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http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_dc6da358-04f0-5972-8779-e3c1d175322b.html
Inside the walls at Rams Park, there are legions of diligent souls who have worked feverishly to distance themselves from the organization’s not-so-distant dysfunctional past. In case you’ve forgotten (and oh my gawd, how could you?), that past was an unsightly thing, fueled with backstabbing subplots, comical soap operas and serial incompetence.
Well these Rams are not those Rams.
These Rams do not intentionally engage in deceit and duplicity.
These Rams do not believe that outrageous vanity has higher value in the business of pro football than obvious ability.
The owner tried to make that clear the moment he took over control of the organization, speaking of creating a culture whose entire purpose was to create a winning environment; the idea was to make Rams Way an organizational philosophy, not merely a street address.
Perhaps that’s why on Monday afternoon, coach Jeff Fisher was so dismissive of the rumors that were swirling around his football team on Sunday, with media reports that suggested there was some sort of palace coup brewing at Rams Park. Depending on what you were willing to believe, Pro Football Talk reported that general manager Les Snead, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Tim Walton were all in danger of losing their jobs.
“That comes from someone that doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” Fisher sniffed.
A few years ago, I could believe any backstabbing tale that came out of Rams Park, because that’s the way those Rams did business.
You didn’t have to rely on gossip and innuendo filtering down from unknown sources. That’s because there were no unnamed sources with those Rams. It was such a messy, comedic calamity, and everyone was up front about it.
But the Fisher-Snead-Kevin Demoff era hasn’t shown any signs of such toxic behavior. There could very well be some creative tension within the ranks. There could very well be some disagreements from time to time about personnel and philosophies, but the way owner Stan Kroenke plotted this thing out, there would be an ultimate authority at the top who would cast the deciding vote.
If you’ve noticed anything over the past two seasons, Fisher isn’t like his contemporary in Washington, the duplicitous Mike Shanahan. He does not assert his authority with any quiet conniving or any ego-driven grandstanding.
There’s no need to preen or make sure you know that he’s the one in charge.
So let’s say he has been the one who has changed the Rams from a pass-happy, wide-open offense to a ground-and-pound smash-mouth attack; let’s assume he is the one who has taken a more hands-on approach with Walton’s defensive game plans, too.
Well, first of all, it seems to be working.
But secondly, isn’t that what a head coach — at least a good one — is supposed to do?
But you don’t hear Fisher strutting around taking credit for it. And if you’ve ever watched him on the practice field, you notice that he lets his coaches coach.
So is there any creative tension with his coordinators? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t at some point during the course of any season. Is that tension enough to cause a coup?
I doubt that Fisher would dare to take the hit for firing two defensive coordinators in back-to-back years. Who do you hire after that? Perhaps only a desperate man, and who wants that when you’re trying to build something good and long lasting?
If you haven’t been able to figure it out by now, Fisher is building something here, and for the first time in ages, the Rams as a football organization are on a clear ascent.
They were 7-8-1 in the first year of the Fisher-Snead regime, and with two games to play, the young and inexperienced Rams are in a position to win seven or eight games with their starting quarterback Sam Bradford missing half the season.
Tell me that’s not progress. Tell me you could have forecast that the Rams could have won three or four or five games with Kellen Clemens running the offense?
This is still one of the youngest teams in the NFL, and with that youth comes the frustration of a team that can beat three division leaders — the 10-4 Saints (NFC South), the 9-5 Indianapolis Colts (AFC South) and 8-6 Chicago Bears (NFC North) — and give you a glimpse into their full potential.
But they can also frustrate you with their inconsistent play where they can lose too many games because of silly penalties, unnecessary turnovers and unpredictable play.
“We’re very young, and sometimes we don’t have an experienced voice to tell us what to do,” said rookie safety T.J. McDonald. “But we are getting that experience and learning as we go. We’re learning and we’re holding each other accountable now, which is something rare for such a young team.”
But that was part of the plan when Fisher and Snead began to lay out the process of rebuilding this sorry franchise. They were going to do it with youth and the draft and they were going to deal with the growing pains on the front end because a young team that is talented and grows together can become an experienced winner on the back end.
It’s why Snead put together the deal that could prove to be the most spectacular in Rams history when he traded the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft to Washington — the Robert Griffin III deal — that laid the foundation for the Rams future.
So far, the Rams have parlayed the RGIII trade into the selection of current players Janoris Jenkins, Michael Brockers, Isaiah Pead, Alex Ogletree, Stedman Bailey and Zac Stacy.
There is still one more pick left in that crazy draft haul for the Rams, Washington’s 2014 first round pick, that right now would be the No. 2 overall pick in April.
So tell me again, even if you want to question some of Snead’s free-agent signings, how can the man who put together that deal be on anyone’s hot seat?
If the Rams sit tight on this ’14 pick, which turns into the second overall pick, they’d be in a position to grab South Carolina’s beast of a defensive end Jadaveon Clowney, UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr or Texas A&M stud offensive tackle Jake Matthews. Let’s not forget that their own first-round pick — which is shaping up to be a mid-round selection — could have them in position to select a wide receiver like USC’s Marqise Lee or A&M’s Mike Evans.
But knowing Fisher and Snead’s history, they’re probably already thinking of ways to shop that No. 2 pick again and see if they can reap even more riches in a similar get-rich-quick trade with another willing sucker … er ... trade partner.
The Rams have radically upgraded the talent on this roster. They have players that other teams want. They have one of the best defensive players in the NFL (Robert Quinn). They have a rookie running back who might rush for 1,000 yards (Stacy). They have a defensive line that is considered one of the best in the NFL. And they have the draft picks and salary cap room to go get more.
There was a time not too long ago when this couldn’t have been possible.
But that was those Rams, not these Rams.
Bryan Burwell is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Read his columns here.
Inside the walls at Rams Park, there are legions of diligent souls who have worked feverishly to distance themselves from the organization’s not-so-distant dysfunctional past. In case you’ve forgotten (and oh my gawd, how could you?), that past was an unsightly thing, fueled with backstabbing subplots, comical soap operas and serial incompetence.
Well these Rams are not those Rams.
These Rams do not intentionally engage in deceit and duplicity.
These Rams do not believe that outrageous vanity has higher value in the business of pro football than obvious ability.
The owner tried to make that clear the moment he took over control of the organization, speaking of creating a culture whose entire purpose was to create a winning environment; the idea was to make Rams Way an organizational philosophy, not merely a street address.
Perhaps that’s why on Monday afternoon, coach Jeff Fisher was so dismissive of the rumors that were swirling around his football team on Sunday, with media reports that suggested there was some sort of palace coup brewing at Rams Park. Depending on what you were willing to believe, Pro Football Talk reported that general manager Les Snead, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Tim Walton were all in danger of losing their jobs.
“That comes from someone that doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” Fisher sniffed.
A few years ago, I could believe any backstabbing tale that came out of Rams Park, because that’s the way those Rams did business.
You didn’t have to rely on gossip and innuendo filtering down from unknown sources. That’s because there were no unnamed sources with those Rams. It was such a messy, comedic calamity, and everyone was up front about it.
But the Fisher-Snead-Kevin Demoff era hasn’t shown any signs of such toxic behavior. There could very well be some creative tension within the ranks. There could very well be some disagreements from time to time about personnel and philosophies, but the way owner Stan Kroenke plotted this thing out, there would be an ultimate authority at the top who would cast the deciding vote.
If you’ve noticed anything over the past two seasons, Fisher isn’t like his contemporary in Washington, the duplicitous Mike Shanahan. He does not assert his authority with any quiet conniving or any ego-driven grandstanding.
There’s no need to preen or make sure you know that he’s the one in charge.
So let’s say he has been the one who has changed the Rams from a pass-happy, wide-open offense to a ground-and-pound smash-mouth attack; let’s assume he is the one who has taken a more hands-on approach with Walton’s defensive game plans, too.
Well, first of all, it seems to be working.
But secondly, isn’t that what a head coach — at least a good one — is supposed to do?
But you don’t hear Fisher strutting around taking credit for it. And if you’ve ever watched him on the practice field, you notice that he lets his coaches coach.
So is there any creative tension with his coordinators? I’d be surprised if there wasn’t at some point during the course of any season. Is that tension enough to cause a coup?
I doubt that Fisher would dare to take the hit for firing two defensive coordinators in back-to-back years. Who do you hire after that? Perhaps only a desperate man, and who wants that when you’re trying to build something good and long lasting?
If you haven’t been able to figure it out by now, Fisher is building something here, and for the first time in ages, the Rams as a football organization are on a clear ascent.
They were 7-8-1 in the first year of the Fisher-Snead regime, and with two games to play, the young and inexperienced Rams are in a position to win seven or eight games with their starting quarterback Sam Bradford missing half the season.
Tell me that’s not progress. Tell me you could have forecast that the Rams could have won three or four or five games with Kellen Clemens running the offense?
This is still one of the youngest teams in the NFL, and with that youth comes the frustration of a team that can beat three division leaders — the 10-4 Saints (NFC South), the 9-5 Indianapolis Colts (AFC South) and 8-6 Chicago Bears (NFC North) — and give you a glimpse into their full potential.
But they can also frustrate you with their inconsistent play where they can lose too many games because of silly penalties, unnecessary turnovers and unpredictable play.
“We’re very young, and sometimes we don’t have an experienced voice to tell us what to do,” said rookie safety T.J. McDonald. “But we are getting that experience and learning as we go. We’re learning and we’re holding each other accountable now, which is something rare for such a young team.”
But that was part of the plan when Fisher and Snead began to lay out the process of rebuilding this sorry franchise. They were going to do it with youth and the draft and they were going to deal with the growing pains on the front end because a young team that is talented and grows together can become an experienced winner on the back end.
It’s why Snead put together the deal that could prove to be the most spectacular in Rams history when he traded the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft to Washington — the Robert Griffin III deal — that laid the foundation for the Rams future.
So far, the Rams have parlayed the RGIII trade into the selection of current players Janoris Jenkins, Michael Brockers, Isaiah Pead, Alex Ogletree, Stedman Bailey and Zac Stacy.
There is still one more pick left in that crazy draft haul for the Rams, Washington’s 2014 first round pick, that right now would be the No. 2 overall pick in April.
So tell me again, even if you want to question some of Snead’s free-agent signings, how can the man who put together that deal be on anyone’s hot seat?
If the Rams sit tight on this ’14 pick, which turns into the second overall pick, they’d be in a position to grab South Carolina’s beast of a defensive end Jadaveon Clowney, UCLA outside linebacker Anthony Barr or Texas A&M stud offensive tackle Jake Matthews. Let’s not forget that their own first-round pick — which is shaping up to be a mid-round selection — could have them in position to select a wide receiver like USC’s Marqise Lee or A&M’s Mike Evans.
But knowing Fisher and Snead’s history, they’re probably already thinking of ways to shop that No. 2 pick again and see if they can reap even more riches in a similar get-rich-quick trade with another willing sucker … er ... trade partner.
The Rams have radically upgraded the talent on this roster. They have players that other teams want. They have one of the best defensive players in the NFL (Robert Quinn). They have a rookie running back who might rush for 1,000 yards (Stacy). They have a defensive line that is considered one of the best in the NFL. And they have the draft picks and salary cap room to go get more.
There was a time not too long ago when this couldn’t have been possible.
But that was those Rams, not these Rams.
Bryan Burwell is a columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Read his columns here.
