The Miami Dolphins interviewed Jeff Fisher yesterday for their head coaching vacancy. According to Mike Silver at Yahoo Sports, the Dolphins are now the favorites to land Fisher, the biggest name in the coaching market at the moment. Silver's report also says that the Rams are interviewing Fisher on Wednesday and Thursday, but the team has not confirmed that report.
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And why exactly are the Dolphins the leading candidates for Fisher? Dolphins owner Stephen Ross rolled out the red carpet for Fisher, an interview befitting the one percent of the one percent. It wasn't so much the private helicopter ride they gave Fisher as it was a symbol of the team's willingness to do what it takes to field a winner. Something the less ostentatious Bud Adams
Silver's report also pushed back against the idea that Fisher prefers a team with an entrenched starting quarterback.
Fisher, who spent much of 2011 season watching NFL game tapes, was highly impressed by the talent on the Dolphins' roster among other things. And while the Dolphins still have an unsettled quarterback situation, this is not a deal-breaker for Fisher. Contrary to some reports, he is not 100-percent sold on the Rams' Sam Bradford as a franchise quarterback, either.
The biggest takeaway from this report isn't that Fisher prefers the Dolphins; that information is still firmly rooted in the rumor mill. This report appears more than anything to be about negotiations, specifically creating leverage for Fisher on the market. And here's the biggest tell:
The biggest potential obstacle to a deal between the two parties may be Kroenke (or, if he were so motivated, [Jerry] Jones) blowing him away with an even more compelling pitch.
The key takeaway: any team that wants Fisher is going to have to pony up. That's not really a surprise. Jim Harbaugh got a $5 million per year deal from the 49ers with no prior NFL head coaching experience.
Keep that in mind when you read the many, many reports about the Rams' head coaching search.