Some thoughts on extending contracts of Les Snead & Jeff Fisher
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http://www.insidesocal.com/rams/2016/08 ... ff-fisher/
Some thoughts on extending contracts of Les Snead & Jeff Fisher
Vincent Bonsignore
ESPN caused a bit of a stir Saturday when Adam Schefter reported that the Rams were “trying and expecting” to extend the contracts of head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead before the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
The information is fairly consistent with what we’ve been hearing for most of the last few months – there is an appetite to get deals done for both Fisher and Snead, who are both in the final year of their five-year contracts.
And while there is no timetable in place to get both locked up, there is hope it will happen before the start of the season.
With three weeks remaining before the opener, there is plenty of time to make that happen.
And as Fisher told me at the start of training camp: “I’m going to be the coach here a long time.”
That doesn’t mean a deal is imminent. But with all sides open to extending the relationship, there is a clear path to an agreement. With those dynamics in place, things usually get done.
While the timing might seem a bit odd to Rams fans – if not premature considering the Rams 26-31 record under Fisher and Snead’s leadership the last four seasons – it’s reflective of the confidence the organization has in the current direction.
That might not sit well with fans itching for a change, but it does make sense.
In a vacuum, there is no defending the 26-31 record. It speaks for itself and is unacceptable.
But with a little bit of context and perspective, you can make the case the Rams are in much better shape today than they were the day Snead and Fisher arrived. Keep in mind, the Rams were 2-14, 7-9, 1-15, 2-14 and 3-13 in the five-year walk up to Fisher and Snead coming aboard. That isn’t just bad, it’s historically and epically atrocious.
All of a sudden 26-31 doesn’t look so bad considering the 15-65 record that preceded it.
The roster, which was in shambles when they arrived, is younger and better at nearly every position and features the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year (Todd Gurley) and the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year in Aaron Donald. And by moving up from the 15th spot in the first round of last April’s draft to the No. 1 pick, the Rams added what they hope is their franchise quarterback in Cal’s Jared Goff.
Yes, they have been unable to draft and develop and legitimate No. 1 receiver and until further notice – like a step in the right direction in 2016 – the offensive line is still unsettled.
But it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the widespread improvement of the roster the last four years.
Point is, thanks largely to the drafting by Snead and Fisher, a solid foundation has been constructed. One that, with even just a moderate bump up in quarterback play, could easily make the turn from the 7-9 teams they’ve been recently to a 9-7, 10-6 team.
After building the foundation – then adding the rookie quarterback they believe will eventually put the Rams over the top – a strong case can be made that Fisher and Snead deserve a chance to see the massive reconstruction job through its conclusion.
That doesn’t even account for the message it would send – or the drama it would create – if the Rams sent Fisher and Snead into 2016 as lame ducks on top of the drama and distractions created by the cross-country move from St. Louis, their first season back in Los Angeles and nurturing a rookie quarterback.
Knowing a little bit about the media like I do, I can pretty much assure weekly shade being thrown on Fisher and Snead’s long-term status with the Rams if they’re dangling by a string all season. And it won’t just be the media talking about it, either. That’s the kind of conversation that finds its way to the locker room.
Is that a distraction the Rams really want to subject themselves to in a season that will be full of them?
Especially when they can eliminate it by giving Fisher and Snead security beyond this season?
Stability comes at a price sometimes, and in this case the value in creating it is worth the money it will cost them.
If the Rams go belly up in 2016, they can always cut Fisher or Snead or both loose and go in another direction. They’d have to eat dead money, but Stan Kroenke’s deep pockets can easily afford it.
On the other hand, if a young, talented roster continues to ascend and Goff turns out to be the quarterback the Rams believe he can be, Fisher and Snead will be the undisputed architects of quite the turnaround.
Some thoughts on extending contracts of Les Snead & Jeff Fisher
Vincent Bonsignore
ESPN caused a bit of a stir Saturday when Adam Schefter reported that the Rams were “trying and expecting” to extend the contracts of head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead before the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
The information is fairly consistent with what we’ve been hearing for most of the last few months – there is an appetite to get deals done for both Fisher and Snead, who are both in the final year of their five-year contracts.
And while there is no timetable in place to get both locked up, there is hope it will happen before the start of the season.
With three weeks remaining before the opener, there is plenty of time to make that happen.
And as Fisher told me at the start of training camp: “I’m going to be the coach here a long time.”
That doesn’t mean a deal is imminent. But with all sides open to extending the relationship, there is a clear path to an agreement. With those dynamics in place, things usually get done.
While the timing might seem a bit odd to Rams fans – if not premature considering the Rams 26-31 record under Fisher and Snead’s leadership the last four seasons – it’s reflective of the confidence the organization has in the current direction.
That might not sit well with fans itching for a change, but it does make sense.
In a vacuum, there is no defending the 26-31 record. It speaks for itself and is unacceptable.
But with a little bit of context and perspective, you can make the case the Rams are in much better shape today than they were the day Snead and Fisher arrived. Keep in mind, the Rams were 2-14, 7-9, 1-15, 2-14 and 3-13 in the five-year walk up to Fisher and Snead coming aboard. That isn’t just bad, it’s historically and epically atrocious.
All of a sudden 26-31 doesn’t look so bad considering the 15-65 record that preceded it.
The roster, which was in shambles when they arrived, is younger and better at nearly every position and features the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year (Todd Gurley) and the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year in Aaron Donald. And by moving up from the 15th spot in the first round of last April’s draft to the No. 1 pick, the Rams added what they hope is their franchise quarterback in Cal’s Jared Goff.
Yes, they have been unable to draft and develop and legitimate No. 1 receiver and until further notice – like a step in the right direction in 2016 – the offensive line is still unsettled.
But it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge the widespread improvement of the roster the last four years.
Point is, thanks largely to the drafting by Snead and Fisher, a solid foundation has been constructed. One that, with even just a moderate bump up in quarterback play, could easily make the turn from the 7-9 teams they’ve been recently to a 9-7, 10-6 team.
After building the foundation – then adding the rookie quarterback they believe will eventually put the Rams over the top – a strong case can be made that Fisher and Snead deserve a chance to see the massive reconstruction job through its conclusion.
That doesn’t even account for the message it would send – or the drama it would create – if the Rams sent Fisher and Snead into 2016 as lame ducks on top of the drama and distractions created by the cross-country move from St. Louis, their first season back in Los Angeles and nurturing a rookie quarterback.
Knowing a little bit about the media like I do, I can pretty much assure weekly shade being thrown on Fisher and Snead’s long-term status with the Rams if they’re dangling by a string all season. And it won’t just be the media talking about it, either. That’s the kind of conversation that finds its way to the locker room.
Is that a distraction the Rams really want to subject themselves to in a season that will be full of them?
Especially when they can eliminate it by giving Fisher and Snead security beyond this season?
Stability comes at a price sometimes, and in this case the value in creating it is worth the money it will cost them.
If the Rams go belly up in 2016, they can always cut Fisher or Snead or both loose and go in another direction. They’d have to eat dead money, but Stan Kroenke’s deep pockets can easily afford it.
On the other hand, if a young, talented roster continues to ascend and Goff turns out to be the quarterback the Rams believe he can be, Fisher and Snead will be the undisputed architects of quite the turnaround.