Rams must make sweeping changes
The Los Angeles Rams are not good. They are not the Cleveland Browns or San Francisco 49ers, but they are bad. Unfortunately for the Rams, they are saddled with owner Stan Kroenke, who has somehow refused to fire head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead despite one losing season after the next.
Fisher and Snead have been on the job since 2011. The Rams have failed spectacularly in their efforts to reach the postseason in each season since, with the offense completely stagnant. On Sunday, Los Angeles finally decided to go with first-overall pick Jared Goff at quarterback instead of retread Case Keenum, who is in his rightful place as backup.
Goff was predictably bad, struggling to throw for 100 yards. However, the game was in hand with the Rams up 10-0 with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Then, predictably, the Miami Dolphins got life. Miami stormed back behind quarterback Ryan Tannehill, as the former first-round selection threw a pair of touchdowns in a 14-10 comeback win.
Point being, most stories coming out of this game will be about Goff and his underwhelming performance. That would be to miss the bigger point. If Kroenke wants to see people fill the stands (there were PLENTY of empty seats already on Sunday) and wants Goff to hit his ceiling, Fisher can’t be the man roaming on the sideline. Additionally, Snead can’t be the man making the draft choices and signings anymore.
Fisher has been a head coach for 21 seasons in the NFL. He began in 1994 with the Houston Oilers before both be and the team moved to Tennessee as the franchise was renamed the Titans. In 1999, Fisher was able to reach his first Super Bowl, falling one yard short to the St. Louis Rams. However, in those 21 seasons, Fisher has enjoyed just six winning campaigns. That is nowhere near good enough to earn another contract.
Goff clearly needs to learn plenty about playing the NFL. He also needs to get help from those around him, particularly his coaching staff. So many talented players don’t develop in this league because they go to terrible situations. With Fisher and the receivers around him, that certainly could be the case with Goff.
At 4-6, the Rams are not going to make the playoffs. They might as well take the next six games and allow Goff to get his feet wet. If the season ends with a bunch of losses but Goff getting better, that’s the only result that matters.
