Unless the Rams get good, their coach is fired PLASCHKE

LATIMES.COM
Column Unless the Rams suddenly get good, their coach is probably getting fired
Upset about the state of the Rams? Don’t worry Jeff Fisher probably won’t be back
Rams Coach Jeff Fisher is dressed in layers during his team’s loss to the Patriots, 26-10, on Sunday in chilly Foxborough, Mass. (Steven Senne / Associated Press)
Bill Plaschke Bill PlaschkeContact Reporter
Judging from the biblical proportions of wailing and teeth-gnashing by Rams fans this week, one might think Jeff Fisher is actually going to coach their team beyond this season.

Chill out, everyone. He’s probably not. Unless the Rams undergo a sudden transformation in their final four games, it would be stunning to see Fisher endure beyond the first week of January.

What about news that leaked this weekend about that signed contract extension? How about the confirmation from both the team and coach that he had signed a deal that would keep him in Los Angeles for as many as two more years?

Ignore it, everyone. It means nothing. If the Rams don’t finish impossibly strong, the deal is structured as basically a one-year parting gift in appreciation for the hassles Fisher has handled for the last two tumultuous seasons.

Fisher might be talking as if he still will have a job, and his beloved players might be joining the chorus because their buddy is coming back, but there is another party involved here, and their silence is deafening.

The Rams have yet to publicly announce or even comment upon the extension, and why do you think that is? It’s because while they have agreed to extend his paycheck, they haven’t yet decided to extend his jo

Last week this fact was made plain in an interview with Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ executive vice president of football operations and chief operating officer. He wouldn’t talk directly about Fisher’s future but was clear about the team’s expectations.

“Jeff has done a tremendous job handling the distractions of this off-season … but at the end of the day, we all need more wins,’’ he said. “How this team responds to adversity, how we get better, the progress Jared [Goff] shows, the form the defense shows … that’s what these last five weeks are all about. That will tell us a lot about whether we have the right pieces to move forward in 2017.”

Does that sound like a guy who was ready to leak news about a contract extension? And after the Rams flopped again in New England on Sunday, that certainly doesn’t sound like a guy who would support that extension.

Yes, the Rams gave Fisher the new deal at the start of the season, and were prepared to announce it. Owner Stan Kroenke didn’t want to him to go through a relocation season as a lame duck, and was willing to take a chance that things would improve.

But then in the season opener, the Rams were punched in the mouth by the San Francisco 49ers, and folks in the front office immediately applied the brakes.

They were struck by how quickly their welcome had evaporated. They saw how the Los Angeles sports fan would not celebrate a Rams homecoming if it didn’t include winning. They understood that maybe an announcement about future employment of a coach who already had become a villain wouldn’t be such a good idea at the time.

So they waited to officially announce the deal, and waited, and waited … and, then, finally, it appears somebody got tired of waiting.

That somebody was Fisher, who already openly was fighting against criticism by foolishly denying legend Eric Dickerson sideline privileges because Dickerson had been publicly ripping him. It is pretty clear Dickerson wants Fisher fired, and will do anything to get Fisher fired, a fact that was confirmed when Dickerson went public with their spat and claimed he would never attend a game as long as Fisher is the coach.

Backed into a corner by last week’s news, it is logical to conclude that Fisher came out swinging again Sunday morning by contributing to the breaking news of his job security. It’s interesting how that item surfaced before their most difficult challenge of the season, just in time to distract from another bad loss.

No, the Rams had no idea the extension would be made public. In fact, Demoff wasn’t even with the team in New England at the time, as he remained in Los Angeles on a personal matter.

Then once the news broke, given the chance to issue a press release and hold a celebratory news conference back in Los Angeles this week, the Rams politely declined.

Relax, everyone. It’s understandable for Rams fans to expect the worst, because that is exactly what the team has given them on the field, but the front office has done a good job connecting with folks in the community, and it appears they hear you. It seems like they realize that in this town, at this precarious time, they cannot possibly become the first team in NFL history to bring back a coach after five consecutive losing seasons.

The Rams can’t be that oblivious. WhileKroenke doesn’t live here full time, Demoff grew up here and resides here, and daily hears from all corners of the neighborhood.

The Rams can’t be that dumb. During this build-up toward the move into their expensive new Inglewood stadium in 2019, they need to build buzz, not alienate fans.

And, no, the Rams’ front office can’t be that conspiratorial. All this talk about Fisher being retained only because his agent is Demoff’s father Marvin? The optics might be bad, but agents represent competing interests all the time. To think that either Demoff would risk their strong reputations in this town to retain a guy who is two defeats from becoming the losingest coach in NFL history stretches the limits of credulity.

Sure, it would be much easier for everyone in the organization if Fisher could have survived a couple more years before a new and exciting presence could be hired to lead them into the new digs. And by giving Fisher the entire season to save his job, the Rams are giving him every chance.

But with games remaining against the playoff-bound Atlanta Falcons and the unbeaten-at-home Seattle Seahawks, plus home games against division foes San Francisco and Arizona, the Rams will be lucky to go 2-2. And that would make them 6-10.

And, extension or not, that should ultimately and properly get Jeff Fisher fired.