The TST Staff Is Unanimous: Get Rid of Fisher

Every year under Fisher the Rams show us hope. They tease us with it before they inevitably submarine their talent with stupid mistakes. Last season, we were hopeful until about Halloween. How do I know this? Because we ran a roundtable very similar to this on 30 October last year.

This year they tantalized us until Thanksgiving. Holding it together a bit longer before collapsing on the easiest part of their schedule. Could this team be 7-3? Absolutely. But the facts don't lie. Stupid mistakes have cost this team greatly in 2015.

The difference between this roundtable and last years? You won't find nearly as much support for Fisher.

VTramsFan [@PeterDunbar]

On Fisher: Even when we sat at 4-3 we were 3-4 the other seasons I believe, with the exception of one season where we were 2-5. One game improvement after 4 seasons and the same implosion. Let’s get real, it isn’t working, it never had a chance to work, and will NEVER work. This team needs someone who knows how to implement a balanced attack, offense, defense, special teams versus just a one trick pony.

Dick Vermeil was the master of creating a BALANCED team. He knew how many points a team needed to score to win, and how many you had to limit a team to. That's what he created. Jeff Fisher wants a stingy defense, strong running game and control the clock. Doesn't work anymore.

I will end this with… THANK CHRIST FOR TODD GURLEY otherwise I really don’t know what else we would have to build around on this offense. We are probably "-Todd Gurley" away from being the worst offense to ever play in this league… I just pray he’s not the next Steven Jackson to take the pounding and accomplish nothing post season wise.

Verdict: Adios Fisher

Tevin Broner [@T_Bron]

Fire Fisher.

The Rams will not win 8 games this season again. This is the team that Fisher built, the defense is great and the offense is a damn mess. Hell if you wanted to argue that the offense is the worst now than it has ever been then I would not argue with you.

There is no reason for the Rams owner to act on firing Fisher, but if he is not fired this year there's no way you can convince anyone that this team will be good.

The Rams suck. Fisher did not fix that problem

Eric Nagel [@Eric_nagel]

As if this is even a question at this point! I'm thankful for two things: The NFL Draft, since we'll be top ten again and the Rams offense, for giving me a reason to try new beer.

Verdict: Bye-Bye Fisher

Brent Lancaster [@lannyosu]

Given that the Rams are hitting new lows each week on offense, and Fisher is late into his 4th year of roster and football decisions, it's clear that it's going to stay the same as long as he is in charge. It doesn't matter who plays QB, who is the OC, who is on the OL. Many teams do a lot more with less on offense. It's time for a change but we won't get it this season.

Verdict: Wants Change, Doesn't Expect It

sergey606 [@thatSergey]

Yes.

I started saying it last season, the change needs to happen, but I doubt the front office will make a drastic change (especially with the LA stuff surrounding the team).

I wrote an article prior to the season comparing pre-Harbaugh 49ers and current Rams. In my opinion, the best option is having Fisher move to the front office in a GM-like role, then hiring an up-and-coming coach. Problem with that, Fisher will hire someone just like him. I do think that the roster is heads above the 2011-2012 team, hence keeping him around, but it will never happen.

So I will say: Fire Fisher. Snead is fine for now - talent is there, just being wasted.

EddieP [@iAmEddieP_]

If Jeff Fisher coached anywhere else, he'd be long gone. The Rams have been stuck at or around .500 his entire tenure. Mediocrity was expected in the beginning, but more than halfway into his fourth year, it's absurd.

I too like the idea of Fisher in a front office role, but his power should be limited. No man should have that much power.

Verdict: Move Fisher to Front Office

Taiko [@RamsHerd]

I generally like Jeff Fisher as a leader of men. He exudes confidence, gives his players plenty of rope, and covers for them when they fail in hopes that this shelter from criticism will give them room to improve. It is said (in a classic sports writing trope) that his players will run through a brick wall for him.

Unfortunately, this just doesn't help them win games. Case Keenum just willed himself to keep playing through a blast trauma to his brain, which is courageous enough and probably earned some leadership points, but was foolish and dangerous and didn't help the Rams win a very winnable game.

We were misled by two wins over bad teams into thinking that Fisher had finally found the talent to match his blueprint, and could turn the corner with this team. As they've faced tougher opponents, even imperfect ones with similar records and injury woes, they've been demonstrably out-coached on a weekly basis.

I can't tell you who the next coach of the Rams should be, but I no longer believe it should be Jeff Fisher.

Verdict: Cherio Jeff

northwestRAMSfan [@troilus22]

Fire Fisher.

In spite of having one of the most talented defenses in the entire NFL, a potential generational talent at the Running Back position, and a top Special Teams group, the Rams are a mess.

For a brief moment in time the Rams were utilizing BOTH Tavon Austin and Todd Gurley at the same time, and the offense was generating just enough big plays to get wins in spite of the passing game. For some reason that is no longer the case, and the Rams are still a team that lacks discipline (ball security and penalties anyone).

I am sure Jeff Fisher has even admitted to being "outcoached" more than one time in post game press conferences this season. If Fisher and his staff could develop even half of the gameplan for non division opponents that they put together for division opponents the Rams would be a contender. The effort just isn't there, and the same old plan obviously isn't working.

Snead and Fisher have done a fine job of improving the overall talent level since taking over, but this team is now UNDER ACHIEVING based on its talent level. The teams first winning record in over a decade was there for the taking, and the lack of discipline and player development has turned this into another wasted season.

Brandon Bate [@NoPlanB_]

Jeff Fisher hasn’t posted a winning record in his three year tenure in St. Louis, and he’s on the fast track for a fourth. Why would keeping him around even be in consideration? I’m over giving up on playoff aspirations with several games left on the slate, and I’d like to think other fans are as well.

Every season it’s "the Rams are loaded with talent" and "on paper the Rams look legit"...and every year the team underachieves. If it’s not the players, it’s the coaches. And that’s on Jeff Fisher.

It was fun while it lasted, Jeff. Actually, it wasn’t. I’ll take a new head coach as early as Week 12.

Verdict: Hey Les! Call Bill Cowher!

GoRamsGo

Absolutely on board with firing Fisher.

I'd like to keep Snead though, honestly. It's hard for him to assemble an offense when the offensive gameplan is so dreadful--he does very well with trades, and he's assembled a team deemed talented enough to "underachieve." Snead can definitely stay.

Fisher is just a mess. He hasn't had a winning season with the Rams, and in his 20+ seasons coached, he just hasn't done very much overall. He probably shouldn't have even made it this far in the NFL, but he's somehow survived when the leash on most NFL coaches is much shorter.

A running-based attack in 2015? No one does that. Okay, a couple teams do, namely the Seahawks and Panthers, but it's much easier to succeed as a passing offense. More of them find success. Fisher is behind the times, and he never has his team prepared--the difference between great coaches and average or worse ones lies mainly on preparation. Fisher clearly lacks that.

Cut him lose. He's no good, and there's no point in continuing to pretend that he ever will be. Hire someone with coaching experience and the potential to flourish given the opportunity--I like Hue Jackson. The Bengals offense has done well lately for him, and until lately, many Raiders fans wished he remained their head coach. Or, really, hire anyone who isn't Jeff Fisher--he should unquestionably be fired.

Verdict: Les Stays, Fish Goes

Misone [@MightyorMisone]

Fisher is trash. Straight up hot garbage. Never been a fan of his and have stated this on so many occasions. How can anyone in their right mind get excited about mediocre at best? No literally, the best you will get from this guy is mediocrity.

Janoris Jenkins said "this can't keep happening every week. The defense, we are playing great ball, man. All we are asking for is a little bit of help. We can't just keep losing like this."

His pain is real and true, unfortunately his statement is not. You can keep losing like this and you will. Because Jeff Fisher still can't see the error in his flaws...

This son of b**** has to go!

Verdict: Ummmmm Yeah I think you guys got that one

3k [@3k_]

I mean...I dunno what's different at the end of this season compared to last season. I haven't exactly been blaring a bullhorn to get rid of him. I just don't understand what's changed this year that wasn't the case last year.

But hey. Eventually, people get tired of losing. That's a good thing. Just kind of frustrating that it's taken this much for people (and yet it's still not everyone...) to finally be at their wit's end with Jeff Fisher. Then again, if the Rams pull off a little winning streak and get back into the 7- or 8-win mix, I'd expect many of the people calling for Fisher's head will be calling for him to get another year just like in 2014. It's what he does best.

Pull off enough wins against the quality teams of the NFL to offer the potential of future success that leads to more failures against the mid-tier teams to stifle any real progress on the bottom line of wins and losses. The Rams beat the Seahawks and Cardinals already this year. They'll get another one of those quality wins by season's end. Things will perk up.

It's the perpetual motion engine of hope that Fisherball constructs.

Verdict: Uh...y'all do what you want. I'm just here to run a blog about it. (But if we want to win, we could do better)

Papa Lurch [@Papa_Lurch]

As many of you have noticed by now, I have a tendency to *mostly* defend the team whenever possible. Questioning authority is generally frowned upon in the military so those tendencies carry over to TST. However, my wife likes to say that I color inside the lines - I just do it loudly. That's where my sarcasm and criticism draw from.

But right now, I'm finding it difficult to defend the approach this team is taking - to defend ANYTHING Fisher is doing. It's come up in several conversations that I've had with fellow Rams fans. This team reminds me of the Mike Singletary led 49ers. I think a coaching change could help this team skyrocket in 2016.

Verdict: Replace Fisher with a Totalitarian to Instill Discipline