Bernie: Another Rams coaching change not a good idea

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  • #10935
    RamBill
    Participant

    Bernie: Another Rams coaching change not a good idea
    • Bernie Miklasz •

    http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/bernie-another-rams-coaching-change-not-a-good-idea/article_5fdd4ad8-c881-544a-9ff0-74f591aefb78.html

    As they head to San Francisco with a 2-5 record, a banged-up team and an unforgiving upcoming schedule, the Rams appear to be in trouble.

    Which leads to a question: Is coach Jeff Fisher in trouble?

    Rams owner Stan Kroenke is unavailable to comment. And even if the silent Kroenke were in the mood to talk, he wouldn’t be inclined to share his views on Fisher’s future.

    Fisher is into his third season of a massive rebuilding project in Earth City. He’s 16-22-1 as the Rams coach. Working with GM Les Snead, Fisher has missed on some high-profile draft picks and free-agent signings. And too many of the promising young players have regressed, or aren’t getting better.

    There’s also the matter of Fisher’s downward trend, which began during his final seasons as Tennessee’s coach. If the Rams (as expected) finish with a losing record this year, Fisher will have only two winning seasons in his last 10 seasons as an NFL head coach. Since 2004, his combined record with the Titans and Rams is 70-80-1. The only high point was his 23-9 mark in 2007 and 2008. In the other seasons since 2004, Fisher has gone 47-71-1.

    But I don’t believe Fisher will lose his job.

    Here’s why:

    • After this season Fisher still has two years left on his contract, and I doubt that Kroenke is inclined to pay him $14 million not to coach.

    • The Rams aren’t the Raiders. They don’t change coaches every 83 minutes. Given what Fisher inherited — an absolute mess — three years isn’t necessarily a reasonable amount of time for a turnaround.

    • I do think Fisher’s program should be further along by now, and I won’t defend him on that. I haven’t hesitated to criticize Fisher. But some reconstruction projects take longer than others. Especially when the roster has been torn up by injuries.

    • Stability — and giving Fisher a chance at a fourth season — is preferable to another regime change, and another roster turnover, and another round of chaos. Fisher is the team’s third head coach since 2006. The Rams have to give it more time instead of ripping everything up again.

    • I realize I’m probably in the minority here, but that’s OK.

    • If this season slides away, Fisher’s job status will come under increasing scrutiny. And even if he stays, he’d better be prepared to make changes on his coaching staff. And I don’t know what any of this means to Snead’s future.

    • I do know this: It would be a lot more fun to talk about a successful and entertaining football team instead of writing “Fire the coach” columns every three years.

    It’s time to see what Tavon Austin can do for the Rams. Is he good enough to be a game-changing playmaker? Does he have the durability to hold up physically and consistently be an asset? Austin has been targeted only 17 times in the passing game so far this season. He’s been given the ball 15 times as a runner. He frustrates by zigging and zagging and dancing instead of utilizing his straight-line speed. But the Rams’ coaches haven’t put him in position to excel. When you’ve given up a second-round pick to move up to choose Austin at No. 8 overall in the 2013 draft, he warrants a more substantial profile in a dull offense. Maybe Austin isn’t good enough to become the player the Rams envisioned. Who knows? But it’s way past time to see exactly what he can do.

    During the recent annual meeting of the Arsenal soccer team’s supporters, Kroenke caught some heat from fans of his club (of the English Premier League). According to ESPN FC, Kroenke was asked why his Kroenke Sports Enterprises got paid three million pounds by the team last month. According to ESPN FC writer Julian Bennetts, the payment “has upset Arsenal fans, who fear majority shareholder Kroenke will use the club as an investment vehicle.” A board member responded that the payment was for services of the “utmost importance” – but offered no details.

    Supporters weren’t thrilled by Kroenke’s appointment of his son, Josh Kroenke, to the Arsenal board. According to Bennetts, the Arsenal directors “were asked asked to justify the 34-year-old’s role and what he brings to the party.” Bennetts added: “It has long been rumoured that Josh is being groomed to play a larger role in the day-to-day running of the club and may in fact succeed his father in some capacity. The Kroenke family are here to stay.”

    Pro Football Focus, which grades every snap of every NFL game, rates Rams rookie Aaron Donald No. 1 among league defensive tackles so far this season. This Rams regime has whiffed on some premium picks but hit big on Donald as the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft.

    I had a chance to briefly visit with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon last Sunday in Kansas City during the Rams-Chiefs game. For whatever it’s worth, he seemed optimistic about keeping the Rams in St. Louis. Gut feeling: Something is in the works. But we have no details.

    #10939
    Herzog
    Participant

    But did Fisher inherit a mess? The team seems to be exactly what it was when he took it over…..a .500 team with massive injuries and an Ill timed coordinater change with a massively bad impact…..he has built the team to that exact point it was when he took it over.

    #10941
    HighPlainsDrifter
    Participant

    I didn’t read Bernie’s article, but I tend to agree with the premise that another coaching change is not what this team needs. At least not at the head coaching position. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I am pleased in any way with the state of the team under Fisher. That obviously not the case. But the constant upheaval of hiring all new staffs and bringing in all new philosophies has to end somewhere. A team cannot start over time and time again. All that said, he needs to do a better job of selecting his coordinators. Look, I might be wrong about Williams (I tend to believe his is badly overrated), maybe he’ll get the defense organized and playing some decent football. I’d love for that to be the case. We’ll see. I don’t really think that Shotty has much of a guiding philosophy to his planning and his in-game management of the offense. I wouldn’t mind seeing something done there to bring in someone who has demonstrated a concrete body of work that has brought some success. But I think Fisher is a good coach if not a great coach, and I don’t really see anyone on the horizon who I would want to replace him. I am not a fan of grabbing the latest hot coordinator. I just don’t think that the success rate of that ploy is high enough to make it worth firing an established NFL coach for. I think they need to gut it out with Fisher, painful as it may be. He is the most likely to bring them out of the fog.

    #10944
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    I didn’t read Bernie’s article, but I tend to agree with the premise that another coaching change is not what this team needs. At least not at the head coaching position. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I am pleased in any way with the state of the team under Fisher. That obviously not the case. But the constant upheaval of hiring all new staffs and bringing in all new philosophies has to end somewhere. A team cannot start over time and time again. All that said, he needs to do a better job of selecting his coordinators. Look, I might be wrong about Williams (I tend to believe his is badly overrated), maybe he’ll get the defense organized and playing some decent football. I’d love for that to be the case. We’ll see. I don’t really think that Shotty has much of a guiding philosophy to his planning and his in-game management of the offense. I wouldn’t mind seeing something done there to bring in someone who has demonstrated a concrete body of work that has brought some success. But I think Fisher is a good coach if not a great coach, and I don’t really see anyone on the horizon who I would want to replace him. I am not a fan of grabbing the latest hot coordinator. I just don’t think that the success rate of that ploy is high enough to make it worth firing an established NFL coach for. I think they need to gut it out with Fisher, painful as it may be. He is the most likely to bring them out of the fog.

    I would give Fisher another year.
    But if they are mired in last place
    at this time next year, I’d say
    to hell with continuity.

    w
    v

    #10946
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    But did Fisher inherit a mess? The team seems to be exactly what it was when he took it over…..a .500 team with massive injuries and an Ill timed coordinater change with a massively bad impact…..he has built the team to that exact point it was when he took it over.

    I don’t agree with that. For one, injuries are not the fault of the “builder.” If you mean they are still losing, well yeah. But then, you can have a good team (in terms of overall talent) that has a bad year. Depends on the reasons. In terms of the talent level…Spags inherited nothing. Just plain zip. Fisher inherited what Spags added and then added to that.

    I just think this team had its heart taken out when they lost Bradford AGAIN and if you go back to when it happened, everyone was saying they expected a lot from him this year.

    To me the big story of 2014 is making huge unbelievable mistakes and then collapsing in their aftermath. To me more than anything, this is the “psych 101 season.” When you watch them you can see them lose momentum.

    At the same time, if you cancelled the 2014 Rams and let all their players go, there would be a long list of them who would get picked up by other teams. That’s not as true of the 2011 team.

    Jenkins is a good example of this. Jenkins played well this year…but people remember the one big boneheaded, (as it turns out) game-costing error. And. Now he’s hurt.

    In terms of the future, look at Robinson and Donald. You know what Greg Cosell said about Robinson? He wasn’t as pro ready as Matthews, but that once he got up to speed as a pro player, he would be in the conversation for the best tackles to ever play the game. Not best in the 2014 draft class, one of the best ever.

    So I am frustrated by 2014, but I also see that 2014 is as talented a team as we have seen for years. They’re also massively mistake prone and easily put into a funk by those mistakes. That’s all (to me) a confidence thing.

    And I actually agree with some of Miklasz’s points:

    I do think Fisher’s program should be further along by now, and I won’t defend him on that. I haven’t hesitated to criticize Fisher. But some reconstruction projects take longer than others. Especially when the roster has been torn up by injuries.

    • Stability — and giving Fisher a chance at a fourth season — is preferable to another regime change, and another roster turnover, and another round of chaos. Fisher is the team’s third head coach since 2006

    6th, actually, if you go back to 2005 and count Martz plus count 2 interim coaches (Vitt and Haslett).

    #10948
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    Herzog wrote:
    But did Fisher inherit a mess? The team seems to be exactly what it was when he took it over…..a .500 team with massive injuries and an Ill timed coordinater change with a massively bad impact…..he has built the team to that exact point it was when he took it over.

    I don’t agree with that. For one, injuries are not the fault of the “builder.” If you mean they are still losing, well yeah. But then, you can have a good team (in terms of overall talent) that has a bad year. Depends on the reasons. In terms of the talent level…Spags inherited nothing. Just plain zip. Fisher inherited what Spags added and then added to that.

    I just think this team had its heart taken out when they lost Bradford AGAIN and if you go back to when it happened, everyone was saying they expected a lot from him this year.

    To me the big story of 2014 is making huge unbelievable mistakes and then collapsing in their aftermath. To me more than anything, this is the “psych 101 season.” When you watch them you can see them lose momentum.

    At the same time, if you cancelled the 2014 Rams and let all their players go, there would be a long list of them who would get picked up by other teams. That’s not as true of the 2011 team.

    Jenkins is a good example of this. Jenkins played well this year…but people remember the one big boneheaded, (as it turns out) game-costing error. And. Now he’s hurt.

    In terms of the future, look at Robinson and Donald. You know what Greg Cosell said about Robinson? He wasn’t as pro ready as Matthews, but that once he got up to speed as a pro player, he would be in the conversation for the best tackles to ever play the game. Not best in the 2014 draft class, one of the best ever.

    So I am frustrated by 2014, but I also see that 2014 is as talented a team as we have seen for years. They’re also massively mistake prone and easily put into a funk by those mistakes. That’s all (to me) a confidence thing.

    And I actually agree with some of Miklasz’s points:

    I do think Fisher’s program should be further along by now, and I won’t defend him on that. I haven’t hesitated to criticize Fisher. But some reconstruction projects take longer than others. Especially when the roster has been torn up by injuries.

    • Stability — and giving Fisher a chance at a fourth season — is preferable to another regime change, and another roster turnover, and another round of chaos. Fisher is the team’s third head coach since 2006

    6th, actually, if you go back to 2005 and count Martz plus count 2 interim coaches (Vitt and Haslett).

    Well, i dunno. Losing Bradford was big, no doubt, but its the
    defense that has been biggest disappointment.

    Also, i dunno that I’d agree that JJ played well
    before the bonehead mistake. I saw some stats
    somewhere that indicated otherwise.

    I think one major criticism of Fisher-Snead
    that I wonder about is the Free Agent signings:
    Wells, J.Long, Finnigan, Cook.

    I’m still not sold on Mr Quick either, btw, fwiw.
    And Tavon and Brockers and Ogletree are mysteries to me
    at this point.

    There’s a lot of good and bad
    with this regime. I could definitely
    see Fisher being here five years
    and having a .500 record.

    w
    v

    • This reply was modified 10 years ago by Avatar photowv.
    #10953
    HighPlainsDrifter
    Participant

    WV, that is kinda my gripe with Gregg Williams, right or wrong. Brockers was an emerging force during the latter parts of last season, and Ogletree was being hailed as a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, and suddenly this season they’re being talked about as huge disappointments and busts. What’s the difference between last season and this season? Gregg Williams. Robert Quinn ended last season being discussed as one of the top young players in the NFL, and is off to a very slow start this season. What’s the difference? Gregg Williams. I’m not one to assert that I’m right and everyone else is wrong, but the defense that we saw in the second half of last season and the defense that we’ve seen in the first half of this season is not the same quality by a wide margin despite pretty much the same cast of characters. The one difference is Gregg Williams. So, maybe the team is having trouble adjusting. I’d be able to swallow that a little more if not for the fact that half of the season is gone now. Is it wise to rely on a system that is so complicated that your defense might take half a season or more (not to mention OTAs, training camp, and preseason) to digest and execute? Williams is not out-thinking his opponents, he is out-thinking himself. It doesn’t matter how exotic and creative your system might be if it isn’t stopping the opposition. OK, I’m done with the Gregg Williams thing now. I just want the Rams playing competitive football.

    #10954
    Avatar photonittany ram
    Moderator

    Greg Williams Guinta-fied the defense. That is the single biggest problem this season. I’m not sure we would be seeing articles about Fisher’s future with the Rams had the defense not imploded. If the Rams had hired a coordinator (or just promoted someone on the staff) who would have simply maintained status quo, the defense would be playing pretty well and they would have won a few more games. No one would seriously have playoff hopes due to the rash of injuries, but nobody would be questioning Fisher’s status as HC either.

    The offense had been playing pretty well up until they lost 3/5 of the o-line in the Chiefs game. I think Schotty does a good job of play calling overall. I have no issue with the game plan. I think he knows how to get the best use out of the players he has (with one notable exception). I think he’s executing Fisher’s vision of the offense pretty well.

    In the 2.5 seasons that Fisher has been the HC, the defense has played at its highest levels only when he had control over it. That was true his first season when B Williams was DCINO (Defensive Coordinator In Name Only) when they sorta took a “coordinate by committee” approach but with Fisher in charge. It was also true in his second season when Walton was DC. The defense improved greatly after Fisher took over, or at least was rumored to do so.

    This is a lost season. Might as well see if the defense can begin to master Williams’ complex system for the rest of the year. Assuming that doesn’t happen, Fisher should fire Williams and go back to the DC by committee approach employed in is first season. There are a few good defensive minds on the staff including Dave McGinnis. That’s why the committee approach worked before and it’s why it could work again.

    #10956
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Greg Williams Guinta-fied the defense.

    Just to be extry extry clear…to “Guinta-fy” means to make it more complicated. That’s what Giunta did in 2000 after the defense played well in 99. He complexified it, and the same players were kind of lost in it.

    I also think Brockers either still has the ankle injury going or losing weight hurt him or both.

    Plus I think this young defense bought a lot of its own press in the off-season and lost an edge. So they went from being way too chippy in 2013 to being hangdog every time they make a huge mistake in 2014.

    #10963
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    yeah. the defense has been a big disappointment.

    i don’t know what happened there. if players have regressed. learning a new system. i don’t know. but then do you change coordinators again? how many changes have they made there?

    oddly enough there’s been more stability at the offensive coordinator position. and surprisingly they’ve performed better than expectations?

    #11063
    GreatRamNTheSky
    Participant

    Fisher is safe until after the move. Rams priority is the move not the coach.

    BTW heard that there will be a special meeting of the NFL owners in November regarding the relocation.

    Grits

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