Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher
(Opening remarks)
“Well it’s nice to win a game, especially in the division, and not be satisfied. I think we have to be very careful not to be satisfied with the fact that we’ve won two consecutive games here because we still have a long way to go and a lot of room for improvement. I don’t have an explanation for the penalties. We have to look at them, but both teams had too many penalties. It makes it hard to win when you have penalties like that, especially some of the situations they put themselves in. Another thing that comes to mind from an offensive standpoint is, yes we can run it, we’ll find a way to run it, and we have been doing that since (RB) Todd (Gurley) came aboard, but we converted one third down today. That just doesn’t get it done. So we obviously have some work to do. Pleased with the win, don’t misunderstand me. We came through healthy. We still have a lot of room for improvement.”
(On how RB Todd Gurley and WR Tavon Austin complement each other in the offense)
“Well, you have the reverse threat and then you have the quick screen, and we scored on that threat. It’s a simple read for (QB) Nick (Foles). If the box is loaded, go outside to Tavon and if they’re sitting outside and you’re worried about that, then we hand it off. So yes, it’s a good problem from an opposing defensive standpoint.”
(On Gurley becoming the first running back since the NFL merger to rush for 566 yards in his first four starts)
“I keep bringing up that ‘S’ word, which is ‘special.’ I’ve been saying that he’s special. Again, credit him to get to this point and credit the guys around him. They bought into the run game. They bought into that philosophy, which you have to have. He’s obviously getting a lot of people’s attention.”
(On if winning 27-6 and still having things to work on is a good feeling to have)
“Yeah, I can’t wait to get back to work in the morning. As a matter of fact, we’re going to give some players a little bit extra time off tomorrow so we can dig deep into it as a staff, just to try and make more plays. We came out with the hurry up and we got some things going. We overcame some things – (WR) Kenny’s (Britt) drop and then Tavon’s fumble. That was a big play. Both put us well into plus territory, which would have translated into points. We just can’t kill drives like that.”
(On if running strictly run plays after going up by two scores was because of the faith he had in his defense)
“Well, yes. It’s a team thing. Discussions with the defense was just don’t give up the big plays, you need to take care of their bootleg and (49ers QB Colin) Kaepernick on the edge. Don’t give up the big plays and keep pressure on him. In fairness to them, it’s hard to overcome the loss of (49ers WR) Anquan (Boldin) and (49ers RB) Carlos Hyde and then (49ers RB) Reggie (Bush) goes out and they had a couple other issues out there. When you lose your playmakers like that, it’s hard for anybody from an offensive standpoint.”
(On if the shoving after a few plays was just a reflection of a divisional rivalry)
“I think there’s a rivalry there, yes. They’re the first to come together after the game and congratulate each other, but yeah, it’s an emotional game.”
(On what has worked so well for the defense, allowing only 12 combined points in two games)
“I told the guys inside, ‘12 points in two weeks is too many.’ That’s the push you have to take. We got off the field on fourth down a couple of drives and once they get down there, we’re stressing field goals, field goals, field goals. ‘Mo’ (S Maurice Alexander) on the one drive, when he went in at strong safety, made two huge plays. So, it was good to get him some reps.”
(On if Alexander subbed in because of an injury to S T.J. McDonald)
“T.J.’s fine. It was just we needed to get a couple of scheme things cleaned up with T.J., so we put Mo in.”
(On being above .500 for the first time in November since 2006)
“Well, we expected to be here in years past, but things just didn’t work out that way. Again, I’m not satisfied. I’m not satisfied overall with the team, with execution, those kind of things. That has to carry over to the players as well, and I know it does. We’ve got work to do and just try to continue to build wins. That’s the one thing we can do.”
QB Nick Foles
(On how he thinks RB Todd Gurley and WR Tavon Austin compliment each other and how dangerous they can be)
“Yeah, I mean, those are two dynamic players that are extremely explosive. Once they get in the open field, they do electrifying things. So, you have a receiver that can go can go in the backfield and do a bunch of things. Then, you have Todd who when he runs he runs the ball, it’s something special. So, fortunate to be a quarterback to be able to play with those guys. We have a lot of other guys at skill position that can make a lot of big plays, so we have to keep developing as an offense.”
(On if he feels that the 71-yard touchdown by Austin was the spark the team needed today)
“Yeah, I mean, anytime you can get that going and just bust one out like that…doesn’t happen often in the NFL. That can really get you going, get some points on the board. Defense played outstanding. They’re something special. So, they caused havoc for the 49ers offense. It was a great team victory today.”
(On if he thinks Gurley or Austin is faster)
“Man, I’ll probably go with ‘Tav’ by a hair. But, man, Todd can roll. So, those guys are dynamite.”
(On if he feels like the offense is developing its identity)
“It’s developing it. I would say that’s the main word. We’re not there yet. We’re really not close. We can keep improving in a lot of areas and that’s how we look at it. It’s great to get a win. It was a great team win, but we have to keep developing. Today was 50/50 pass and run, yardage-wise, which is great. You want to be able to do both. So, we just have to keep developing. We have a lot of explosive players, and our O-line is really coming along and doing a great job.”
(On the offensive line’s performance today and maturation process)
“Yeah, they are. They’re coming together. They work hard. That’s one thing, their work ethic is second to none. Just as a group, Coach (Paul) ‘Bou’ (Boudreau) a great with them, really pushing them. So, they’ve continued to develop and I expect them to continue to do that.”
(On it being a good feeling after having a 21-point victory, still knowing there are things to work on)
“Yeah, I mean it is. It was a great team win. That’s the big thing. But, when you look back, there’s a lot of things that we can do better. We have to do better, because it’s really tough to win in the NFL. So, we have to not get complacent, keep grinding, keep working like we have been. Short memory, enjoy the win tonight, get back to work tomorrow and be ready to go.”
(On the offensive struggles on third down conversions and the frustration of not being able to get in a good rhythm)
“Yeah, I mean, third down’s just something you have to keep working at. We keep working every single day. It’s not going to stop. So, we have to be able to convert on third down and keep the chains moving, keep our defense off the field and keep those drives alive and put some points on the board. So, that’ll be an emphasis this whole season, and it’s something that we really have to get better at and we will.”
(On how it feels for him to know that his defense has their back if they don’t convert on third down)
“Oh, it’s awesome. I’m the defense’s biggest fan in the world. Watching what those guys do. Say it over and over again, ‘It’s a team game but I’m a fortunate quarterback to have a defense like we do.’ Those guys keep working. They have a great leadership. We keep pushing each other every day. So, we have a great team here that just has to keep pushing each other to get better.”
(On his first game against the 49ers and the physicality of it)
“I mean, it’s a rivalry. It’s a conference team, conference battle. You’re always going to get that. When I was in the NFC, it was the same way. There’s always going to be chattin’ after plays. That’s football. You play a district team in high school, probably going to be chattin’. You play conference team in college, same way. So, it’s just a rivalry. I know when I was in college playing against Arizona State, we were chattin’ after every single play because we didn’t like each other. So, that’s just football.”
(On if he does any trash talking during the game)
“No, I don’t. I mean, I try not to. I try to get my guys back. Try to stay away. You don’t want to get a personal foul or a penalty, go 15 yards back. But, really just try to get my guys out of the scuffle if I can and get back in the huddle.”
(On if he liked the no-huddle play calling at the beginning of the game)
“Yeah, I love it. I think it’s great to be able to do both. We have to be able to do two-minute drill, no-huddle and run our offense. We have to mix it all together. It’s tough for the defense because they have to prepare for it all. We just have to keep getting better at it and keep progressing and get the ball in our playmaker’s hands.”
(On how good it is to see this team over .500)
“It’s awesome. I think the big thing is guys in the locker room, they’re focused on getting better. Of course we’re going to enjoy. We’re going to enjoy our families tonight. That’s the great thing after a win. Families are here. Get to spend that family time. That’s what I look forward to after wins. But, guys are ready to get back to work tomorrow, get in the weight room, watch the film and move on to the next one.”
(On if he had a good view on the long runs by Austin and Gurley)
“Yeah, I mean, standing right behind it, I probably have the best view in the house. So, just seeing…I tell you, the long run by Todd, the O-line did a great job of really getting him a huge hole and he just exploded through it. Tavon on that little wide receiver screen, (WR) Stedman Bailey does a great job blocking right out there with him. Our guys do a great job blocking down field. Then, Tavon does his thing. He weaves in and out of every defender and he weaved in and out of a couple of guys, twice. So, he just sort of showed you why he’s so special.”
(On if he thought Gurley was gone when he burst through the hole)
“Oh yeah. I’m just trying to run down there so I can celebrate with him. So, yeah, right when he busted through, I knew no one was going to catch him. He’s too fast.”
Rams RB Todd Gurley
(On how Tavon Austin as a dual threat helps him and the offense)
“Oh man, it’s good playing with a guy like that. He’s a dual threat and can be in the backfield, slot, everywhere. We’re just happy to get this win.”
(On who’s the faster runner, himself or Austin)
“Oh yeah, Tavon. I’m 225, he’s like 180.”
(On his long touchdown run)
“It was just a great job by the offensive linemen and the receivers just blocking the whole way. I’m just trying to play my game, keep my shoulders square and see what I see and just hit it, so I’ve got to give credit to those guys.”
(On if he thought he was going to be caught on his touchdown run)
“Oh no, I knew I wasn’t going to get caught on that run. I couldn’t let that happen.”
(On not having to be out there in the fourth quarter closing games out)
“Oh, man we just have a lot of great guys, whether I’m in the game or Tre (Mason), Benny (Cunningham), anybody…in the game. We believe in each other. If one man goes down or one man goes out, then the other guy can keep rolling. It’s just the confidence we have in each other.”
(On if he feels things in the NFL are easier than he thought they would be)
“No, it definitely feels hard. It’s not me, not like I’m doing spectacular. I might break a tackle, but it’s all the coaches, offensive line, receivers just doing a great job blocking on the edge.”
(On how he feels having rushed for the most yards by a rookie in his first four starts)
“Like I said, it means a lot. Those things are cool, but our main focus right now is just to keep winning, racking up these wins every game.”
Rams LB James Laurinaitis
(On how important it is to stack wins)
“It feels good to be 3-0 in the division. Big division win, rivalry game. I think the thing that’s encouraging to me is that we won this game and there’s still so much we can improve on. We’ve got to stay humble and really go back and look at the tape and try to figure out what things we need to fix and move forward and be ready for a good Minnesota team.”
(On never being above .500 this late in the season and what it feels like)
“It feels really good. I’m not going to shy away from it. This is what we really expected this year with this team. Quite frankly, we expected it last year as well, but more so this year. It feels good, but there’s also that part where you know you’re not finished yet. It’s a nice change.”
(On if he gets the sense that nobody in the locker room is satisfied yet)
“Yeah, I don’t really think a lot of guys are. They’re happy with the result with the ‘W’ and we’re 3-0 in the division, but there’s just a feeling that we could’ve played a lot better. Even though we got the W, there’s still that feeling of, ‘Man, we left a lot on the field.’ I kind of like that feeling. It means that just because we won, we’re not celebrating. We’re not looking to go have a party over it. It’s just like, let’s go back to work and really do the same thing again.”
(On if the safety set the tone for the defense)
“Well, a great job by our punt team getting the ball down there. When you have a punter like Johnny (Hekker), you can really flip the field position. You can get teams stuck back there and when you do, you have to try to capitalize. We were aggressive the first few plays really trying to get a safety. That’s one thing about (Defensive Coordinator) Gregg (Williams), is he’s going to be aggressive when they’re backed up like that. Really, (DT) Michael (Brockers) just dominated the center. When your nose tackle throws the center back three or four yards and you’re unblocked, it’s easy to run in there and just don’t miss the layup.”
Rams DT Michael Brockers
(On how it feels to get the win)
“It always feels good to get the win. We had a lot of mistakes, even me. I jumped offsides one play. We had a lot of mistakes, but we pushed through. That’s what good teams do, so we showed that today.”
(On if the key was getting to 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick)
“Yeah and just containing him. We knew a couple of guys were out and he was kind of just left with some of the other guys. So, we knew he was going to try and take the game in his hands and try to run around and make some plays happened. We just really tried to contain him today.”
(On if he expected the team to be leading the league in sacks)
“This defense works hard. We always look to dominate because of the way we practice and prepare. It’s not a shock to us that we’re putting the numbers we’re putting up because we work for it and we work hard. Definitely for right now, we are on the right path. We’ve just got to clean some stuff up.”
(On how having a 4-3 record sounds)
“Sounds good. We’ve got to just keep going. One game at a time. You look at our record, we’re 4-3. We feel like we could’ve been 6-and-something. Moving forward, we’ve just got to clean up the little mistakes and try to finish games.”
(On the defensive series with the safety)
“Our fans, it really starts off with the fans first. Our fans really showed out today. When we got them back in the hole and back there close to the end zone, our fans showed out. They were yelling and I don’t know if their communication or whatever was off. That’s when this defense really goes after it. We’re trying to score. It was good. I think I did a great job at getting knock back and getting the safety.”
Rams WR Tavon Austin
(On the crowd reaction at the end of the game)
“That’s straight up St. Louis. It feels good. I’m glad to put up some wins and give them something to cheer for when they come to the games. It felt real good.”
(On his touchdown reception)
“Screen play. Kenny (Britt) made an awesome block. The whole line was down the field blocking for me too.”
(On how Todd helps the passing game)
“You just can’t drop back. You have to respect the running game. That will open up opportunities on the outside.”
(On how it feels to hear the fans chanting his name as he comes off the field)
“It feels like I’m back at home at West Virginia. That’s what they always did when I was there. I want to thank the fans and I’m thankful we were able to get the win for them and I hope we can keep it going.”
(On how Gurley’s success opens up opportunities for himself)
“That’s how the game of football goes. When you have a great running back, the receivers have a lot of chances open up on the outside. Like I said, we’re going to keep on doing it and keep on rolling.”
