really easy in this league, but it’s just something that making sure that everybody’s on the same page. Understanding why the run we’re running, what it’s designed to beat, why we’re doing it, where the hole is, stuff like that. It’s just the attention to detail that you have to continue to come back, win or lose each week. When you lose, people are going to point it out more and more. The same thing happens when you win. You don’t play perfectly and you miss things out there. So, it’s just every week detailing it up and getting better.”
(On how much difference having RB Todd Gurley would make)
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with that, that’s for (Head) Coach (Jeff) Fisher. Todd’s a talented guy. We all know what he did in college. Just having him out there, he looks great in practice. He’s looking good moving around. Great vision and just a real smooth runner.”
(On if Gurley is getting more and more work)
“Yeah, just trying to get acclimated, just trying to get his legs underneath him and getting used to running this offense. Getting used to the holes, where he’s running, stuff like that. It’s great having him out there.”
(On if he sees some potential for some opportunities in the passing game when looking at the tape)
“You definitely want to be able to pass the ball. They’re a great defense. They’re going to be studying film and ready to go, but we just have to be dialed in. Me and the receivers, tight ends, backs, in the passing game, we have to be able to pass it and move the chains. The running game is always going to complement the passing game and vice versa, so we’ve got to execute on both to sustain drives. We’ve got to really go out there and hone in this week.”
(On what WR Brian Quick can add)
“The sky is the limit for that guy. So talented, such a big receiver. His ball skills are among the best I’ve seen, just how he goes up and gets it. When he’s healthy and when he’s back out there, it’s going to be exciting. We have a great group of guys who go out there and catch balls every day. My job is just to make sure I’m putting them in a position to give them an accurate pass and give them an opportunity to be successful and show their talents. When he gets out there, it’ll be exciting.”
(On what it would mean for a young team like the Rams to beat the Steelers at home)
“Any time you can go out there and win a game in the NFL, it’s huge. It’s such a talented league. We’ve just got to keep working. Our goal going into the game is to improve. Obviously, everybody goes into the game wanting to win, so we just need to keep progressing through this week and go out there and play like we know how to. We have to win on every phase of the game – special teams, offense and defense. We have to play together, complement each other and we’ll put ourselves in a position to be successful.”
(On if it’s a point of pride to show people that last week wasn’t how they play)
“I wouldn’t say it’s a pride thing, it’s more of a, ‘Who we are’ thing. We know that we have work to do. We know we’re a young team, but the guys come in here and it hurts when you lose. That’s part of playing this game. You’d love to win them all, but it doesn’t always work out that way. I see how do the guys respond? The guys responded by getting back in the building, ready to work, hungry like always and just detailing it up. We just had a great practice and that’s what I want to see from these guys. Coming back, not being down, being optimistic and moving forward. So far we’ve had a great work week, we just need to keep doing that each and every day.”
(On if they are prepared to go to a silent count if there’s a lot of Steelers fans in the building)
“We always have that. I’m looking forward to getting our fans out there and taking those seats so we can use our home field advantage like we did against Seattle. The home fans were tremendous then and I’m looking forward to seeing them there and just showing up. I’m not really thinking that way, but if we have to that’s something that we’ve practiced. But, we’re going to be at home and I want to use our home field advantage and have our fans loud.”
