The Head Coach & the "Lost" Angeles Rams
Let's first get out of the way that I am a huge Los Angeles Rams fan; have been ever since they setup shop in the Gateway to the West and the glory days of Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Orlando Pace, Dre' Bly, etc. "The Greatest Show on Turf" was just that and so much more. Scoring aplenty with several future Hall of Famers on offense and enough defense to make you worried about how your team might keep up with the blue and gold.
...and then it disappeared, like air out of a Patriots game-ball, to the point that a whole generation of young football fans cannot remember a time when the Rams were playoff-relevant as opposed to continually vying for the best top-10 selection in next year's draft. The Rams have not made the playoffs since their 30 point loss to the then led Michael Vick Atlanta Falcons back in 2004. Since then, the Rams have only had one 8-win season and have gone a combined 56-119. Throw in the current 4-9 record of the Los Angeles team and you see that we only go further down the rabbit hole.
Now I know the Browns and the Bills have their own sob-stories regarding entry into the playoffs, but let them write their own blog post.
The best news I've seen in several years happened earlier this week when the Rams, not two weeks removed from admitting to handing head coach Jeff Fisher a contract-extension, fired the poor bastard. Bewilderment as to the timing and jubilation as to the firing does not begin to encapsulate the feelings surrounding the ending of a horrible head coaching reign. Fisher seemed like a strange hire back in 2012, but what the hell, if it works it works, right? Only...it didn't. It didn't work to an enormous degree.
Fisher, who had not and still has not won a playoff game since 2003, was ushered in to fix a broken organization after Steve Spagnuolo spent three unsuccessful seasons trying to turn things around in St. Louis. The "Good Ole' Boy" system worked in Fisher's favor in order to return to the coaching sideline (at the end of the 2010 season with the Tennessee Titans, Fisher and the ownership decided to part ways after 16 seasons) and after one year "off", Fisher threw the headset back on for another go at this whole head coaching-thing.
Fisher, who, even before his unimpressive stint with the Rams, was not a coaching home-run. In all of his years at Houston/Tennessee, he managed to make the playoffs only six times and won only five games. He also had a combined coaching record of 142-120 (.542).
Since taking over Stan Kroenke's team, Fisher has led the Rams to two fourth-place and two third-place finishes in the NFC West (Rams will either finish 3rd or 4th at the conclusion of this season).
Perhaps it felt like a good idea to leave Fisher on staff even after the first rough, couple of seasons. With the imminent move to Los Angeles looming and Fisher being a USC-guy I can see how the two pieces might fit together. But here's the thing...potential and ideas regarding someone's potential are only as good as they are not proven wrong. Jeff Fisher undoubtedly showed that he was incapable of doing much more than promising a .500 record and rarely succeeded even with the bar so low. Fisher tied Dan Reeves for the most losses for a head coach in NFL history with 165 (while playing in 17 fewer games) and may never get another chance to be the leading man again.
So now comes the question of...who's next?
Since 2005 and the firing of then-head coach Mike Martz (who had been the offensive coordinator during the Rams 1999 Super Bowl run), the Rams have carried six head coaches in just 11 seasons. The revolving door of head coaches is just one of the many problems facing the franchise, but on a team with very few superstars, the head coach sits atop the paparazzi mountaintop.
Names like Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan (no chance), John Gruden from ESPN Monday Night Football (for the right price, maybe, but doubtful nonetheless), and Stanford University's David Shaw (says he's not ready to enter the NFL realm just yet) have all been floated around, but with very little substance behind them.
Coaches who the Rams should and potentially are already looking at to replace Jeff Fisher will include a mixture of current NFL and college coaches. Viable options include Josh McDaniels (OC for New England Patriots), Dan Mullen (HC for Mississippi State Univerisity), and Kyle Shanahan (OC for Atlanta Falcons). There are certainly others in the mix as well, but these three make the most sense. All three are offensively oriented and with an extremely young and inexperienced quarterback, the Rams could use just that. The defense will continue to stay stout for another year or two without a massive roster-shakeup, but players could be looking to leave Los Angeles if it seems there will continue to be no shot in winning.
I believe one of the biggest assets the next head coach of the Los Angeles Rams should have is his desire to be there. It has come across to fans that for the last 11 years coaches accepted the job simply to begin their head coaching career or to renew it. We need a head coach that WANTS to be L.A., that WANTS to take this team to the playoffs, and that ISN'T just looking for a stepping-stone to another head coaching job.
The Rams head coaching position has ruined or supremely pushed back the chances for another head coaching job for almost "leader" they have had on staff. How great would it be, though, to take this team and make it a winner. Make it a destination spot for players instead of just a layover until their next opportunity. Take one of the best defensive units in the league and add a REAL offense to become that juggernaut team all other fans hate. Sow your seeds, men, the time is ripe.
