The Big Picture...The Problem with the Los Angeles Rams...

first, I want to give credit where credit is deserved. My son.

I was talking with my son after the game and as we talked about individual player issues, he made the comment that points to the main problem of the state of the Los Angeles Rams.

It all starts at the top but in this instance, I'll start with the bottom and move up.

Players
Great teams have smart players. Think of the "Greatest Show on Turf". Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Issac Bruce, Torry Holt, Adam Timmerman, Grant Wistrom, Ray Agnew, Todd Lyght, London Fletcher, etc. I'm not saying Harvard grads...I'm talking smart, high level football IQ guys. I shouldn't leave Pace out either. He was quiet but he also knew the snap count!

Think of recent dynasty teams like New England, Dallas, San Francisco...

Since Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have been at the helm, we have drafted low football IQ players...which means the IQ outside of football is likely in need of help.

Let's look at rounds 1 and 2...Brockers, Quick, Jenkins, Pead, Austin, Ogletree, McDonald, Robinson, Donald, Joyner, Gurley, Havenstein, Goff. There you have it.

Tell me which of these players have, or or perceived to have smarts? Donald, to no surprise, seems to have the smarts along with incredible talent, hence a Pro Bowl. There are great athletes in the list, no doubt. But, time after time, we do stupid things. Guys and gals, we have players who just aren't savvy, smart players. Is it by chance that many perennial Pro Bowl players have both talent and smarts? I am not saying you need to have both to be great...I am saying that it significantly increases the odds of success. I'll take a good smart athlete over a great dumb athlete because the smart one will fool the dumb one and offset the talent differential.

Could we survive if the moving up the organizational ladder were better? Maybe...so let's move up the ladder.

Assistant Coaches
We have marginal coaches supporting a not so smart group of players.

Name a former assistant coach under Jeff Fisher who has moved on to something bigger and better? I'll first admit, there may be a lower level coach who has, but name one significant assistant coach who has? One OC...One DC...Once OL coach...One QB coach...One WR coach... No one is clamoring for any of our coaches...no one. Isn't that kind of a red flag? What we have is a bunch of "rah rah" guys. That's fine in limited amounts. However, I don't see us being limited in those amounts.

The only Coordinator I've had any respect for is Gregg Williams...and he was very controversial and likely would have had a hard time getting a job after New Orleans. Like him or note, he is creative and innovative. But, he is close friends with Fisher...which is why he came, even after Fisher fired his son.

Head Coach
I can't think of one profound thing I've ever heard come out of Jeff Fisher's mouth. The Head Coach is like a CEO. He hires managers to lead in areas and holds them accountable. He is a leader. He draws talent because people either believe in him and/or want to be under his tutelage to build a resume. Jeff Fisher has brought on has-been or never-been OCs. Has he even interviewed a marquee or hot shot OC? No. Why? Because it is a road to no where.

Fisher gambles when he shouldn't...doesn't when he should. If my memory serves me correct, didn't he burn a time out on an extra point try? lol Where is Mike Martz when you need him? Now there was a guy who knew how to burn time outs!!!

I wonder what a board poll would produce if the question was..."Will Jeff Fisher become a HC again after the Rams fire him?" Amazingly enough, "No" would not be 100%.

But, back to my main point. Does anyone here think Jeff Fisher is a really smart guy? I'm not saying he's dumb...but he's not smart in terms of a head football coach in the NFL. He makes tactical mistakes in his decisions...he doesn't manage the clock very well. He gets out-coached too many times.

Ok...is anyone seeing a pattern here?

General Manager
Does Les Snead make the decisions or does Jeff Fisher? If Snead bows to Fisher then he is a chump. Maybe it was the terms of hiring. But think of this. Jeff Fisher couldn't even get a established General Manager to come on board with him. He took a new guy looking for a break. Snead did some good work with the Falcons as Director of Pro Personnel but he was far from a "hot" candidate.

Snead decisions at the top of the draft have improved a 3 win team to a 7 win team. Yahooooo! He has wasted a treasure chest of opportunity. All of those picks at the top and only 2 Pro Bowlers. Hell, 98% of this board could do that! So, he has some late round and UDA gems. Well folks, most teams are not built on a foundation of late round/UDFA gems. Good for him on the few he has hit. But, kickers are not winning Super Bowls...position players are.

I think Snead is an nice guy...likeable, unlike Fisher. However, his choices on draft day have us stuck in the mud. Snead gets caught up too much with athleticism and not enough with football IQ and players who have proven results for multiple years vs. just one (GRobber anyone?).

Contrast his decisions to the gold standard...New England. Athletes WITH football IQ. Not all...but most.

President
He is the perverbial snitch...weasel. I'll stop there.

Owner
Stan Kroenke is in this for one thing...and it's not winning. If it were winning, Fisher and possibly Snead would be gone. It'a all about money. He hires cronies...flunkies. He has zero knowledge on how to build a football team. He knows how to make money. Making money with this team was easy...move it from a 20-30 size market to the #2 market in the U.S. Brilliant. He made millions on triple net leases with Wal-Mart...another stroke of "genius".

Summation
An owner who only cares about money...a President who is just a "yes man"...a GM who has questionable authority and values pure talent and potential more than talent and smarts, an incompetent head coach, marginal assistant coaches, and players with skill but low IQ.

What do we see every year...every week? Incompetence...stupid plays...stupid penalties...unforced errors...loss after loss...games we shoulda' coulda' won...draft choices who are great athletes but low in football IQ, etc.

This organization...this team lacks intelligence and until that changes, we will be losers.

Ladie and gentlemen...I rest my "case." (pun intended since I would be resting Case for Jared)!!!



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2016 04:38PM by jemach.