Turning point for Jeff Fisher

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GoodBadUgly

GoodBadUgly

Gridiron Sage
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Phil
Watching the Patriots offense run methodically through and around the Steelers made me wonder if the trajectory Jeff Fisher's improving Rams were on was sabotaged by his impatience surrounding Josh McDaniels.

The Rams looked MUCH better than the team he inherited. The offense was clearly having troubles grasping JMs offense. But...

What if JF didn't punt the idea of an improved, exciting offense, and instead showed the kind of patience shown for, say, Robinson?!

True we had/have no Brady at QB, but in retrospect Keenum looked far better in the offense-from-hell that he seemed to at the time. What might he have done with a better-than-middle-school offense?

So yeah, I wonder what we'd look like if instead of reverting to the "0 yards and a cloud of dust" approach, Fisher had stuck with McDaniels. It may be that we'd now be "stuck" with JF as well, with those extra draft picks shoring up our defense or giving us more solid WRs.

On second thought, in the long run, it may all work out for the best.
 
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Fisher's 1st OC was Shottenhiemer.
McDaniels was our OC during Spagnolos' last year here. It was a bold hiring for Spags, but we didn't have the personel to run what McD wanted to run. McD kept running the same long developing plays, that our oline couldn't hold, and almost killed Bradford. Sams first year in the system probably didn't help, however. Sam was also on his 3rd OC system in as many years.
 
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I think McDaniels offense would have worked here if we had an offseason. They showed their potential in the pre season and his system doesn't need all pros. I think Bradford is the closest to Brady in terms of size, arm strength and accuracy in the league. So it certainly could have worked.
 
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Like has been mentioned, McDaniels was the OC during Spags last season (which was preceded by the truncated cba offseason). It was also right after Kroenke took over as principal owner. The offseason that proceeded that one was a thorough house cleaning of Rams Park and there wasn't anyone left by the time Fisher was officially named head coach.

But, this is the basic problem with Fisher as HC. His unwillingness to bring in an OC who was competent at running a modern NFL offense and was allowed free reign to do what he wanted. So I doubt Fisher and McDaniels would work well together if at all. Fisher's undoing was his stubbornness in regards to his offenses.
 
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I remember Josh influenced a trade for Brandon Lloyd that year and made him look like a #1 WR. If Fisher had brought him back to the Rams as an OC, I think this team may have actually worked.
 
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No way JM would have come back under Fisher. What personnel and organization would YOU rather work for on your way back to HC consideration?
 
Psycho_X said:
Like has been mentioned, McDaniels was the OC during Spags last season (which was preceded by the truncated cba offseason). It was also right after Kroenke took over as principal owner. The offseason that proceeded that one was a thorough house cleaning of Rams Park and there wasn't anyone left by the time Fisher was officially named head coach.

But, this is the basic problem with Fisher as HC. His unwillingness to bring in an OC who was competent at running a modern NFL offense and was allowed free reign to do what he wanted. So I doubt Fisher and McDaniels would work well together if at all. Fisher's undoing was his stubbornness in regards to his offenses.
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Yeah I agree it's all on Fisher, but I think we got stuck with the last 2 OCs because they had no QB or receivers, and the OL wasn't great either. No established OC (Norv Turner) would take this dumpster fire of an offense. Fisher had painted himself into a corner with his history and personnel and couldn't get to second base with anybody but his own coaching staff. And don't forget, Shotty wasn't fired, he left cause he didn't want to go down with this ship.
 
Turning point for Fisher was his inability to ever field a top defense, and inability to consistently field a solid, ball control offense. It was what he was hired for. Fails all around tbh. Dude was lucky to see year 5 and wouldn't under any other owner.
 
Merlin said:
Turning point for Fisher was his inability to ever field a top defense
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Disagree. There was nothing wrong with the defense and special teams here. Even Denver's elite unit was nullified by a bottom 5 offense this past season.

and his inability to consistently field a solid, ball control offense. It was what he was hired for. Fails all around tbh. Dude was lucky to see year 5 and wouldn't under any other owner.
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Yep. Attempts were made but it was a failure. Also, Jeff's Rams found a way to lose far too many close games and his record outside the division was abysmal.
 
It all goes to the offensive line. I don't care who you have at OC when you have an offensive line as bad as it was under Fisher. That being said in hindsight he should have kept McDaniels for 2 reasons, first for continuity and second because he is a bright offensive mind.
 
Fisher was stuck in his ways.

Even Martz knew his skill set was attacking D's not designing them, thus Lovie.

McVay brings in Wade and will give him free reign. The 30 year old is already wiser than Fisher.

As for JM. His O would have worked just fine.
 
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It is funny because, for all that I personally and I'm sure others thought the offense would only improve by getting rid of Schottso, what we lost was any kind of offensive coherency. I remember that third and final year of Schotty, where at least our offense looked proficient for the first drive, and sometimes even full halves, and on occasion entire GAMES. That was luxury.
 
When McDaniels was here Bradford was the QB.

He made the OL calls in that system.

He was not very good at it.

So the Rams offense kinda sucked because of that.
 
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McDaniels was not Fishers OC, but I get the point being made. Fisher did not want an OC like McDaniels. He wanted someone he could relate too. Don't attack. Take what the defense gives you. If its 3rd and 7 and the defense gives you 4 yards you take the 4 yards. All drives should end with a kick. Problem was, those kicks were punts and not PAT's.
 
IMO, the turning point with him was promoting from within to run an NFL offense.
Really should have tried to lure someone who had experience doing that.
That said, I'm still not sold on our receivers, so who knows what woulda happened.
 
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