I do not consider myself an optimist....eg. Regarding the future of Western Civilization, I view our perpetually texting millennials and echo Dennis Miller's line:
"Has there ever been in human history,
so many lives.....so under-lived....and so over-reported!!??" (or words to that effect)
Back to Los Ramos and to our polarized fanbase, torn asunder on the question of whether HC Jeff Fisher is
a smart, shrewd & effective winner (but very snake-bitten)....
OR....
just a great politician and BS artist who has stick-handled his way through two decades of NFL Head Coaching.
Some history....
Pre-Rams
-Jeff Fisher, before joining the Rams, toiled for the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, who had a bone-head meddling owner (Bud VinceYoungFan Adams), and a GM (Floyd SalaryCapHeIIPatentHolder Reese)who had to take his shoes off to add to twenty. Nevertheless, Jeff Fisher came within a yard of a SB XXXIV victory. He also lost in a AFC Championship Game to the Raiders IIRC.
The guy once arrived at Titans practice via parachute!! Gotta take my hat off to a mensch like that eh!
2012
-Fisher is in demand. Miami Owner takes Jeff up in his helicopter in glamorous Miami.....but JF comes to Saint Lou to take over a roster that is basically a NFL Expansion Team line-up....in NFL small-marketville. He takes over a squad that went 15-65 the previous FIVE years.....just think of the corporate culture of losing therein fellas.....half a decade of goose-eggs.....pretty hard to overcome IMO. He and Snead make smart trades (RGIII) and bring in tough players (a la Cortland Finnegan) and transforms Spagnuolo's FourPillarsChoirboys into a tough, edgy, admittedly highly penalized, TEAM....and goes 7-8-1 in the toughest Division in the NFL. Pretty Damm Good IMHO!
2013
-Los Ramos Franchise QB (talkin' here about Kroenke's financial committment to $am Bradford, not his performance or game stats) goes down in Game 7 in Carolina....but still goes 7-9. Our stud QB for half a season plus, was Kellen Clemons folks!
2014-Los Ramos Franchise QB Bradford is gonzo for the season.....any wonder we tubed the year with Shaun Hill and Austin Davis at the helm? Again, in the toughest Division in the NFL. Nothing to see here folks.....what NFL Team can lose their starting QB for the year...and then go on to thrive, huh?
2015-Snisher take a shot and dump Sam WoundedKnee Bradford and grab Philly QB Nick Monster2013Stats Foles, plus a Second Rounder. Who Could Blame Them??? Oh, and BTW, Sammy goes to an Eagle team with back-to-back winning seasons the two previous years....and after a season of Sammy.....EVERYBODY IN PHILLY GETS FIRED!!! It is unfortunate that Nick Foles deteriorated so badly after those two big wins early-on over Seattle at home and the Cards in The Desert....but whether it was that one dirty hit by Clay Mathews in GB or whether it was the culmination of many many hits....the fact is that by mid-season, Nick Foles was little more than a grease-spot in the Rams QB Room.
Some will say that Frank Cignetti, the failed Rams OC for 2015 was Jeff Fisher's choice....AND THEY WOULD BE RIGHT! Hey even Bellicheck got caught cheating....ergo, even smart NFL HCs make boo-boos eh!!
Again, I do not know how the 2016 season will turn out. I hope we make the Playoffs, but I cannot condone flinging Jeff Fisher out with yesterday's garbage at this time. I think you need to see what they can do in 2016, in a new stadium, in a new city, in a new State that is 2 time zones removed from Saint Lou......read, this was a monster undertaking, this Franchise move from Dresden-On-The-Mississippi to the City of Angels.....from the buckle on the Rust Belt, to La-La Land where trends, movements, and (what passes for) culture, all get their start. But, make no mistake.....the Rams fortunes are brighter in Los Angeles, than any future prospects they had staying back in Saint Lou....again, no disrespect intended for St. Louis residents....but, LA is an iconic, world class, city of nearly 20 million. St. Louis could not compete with LA on so many levels as a NFL market, sorry. Give Fisher a coupla-three years here to see what level he can get Los Ramos up to. I predict he will continue to do well at improving the team, and exciting the fanbase.
I think Jeff Fisher is smart, shrewd, and definitely a corporate survivor. Whether he has enough jam left, pushing 60, and after two decades of watching his back within the NFL HC fraternity (which must be as much fun as mealtimes were at The House of Borgia), whether he has enough left to take Los Ramos (the team I've loved since 1967) to The Promised Land, remains to be seen.
But like Rams43, I am keen to get the 2016 Rams Season get started and see where we all end up. Strap in Ramsnation, as I predict a rough ride....but also an exciting one!!
As always, JMO.
