How warm is Jeff Fisher's seat?

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How safe is Jeff Fisher?

  • Very safe. Franchise coach.

    Votes: 79 37.8%
  • Safe. Likely for the rest of his contract.

    Votes: 114 54.5%
  • Warm. If 7 or less wins needs to make coaching changes.

    Votes: 12 5.7%
  • Hot. If 7 or less wins could be fired.

    Votes: 4 1.9%

  • Total voters
    209

Memphis Ram

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I read an article at the time of the draft that said they did. It could have been wrong but if Buf was willing to offer that trade package to a lower team, why wouldn't they be willing to offer the same deal to a higher drafting team(It would ensure their pick as well)? It's not like the money difference is that big of a deal anymore since they fixed the rookie contracts.

Timing, perhaps. They could have gotten more desperate while the Browns were on the clock in fear of what the Raiders might do with the very next selection.

All that said, if one went by the trade chart, the offer the Bills is almost a spot on match valuewise, but comes about 800 points short valuewise of the #2 overall pick in the draft.
 

blue4

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blue4
i guess you dont remember the 2000 season following the SB how Todd Lyte Kevin Carter and others on the defense played bad on purpose cause they didnt like Martz. and the next season was when he brought in Lovie.

I thought it was more the defense being old and slow. Dont you remember the SB clip on the last drive where Carter takes himself out of the game and Dick Vermeil cant believe it? I remember LBers that couldn't tackle, I remember Keith Lyle being called the slowest FS in the NFL. And I don't ever remember Todd Lyght doing anything ever again after we ditched him.
 

MauiRam

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May 26, 2013
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Jeff Fisher purportedly chose the Rams because of Sam Bradford. Right? IMO Sam Bradford was more likely icing on the cake. Fisher and Kroenke were just about made for each other. Personally I believe Fisher had made his choice well before he announced it publicly.

Silent Stan is no Jerry Jones - rather he is smart enough to hire good people, and then knows enough to stay the heck out of the way. Without even playing a game after his being hired, Fisher brought instant respectability/credibility to a disheartened and previously disorganized franchise. There are good reasons players want to play for Fisher. There were also good reasons players didn’t want to play for the Rams prior to Jeff’s being handed the reins.

The idea that Jeff must win now - this year or else would have some plausibility if Jeff were working for Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder, but he isn’t. I don’t know Jeff Fisher, but I’d bet his philosophy as regards to winning is based on a rather simple premise: acquire enough talented players and the wins will come.

When Jeff Fisher first hit the open market, the Dolphins’ owner bleated and brayed about how he wouldn’t allow Jeff Fisher to leave town without his signature on a contract. Ross picked up Fish in his own personal helicopter, and wined and dined him at great expense with all the trimmings. He also was willing to part with a boatload of money.

Fisher subsequently left town, and came to St. Louis to meet with Kroenke. Stan provided a meal for Jeff too - a buffalo burger, fries in a paper bag and a beer. They ate their lunch and talked football. I can’t imagine all the stuff they talked about, but there is one subject I am sure was discussed and set in stone: The buck stopped with Jeff -- period. No second guessing, no meddling. Fish finally announced he had made his choice, and said all the right things - thanked Ross for the opportunity, and signed with the Rams. No worries about power struggles with a GM, as Les Snead was essentially chosen by Fisher.

Summing it up - Fish and crew have upgraded the Rams talent level considerably - I don’t believe there are many here who would argue we are a more talented team than when Jeff first arrived. Do we have enough talent to contend this year? Possibly, or possibly not. Next year we will have another infusion of new talent. I know, no one likes to hear “next year,” but like it or not, next year will roll around, and given our current management, I expect to have even more talent.

Bottom line: acquire the talent, and the wins will come. If Barry Switzer was capable of winning a Super Bowl under Jerry Jones (with players mostly assembled by Jimmy Johnson), imagine what Fish can do with a really good roster. Back when Jeff was hired, my prediction/timeline for the Rams making the playoffs was 2015. I’ll gladly take sooner, but I won’t be shattered if we fall short this year. Get enough good players on both sides of the ball, and you can win a championship with the likes of Trent Dilfer ..
 

jjab360

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7-9 should be gone (baring a Spags type season where everyone and everything gets injured). For me there's no way that a coach should show zero improvement in the win loss column after 3 years and 5 first round picks (2 coming in the top ten) and be coaching game 1 of season 4. I really couldn't care less about circumstances, bare roster? Yawn. Tough division? Yawn. No QB? You put yourself in that position with a series of choices that has lead to Shaun Hill being the QB.

8-8 if an elite coach is available we should go get him, if we're looking at only poor alternatives stick with Fisher for a year and let him go get his QB, reassess the situation at the end of 2015.

9-7 gets another year regardless of alternatives and circumstances.

It's all about the W and the L column for me.
So... if the Rams lose 5 games by 3 or less points and are really impressive in every facet of the game but still finish 7-9, then Fisher is still gone? No questions asked, just bam, blow up everything and start all over again? No offense, but that's pretty dumb, circumstances matter.
 

RamWoodie

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Jun 21, 2014
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I voted Franchise Coach myself. Fisher is in no way under the gun. It's time to get ready for week one!
 

Cullen Bryant

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Will
In this hypothetical scenario we've just gone 7-9, the players Fisher added have had three years to develop (same amount of time it took Quinn to get into the best defensive player in football conversation), if a hand full of the ones you mentioned ever got into the JL55, Long category we haven't just gone 7-9 imo.

In this hypothetical world where they've gone 7-9 in year 3 Brockers, Quick, Jenkins, Johnson have had three years. If 2 of those become as good as Long or Laurinaits or even Quinn were in year three, then we shouldn't be going 7-9. I don't see where I was incorrect. Unclear? Maybe.

Not sure how you're getting three years for all these guys, Fisher is just starting year three, he was hired in January of 2012 just 2 1/2 years ago. Brockers, Quick, Johnson and Jenkins have been in the league 2 years, just starting year three. Ogletree, Bailey, Austin, McDonald and Stacey have 1 year, just starting year two. Donald, Joyner, Gaines and Alexander are rookies.

In just 2 1/2 years Fisher has done a tremendous job.

Sorry, just realized we're hypothetically going 7-9 in year three, but still of all the players mentioned only Brockers, Quick, Johnson and Jenkins would have three years in the league.
 
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Big Unit

UDFA
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Mar 23, 2013
Messages
96
I'm a bit surprised at my opinion - but I think Fisher is safe - a franchise coach. In my opinion, he gets it - from relationships with the owner; to relationships with the gm; to relationships with the players. Plus he adapts, without his ego getting in the way - gets Gregg Williams eventually, even if not as soon as he'd hoped.

He's a good fit for St. Louis. People here want a franchise that shows "want to" - that can compete with the "pretty boys"; in this instance, teams like the Cowboys and the 49ers. As is the case with other regional midwest cities, St. Louis has an "inferiority/superiority" complex; they feel there's something special about living here, but the advantages are subtle - not the kind of thing appreciated by "cooler" cities. (See Forbes Magazine's recent list.)

Jeff Fisher is respected in the NFL; a former player, on the competition committee, and with the strengths people in the midwest appreciate. He's a natural leader, as was shown by the recent Michael Sam drafting/cutting; Sam was good with it; the players were good with it; fans and the press - at least those "in the know" were good with it. He's righted the ship, though admittedly it may not show dividends in time to protect the franchise from damage resulting from the preceding ten years.

Who would you rather have? Pete Carroll? Jim Harbaugh? Bill Belli...never mind; the question answers itself. The Rams have issues: dysfunctionality through most of the past decade; an unfortunate stadium, located in a blighted part of the city; a franchise that left its prior city, not because of problems with the city, but because of problems with ownership; a "second fiddle" status in its new home town; and divisional rivals who are not traditional, and are all two time zones away. But the problem is NOT the coach; or, I would argue, the general manager.

Last year was a disappointment; first, because of an ill-fitting game plan; then because of injury to our quarterback. We all assumed it was temporary; and that this year was "our year". This year is - flat out - a gut check, for the franchise; the city; and the fans. Just the kind of year you want Jeff Fisher as your coach.

Franchise coach.
 

209RamsFan

Guest
If he doesn't get at least 9 wins from this team, Bradford or not, the cushion will begin to Spark
 

Robocop

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J.
Heres for any doubters and short term memory fans out there


Rams Taking Talent to Another Level This Season

By Randy Karraker

http://www.101sports.com/2014/08/31/rams-taking-talent-another-level-season/


When the Rams closed out the 2011 season and the Steve Spagnuolo/Billy Devaney era against San Francisco on New Year’s Day of 2012, they did so with six offensive starters who would never start another game in the NFL, four of those offensive linemen, and eight players who are out of the league as we start the third season of the Jeff Fisher era. The only three Rams who started on offense that day who are still in the league are Kellen Clemens, Steven Jackson and, after a year off, Brandon Lloyd. On defense, Chris Long, James Laurinaitis, Josh Gordy and Darian Stewart are on rosters to start 2014. Of the seven other starters that day who aren’t in the NFL now, five of them – Fred Robbins, James Hall, Brady Poppinga, Chris Chamberlain and Rod Hood – combined for one more start, by Poppinga, in the NFL.

Twenty-two starters, seven of whom are in the NFL in the third season removed. That wasn’t a talented team. In fact, only three of the talented 49ers who played that day are out of the league: tight end Justin Peelle and wide receiver Brent Swain, who was replacing injured Kyle Williams, and nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga.

As the Rams start the 2014 season Sunday against Minnesota, they are far more talented than they were. As opposed to that offensive line that had one player start another game in the league, the group the Rams will start against the Vikings has a good present and future. Most of a line that paved the way for the Rams to be second in rushing in the league over a 10-game stretch will be on hand, and upgraded with Greg Robinson and Davin Joseph replacing Chris Williams.

The Rams’ receiver corps may have the most promise since the end of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce’s Rams careers. Going back to the 2011 finale, Rams wide receivers who caught passes that day were Lloyd, Danario Alexander and Brandon Gibson. The current group of Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, Brian Quick, Austin Pettis and Chris Givens has more talent and explosiveness than that one.

Jackson and Cadillac Williams played running back that day. Williams never played again. Jackson has continued a sad trend of getting injured. The young, competitive group of Zac Stacy, Benny Cunningham, Tre Mason and Trey Watts not only has a better present than that group had, but a much brighter future. The talent at tight end now easily trumps the group of Billy Bajema, Steven Spach and rookie Lance Kendricks.

While that defensive line had a couple of guys who never played again, this one might be the best in the NFL. The current linebacking corps is deeper and more athletic, and there is no comparison between the corners on that team (Hood, Gordy, Chris Smith, Nate Ness, Justin King) and this one.

The talent level has been enhanced. The special teams are better. Fisher’s coaching staff is head and shoulders above what Spags’ staff brought to the table. For the third year in a row, the Rams will be the youngest team in the league.

So what can hold the Rams back? I see three items. The first, obviously, is the division. Not only do the 49ers still have an exceptionally talented team, but they’ve replaced Alex Smith from that team with the more explosive Colin Kaepernick. The Seahawks have clearly upgraded and are the defending Super Bowl champs. And the Arizona Cardinals 10 games last year, although they’ve been depleted by suspensions, free-agent defections and age.

Secondly, while Fisher has built an extremely tough, physical, grind-it-out team, the NFL is, more than ever, a league of explosive plays and scoring. Of the 12 playoff teams from 2013, seven were in the top 10 in passing. Ten of the top 12 scoring teams in the NFL made the playoffs. Are the Rams going to be that explosive?

And third, is it even possible to be that explosive with Shaun Hill at quarterback? Not a knock against Hill, I just don’t know. He’s never been a starter for a whole season before. Certainly, the surrounding cast is better than anything he’s ever played with, but can he win those games when the Rams can’t impose their will on the opponent physically?

My concerns outweigh my hopes, but it’s not like there is no chance. One of the teams that made the playoffs last year that didn’t throw the ball around the yard and didn’t score a ton offensively happened to win the Super Bowl. The Seahawks were tied for eighth in scoring, but they ran the ball the second-most times in the league, 31.8 times per game. They were second-to-last in pass attempts per game and 26th, just ahead of the Clemens-led Rams, in passing yards. Russell Wilson made those attempts count, however, throwing 26 TD passes to rank 10th. Despite being 22nd individually in attempts, Wilson’s touchdown percentage of 6.4 percent was third in the league.

If Hill can come close to that, the Rams’ running game, special teams and defense are good enough to carry the day in the rest of the categories. It’ll be a daunting task, and the odds are against the Rams; but if the quarterback situation falls into place, they can be a playoff team.
www.Rams-News.com
 

OC--LeftCoast

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Today I read a piece on ESPN listing Jeff Fisher as "safe for now". Citing he can't be blamed for Bradford's . Anjury
CL i
I am curious the mental state of ROD as it relates to Jeff Fisher; How secure is his job entering season 3, which by most accounts is the magic number for a turnaround?

I expect a number of responses to declare "ask me at the end of the season". Instead, play along...

Without question all of us expect results in the form of wins. Another losing season would suggest a stall in progress.

One could also argue he didn't handle Bradford's comeback appropriately. Not the rehab and preseason utilization, but protecting the roster against another injury by failing to draft a QB high enough to be plan B.

Then again, can we measure his performance strictly by wins and losses? No question he inherited a bare-cupboard roster and would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn't think he has rebuilt the talent on this team.

Unlike years past, I find myself in a much different place as it relates to our Head Coach. I feel like we have a franchise guy. There is "control" inside the walls at Rams Park. We have a leader. We have direction. We have a plan.

Can I stomach another losing season? No! But... do I want to start over? No!

I like how the Steelers rode out the highs and lows with Bill Cowher. Granted, we need some highs real quick... But that's the kind of HC I believe we have in Jeff Fisher. A franchise coach.

Thoughts?

Maybe he can't be blamed for Bradfords injury, but the way I see it (thru 20/20 hindsight) is SB8 CLEARLY wasn't ready (to collaspe from that kind of pile driving) and someone on the medical staff needs to be held accountable.
 
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jrry32

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7-9 should be gone (baring a Spags type season where everyone and everything gets injured). For me there's no way that a coach should show zero improvement in the win loss column after 3 years and 5 first round picks (2 coming in the top ten) and be coaching game 1 of season 4. I really couldn't care less about circumstances, bare roster? Yawn. Tough division? Yawn. No QB? You put yourself in that position with a series of choices that has lead to Shaun Hill being the QB.

8-8 if an elite coach is available we should go get him, if we're looking at only poor alternatives stick with Fisher for a year and let him go get his QB, reassess the situation at the end of 2015.

9-7 gets another year regardless of alternatives and circumstances.

It's all about the W and the L column for me.

And then this is how you end up with a decade of Scott Linehans, Steve Spagnuolos, etc.

Look at the Raiders, they never have stability at the head coach spot and their team has suffered for it.

I don't think you understand how big of a deal this is.

You want to fire a coach? It should be because he's not a good coach. He's not developing players, he doesn't gameplan well, he doesn't manage the team well, etc.

Can anyone here tell me that they think Fisher has failed in those categories thus far?

When you fire a HC, you don't just grab someone and keep going. You bring in a new guy with a new system and new coaches. Which means that all the players on the team now have to learn a new system, they have to get used to new coaches, and new coaches tend to favor THEIR GUYS. Which means that many of the guys the old coach liked are gone. Which usually means a lot of roster turnover. It also stunts the development process of players and can cause tension in the locker-room.

You want to know why the Rams struggled to win for a decade? Poor player development, poor drafting and no stability. Do we really think it's a good idea to put ourselves through this again?

What are the odds that we upgrade on Jeff Fisher?

No. This is a terrible idea. The only way Fisher would get fired is if the locker-room falls apart and/or the team comes out and plays like shit every single week. Otherwise, he's safe. Even if it means the team goes 7-9. Because, frankly, we have a ridiculously tough schedule and the team that he inherited sucked. It typically takes draft picks 3+ years to develop, how are you going to fire a guy when two of his three draft classes haven't even developed yet?

If Fisher just looked in over his head like Spags and Linehan did, I'd agree with you. But he doesn't. The guy knows what he's doing.

I don't want to see this team set back another three years because people are overly reactionary and lack patience.

What reasons, other than your narrow view of progress(by simply looking at wins and losses), should we fire Fisher for? Do you believe we can upgrade on him? Do you believe he and his staff are not developing players well? Do you believe he and his staff are not game-planning well? Is he not managing the team well?

I want more than just simple wins and losses. I want a full explanation. Because you don't make this sort of move half-assed.
 

jrry32

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I think that if Fisher needs another near five hundred year to straighten this comical mess of a team out, it will still constitute a historical turn around. Things just don't normally happen the way that they did in 1999 and that team had a very good defense to start with.
Changing coaches every time they don't make the playoffs is how you keep losing for decades.

Exactly. Ask the Browns and Raiders how rotating coaches every few years has helped them. Change for the sake of change doesn't lead to winning. Cycling through coaches has rarely ever paid off.
 

Jorgeh0605

You had me at meat tornado.
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I don't want to see this team set back another three years because people are overly reactionary and lack patience.

Fortunately the fans have no say in this.
 

Jorgeh0605

You had me at meat tornado.
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Exactly. Ask the Browns and Raiders how rotating coaches every few years has helped them. Change for the sake of change doesn't lead to winning. Cycling through coaches has rarely ever paid off.
And eventually leads to missing out on great coaches. Coaches don't want to work for a team they know will only kick them out the door the first chance it gets.
 

jrry32

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And eventually leads to missing out on great coaches. Coaches don't want to work for a team they know will only kick them out the door the first chance it gets.

Exactly. Kind of like how Chip Kelly turned down the Browns but was willing to go coach the Eagles.
 

yrba1

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As cool as a bucket of ice water used for a silly publicity stunt.

It all starts with the owner: although I question Kroenke's ownership for Arsenal FC, his philosophy for the Rams works well in the NFL and I have faith this team will consistently be on the playoffs once all our players start to mesh together. I'm glad we're following Fisher's approach where it proves you don't need an elite/franchise QB to win games. In finance terms, he is investing for the future, putting in a very young but talented roster that'll grow and mesh together as a team. It won't yield instant returns but it maintains stability and more room to grow.