With national media reports suggesting the competition for Jeff Fisher is down to a scrum between the Rams and the Miami Dolphins, let's match them up:

* Owners: Steven Ross (Dolphins) and Stan Kroenke (Rams) are Forbes-list billionaires. But Kroenke is wealthier than Ross, and Kroenke's personal fortune doesn't take into account the net worth of his wife, Ann Walton Kroenke. She's worth an estimated $3.3 billion according to Forbes. Kroenke is worth $3.2 billion according to Forbes. Away from his traditional business, real estate, Ross has singular focus on the Dolphins. Kroenke owns multiple sports franchises, including NBA and NHL teams in Denver and the Arsenal soccer in the EPL.

You could argue that Kroenke is consumed by so many sports-related issues he can't devote enough attention to the Rams. But if you're a coach that seeks power and authority in an organization, isn't it better to be left alone to build your football team? If Fisher needed Kroenke for anything, all he has to do is make the call. The esteemed Arsene Wenger, who manages Arsenal, loves working for Kroenke because the owner has no interest in micro-managing the soccer team. But when Wenger needs to Kroenke's attention, Kroenke is immediately available to him.

This sounds like a good setup for a veteran coach, no? I'm not saying that Ross meddles or is a problem in the football operation. I have no idea. But Ross is clearly more hands-on than Kroenke. That can also be a positive. Many NFL owners are actively involved in the running of the club on a daily basis. (To mixed results. For every Robert Kraft there's a Daniel Snyder.) But I'd imagine it could be stressful for a coach to endure frequent roundtable discussions or glad-handing sessions with the owner. Kroenke is definitely more low-key; Ross is flamboyant. And remember, it was Ross who flew across the country to recruit Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh last year even though the Dolphins still had a head coach (Tony Sparano) under contract. Ethically, that's a no-no. Really bad form. And it was noticed by NFL head coaches, who were appalled. It was also noticed that Ross fired Sparano even though Miami had won four of its last six games. Edge: Rams.

* Recent Trends: I'll be honest; I didn't realize the depth of the rut that the Dolphins find themselves in. I knew they'd been scuffling to get back to winning consistently. And I'm not saying that they've been as bad as the Rams, who are 15-65 over the last five seasons. The Rams have had four winning seasons since 1990. But Miami has made the playoffs only once in the last 10 seasons. The Dolphins haven't won a postseason game since 2000. They've had only one winning record in their last eight seasons and went 1-15 in 2007. Not good. Edge: to Miami, but not nearly as much as we'd think.

* Front-office operation: From a distance, it appears that the Dolphins have set up the kind of shop that leads to dysfunction. Jeff  Ireland is the GM, but Ross just hired his friend Carl Peterson to serve as team president. Peterson didn't hire Ireland. Will they be on the same page? Will Ireland have the owner's ear, or will he have to filter everything through Peterson? Will Peterson angle to oust Ireland and bring in old pal Billy Kuharich as GM? Will friction and chaos ensue? It's a strange situation. Earlier this week Ireland and Peterson conducted separate coaching searches. Fisher has to be asking himself: who's in charge? And how does Fisher know he'd work well with Ireland, especially with Peterson in the middle? In St. Louis, Fisher would be a big part of the process to select the team's GM. He can make sure that the Rams would hire a GM that he knows and is comfortable with. And Fisher also has Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff in his corner as an established and loyal ally. I don't think Fisher would have to worry about watching his back as the Rams' coach.  The Rams have a history of dysfunction, but Kroenke seems determined to change that. Edge: Rams.

* Quarterback/draft: the Rams have Sam Bradford; the Dolphins finished the season with Matt Moore. The anti-Bradford loons will tell you that Bradford is the worst QB in NFL history, so I'm sure they'd give the edge to Moore. And to Moore's credit, be did play pretty well in 2011. But you won't find an NFL scout that would take Moore over Bradford. Here's the deal: even if Fisher wanted, say, Robert Griffin III to be his quarterback, he won't be able to make that happen in Miami. The Dolphins will pick eighth or ninth in the draft (after a coin flip with Carolina.) The Rams have the No. 2 overall pick and can take Griffin. That's a longshot, because Kroenke already has invested $30 million in Bradford, and Bradford didn't have much of a chance for success in 2011 because of injury, horrible coaching, weak pass protection, and arguably the worst set of receivers in the league. But in theory, at least the Rams would have access to RG3. Miami would not.

That No. 2 overall draft pick is a valuable chip for the Rams and their new GM and coach. It can be swapped for premium draft choices that can fill some important roster holes on the big board at Rams Park. That would have to be a plus for Fisher. As would the fact that the Rams would be choosing early in each round that they hold a pick. Edge: Rams.

* Salary cap: The Dolphins are in pretty good shape; the Rams are in better shape. Edge: Rams.

* Locale/image/lifestyle: South Beach and Dolphins are glamorous . But does that matter to Fisher? The Dolphins also have an open-air home stadium, but I don't know if that's a factor. Edge: Dolphins.

* Roster: Most NFL personnel experts would give the checkmark to the Dolphins. Pro Football Focus, which grades players on a game-by-game bases, doesn't see much of a gap based on player grades for the 2011 season. Edge: Dolphins.

* Division: in the AFC East, Fisher would have to prevail over Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The NY Jets aren't a piece of cake, either. In the NFC West you have a pretty good chance to make a swift advance. The 49ers proved that this season. Edge: Rams.

Thanks for reading ...

-Bernie