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LesBaker
I agree about losing year after year, it will erode support anywhere. It did in LA before, with the Rams and just look at the Clippers and even the flagship franchise Lakers. I'm from Cleveland except for the last 6 years and they are the most die hard fans imaginable. Yet they are tired and starting to stay away. Those fans are made of granite too.
So SK will put a product on the field that wins sometimes, and loses sometimes. Winning it all won't be the focus. Winning enough to keep fans attention will be. When I and others say "he doesn't care about winning first he cares about the money" I think sometimes it's assumed that we mean that 5-11 is fine with him. It's not because it doesn't sell enough seats. 9-7 is though.
I replied to your query about Kroenke/Fisher but didn't do a great job explaining what I thought.
On the hiring Fisher for the move.......it makes little sense especially since according to Demoff they were writing this year off so to speak. Plus Fisher didn't actually do anything to facilitate the physical move. Demoff was the point man and we know that. So if he hired Fisher to hold the hands of millionaire players and reassure them that everything was going to be fine then Kroenke is dumb and we know that isn't true. Because there wouldn't be anything else for Fisher to do. Staff lead by Demoff handled things.
There are too many holes in the theory that he hired him for the move. It just doesn't add up for me.
IMO there is something that makes more sense and is easier to support with logic. Rebuilding the roster.
The Rams were the worst team in the history of the NFL over the previous 5 years from Kroenke taking full control. In fact they were one trick play away from an 0-16 season one year. This was going to be the biggest rebuild in the history of the league, the mother of all rebuilds. Fisher, Parcells, and possibly Cowher have more experience rebuilding teams, or retooling on the run many times as in Cowher's case, than any other coaches, ever. Parcells, if he was available, would have gotten an interview and possibly been hired. IMO Kroenke wanted Fisher to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. No college coach or assistant getting his first shot as a HC is going to have what Fisher has, that being "been there done that"..........and so I think that was the overarching factor in the decision.
Les, you make good points, and we are just looking for straws in the wind. No one knows.
Now, as for the theory of overseeing the move, I agree that it is daft. I think it's ridiculous. I always did.
But, just because it's ridiculous, that doesn't mean Kroenke didn't buy into it.
And, to be fair, there is an idea there. The concept, I think, is to keep the players focused through the distractions of a move. And Fisher is known as a level-headed, player's coach who had a rep for successfully handling the Houston-TENN move. Kroenke, who surely thinks far more about real estate deals than about the team, may well have bought into that conventional wisdom.
Anyway, last year at this time, I was certain Fisher would not be fired because of that reason. And because of the contract. And because LA would be pumped, at least initially, to get the team back even if it struggled in its StL lame duck year. It was no surprise that Fisher was not held responsible for last year's failures.
This year? This year is a completely different dynamic. I cannot imagine how, right now, Fisher isn't sitting on the hottest of hot seats.
About your idea of the roster building. I mean, clearly, you're right. Roster building has certainly been a core goal.
But then, the track record on that score has been mixed. The D hasn't yet closed its holes and the OL remains a mess. I don't see how it could lead to much assurance that Fisher will continue.
Well, we'll see, eh? I can't imagine Fisher getting extended, but who knows?
