Jeff Fisher

Jeff Fisher Looking To Coach Again

December 4th, 2017 at 2:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Jeff Fisher is putting the wheels in motion for a return to coaching. The former Rams and Titans head coach has begun “contacting potential staff members,” sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

The Rams canned Fisher in the middle of the 2016 season. The relocation to Los Angeles did not give Fisher the clean slate he was hoping for and he’s now eager to salvage his legacy, La Canfora hears.

It remains to be seen whether teams will seriously entertain Fisher. In his nearly five year run with the Rams, Fisher went just 31-45-1 with zero playoff appearances. He had better success with the Titans, though they reached the Super Bowl just once in his 17 years. All in all, Fisher owns a career 173-165-1 regular season record.

The number of potential head coaching vacancies this offseason could give Fisher a puncher’s chance, however. By our count, there could be as many as ten teams looking for a new head coach this offseason, including the Giants. Some in the football world have suggested to La Canfora that the Browns could consider someone like Fisher given their inability to recruit top candidates in the past.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Fox, Reed, Fisher

November 26th, 2017 at 7:39pm CST by GregGoldstein

It was a long awaited day for 49ers fans, as they got their first look at newly acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in today’s loss to the Seahawks. The former Pats backup signal caller got into the game because rookie starter C.J. Beathard was forced to exit with an injury. Garoppolo made good use of his mild playing time, throwing a nice touchdown pass as time expired.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan chose not to shed much light on how he’s thinking about the QB position moving forward. Although, he did mention that Beathard’s leg injury was not too serious, reports Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). While Beathard’s injury does not appear to affect his playing status moving forward, he will get additional testing tomorrow. Nevertheless, it’s notable that Shanahan wouldn’t commit to a starter for Week 13 either way, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). However, Barrows did also tweet that the 49ers coach didn’t think about pulling his rookie starter while he was healthy.

It’ll be a tough decision considering the way Garoppolo played when he entered the game and the high pick the front office gave up to get him. Shanahan hasn’t caved into public pressure as of yet, so it’s a decision that seems to remain truly up in the air.

If the Bears fire John Fox this offseason, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com believes that Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo should be considered for the job. DeFilippo would be an out-of-the-box hire since he is not a coordinator, but the feeling in Philadelphia is that no one has been more instrumental in Carson Wentz‘s development than the 39-year-old. It’s possible that DeFilippo could be the guy to help rookie QB Mitch Trubisky reach his full potential. And, with anywhere from 7-10 teams potentially looking for a new head coach this offseason, DeFilippo can be expected to draw some interest.
Redskins star tight end Jordan Reed has missed a lot of time in 2017 and looks to miss another game in Week 13, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. Keim notes that Reed didn’t practice or do any side running today as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. Coach Jay Gruden confirmed that Reed would be held out for the next few days as well. “We’re going to take off that part of it here for a couple days, see where he’s at,” Gruden said. While there will still be some time for Reed to get on the field after, it’s tough to expect him to heal quick enough to be effective in game action considering his past injury problems.
With the Rams surging to an 8-3 record under first-year head coach Sean McVay, a lot of criticism has been tossed at former head coach Jeff Fisher for the way he handled the offense. Fisher appeared on the Amazon show All or Nothing over this past summer and expressed desire to get back on the sideline for the 2018-19 season. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines that despite Fisher’s recent track record, he does bring a ton of experience in the game and has the skills to impress in the interview room. Florio hears that his name has already “bubbled up” for coaching jobs, so there’s some potential for interest to come from the NFL as well. They’ll also be a number of coaching jobs open, both head coach and as a coordinator. It’ll be a tough sell considering what has transpired in Los Angeles this season, but Fisher is clearly still held in high regard among the football community, so anything is possible.

Extra Points: Contracts, Fisher, Cowboys

July 6th, 2017 at 9:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback may be the most important position in sports, and the NFL features more teams than starting-caliber signal-callers, observes Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Those factors should put QBs in advantageous positions when it comes to negotiating contracts, but Corry argues that their salaries aren’t high enough. When the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers signed a five-year, $110MM deal to become the league’s highest-paid player in 2013, the salary cap was $123MM. The cap has risen 35.77 percent since then, going to $167MM, but the league’s new benchmark deal – the five-year, $125.05MM pact the Raiders’ Derek Carr inked last month – is only 13.7 percent higher than Rodgers’. But if the Redskins’ Kirk Cousins reaches the open market next winter, that could be a true game changer for QB salaries, posits Corry. Cousins might end up with a deal worth $30MM per year as a free agent, which would set the standard for the extensions Rodgers and the Falcons’ Matt Ryan could sign next offseason.

As is the case with Cousins, the 2014 draft class could dramatically influence earning power throughout the league, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. A few members of the class, including Carr, have already inked rich contracts this offseason. More high-paying accords are on the way, notes Graziano, who points to 2014’s star-studded group of receivers (Odell Beckham Jr. leads the way), elite defenders Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald, running back Devonta Freeman and cornerback Malcolm Butler, among others, as players in line for enormous paydays in the near future.
While the unemployed Jeff Fisher would like another head coaching job, he hasn’t done enough to deserve another opportunity, says Don Banks of Patriots.com (video link). Fisher, whom the Rams fired last season after a 4-9 start, wouldn’t be the type of hire capable of energizing a fan base, notes Banks. The 59-year-old hasn’t coached an above-.500 team team since 2008, when he was with the Titans, and hasn’t been at the helm of a club that won a playoff game since 2003. Further, with a combined 165 losses in his 22 years with the Titans and Rams, Fisher’s tied with Dan Reeves for the most defeats of all-time.
Among last year’s playoff teams, the Cowboys have experienced the most roster turnover this offseason, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Dallas has lost 27.5 percent of snaps, including 21.4 percent of quality snaps, since 2016, according to Fitzgerald. Ronald Leary, Doug Free, Morris Claiborne, Brandon Carr, Barry Church, Terrell McClain, J.J. Wilcox and Jack Crawford were among the Cowboys’ notables who either went elsewhere as free agents or retired. There aren’t any indispensable players in that group, but having to replace all of them at once is a tall task, opines Fitzgerald.

Jeff Fisher Hopes To Coach Again

July 3rd, 2017 at 11:02am CST by Zachary Links

Even after more than three decades of coaching in the professional ranks, it doesn’t sound like Jeff Fisher is done with the NFL. At least, he hopes that the NFL is not done with him. In the final episode of Amazon’s “All or Nothing” series chronicling the 2016 Rams, Fisher made it known that he wants to get involved with coaching again.

“I want to get back on the sideline,” Fisher said (via PFT). “Not going to happen this year, obviously. We’ll just see what happens.”

The Rams went 31-45-1 under Fisher’s guidance through four-and-a-half seasons. For his career, Fisher owns a head coaching record of 173-165-1, giving him a not-so-impressive .512 lifetime winning percentage. Fisher has never won a Super Bowl and has not guided a team to the playoffs in nearly a decade, so he might not seem like a particularly sexy coaching candidate.

However, Fisher does offer tons of experience and he is extremely well connected through the league office. As Mike Florio notes, those connections could help him get in the door with an indecisive owner.

Fisher might be able to sell himself to one of the league’s 32 teams (or, perhaps, to one of 30 clubs) as a veteran coach who has six postseason appearances to his credit. The pitch may satisfy an owner out there, but it’s unlikely to energize a fanbase.

Miller’s Latest: Prospects, Rams, Chargers, Bears

June 17th, 2017 at 10:07am CST by Ben Levine

Per usual, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller had several notable opinions and hot takes in his weekly column, led by a debate on whether Ezekiel Elliott is the best running back in the NFL (the writer ultimately surmises that the title belongs to Le’Veon Bell).

Of course, Miller touched on a number of other important subjects. While the entire article is worth reading, we’ve picked out some of the notable tidbits below…

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley‘s draft stock continues to climb, as Miller claims that the offensive weapon could end up being a Le’Veon Bell–type player. Meanwhile, the writer declares that Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen is the top signal-caller in the 2018 draft.
Speaking of draft prospects, Miller is rather enthusiastic about the talent on Clemson’s football team. The writer believes that defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and defensive end Clelin Ferrell all have potential to be top-1o picks, although it’s worth noting that Lawrence won’t be available until the 2019 draft.
While Aaron Donald showed up to Rams mandatory minicamp, the defensive lineman is still seeking a brand-new contract. Miller believes the former first-rounder will ultimately become one of the highest-paid players in the NFL once he signs an extension. Miller also notes how Texans offensive lineman Duane Brown and Panthers tight end Greg Olsen are also seeking a new deal.
The four-year deal for Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram is “news you should take note of,” said Miller. The organization now has the former first-rounder and Joey Bosa locked up for several years, creating quite the formidable (and youthful) defensive front.
Bob Stoops suddenly announced his retirement as the head coach of the University of Oklahoma, shocking the NCAA. Miller notes that the 56-year-old could be in line to replace John Fox if the Bears decide to look for another coach next offseason, although the writer notes that Jeff Fisher could be another candidate.

Jeff Fisher Discusses Firing, Extension, Jared Goff

December 18th, 2016 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been less than a week since Jeff Fisher was fired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. Since then, we’ve heard plenty of rumors regarding potential replacements, but we haven’t heard anything from Fisher himself.

Until today. The long-time coach sat down with Fox Sports’ Charissa Thompson to discuss the firing, his two-year extension with the franchise, and the selection of rookie quarterback Jared Goff during this past year’s draft. We’ve compiled all of those quotes below:

On why he was ultimately fired:

“Bottom line is I didn’t win. I didn’t win enough games. In a new market, that’s important and I’ll take responsibility for that.”

On whether he was surprised by the firing:

“I had just recently signed an extension. I knew things were getting tough, I knew that, but I didn’t anticipate this. I always thought, depending on what happens the last three weeks, that there may be that potential with the season being over, but I was a little caught off guard with the short week.”

On that two-year extension, which was reported in early December despite being signed during the offseason:

“It was never my place to announce the extension, so somehow it got out. So then that became an issue. None of it was handled appropriately in my opinion. In this day and age, the successful teams in the National Football League are tight-knit, they work together, and they stay quiet. They don’t leak things. That was a frustration of mine.”

On whether the draft choice of Jared Goff was his own:

“Yes. It was our choice. It was unanimous. We went up [in the draft] to be in position to get that quarterback that we needed.”

On why the team waited until late November to start the rookie:

“We did not want to rush Jared. I made the decision prior to the Jet game, in which we won, to go ahead and start Jared the next week. He’s an outstanding young man and he’ll be the face of this franchise.”

On the Rams’ offensive woes:

“I have to take responsibility from the coaching side in that we just didn’t get it done, bottom line. When you’re 32nd in the league in offense every year, there’s an issue.”

On what he ultimately wants going forward:

“I want a chance to play the Rams.”

West Notes: Raiders, Fisher, Rams, Broncos

December 16th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Suspended Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith is “mad and frustrated” about the way his reinstatement bid has stalled, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. Smith applied for a return in October, just under a year after the league handed him a one-year ban for a substance abuse violation. That year has since passed, but there’s still no word on Smith’s future. “He is losing hope,” Smith’s personal trainer, Steve Fotion, told Tafur. “They are jerking him around, telling him they’ll have an answer for him on Monday. And then nothing. It seems unprofessional.” Smith has “been randomly drug-tested and they have all come back clean,” Fotion added. The 27-year-old pass rusher met with commissioner Roger Goodell last Friday. Goodell acknowledged that meeting earlier this week, though he didn’t offer details on when he’ll decide Smith’s fate.

More on the Silver and Black and a couple other franchises:

There was a report earlier this week pointing to disharmony between Raiders owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, but team officials had a productive meeting with Adelson at his office Thursday. “Both are working very hard to finalize a deal,” tweeted Clark County (Nev.) Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak, who was also in attendance. Further, Sisolak dismissed the idea that Davis and Adelson don’t get along, writes Richard N. Velotta of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Raiders remain focused on Vegas relocation, which the league could vote on in March, and don’t regard the city of Oakland’s $1.3 billion stadium plan as economically viable.
Former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher doesn’t believe the team ever intended to keep him in place for its 2019 move to a new stadium in Inglewood, he told FOX Sports’ Charissa Thompson (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). “He didn’t win enough games, and the organization has a much bigger picture,” Fisher said on why the Rams fired him Monday. “And I don’t think I was ever part of seeing the new stadium.” Had the Rams experienced more success under Fisher, perhaps he could have been at the helm when they shifted to their new facility. The club went just 31-45-1 with Fisher, though, and its 4-8 start this year was enough for owner Stan Kroenke to go in another direction.
The Broncos worked out punter A.J. Hughes on Thursday, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Notably, the team already has a capable option in Riley Dixon, who ranks seventh in the league in net yards per punt (41.2) and 11th in punts inside the 20 (twenty-two). As of earlier this month, his net average was the highest ever for a rookie, per Broncos vice president of public relations Patrick Smyth (Twitter link).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Rams Fire Jeff Fisher

December 12th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have fired head coach Jeff Fisher, according to a team announcement. Special teams coordinator John Fassel serve as interim head coach, NFL reporter Rand Getlin tweets.

On Sunday, the Rams were crushed by the Falcons as Fisher tied for the most losses of any NFL head coach in league history. He is now deadlocked with Dan Reeves with 165 career losses. Reeves, meanwhile, has 190 career wins while Fisher has only 173. In his 22 years of coaching, Fisher has made the playoffs only six times.

“Making a decision such as this – especially during the season – is one of the most difficult in sports,” said Rams owner Stan Kroenke said in a statement. “I have great respect for Jeff as a coach, person, father and friend. He has worked tirelessly despite some challenging circumstances. He played an integral role in helping this team make history in returning the NFL to Los Angeles, and we always will be grateful for his commitment and dedication to our organization. However, this is the right time to make a change as our performance has not lived up to my or our fans’ expectations. We all are focused on improving as an organization and building a team that makes Los Angeles proud. Our mission is to celebrate a Super Bowl title with our fans in Los Angeles. Today is the first step to bringing us closer to that goal.”

Just over one week ago, the Rams formally announced an extension for Fisher to take him through 2017 with an option for 2018. The newly-minted deal may provide Fisher some form of a severance package now that he has been let go.

This, of course, is a lost season for the Rams and a bad start for the franchise in their brand new market. The Rams were not a popular playoff pick given their question marks at the quarterback position, but few expected them to struggle this badly. Someday, Jared Goff may prove to be a top quarterback, but he sat for the first half of the season and he has looked green ever since taking over the starting job.

It’s not immediately clear what Fisher’s dismissal will mean for GM Les Snead. As of this writing, Snead still has his job, so he may be given an opportunity to turn things around this spring. Rams COO Kevin Demoff will address the media later today.

Rams’ Jeff Fisher, Les Snead Dispute Tension

December 9th, 2016 at 9:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although a report yesterday indicated that Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher are at odds — and that the problems between the two “have been an open secret in league circles for some time” — both men today disputed any notion of discord in the Los Angeles offices, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com.

“I’m well aware of what has come out, and I can say this: I think it’s painted a picture totally different,” Snead said. “Relationship’s really good. We’ve worked together from the start, in every decision. Every decision that’s made, especially from a personnel standpoint.”

“There’s no issues between Les and I, by no means,” Fisher said. “We agree to disagree. We’ve had a fun run, but we’re certainly disappointed in, as I said on Tuesday, the outcome. We have work to do, but we’re doing it together.” Fisher additionally vowed to locate the source of the story. “When you’re 4-8, people are frustrated, you know? They’re frustrated. We need to find out where it’s coming from.”

The Rams recently extended both Snead and Fisher, though at least Fisher had actually put pen to paper in the summer despite the announcement not coming until this month. Both decision-makers are believed to have been signed through the 2017 season, with Los Angeles ownership likely holding a 2018 option. Fisher, for his part, said he was “unaware” Snead was also handed a new deal, and appeared to take a shot at the club’s recent draft strategy.

Discord Between Rams’ Jeff Fisher, Les Snead?

December 8th, 2016 at 1:04pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, the Rams drew criticism from all over the football world when they gave extensions to coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead, despite poor on-field results in recent years. Then, in discussing the new deals, Fisher raised eyebrows when he took an apparent shot at Snead.

“I’m so busy here, I was honestly unaware [Snead] was extended. I’m being honest with you, we’re just working here,” Fisher said. “I look at this as being my responsibility, the win-loss record. We need to do a better job from a personnel standpoint. We’ve had some unfortunate things take place with some high picks in Stedman Bailey and Tre Mason and those kinds of things you don’t anticipate. But we’re moving forward.”

Even though Fisher is believed to have more input in personnel decisions than most coaches, he seems to be blaming Snead for the team’s poor draft record. This was Fisher’s most direct and brutal public criticism of Snead to date, but the problems between the two “have been an open secret in league circles for some time,” Albert Breer of The MMQB writes.

“It pissed me off because I knew it was meant as a shot,” said one Rams source. “You see it under that umbrella—‘We need to do a better job in personnel.’ OK, but you want everyone to think that you have full control. You can’t have it both ways, and it can’t always be the talent. Look at the roster, 2012 to now. In ’12, Jeff did a masterful job with what he was given. But we’ve gotten more talent, and we’ve gotten worse.”

Breer hears from many that the relationship between Fisher and Snead has turned “toxic.” Disagreements between coaches and executives are not uncommon, but it sounds like things have gotten especially bad between these two.

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