Extending Fisher, Snead is only logical move

Extending contracts of Coach Jeff Fisher, GM Les Snead is only logical move for Rams

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fisher-726169-snead-rams.html

IRVINE – If reading between the lines is your thing, a conclusion or two can be drawn from some recent messages coming out of Rams camp.

And if those instincts prove correct, the long-range direction of the franchise and at least the shot-term plan at quarterback could soon reveal themselves.

Behind the scenes, it’s looking more and more like Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead will get contract extensions before the season opens.

With contract talks as fickle as they can be sometimes, anything can pop up and sabotage things. But with all sides open to extending the relationship, there is a clear path to an agreement. With those dynamics in place, things usually get done.

And as Fisher told me recently: “I’m planning on coaching here a long time, so I’m not concerned.”

If so, the job security moving forward will also provide the comfort level that allows Fisher and Snead to make decisions with the big picture in mind rather than out of self-preservation.

Like, say, the parameters and timeline they follow in determining when to hand the quarterback reins to rookie Jared Goff.

But more on that in a bit.

Both Fisher and Snead are entering the final year of their original five-year contracts. And while the 27-36-1 record they’ve compiled since 2012 – and the seven seasons that have passed since Fisher coached a team into the playoffs – don’t make a compelling case for extending their tenures, a little bit of perspective and nuance might change that perception.

The franchise Fisher and Snead inherited four years ago was in absolute shambles – as evidenced by the 15-65 record over the five years that preceded their arrival. Since then, they’ve completely turned over the roster while creating a solid foundation that features the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year (Todd Gurley) and 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year (Aaron Donald).

And by moving up in the draft last April to pick Goff first overall, they presumably added their franchise quarterback.

If Goff hits, the lone remaining glaring hole is at wide receiver, where the Rams have been unable to identify and develop an adequate No. 1 target.

While a high-end wide receiver remains a frustrating pursuit, it palls in comparison to the disaster site they encountered upon arrival. Considering the starting point, the Rams have made steady progress under Fisher and Snead.

By extending the relationship, the Rams are acknowledge the roster advancement and casting a vote of approval for the vision moving forward.

That doesn’t even account for the message it would send – or the drama it would create – if the Rams sent Fisher and Snead into 2016 as lame ducks on top of the challenges and distractions created by the cross-country move from St. Louis, their first season back in Los Angeles and nurturing a rookie quarterback.

Knowing a little bit about the media as I do, I can pretty much assure weekly shade being thrown on the long-term status of Fisher and Snead status if they’re dangling by a string all season. And it wouldn’t just be the media talking about it, either. That’s the kind of conversation that finds its way to the locker room.

Is that a distraction the Rams really want to subject themselves to in a season that will be full of them?

Especially when they can eliminate it by giving Fisher and Snead security beyond this season?

Stability comes at a price sometimes, and in this case it’s worth the cost.

That might not sit well with fans itching for a change, but it does make sense.

Which brings us to the battle between Goff and incumbent Keenum for the starting quarterback job, and how locking up Fisher and Snead long term will mean decision-making based on the big picture rather than self interests.

Keenum has done nothing so far to warrant a demotion, and Goff has shown little yet to make the case he deserves the starting job.

Three weeks remain before the Rams have to make a final call, but if standard NFL timeline is used it’s really only another week or so. It’s typical for teams to play their starters into the second half during the third preseason game, and then go exclusively with back ups in the fourth game.

So, if Keenum is the starter next week when the Rams play the Broncos, it will be a strong signal he’ll line up behind center against the 49ers to open the season.

Based on how Fisher sang Keenum’s praises after Saturday’s preseason opener against the Cowboys., you get the feeling he’s tightening his grip on the job.

“If (WR) Tavon (Austin) makes the catch, Case ends the game 7-for-7 and did everything he needed to do,” Fisher said. “That’s just what we want to see, he’s feeling good in the offense, he’s running the operation, you can see his movement skills. I think it was after the penalty we and on third-and-short, third-and-seven, he scrambled, didn’t get it and got down. He understands keeping drives alive. As we expand this offense through training camp, he’ll have a lot more opportunities to make those big plays.

“Again, I was pleased. I know all your attention is on Jared, but Case played good.”

Short of Keenum definitively playing himself out of the job – or the Rams falling flat on their face – what justification will there be to make an in-season switch?

That is, unless a coach and general manager are operating without a safety net.

That tends to change the dynamics.

Without job security, you wonder if Fisher and Snead will long-play the quarterback situation and let it sort itself out organically. In other words, not feel compelled to prove a point they were correct in drafting Goff first overall, or to try and buy themselves more time by rolling out a rookie quarterback.

There is no proof to suggest either would let their personal situations cloud their decision-making, at least not consciously. But you have to believe on some level it’s a factor.

The Rams can eliminate even the possibility of that by giving Fisher and Snead peace of mind.

If the Rams go belly up in 2016, they can always cut Fisher or Snead or both loose and go in another direction. They’d have to eat dead money, but Stan Kroenke’s deep pockets can easily afford it.

On the other hand, if a young, talented roster continues to ascend and Goff turns out to be the quarterback the Rams believe he can be, Fisher and Snead will be the undisputed architects of quite the turnaround.