Bonsignore: Sticking with Case Keenum - and Jeff Fisher - isn't answer for Rams

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

OldSchool

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
ROD Credit | 2022 TOP Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
38,395
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/fisher-733071-rams-keenum.html

LONDON – Jeff Fisher stood in front of reporters after another lost afternoon, another slew of mistakes and blown assignments and miscommunication and penalties and turnovers.

And another dreadful loss by his Rams.

In typical Fisher fashion, the Rams coach pointed plenty of fingers at his players and even his coaches.

But never once did he point a finger at the main culprit: Himself.

And rather than talking about what he should do for the future of the Rams – turn the quarterback keys over to rookie Jared Goff – he insisted he will stick with Case Keenum.

Selfishly so.

Because this is about Jeff Fisher, after all. Not the big picture of the Rams.

If it looked and sounded all too familiar, it’s because it is.

Jeff Fisher has become the master of ceremony of sorts at these events. And of deflecting blame and promising improvements and insisting the proper fixes will be made.

Nearly five complete years into his Rams tenure, he’s assumed this same position 40 times.

And if you count the 17 years he spent in Houston and Tennessee, it’s up to 160.

That’s an extraordinary amount of times to take the podium after coaching a team to another loss. In fact, it’s five shy of the all-time record.

That’s too many for Fisher to still be employed by the Rams, if you’re really being honest about things.

But with the Rams making the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles and all the upheaval that came with it, they felt changing coaches probably added an additional challenge they didn’t want to deal with. Just as importantly, after putting him through more than 12 months of uncertainty as the NFL untangled the Rams return to L.A., they felt they needed to do right by him.

So they gave Fisher the chance to coach the final year of his contract. And maybe, just maybe turn things around and earn a new deal.

So much for all that.

The extension should be out the window at this point, and not just because the Rams lost their third straight game Sunday in a 17-10 loss to the New York Giants in London.

It goes beyond one loss or a three-game losing streak.

Something just isn’t adding up.

And it begins with the man in charge.

It’s time for the Rams to look in another direction at head coach.

It’s time for a new vibe. A new voice. A new philosophy.

A new beginning.

It’s painfully obvious the Jeff Fisher era is not working. What’s worse, he’s now selfishly standing in the way of their future by coaching out of self preservation rather than with the big picture in mind.

That was painfully obvious when he blew off any consideration to making a switch at quarterback and expedite the Goff era by sticking with Keenum,

The Rams are going nowhere right now. They’re the same old tired, mediocre team they’ve always been under Fisher.

It’s time to accept that and get Goff onto the field, even if it means more short-term losses as he makes the transition to the NFL.

This season should no longer be about 2016, and some foolish notion the Rams will turn things around and turn the proverbial corner from 7-9 to 9-7.

That isn’t going to happen.

This season should no longer be about Fisher, either.

It should be about 2017 and 2018 and beyond.

And that means making the change to Goff.

But Fisher, who is thinking more about himself than the future, will have none of it.

In fact, he went out of his way to defend Keenum despite the four interceptions his quarterback threw Sunday and the side of the mountain he’s quarterbacked the Rams to through seven games.

“The quarterback is not the reason, by the way, that we lost three (straight) games,” Fisher said defiantly.

On that we agree.

Keenum isn’t the primary reason the Rams are 3-4. That’s on Fisher and the roster he’s constructed and the coaches he’s hired and the decisions he’s made and the philosophy he coaches by and the culture he’s created.

Keenum is just a small part of everything Fisher’s built.

But here is the problem.

In Keenum, Fisher sees a game manager quarterback who can maybe help squeak out enough wins to preserve his job. He’s thinking short-term, not long-term.

“I’m staying with Case,” Fisher said.

It’s self-preservation coaching at its worst.

And it’s standing in the way of the Rams, who need to think big picture now more than ever.

Goff might not represent the present, but he is the face of the future.

The Rams invested six draft picks to move into position to draft him, then chose him over Carson Wentz, who has developed into an immediate sensation in Philadelphia.

Unless you foolishly think the Rams can gather themselves for a second-half push – and I have news for you, folks, the Rams are going to continue to bumble about under Fisher just like they always have – then the rest of the season should be about preparing and developing Goff and letting him build chemistry and trust with the rest of the offense.

And what a perfect time then during the upcoming bye week and with the Rams facing five home games over their final nine games.

But Fisher will have none of it.

“Jared is going to play when we feel Jared is ready,” Fisher said.

Translation: Jared will play only if I think he can help me keep my job.

And that’s just selfish.
 

Relwolf91

Starter
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
524
Name
Sean
Is Goff really that horrible for them to stick with Case or is Fisher just too damn stubborn?
 

-X-

Medium-sized Lebowski
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
35,576
Name
The Dude
“Jared is going to play when we feel Jared is ready,” Fisher said.

Translation: Jared will play only if I think he can help me keep my job.

And that’s just selfish.
I don't agree with that.
Sounds more like something a fan blog would write, but he's entitled to his opinion.
 

Ramrasta

(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Joined
Sep 7, 2010
Messages
3,116
Name
Tyler
Fisher knows that if he plays Goff and Goff struggles like a rookie inevitably would, he loses his job at the end of the season. If he keeps Goff benched, he can keep saying the focus is on the future and maybe (if he could convince everyone that Goff isn't ready but is somehow still a franchise QB) keep his job.
 

kurtfaulk

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
15,970
.

So I take it this guy is more like Bernie m than Jim Thomas.

.
 

Relwolf91

Starter
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
524
Name
Sean
Fisher knows that if he plays Goff and Goff struggles like a rookie inevitably would, he loses his job at the end of the season. If he keeps Goff benched, he can keep saying the focus is on the future and maybe (if he could convince everyone that Goff isn't ready but is somehow still a franchise QB) keep his job.

Does this mean we have to extend Fisher before we can see Goff on the field?
 

Legatron4

Legend
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
9,427
Name
Wes
Fisher knows that if he plays Goff and Goff struggles like a rookie inevitably would, he loses his job at the end of the season. If he keeps Goff benched, he can keep saying the focus is on the future and maybe (if he could convince everyone that Goff isn't ready but is somehow still a franchise QB) keep his job.
But that doesn't make sense. If Fisher keeps losing it doesn't matter who the QB is.
 

tavian

Not me.I am waaaay uglier
Joined
Jul 3, 2014
Messages
1,125
In typical Fisher fashion, the Rams coach pointed plenty of fingers at his players and even his coaches.

But never once did he point a finger at the main culprit: Himself.

nice photo of Fisher
finger-pointing2.gif
 

thirteen28

I like pizza.
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 15, 2013
Messages
8,324
Name
Erik
Fisher knows that if he plays Goff and Goff struggles like a rookie inevitably would, he loses his job at the end of the season. If he keeps Goff benched, he can keep saying the focus is on the future and maybe (if he could convince everyone that Goff isn't ready but is somehow still a franchise QB) keep his job.

A struggling Goff could have been a good excuse for him had he started him earlier, but now it's too late. Too many other rookie QB's have come in and played well, and they have largely outplayed Keenum. Wentz, for one, has significantly outplayed Keenum, even having come back to Earth a little bit in the past couple of weeks. If Goff isn't ready now to at least start getting some live reps and real game experience, it's on Fisher and his staff.

If he keeps playing Keenum, and the Rams struggle (as they are now, badly, having dropped 3 in a row), then he really has no excuse, especially not after all the draft capital spent on getting Goff.

About the only way he gets out of this now is if he starts Goff and the Rams get to 9-7 or better.

And to add, I agree with the columnist in the original post, if Fisher doesn't start Goff against Carolina, then he is being selfish. By coaching scared, he's hurting the progress of the team and the development of Goff.
 

gabriel18

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
May 1, 2015
Messages
4,901
I don't agree with that.
Sounds more like something a fan blog would write, but he's entitled to his opinion.
What do you think is Fishers reasoning ? To come out and blame the receivers for Keenum short comings is ridiculous.
Fisher is just being stubborn or arrogant at this point not to even consider playing the kid . Either way , I think you and I both know the Rams will never get over the hump with Fisher and his ways . Just my opinion but when the only thing you lead the league in is penalties it's time to look in the mirror.
 

PowayRamFan

Hall of Fame
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
2,359
Boy if it was just one part of the overall picture, say the way Fisher has handled Goff, it wouldn't seem so bad. But in my mind, our dam is springing leaks all over the place. Just way too many of the same problems week in and week out.
Does anyone on here honestly feel like this team is getting better? I'd love to know why if you do.
 

thirteen28

I like pizza.
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 15, 2013
Messages
8,324
Name
Erik
Boy if it was just one part of the overall picture, say the way Fisher has handled Goff, it wouldn't seem so bad. But in my mind, our dam is springing leaks all over the place. Just way too many of the same problems week in and week out.
Does anyone on here honestly feel like this team is getting better? I'd love to know why if you do.

I'm not sure if I'll say the Rams are getting better at this point. But I will unequivocally say that the team has the talent to be better than 3-4, and with the right coaching staff in place (and right players on the field) this is probably a playoff team.
 

gabriel18

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
May 1, 2015
Messages
4,901
Boy if it was just one part of the overall picture, say the way Fisher has handled Goff, it wouldn't seem so bad. But in my mind, our dam is springing leaks all over the place. Just way too many of the same problems week in and week out.
Does anyone on here honestly feel like this team is getting better? I'd love to know why if you do.
You're right . Even at 3-1 most people thought it was a mirage and after a typical Fisher 3 game losing skid the playoffs are a distant memory and the draft has been flushed down the crapper . If for one minute I thought Fisher could get this team back in the hunt I would be all in . They will probably win a couple in a row to suck us back in and then we all know what comes next . I refuse to listen to anything he has to say , because it's a crock of crap .
 

kurtfaulk

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Sep 7, 2011
Messages
15,970
You're right . Even at 3-1 most people thought it was a mirage and after a typical Fisher 3 game losing skid the playoffs are a distant memory and the draft has been flushed down the crapper . If for one minute I thought Fisher could get this team back in the hunt I would be all in . They will probably win a couple in a row to suck us back in and then we all know what comes next . I refuse to listen to anything he has to say , because it's a crock of crap .

It seems like you've seen this movie before. Many times.

.
 

MountainRam

Rookie
Joined
Nov 8, 2015
Messages
324
I agree with this author. Fisher will not play goff, his last card. If it turns out bad Fisher will go at end of season. If he keeps the card closed he Will get next season to coach.
 

-X-

Medium-sized Lebowski
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
35,576
Name
The Dude
I agree with this author. Fisher will not play goff, his last card. If it turns out bad Fisher will go at end of season. If he keeps the card closed he Will get next season to coach.
If that's his plan (to use Goff to keep his job), then Kroenke is the dumbest billionaire on the planet if he can't see right through that.
 

gabriel18

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
May 1, 2015
Messages
4,901
I'm not sure if I'll say the Rams are getting better at this point. But I will unequivocally say that the team has the talent to be better than 3-4, and with the right coaching staff in place (and right players on the field) this is probably a playoff team.
There is the problem , because they have the talent to play with anyone but they don't . Prime example is getting embarrassed by the 49ers after a whole off season to prepare . They haven't won a game since .
 

tempests

Hall of Fame
Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
2,814
I'll wait and see on the QB until after the bye week. Typically coaches don't make a QB switch five minutes after the game has ended.

I'm more curious about how much rope Greg Robinson has left.