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Bernie: Rams are at a crossroads
• Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_babf63c7-a2eb-5835-ad60-e609983d334f.html
This is a big year for the Rams regime led by coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead. Hired by inscrutable Rams owner Stan Kroenke before the 2012 season to reconstruct a disgraceful team that had just completed the worst five-season run in NFL history, Fisher and Snead are in their third season in command. Blaming past leadership at Rams Park is no longer an option.
Fisher-Snead certainly have made progress. Between 2007 and 2011 the Rams went 15-65 for a hideous .188 winning percentage that set a new NFL low for futility.
In the first two seasons of Fisher-Snead the Rams were tied for 20th in the 32-team league with 14 wins. Their .453 winning percentage also ranked 20th. It would be petty to dismiss the gains as insignificant; for sure, Fisher-Snead have done some good work.
But the recent history of chronic losing has been so severe and extreme the appreciation and patience only stretches so far until snapping.
The franchise hasn’t had a winning season since 2003. Since last making the playoffs in 2004, the Rams have an NFL-worst record of 43-100-1. Fisher-Snead are responsible for the last two of those lost seasons, but they were empowered to lead the Rams out of this thick fog of losing and haven’t broken through.
In a league where quick turnarounds are frequent and often dramatic, the grace period tends to be brief. If a GM and coach can’t pull a team out of the muck and into a winning season and the playoffs by the end of year three, then you have to wonder if they’ll be able to get it done at all.
Should the Rams fail to win again in 2014, sympathizers will undoubtedly point out the rugged, unforgiving terrain of the NFC West.
Well, two points about that:
First, if it’s so impossible for a losing team to quickly rebuild and win in the NFC West, then how did the Rams manage to go 5-6-1 vs. division rivals over the past two seasons? That isn’t a winning record, but here’s my point: The Rams have been more successful in games played inside the division (.458 winning percentage) than in the contests played outside the division (.450) over the past two seasons.
Second, if it’s so excruciatingly difficult to take over a losing outfit and revamp the team in a short time, then how do we explain the work done by the other three head coaches in the NFC West?
The Arizona Cardinals went 18-30 over three seasons, hired Bruce Arians, and immediately went 10-6 in 2014. Some will say: Yeah, but the Cardinals finally put a solid quarterback in place last season, and Carson Palmer made a big difference. Exactly. That’s what good football bosses do; they fill glaring roster needs.
The Seattle Seahawks were a sorry 9-23 in the two seasons (2008-2009) that preceded coach Pete Carroll’s appointment. Carroll went 14-16 in his first two years and then turned a fearsome team loose on the NFL. Over the last two seasons Carroll is 24-8 with a Super Bowl championship.
Before Jim Harbaugh was hired in 2011 to coach the directionless San Francisco 49ers, the franchise had gone 46-82 over its previous eight seasons. Harbaugh immediately coached up a winner; he’s 36-11 with five postseason wins and an NFC championship in his first three seasons.
Harbaugh and Arians won in their first seasons. Carroll’s breakout season came in his third year. So it’s not unreasonable to expect the Rams’ regime to reach the higher ground in season three.
That’s why the 2014 draft is so critical for Snead and Fisher.
The fun begins Thursday night with the first-round action, with the Rams holding the No. 2 and No. 13 picks. I’ll get deeper into the possibilities later in the week, but for now let’s just say that the pressure is on. The Rams have to come out of this draft with a treasure trove of picks who can immediately push this team forward in 2014.
The Rams have drafted 17 players under Fisher-Snead — nine on offense, seven on defense and kicker Greg Zuerlein. The Rams made some magnificent picks, some unsatisfactory picks and some selections that are still evolving.
In all, I’d have to say that their two-year haul was disappointing.
The Rams drafted four wide receivers and three running backs in the past two drafts. The offense has gradually improved over the last two seasons, which was inevitable given the league-bottom starting point. But I think it’s fair to say we expected more playmaking wallop from this group. And that’s certainly the case with two premium choices from 2012: wide receiver Brian Quick (drafted No. 33 overall) and running back Isaiah Pead (50th overall.)
But my “disappointing” characterization could be amended if some of the Rams’ developing players improve and flourish in 2014.
Given the extra premium picks gained when the Rams peddled the No. 2 overall selection to Washington before the 2012 draft, I expected a more transformative impact. And that could still happen, but this 2014 draft is the Rams’ last chance to cash in on the Washington bonanza.
In their first two offseasons the Rams tried to score big with some costly free-agent signings, and the investments didn’t come close to paying off as anticipated. The Rams largely took a pass on the free-agent market this offseason, and because of that the 2014 draft becomes even more important.
All along Snead and Fisher have said their team would be built through the draft. That’s where they planted their flag. Accordingly, the success or failure of their regime will be defined by the draft. And we’re getting closer to judgment time.
• Bernie Miklasz
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_babf63c7-a2eb-5835-ad60-e609983d334f.html
This is a big year for the Rams regime led by coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead. Hired by inscrutable Rams owner Stan Kroenke before the 2012 season to reconstruct a disgraceful team that had just completed the worst five-season run in NFL history, Fisher and Snead are in their third season in command. Blaming past leadership at Rams Park is no longer an option.
Fisher-Snead certainly have made progress. Between 2007 and 2011 the Rams went 15-65 for a hideous .188 winning percentage that set a new NFL low for futility.
In the first two seasons of Fisher-Snead the Rams were tied for 20th in the 32-team league with 14 wins. Their .453 winning percentage also ranked 20th. It would be petty to dismiss the gains as insignificant; for sure, Fisher-Snead have done some good work.
But the recent history of chronic losing has been so severe and extreme the appreciation and patience only stretches so far until snapping.
The franchise hasn’t had a winning season since 2003. Since last making the playoffs in 2004, the Rams have an NFL-worst record of 43-100-1. Fisher-Snead are responsible for the last two of those lost seasons, but they were empowered to lead the Rams out of this thick fog of losing and haven’t broken through.
In a league where quick turnarounds are frequent and often dramatic, the grace period tends to be brief. If a GM and coach can’t pull a team out of the muck and into a winning season and the playoffs by the end of year three, then you have to wonder if they’ll be able to get it done at all.
Should the Rams fail to win again in 2014, sympathizers will undoubtedly point out the rugged, unforgiving terrain of the NFC West.
Well, two points about that:
First, if it’s so impossible for a losing team to quickly rebuild and win in the NFC West, then how did the Rams manage to go 5-6-1 vs. division rivals over the past two seasons? That isn’t a winning record, but here’s my point: The Rams have been more successful in games played inside the division (.458 winning percentage) than in the contests played outside the division (.450) over the past two seasons.
Second, if it’s so excruciatingly difficult to take over a losing outfit and revamp the team in a short time, then how do we explain the work done by the other three head coaches in the NFC West?
The Arizona Cardinals went 18-30 over three seasons, hired Bruce Arians, and immediately went 10-6 in 2014. Some will say: Yeah, but the Cardinals finally put a solid quarterback in place last season, and Carson Palmer made a big difference. Exactly. That’s what good football bosses do; they fill glaring roster needs.
The Seattle Seahawks were a sorry 9-23 in the two seasons (2008-2009) that preceded coach Pete Carroll’s appointment. Carroll went 14-16 in his first two years and then turned a fearsome team loose on the NFL. Over the last two seasons Carroll is 24-8 with a Super Bowl championship.
Before Jim Harbaugh was hired in 2011 to coach the directionless San Francisco 49ers, the franchise had gone 46-82 over its previous eight seasons. Harbaugh immediately coached up a winner; he’s 36-11 with five postseason wins and an NFC championship in his first three seasons.
Harbaugh and Arians won in their first seasons. Carroll’s breakout season came in his third year. So it’s not unreasonable to expect the Rams’ regime to reach the higher ground in season three.
That’s why the 2014 draft is so critical for Snead and Fisher.
The fun begins Thursday night with the first-round action, with the Rams holding the No. 2 and No. 13 picks. I’ll get deeper into the possibilities later in the week, but for now let’s just say that the pressure is on. The Rams have to come out of this draft with a treasure trove of picks who can immediately push this team forward in 2014.
The Rams have drafted 17 players under Fisher-Snead — nine on offense, seven on defense and kicker Greg Zuerlein. The Rams made some magnificent picks, some unsatisfactory picks and some selections that are still evolving.
In all, I’d have to say that their two-year haul was disappointing.
The Rams drafted four wide receivers and three running backs in the past two drafts. The offense has gradually improved over the last two seasons, which was inevitable given the league-bottom starting point. But I think it’s fair to say we expected more playmaking wallop from this group. And that’s certainly the case with two premium choices from 2012: wide receiver Brian Quick (drafted No. 33 overall) and running back Isaiah Pead (50th overall.)
But my “disappointing” characterization could be amended if some of the Rams’ developing players improve and flourish in 2014.
Given the extra premium picks gained when the Rams peddled the No. 2 overall selection to Washington before the 2012 draft, I expected a more transformative impact. And that could still happen, but this 2014 draft is the Rams’ last chance to cash in on the Washington bonanza.
In their first two offseasons the Rams tried to score big with some costly free-agent signings, and the investments didn’t come close to paying off as anticipated. The Rams largely took a pass on the free-agent market this offseason, and because of that the 2014 draft becomes even more important.
All along Snead and Fisher have said their team would be built through the draft. That’s where they planted their flag. Accordingly, the success or failure of their regime will be defined by the draft. And we’re getting closer to judgment time.
