Discord Between Rams’ Jeff Fisher, Les Snead?
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.
Coaching Notes: Bowles, Fisher, Kelly
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News defends Todd Bowles, saying the second-year Jets head coach should be given at least another season at the helm. Furthermore, he notes that firing Bowles could create a toxic environment, comparing that scenario to the Cleveland Browns.
“Woody needs to stay the course,” a league executive told Mehta. “He can’t be switching this every two years, because (the coaching vacancy) would become unattractive for a lot of coaches. He doesn’t want to have that job that’s turning over every two years. He’s got to give Bowles another shot.”
In his one-plus seasons in New York, Bowles has compiled a 13-15 record.
Mehta also reports that the Jets gave one-year extensions to position coaches prior to the season, although “it’s a near certainty” that some of those assistants won’t stick around.
Let’s check out some other coaching notes from around the NFL…
- Meanwhile, Jets wideout Brandon Marshall pointed to his former organization, the Bears, when explaining why the team shouldn’t fire Bowles. “No, I would hope not,” Marshall told Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “How did that work out for Chicago? Sometimes, you blow up stuff, and you feel like that’s the answer. And it’s not. That’s one of the reasons why football is so terrible in the NFL these days, is because there’s so much turnover…And it’s not just football at this level. People expect guys to win right away. You bring in a new regime, and they say you have a year or two to do it. You need time to build things. You need chemistry.”
- The Rams have been widely criticized for giving extensions to coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead, but Snead says the new deals mean the team has “unfinished business” to address. “First of all, what it means is, we’re not satisfied with where we’re at. We’ve got unfinished business,” Snead said, according to Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News. “We think we can get this thing tipped, and that’s our goal. That’s where all the energy is spent. You’re not going to sleep until it gets done. We have great fans and we’ve been supported. It’s unbelievable. Any time you’re having a disappointing season, you feel for the fans first, because they come and they spend their energy and passion, and we’ve got to do a better job.”
- Despite the team’s 1-11 record, 49ers receiver Torrey Smith is convinced that head coach Chip Kelly will be sticking around. “He ain’t going anywhere anyways,” Smith told Eric Branch of SFGate.com. “I don’t think it’s a situation where guys are really concerned about that.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Rams Extend Jeff Fisher, Les Snead
The Rams have signed head coach Jeff Fisher to a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes that the new deal will be for one year, with an option for 2018. Per Rapoport, Fisher agreed to the extension in the preseason and signed it in the regular season (Twitter link). Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio tweets that Fisher put pen to paper several weeks ago, but the news is just leaking now. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms the report and adds that the club has also extended GM Les Snead (Twitter link).
The news may be unwelcome for Rams fans, but it is relatively unsurprising, as Los Angeles was expected to extend its GM and head coach for some time now, despite their largely disappointing tenures with the club. Team COO Kevin Demoff praised Fisher earlier this week, emphasizing his steady hand through the specter of relocation and the relocation itself, along with his ability as a “leader of men.”
Fisher and Snead joined the Rams together in 2012, and the club has gone 31-43-1 since then. The team did land Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and now that the former Cal star has taken over as the Rams’ starting quarterback, there is reason to hope that they will begin to show some improvement.
But even though the Rams have had largely disappointing quarterback play during the Fisher/Snead regime, the roster has not been entirely devoid of talent. And yet, the club has not posted a non-losing record under their watch, and Fisher has not enjoyed a winning season as an NFL head coach since 2008, his penultimate year in Tennessee.
However, team owner Stan Kroenke wanted to give Fisher a chance to coach the Rams through the opening of the team’s new stadium in Inglewood, and this extension will give him a chance to do just that (Twitter links via Jason Cole of Bleacher Report). But the fact that Fisher’s new deal is really for just one year, with an option for 2018, suggests that his job is still not especially safe. Schefter tweets that the extension does not give Fisher any more job security and that the Rams must play well down the stretch for Fisher to return next season (which won’t be easy, given the Rams’ strength of schedule). Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links) feels the same way, observing that it is not uncommon for a team to fire a head coach with two years left on his deal. Pelissero further opines that if the team agreed to the extension in the preseason but was “too embarrassed” to announce it publicly until months later, that cannot be a good thing for Fisher, despite Gonzalez’s note that Kroenke has largely been able to look past Fisher’s win-loss record because of how he represents the organization.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the Rams are not commenting on the extensions, but that team officials may address the situation after the Rams’ matchup against New England today.
Latest On Rams’ Jeff Fisher, Les Snead
Extensions for Rams GM Les Snead and Jeff Fisher have yet to be finalized, but they are still expected to get done despite how poorly things went for L.A. in Week 1, ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. A previous report indicated that the contracts are on hold after the brutal loss against San Francisco. On Thursday, the Rams formally announced their new deal with defensive tackle Michael Brockers, so it stands to reason that extensions for Fisher and Snead might not be far off. 
We’ve been hearing about new deals for Fisher and Snead all offseason long but, so far, nothing has been finalized. While some have questioned whether they deserve extensions given the lack of success they have had in recent years, Stan Kroenke & Co. believe that the organization is headed in the right direction. The franchise also probably wants to maintain some continuity as it breaks into a new market.
Under Fisher, the Rams have gone 27-37-1 and haven’t done better than seven wins in any season. The Rams haven’t reached the postseason in more than ten years.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
No Deadline On Jeff Fisher, Les Snead Extensions
We’ve been hearing about potential extensions for Rams coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead for some time now, but as of this writing, there’s still no deal for either of them, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. However, the source also says that there is no deadline for the talks, so deals could theoretically be struck during the season. 
[RELATED: Rams Re-Sign DT Cam Thomas]
The Rams haven’t had the best results on the field under Fisher and Snead. In his four years at the helm of the Rams, Fisher’s teams have compiled a 27-36-1 record and have never gone .500 or better during an individual campaign. However, after moving halfway across the country, owner Stan Kroenke reportedly wants to ensure some stability going forward.
Fisher is currently among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at $7MM annually and it’s not clear if the Rams are willing to give him any sort of raise on that on a new deal. Prior to joining the Rams, Fisher experienced success atop the Titans organization, going 142-120 in 17 years and helping lead the club to six playoff appearances and a Super Bowl XXXIV berth to conclude the 1999-2000 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Breer’s Latest: Dak, Rams, Kap, Prospects
The Dak Prescott hype train will continue into the regular season after Tony Romo‘s latest injury will put the former Mississippi State talent in command of the Cowboys. But how closely the fourth-rounder’s electric preseason will correlate with what happens beginning next week have NFL personnel split.
“He isn’t as good as his preseason performances. Teams haven’t schemed for him yet,” a league scout assigned to Mississippi State told Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “When they do, you’ll see his accuracy get exposed. [Dallas] will need to focus on quick, short, underneath throws, that’ll mask some of the downfield accuracy issues.”
The scout notes the Cowboys have enough talent around Prescott to keep him from being exposed but expects defenses to throw exotic blitzes at the rookie to gauge his readiness.
“He’s more accurate than I thought he would be; strong arm and a good athlete, good poise for a young guy. They’re so good up front, and should be able to run the ball behind Zeke [Elliott] and [Alfred] Morris. Those backs are good, so they can take pressure off him,” a Dolphins coach told Breer, before adding the August numbers would matter “very little” because “everyone is vanilla right now.”
Here’s more from Breer, beginning with the Rams’ behind-the-scenes approach after they were dealt a blow similar to what the Vikings endured earlier this week.
- Sam Bradford‘s preseason ACL tear in 2014 induced the Rams to inquire about trades for other quarterbacks. GM Les Snead did not confirm which passers the team pursued, but Breer reports the Rams made an effort to deal for Kirk Cousins and “seriously discussed” Jimmy Garoppolo with the Patriots. Snead discovered the price was too high on those passers before making a successful waiver claim for current starter Case Keenum.
- The offseason intrigue surrounding the pairing of Colin Kaepernick‘s athleticism with Chip Kelly‘s system dissipated considerably this summer. Unable to work out with the team for most of the offseason due to rehab efforts, Kaepernick, as a pro scouting director noticed, was running the 49ers‘ offense much slower than either Blaine Gabbert or Jeff Driskel in the 49ers’ game against the Packers. “When Kap was in the game, [the offense] slowed down—significantly,” the anonymous director said, via Breer. “I mean, it slowed down by 10 seconds [per play]. And that indicates he’s not comfortable getting them to the line, operating the offense the way they want him to do it. And it indicates the time he missed is costing him.”
- The next Notre Dame lineman to land in the first round could be left tackle Mike McGlinchey, who will take over for Ronnie Stanley. Moving from right to left tackle in advance of his redshirt-junior season, McGlinchey could follow in the footsteps of Stanley and Zack Martin. “He’s a beast!” said one area scout assigned to the Irish. “I haven’t watched film of him yet, but off the practice view alone, he’s a first- or second-round pick. He’s not as athletic as [Stanley], but he’s more physical.” McGlinchey will begin his second year as a starter for the Fighting Irish, doing so after helping Notre Dame runners average 5.63 yards per carry in 2015 — eighth-best in Division I-FBS last season.
Rams Expected To Extend Fisher, Snead
SUNDAY, August 14: Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) adds a little more to this report, basically confirming that Kroenke is largely concerned with front office stability during this otherwise tumultuous time in franchise history. Cole says that there will be no “major changes” to the team’s brass until the Rams are ready to move into their new Inglewood stadium in 2019. That way, if Snead and Fisher continue to disappoint, the club can recharge its fanbase with a new stadium and a new staff.
SATURDAY, August 13: The Rams are expected to reach extensions with both general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher before the season begins, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Deals with both decision-makers can be categorized as “likely,” Schefter adds.
[RELATED: Latest on troubled RB Tre Mason]
On the surface, news of extension talks are a bit surprising given the Rams’ lack of success under Fisher and Snead. In his four years at the helm of the Rams, Fisher’s teams have compiled a 27-36-1 record and have never gone .500 or better during an individual campaign. The Rams finished 7-9 last season during their St. Louis swan song, which was the third time they’ve won seven games under Fisher. However, after moving halfway across the country, owner Stan Kroenke apparently wants to ensure some stability going forward.
There’s no word yet on possible length or financial compensation for Fisher or Snead. Fisher is currently among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at $7MM annually and almost certainly tops the league when it comes to dollars-per-win.
Prior to joining the Rams, Fisher experienced success atop the Titans organization, going 142-120 in 17 years and helping lead the club to six playoff appearances and a Super Bowl XXXIV berth to conclude the 1999-2000 season. Of course, Tennessee lost that game to Fisher’s present-day employer, the Rams.
Snead, meanwhile, got his start as a pro scout for the upstart Jaguars in 1995. In 1997, he took the same position with the Falcons while also serving as their director of pro/player personnel. Prior to the 2012 season, the Rams hired Snead after parting ways with Billy Devaney.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
West Notes: Rams, Fisher, Snead, Mason, Bosa
Let’s take a look at the latest out of the NFL’s two West divisions:
- A early June report indicated that the Rams were working on extensions for both general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link) suggest that little progress has been made on either front, noting that there is no “present timeline or parameters” on negotiations with either Snead nor Fisher. Both men are entering the final year of their respective contracts, and despite the club’s lack of success under the pair’s management, teams generally don’t like their GMs or head coaches to enter lame-duck seasons, so one-year extensions (at the least) wouldn’t be surprising. Fisher, for his part, is already thought to be among the highest-paid coaches in the league, as he’s reportedly earning around $7MM annually.
- Fisher told reporters that last month that the Rams had to prepare as if running back Tre Mason would not be with the club after Mason was arrested in March for resisting arrest, possession of cannabis, and reckless driving, but according to Bonsignore (Twitter link), a decision has not yet been made as to whether Mason will be involved in training camp. It’s still unclear if Mason’s potential absence is related to a looming league-imposed suspension or because Los Angeles is considering waiving him. Regardless, Mason already saw his role with the club dwindle in 2015, as the presence of Todd Gurley meant that Mason’s carries dropped from 179 in 2014 to just 75 last year.
- No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa continues to haggle with the Chargers over his rookie deal, and while negotiations haven’t yet gotten unpleasant, that could change if the battle goes on much longer, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Bosa and his agent are reportedly angling to remove offset language from his contract, and to improve the overall cash flow of the pact. For what it’s worth, former agent and current CBSSports.com contributor Joel Corry recently said that Bosa and his camp have a much better shot at upgrading the payout schedule than getting rid of offsets. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk argues that San Diego should cave on both issues, noting that getting Bosa into camp is far more important than possibly recouping a small amount of cash years down the road, a view we’ve espoused on PFR.
- Earlier today, we learned that the Rams are planning on bringing quarterback Nick Foles to camp, but are still holding out hope that another club will express interest in trading for the signal-caller.
Rams Working On Extensions For Fisher, Snead
Contract extension talks for Rams head coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead are expected to pick up over the next couple of months, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets. The Rams have been in extension talks with both men since late February.
[RELATED: Rams To Formally Sign Jared Goff Today]
On the surface, news of extension talks are a bit surprising given the Rams’ lack of success under Fisher and Snead. In his four years at the helm of the Rams, Fisher’s teams have compiled a 27-36-1 record and have never gone .500 or better during an individual campaign. The Rams finished 7-9 last season during their St. Louis swan song, which was the third time they’ve won seven games under Fisher. However, after moving halfway across the country, owner Stan Kroenke apparently wants to ensure some stability going forward.
There’s no word yet on possible length or financial compensation for Fisher or Snead. Fisher is currently among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at $7MM annually and almost certainly tops the league when it comes to dollars-per-win.
Prior to joining the Rams, Fisher experienced success atop the Titans organization, going 142-120 in 17 years and helping lead the club to six playoff appearances and a Super Bowl XXXIV berth to conclude the 1999-2000 season. Of course, the Titans lost that game, 23-16, to Fisher’s present-day employer, the Rams.
Snead, meanwhile, got his start as the pro scout for the upstart Jaguars in 1995. In 1997, he took the same position with the Falcons while also serving as their director of pro/player personnel. Prior to the 2012 season, the Rams hired Snead after parting ways with Billy Devaney.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jeff Fisher, Rams Discussing Extension
TUESDAY, 8:52am: The Rams are also exploring an extension for general manager Les Snead, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
MONDAY, 6:43pm: Jeff Fisher is entering the final season of the five-year contract he signed with the Rams when he became their head coach in 2012, but it doesn’t look as if he’ll be a lame duck for long. Fisher and the Rams are currently engaged in talks to extend the contracts of him and his coaching staff, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN (Twitter link). There’s no word yet on possible length or financial compensation for Fisher, who is currently among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at $7MM annually.
[RELATED: The latest on Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins]
Fisher is the latest NFC coach who is reportedly discussing an extension with his club, joining division rival Pete Carroll (Seahawks), the Saints’ Sean Payton and the Panthers’ Ron Rivera. There’s one obvious difference between Fisher and that trio, however: They’ve done plenty of winning during their respective tenures, while he hasn’t.
In his four years at the helm of the Rams, Fisher’s teams have compiled a 27-36-1 record and have never gone .500 or better during an individual campaign. The Rams finished 7-9 last season during their St. Louis swan song, which was the third time they’ve won seven games under Fisher.
Prior to joining the Rams, Fisher experienced success atop the Titans organization, going 142-120 in 17 years and helping lead the club to six playoff appearances and a Super Bowl XXXIV berth to conclude the 1999-2000 season. Of course, the Titans lost that game, 23-16, to Fisher’s present-day employer, the Rams.
In the event Fisher and the Rams do agree to an extension, it wouldn’t necessarily guarantee his job status beyond next season. If the team doesn’t show improvement in the first season of its return to Los Angeles, owner Stan Kroenke could go in another direction and eat whatever money Fisher has remaining on his deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.