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RamsFanSince69
The goal is for Jared to become consistently good every time he plays. What a great quote. You could say the same for the entire Rams team - that's how you learn to win.
This is what I have been concerned about for at least 4 years. The utter absence of consistency.
Fisher came in and improved the team in Year 1. No question. And in that first year, inconsistency was understandable.
But it never got any better. Indeed, we became less and less consistent. We'd have good games and then we'd tank before we could get any real momentum going. I dunno how many times we clawed back to where another win would get us over .500 and we would just collapse again.
The ultimate example was the infamous capitulation to a moribund NYG offense after 2 shut-outs in a row. That game not only made me flirt with the idea of quitting on the Rams (I'd never do that) but it told me something about Fisher's Rams teams. They would NEVER get anywhere because they would never have the discipline to be consistent. I never believed in him or his team after that.
Of course, consistency can only be achieved through discipline. Competitive discipline. An entire team that not only hustles, but does its job.
Sometimes, in the arguments about Fisher, the issue of effort is raised. I've seen people say that they saw genuine effort under Fisher. And that's true enough ... at least at times. There were games when we got something going and would lock in. We actually won some amazing games through grit and toughness.
But it would never last. Because it's not just about trying hard in key moments. It's about DISCIPLINE. It's about trying hard every play and, more importantly doing the right thing on every play. Doing your job, well. Football is a team sport and teams thrive when each individual functions correctly in a well conceived scheme. That means the coaching staff has to do its job thoroughly and with discipline EVERY TIME. It means that players have to understand their role and be held responsible to do it with discipline. And who or what will hold players responsible? Coaches, first. And then teammates. With professional athletes, a team culture of holding teammates responsible for competitive discipline is hard to maintain. Mediocre professional teams grind along achieving mediocre results as players realize nothing is happening and they may as well play to display their individual skills. That can lead to "trying hard" of the worst sort: individuals trying to make plays off script and leaving teammates out to dry.
I dunno what FIsher did in TENN other than a certain Super Bowl we all remember. I do know what he did with the Rams, and he failed to instill the discipline that led to consistent effort.
Everything we hear about McVay tells us that he gets the significance of consistent discipline. That sort of commitment raises a team's performance to and sometimes beyond its apparent ceiling. That of course does not guarantee W/L success. But it can guarantee a team that not only displays cases of effort, but weaves together a synergy of consistently disciplined performance.
And THAT is the sort of team one can really pull for, whatever its W/L record.
