The hiring of coach Jeff Fisher is a giant step forward for a Rams franchise that's been stuck in the landfill at Earth City for too long.
One word immediately comes to mind with Fisher:
Leadership.
The Rams haven't had it in years.
Give Rams owner Stan Kroenke credit for stepping up and landing his No. 1 choice for a head coach. This wasn't the best time to be shopping for a new football leader. The pool of available candidates was decidedly unexciting. But Fisher stands among the most respected coaches in the industry. And given the context of the Rams' brutal run of futility, he's a terrific addition, and he's arriving at the right time.
The Rams have suffered through a long procession of failed GMs and coaches who brought the franchise down with a losing combination of inexperience, insecurity and incompetence. That explains the grotesque 15-65 record since 2007.
Fisher may not be Vince Lombardi or Chuck Noll, but he sure as heck isn't Scott Linehan or Steve Spagnuolo, either. This time the Rams won't have to worry about what they're getting in hiring an untested first-time head coach.
There are no guarantees. No one knows if Fisher will be a big winner in St. Louis. But we do know this: the hire shows that Kroenke is serious about trying to win. Fisher was expensive. And the Rams had to beat out the Miami Dolphins to get him. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross made a lot of noise about winning the competition for Kroenke, but Silent Stan kept quiet, doggedly stayed the course, and got his coach.
Fisher brings instant stability and credibility to Rams Park. No more training wheels for a Rams head coach. Fisher has played in the NFL. He's coached in the league. He's been a respected leader of men in this league. It's a firm foundation for success.
If you'd like to chip away at Fisher's Tennessee record, have at it. He had only six winning seasons. He didn't win a Super Bowl. He made it to one Super Bowl. He's 5-6 in the postseason. His teams finished 8-8 five times. (Which means he also had only five losing records in 16 full seasons.)
All Fisher did was coach up his teams for many years, often turning them into something better than they should have been. Fisher coached those teams up with his intense and passionate approach and turned them into something fierce and unforgiving.
"I loved playing against Fisher's teams, and I hated playing against them," retired Rams wide receiver Torry Holt said. "I loved it because you knew you had to be at your best to beat them. And I hated it, because you knew they were going to be hitting you and coming after you all day long."
And as Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf recently noted about Fisher's 8-8 teams: they should have been 6-10 or 5-11. Fisher never had the most talented roster in Tennessee, and he had to deal with the whims of ownership, but the Titans often overachieved. Fisher's Titans proved there's still a place for toughness and attiude in the sport of tackle football.
Fisher's teams had a personality, an identity. They'd run the ball, and stuff the run, and bully your quarterback. The Titans' physical offensive line would protect their QB and set him up to throw darts on play-action passes. And the Titans would try to punish opponents as much as possible for three hours every Sunday. They were a strong and fearless road team. The Titans were tenacious.
How long has it been since the Rams had a team personality? What are the Rams known for other than being a mark for an easy victory? When is the last time that the Rams stood for something? For the first time since "The Greatest Show" closed down, Fisher will give this team a clearly defined persona.
I'd argue that Fisher's record is actually better than it looks. After a chaotic franchise move from Houston to Nashville -- two states, three cities and four stadiums -- the Titans finally settled into their new venue in 1999.
Over a 10-year period, from 1999 through 2008, Fisher's Titans ranked fifth among the 32 NFL teams in winning percentage. And he won 10 or more games in six of the 10 seasons. Only Indianapolis (114), New England (110), Pittsburgh (100) and Philadelphia (97) won more games than Tennessee (96) over those 10 seasons.
That looks good to me. I'll take that over the Rams' 37-91 record, worst in the NFL, since their last winning season in 2003.
Along the way Fisher had to rebuild after a roster purge caused by salary-cap problems. He had to put up with a meddling owner and unwanted surprises, including the drafting of quarterback Vince Young. Fisher didn't fall apart. He kept coaching. Adversity doesn't rattle him.
After going through a long and depressing void at the top of the football organization, after bad coaching hires and wrong turns, the Rams have finally hired a leader to reform their sad-sack operation.
"Legitimacy," is the answer running back Steven Jackson used Friday when the NFL Network asked what the Fisher hiring meant for the Rams.
Kroenke has given his team, and Rams fans, a reason for hope. Fisher may need his sunglasses as he leads the Rams out of the darkness.
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Kroenke got it done Thursday night during a timely and crucial phone conversation with Fisher. The coach was wavering. He couldn't choose between Miami or St. Louis. But Kroenke was a closer. He persuaded Fisher to take the Rams job. I don't know what Kroenke said, but it worked.
Fisher picked the Rams for the reasons that we thought he'd choose the Rams: (1) commitment from the owner; (2) a chance to take a blank slate and create an entirely new football operation rather than inherit the problems of an existing setup; (3) the opportunity to play a major role in the choice of a GM; (4) the presence of a franchise QB; (5) a healthy salary-cap situation; (6) having a firm ally in place in Rams' chief operating officer Kevin Demoff; (7) a chance to move up quickly in the NFC West; (8) the possibilities offered by holding the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
More than anything, it came down to fit. Fisher felt comfortable with having Kroenke as his boss. Kroenke will let him coach, and won't be meddling or bringing celebrity friends to practice. Fisher did his homework and saw the autonomy that Kroenke gives his Arsenal soccer coach, Arsene Wenger, and his Denver NBA coach, George Karl. Fisher wasn't as comfortable with the confusing front-office situation in Miami, which seemingly invites dysfunction.
Fisher wants to have the final say on the roster (as all NFL coaches do), but he has no desire to be a kingpin at Rams Park who micro-manages everything. Fisher wants to bring some smart football people into the organization and let them do their jobs; he wants to concentrate on coaching. That's his focus. He isn't going to be worrying about what's being said by some guy down the hall. He isn't going to sweat the non-football stuff, the small stuff that has nothing to do with winning or losing. He isn't paranoid or insecure. He's a grown-up coach.
What kind of man is Fisher? This story tells us a lot: In 2010 Fisher watched his close friend and colleague Mike Heimerdinger slowly wither away in a devastating battle with cancer. Heimerdinger, clinging to hope, had badly wanted to coach in 2010. From a football standpoint, it probably wasn't the best thing for the Titans. But it was best for the ailing coach.
Fisher, believing that the energy and the drive of coaching would extend Heimerdinger's life, encouraged his friend to stay on as offensive coordinator. Fisher wanted to do everything he could to keep Heimerdinger fighting and hoping. It was a gracious act of humanity that made the Titans' 6-10 record seem trivial. Heimerdinger passed away on Sept. 30, 2011.
Am I completely sold on Fisher? There are questions. In an upcoming column, I'll look at Fisher's ability to adapt to the changes in the NFL and the movement to a wide-open passing game. That's one question I have about his hiring.
Media speculation is that Fisher's best friend in football, Gregg Williams will become Fisher's defensive coordinator after New Orleans completes its season. (Williams' contract expires after the season, and he's free to move if he wants to.) If that happens, the Rams will have an attacking defense in 2012. The Saints blitzed 318 times on passing downs this season, most in the NFL.
Fisher's top priority should be finding the right offensive coordinator. It's such an important hire. The Rams have to get QB Sam Bradford going. They have to put the right scheme in place. Bradford was a big winner on Friday for a simple reason: finally, he will have continuity. Fisher will sign a long-term deal, and Bradford can have the peace of mind knowing that he can lock into one system and get to work.
Bradford and Fisher really hit it off during their meeting Sunday; whatever questions Fisher had for Sam were answered to his satisfaction (and then some).
One name to keep an eye on for offensive coordinator is Jeremy Bates, Seattle's offensive coordinator in 2010. Bates worked with Heimerdinger years ago in Denver. Jacksonville offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has expressed interest in joining Fisher. Koetter is the former head coach at Boise State and Arizona State, and was a member of Bob Stull's staff at Missouri. Former NY Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer is available and drawing interest from, among others, Alabama coach Nick Saban.
This is Fisher's won-loss history with his primary quarterbacks; records are based on starts only: Steve McNair (76-55), Vince Young (30-17), Kerry Collins (15-17), Neil O'Donnell (6-2), Billy Volek (3-7) and Chris Chandler (6-6). The Collins record is misleading; in 2008 the Titans went 12-3 in games started by Collins and made the playoffs.
There's a bruising quality to the NFC West, no? Jim Harbaugh in San Francisco, Pete Carroll in Seattle, Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, and Fisher in St. Louis. There should be a lot of rock 'em, sock 'em going on in the NFC West in 2012.
The Nice Section
• On Sunday, please head to Pappy's on 3106 Olive Street near midtown for some delicious barbecue served by Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright. He'll be joining Pappy's owner Mike Emerson for a good cause; all proceeds from BBQ sales will go to Catch a Dream Foundation, an organization that provides an outdoors experience for terminally ill children. Doors open at 11 a.m.
• Our condolences to hockey Hall of Famer Bernie Federko on the passing of his father Nick Federko, 92.
• Blues players will sign autographs from 7-8 p.m. Sunday night at 11 local rinks. Go to stlblues.com for player locations.
