Jeff Fisher didn’t survive as Los Angeles Rams coach long enough to see his extension kick in.
There will be no more jokes about Fisher’s baffling job security with the Rams. Fisher, one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches who never led the Rams to a winning record in his five seasons with the team, was fired Monday. The team announced the move a little before noon Pacific time. Making the move on Monday was curious, not just because there are three games left in the season but the Rams play at the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. Special teams coordinator John Fassel, the son of former New York Giants coach Jim Fassel, will be the interim head coach, according to Myles Simmons of the Rams’ web site.
The Rams gave Fisher a two-year extension that was agreed upon in the preseason and signed this season. Then the Rams followed a 3-1 start by losing eight of their last nine games, with a pair of four-game losing streaks. Fisher tied the NFL record for most career losses by a head coach in an embarrassing 42-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. After the game, star running back Todd Gurley complained about the Rams having a “middle-school offense.”
Offense has been the Rams’ problem throughout Fisher’s regime. The team did not finish among the NFL’s top 20 teams in yards gained or points scored in any of Fisher’s five seasons. It showed no signs of improvement in his fifth season, either.
“Making a decision such as this – especially during the season – is one of the most difficult in sports,” Rams owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement. “I have great respect for Jeff as a coach, person, father and friend.
“He has worked tirelessly despite some challenging circumstances. He played an integral role in helping this team make history in returning the NFL to Los Angeles, and we always will be grateful for his commitment and dedication to our organization.
“However, this is the right time to make a change as our performance has not lived up to my or our fans’ expectations. We all are focused on improving as an organization and building a team that makes Los Angeles proud. Our mission is to celebrate a Super Bowl title with our fans in Los Angeles. Today is the first step to bringing us closer to that goal.”
Fisher was 31-45-1 with the Rams, which made his extension strange. Fisher hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008, when he was coach of the Tennessee Titans, or won a playoff game since the 2003 season. This was Fisher’s 22nd season as a head coach, and he has just six winning seasons. His final Rams season was filled with excuses, the strangle handling of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff and a feud with Rams legend Eric Dickerson. The Rams believed in him a few months ago, but this first season in Los Angeles has been terrible for the team and Fisher.
The Rams job should be an attractive one. Despite the offense sputtering for years, they have a star back in Gurley and also have Goff, who was the top pick of this year’s draft. There’s also some talent on defense, and the bar isn’t too high for the Rams job. The Rams haven’t had a winning season since 2003 and haven’t made the playoffs since going 8-8 in 2004. They are also new to a huge market and will be moving into a plush new stadium in Inglewood in 2019.
Fisher has been the butt of jokes for a couple seasons now, as his Rams teams struggled and he seemingly maintained infinite job security. His time ran out, and now we can see if he was holding the Rams back.
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