Rams 37, Jaguars 7
Q. You've been through some tough stretches; what's this one like right now?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: I mean, it's been, what, three games back to back where I feel like we haven't had too much of an opportunity to kind of do anything. We kind of spotted them 14 points early, the last two games, 10 points this game. It's been tough. We're just trying to rally and come back, come back Monday, Tuesday, and just try to turn this thing around.
Q. At what point -- you have to go through that same stuff every week. At what point does it become too much?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: I mean, it's the NFL. We've got to play the duration of the season. Each week it's like we're coming to work every day. It's the same thing repetitive. At the end of the day we've just got to come to work. We get paid to come to work just like you, so we've just got to keep doing it, keep going, keep fighting and keep trying to turn this thing around.
Q. Do you worry guys will start tuning out, though?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: Oh, no. None of the guys are going to tune out. We're paid to play football. We're going to come out there and do whatever we've got to do no matter what. I don't think anyone is pulling out. I feel like we've just got to come together as a team and try to get a couple wins in the next five weeks. That's all we can do.
Q. I'm sure you guys are obviously emphasizing the start of games, but do you feel like guys are a little flat, just takes a little while to make adjustments, and any finger on maybe what's been a common theme the last five, six games?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: I would just say we've just got to come out with a little more fire from the get, from special teams, offense, from defense. From the get we have to be able to come out and start strong. We haven't been able to do that the last three weeks, and it's been tough. Not much opportunities on defense to kind of change the game.
I mean, we've just got to come together. That's all it is. We have to stay together, don't get negative, stay positive. Next five weeks, got five more games. We've got to be able to just finish strong.
Q. What's the fine line between the urgency to make a play and then pressing to make a play, especially with a team that I know -- every game emphasizes turnovers but you haven't been able to get a lot of them?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: Right, and it's a big thing. Turnovers come and they come in bunches. As long as we play as a unit they'll come. We can't press it. You press it, you get out of your gap, touchdown. We have to all just work together at the end of the day.
Q. You guys did a pretty good of containing Cooper Kupp for most of the first half. Just what in the second half allowed him to get so many catches on you?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: Yeah, I would just say the defense, we were out there for a while, and there's only so much we can do when you're out there for 60 plus plays and you're just like back to back to back. Cooper Kupp is an amazing player. He's eventually going to get off. He gets paid just like we do. I mean, we contained him as long as we could, and I felt like our guys in the back end did a really good job.
Q. If you could make a to-do list almost of what the defense needs to improve on, what would be the No. 1 thing?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: I would say like just starting off strong early. Like we've got to start strong early. Like in the first quarter, we can't spot them like even three points. If offense turns over the ball, we've just got to go out there and stop them. We can't spot them any kind of points early on because that's what's been killing us, when you're down and you can't really turn it around.
That's the checklist. We've got to start strong and we've got to stay together. Don't let anything divide us and just stay together.
Q. I know it's the other side of the ball, but you know how important the rookie quarterback is to this franchise. How much conversation as a veteran guy or guys have no matter what side of the ball they're playing on with him, making sure he's in a good place and trying to still develop through obviously the offense that's really struggling?
DAWAUNE SMOOT: Right. He's developing each week, and I feel like each time he comes on the field, we're just letting him know, like we got you. Like you turn over the ball, the defense got you. Whatever you do, whatever, we got you. We got your back at the end of the day, and we know he's progressing each week. He's getting better and better each week.
We just need to help in the run game a little bit, be able to run the ball, establish the run, and then be able to really start passing the ball around a little bit more. We've just got to be able to establish a good game plan.
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