Coach Joe Vitt
Monday, November 07, 2005
(Opening statement)
“We had a good practice and that was a good first day. We worked on some of the things, self-scout-wise, that we had done as coaches last week. And the guys came back with a great attitude.”
(On whether he was able to take a break during the bye week)
“Not really. Not really, but that’s okay. I’m having fun.”
(On WR Isaac Bruce’s status)
“Well, he was out there today, and he did some real positive things. It’s going to be an ongoing process. We’re just going to wait and see how it goes.”
(On how WR Torry Holt is doing)
“Same thing. He did some good things today.”
(On QB Marc Bulger’s guarantee that he will be back this week)
“Right, right. I thought he threw the ball well today. He’s excited, so he’ll be ready to go full slate on Wednesday.”
(On the status of other players who were injured last game)
“Chris is fine. Fish is fine. Leonard came back and had a heck of a day for us. So we’re probably about as healthy right now as we have been all year long.”
(On whether G Claude Terrell is better)
“Yeah, went full slate today.”
(On the conditioning that was done after practice today)
“Yeah, just to break a sweat and get the rust off, and ready to go to work.”
(On whether the players have more energy after the bye week)
“Yeah. They have fresh legs, so yeah, I really do. I think they are excited about the prospects.”
(On what it will mean to have DE Leonard Little back)
“What do you think? They guy is a playmaker. He presents problems for anybody’s pass protection. They have to account for him every time. He’s great in pursuing the run. So it’s huge.”
(On how he is doing mentally)
“He’s great. He’s great.”
(On why RB Marshall Faulk was not at practice today)
“Marshall has been excused since August. No really. He had an appointment that he had to have today, and he’s been excused. He called me up and said, ‘Do you want me back there?’ I said absolutely not. I know exactly where he’s at and what he’s had done.”
( (On DeJuan Groce having his arm wrapped)
“He had that all last week. It’s been ongoing with him.”
CB Chris Johnson
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On how tough it was to miss a game)
“A little bit. I was just trying to make sure that the back was good to go this week. The week off really helped me out, so I’m ready to get back out and start participating again.”
(On what he did during the bye week)
“I went home for a day, and then I came back up here to start looking at some film on Seattle, some of the special teams stuff on them. I was just really trying to take it light the whole week. I’m juts glad we’re back to work. Just come back in Wednesday and start for Seattle.”
(On whether the bye came at a good time)
“Yeah. We had some guys nicked up. The bye did give us a little time off. You know, Torry and Isaac got healthy, so we’re going into this game with all our ammo now.”
G Adam Timmerman
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On how the bye week was)
“Nice. It’s always nice to have a week off to heal up a little bit and get a fresh mindset too. I think everyone needed a little mental break to get ready for the second half of the season.”
(On having players that were injured back starting)
“That will be nice, but I think that the guys that who stepped up and played and everyone around there, we just have to continue playing hard, as if they are not there. And with them back, we’re going to for sure be better. It’s not at a point where anyone can let down.”
(On the affect this coming game against Seattle can have on the season)
“It can. It’s a road game. It would be awesome to go out there and win the thing and set the stage for the second half of the season, keep the momentum that we had going that we had going into the bye week. It’s huge. Divisional game…they’ve kind of been our rival. They are at the head of our division. To go out there and play well and get a win, that’s our goal.”
K Jeff Wilkins
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On how it feels to secure a spot with the Rams)
“It feels great, obviously, to know that the Rams wanted me back. Our relationship has been great. Obviously, there is no other place that I wanted to go or even worry about trying at the end of the year. It’s wonderful for my family and I’m real appreciative to the Rams and the whole organization.”
(On if the extension was something he was hoping for or if it just happened)
“It’s just one of those deals that, with the kicker, it’s always in the back of your mind going into the last year. You never know what’s going to happen. You hope you start out strong and hope that they want to deal with you, but I was trying not to think about it too much and just go out and do what I do and see what happens at the end of the year. Fortunately, it didn’t have to go that far.”
(On if he thinks about his numbers being among the best kickers to have played in the NFL)
“I used to, back four or five years ago, look at numbers and see where I am and now I don’t even do that. I don’t want to get caught up in that. I’m just here to do my part to help the team win, and whenever I start doing that, you’re starting to think individual, and I don’t like that. Hopefully, when I’m said and done, I’ll be able to look back and be proud of what I did. As a kicker, you kind of go game-to-game and year-to-year, and that’s kind of how I do it. Even though I’ve been around for 12 years, I still kind of feel that way.”
(On if having to make fewer tackles this season)
“That’s definitely helped this year. Our coverage teams have been fantastic. No soreness in the upper body, if anything it’s just the leg, and that’s a good soreness. I used to love it, but I’m glad that our coverage teams are doing great this year. Because, each time I get hit, it hurts a little more than it did in the past, but I still take pride in, every once and a while, getting in on it and trying to feel like a real player.”
(On if it would be meaningful for him to retire as a Ram)
“Oh, there is no doubt, yeah. There is no other place that I would want to be at all. They’ve been great to me throughout my nine years here. So, it was a matter of hoping they wanted me back, and it worked out that way, and when I’m done here, I’m done.”
S Mike Furrey
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On what he worked on during the bye week)
“I was really trying to hit this week hard about taking my angles and tackling and watching everybody else and getting some feedback on what other safeties do in the league. I took advantage of this week by trying to get better from a tackling standpoint.”
(On if it was good to get a break)
“It was good for us because we have momentum going in after two games, and we’re going to get everyone healthy going into Seattle. It’s a big week for us, so it’s good for everybody to get healthy and get rest and get ready to go for a big game.”
(On if the Seattle game is a must-win)
“This is a huge game. This is a huge game for us. We set ourselves up nice the last couple weeks by getting two wins and getting back to .500, but I think this is going to be our big season breaker. If we can go up there and win and come back home with a victory from Seattle, we have four home games and two division games at home, we’ll be alright.”
(On having DE Leonard Little back)
“I think emotionally it will be great. I think having him back and knowing he’s back there to help us on the pass rush and help get back the depth at the defensive line is going to be great for us. We’re glad to have him back. It was unfortunate what happened to him, and we’re supporting him, but from a standpoint of him being back, we’re very happy to have him back.”
LB Trev Faulk
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On Seattle RB Shaun Alexander)
“I think he has like 14 touchdowns right now. He’s putting up ridiculous numbers right now. So, we definitely have a big challenge ahead of us.”
(On trying to reduce Alexander’s big play potential)
“That’s one of our goals going into every game, to defend well whether it’s the run or the pass. He’s obviously a huge part of what they do and a huge part of their success. We definitely have to focus on trying to stop him, but we can’t really just focus on trying to take away the run and allow Hasselbeck to pick us apart. They have a real good offense over they, so we have to be prepared for everything that they do.”
(On having DE Leonard Little back)
“Oh, it’s been great to see him back. It’s been kind of quiet next to me, because our lockers are right next to each other. So, it’s definitely been different, because we’re always going at each other about something. Mainly , and even though Tennessee is having a rough year right now, they still beat , so I really can’t do too much talking about that, unfortunately. He got a chance to get away and spend a lot of time with his family and go through the whole grieving and mourning process. I’m sure it’s not something that you just wake up one morning and are ok with. It will still be a gradual process, but it’s good for him to be back with us.”
C Andy McCollum
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On what he did during the bye week)
“I did have some doughnuts, I absolutely did. I was telling Adam that was the hardest week of my life. I’m ready to get back to work. My wife had the four kids at home, so she had a long list of things for me to do. The girls are both one year old next week, so I changed a lot of diapers and tried to give a little break. I respect what she has to do every day a lot more now.”
(On having all the injured players back)
“That will be a huge boost for us. We have to approach it the same though, regardless of who’s there and who’s not there, we have to go out there and practice hard all week and play at our highest level. Obviously, this is a big game, and it’s out there, and they’re rolling pretty well. They’re doing a great job with their team, so we have to be ready to go.”
(On if this was a good time for the team to get a break)
“Yeah, right in the middle of the season is a great time. Eight games down and you get a chance to heal up and come back, and hopefully we’ll have everybody back. It’s almost like another season, and this is the opening game.”
(On if the Rams have to beat Seattle to have realistic chance to win the division)
“The way it looks now, probably, yeah. This is the next game on our schedule, so this is what we’re focused on. Right now, it’s the most important game of the year.”
G Claude Terrell
Monday, November 07, 2005
(On his health)
“I feel fine. My body got to rest for a week. I felt a little rusty out there today though. Just being out of the game for even a week, you feel like your timing and stuff is not there, but I’ll get some good work in here at practice, make sure the neck is ready to go and try to go to Seattle and get a big win.”
(On if he is getting used to the NFL season being longer than the college season)
“I’m just getting used to it, because I’m going to be at Rams Park putting in 12-hour days. I’m just adjusting to it. I don’t have homework or anything like that anymore, so it’s just study, study, study, film, film, film, practice, practice, practice.”
(On having the team healthy going into Seattle)
“We’re getting a lot of the key pieces back this week. That’s going to be a big boost for us, but we just need to continue to execute our offense. Anytime you get Marc , Torry and Isaac back, that’s an all-star roster in itself. We’ve been doing pretty well without those guys; hopefully that just makes it even better.”
(On his neck injury)
“The doctor said if my head would have been down, I would have been done. It’s a good thing I had my head the way it was, because if I would have had my head straight down, I probably would have been done. I tried to try it out in practice, and I took a helmet-to-helmet hit and knocked my head back a little bit, and it re-aggravated it. That’s all I do for four quarters. I’m in the trenches and it’s hand-to-hand combat for 60 minutes. I’m just trying to continue and strengthen that area and rehab it, so I’ll be ready to go at Seattle.”
(On if he would have been done for the season)
“No, probably done. That’s how hard I got hit, and if my head would have been straight down, he said it would have been bad.”
