Hammond: Kroenke deflects question on future of Coach Jeff Fisher, GM Les Snead

[den-the-coach]

Rams owner Stan Kroenke speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rams' new stadium in Inglewood on Thursday. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)


Kroenke deflects question on future of Coach Jeff Fisher, GM Les Snead

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

INGLEWOOD – On a day when Rams owner Stan Kroenke beamed with pride, and even appeared to get emotional at one point as he discussed his new stadium, only one question made Kroenke chuckle.

Any update on the possible contract extension for Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead?

“I think Kevin (Demoff) is up to speed on that,” Kroenke said of the Rams’ chief operating officer. “I’m sure you could talk to him about that.”

In a rare occasion, Kroenke briefly answered media questions Thursday at the end of a groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium, on the former site of the Hollywood Park racetrack.

Kroenke seemed amused by the contract question, and punted it to Demoff, his top deputy, who previously has declined to comment. Fisher and Snead, both hired in 2012, are in the final year of their respective contracts and the Rams, at 4-5 this season, have yet make the playoffs during their tenure.

Kroenke, who has attended home and road games this season, was asked to assess the team.

“Well, obviously all of this has been said,” Kroenke said, “but the defense has been playing very well and on offense we haven’t been producing the way we’d like to. So there’s a big opportunity there. If you get the offense going, the argument would be that we could be pretty darn good.”

Shortly after he put in a shovel in a pile of dirt, to symbolically start the construction of a stadium expected to open in 2019, Kroenke discussed Jared Goff, the quarterback he hopes will thrive there.

With Kroenke’s blessing, the Rams made a blockbuster trade in April to acquire the NFL draft’s top pick and select Goff. This week, Fisher chose to promote Goff into the starting spot, and Goff will make his debut against Miami on Sunday at the Coliseum.

“I think Jared is a very talented young man,” Kroenke said. “That’s why we drafted him first in the draft.”

A few minutes earlier, in an interview with NFL Network, Kroenke spoke at more length about Goff and compared him to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, one of the league’s top players.

“Aaron is special and everybody recognizes it,” Kroenke said. “Aaron does things that you can’t coach. Jared has that same ability. You see him do things in practice that you can’t coach. He makes those throws. That’s why you pick him first in the draft, because you think he’s special.

“We have high hopes for Jared. The coaches say he has progressed and he’s ready. It’s complex in the NFL. It’s not like playing in college. It’s a different level. When you move to a different level, things speed up. Some of that is just becoming used to it, and I think the practice, throughout the fall at that level, has helped Jared.”

[www.ocregister.com]

 

[TXRams86]

 

[So Ram]

It can be symbolic . Goff starts after ground breaks. We get a look at the future.
--Demoff is running the show, just wonder if Snead is connect with Demoff, more than Fisher ?? Snead has been out of the lime light this season, more than in years past.

 

[RamFan503]

It can be symbolic . Goff starts after ground breaks. We get a look at the future.
--Demoff is running the show, just wonder if Snead is connect with Demoff, more than Fisher ?? Snead has been out of the lime light this season, more than in years past.

What does this mean? At first I thought you were saying that you think Snead is in greater contact with KD than he is with Fisher. But after re-reading it, I am probably wrong. Are you wondering if Snead talks with Demoff more regularly than Fisher? Are you wondering if Demoff is more in Snead's camp than Fisher's? Are you wondering if Snead has been hiding because he knows Fisher is on the way out? I honestly don't know what you are getting at with this.

 

[RamFan503]

Rams owner Stan Kroenke speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rams' new stadium in Inglewood on Thursday. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)


Kroenke deflects question on future of Coach Jeff Fisher, GM Les Snead

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

INGLEWOOD – On a day when Rams owner Stan Kroenke beamed with pride, and even appeared to get emotional at one point as he discussed his new stadium, only one question made Kroenke chuckle.

Any update on the possible contract extension for Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead?

“I think Kevin (Demoff) is up to speed on that,” Kroenke said of the Rams’ chief operating officer. “I’m sure you could talk to him about that.”

In a rare occasion, Kroenke briefly answered media questions Thursday at the end of a groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium, on the former site of the Hollywood Park racetrack.

Kroenke seemed amused by the contract question, and punted it to Demoff, his top deputy, who previously has declined to comment. Fisher and Snead, both hired in 2012, are in the final year of their respective contracts and the Rams, at 4-5 this season, have yet make the playoffs during their tenure.

Kroenke, who has attended home and road games this season, was asked to assess the team.

“Well, obviously all of this has been said,” Kroenke said, “but the defense has been playing very well and on offense we haven’t been producing the way we’d like to. So there’s a big opportunity there. If you get the offense going, the argument would be that we could be pretty darn good.”

Shortly after he put in a shovel in a pile of dirt, to symbolically start the construction of a stadium expected to open in 2019, Kroenke discussed Jared Goff, the quarterback he hopes will thrive there.

With Kroenke’s blessing, the Rams made a blockbuster trade in April to acquire the NFL draft’s top pick and select Goff. This week, Fisher chose to promote Goff into the starting spot, and Goff will make his debut against Miami on Sunday at the Coliseum.

“I think Jared is a very talented young man,” Kroenke said. “That’s why we drafted him first in the draft.”

A few minutes earlier, in an interview with NFL Network, Kroenke spoke at more length about Goff and compared him to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, one of the league’s top players.

“Aaron is special and everybody recognizes it,” Kroenke said. “Aaron does things that you can’t coach. Jared has that same ability. You see him do things in practice that you can’t coach. He makes those throws. That’s why you pick him first in the draft, because you think he’s special.

“We have high hopes for Jared. The coaches say he has progressed and he’s ready. It’s complex in the NFL. It’s not like playing in college. It’s a different level. When you move to a different level, things speed up. Some of that is just becoming used to it, and I think the practice, throughout the fall at that level, has helped Jared.”

[www.ocregister.com]

Pretty funny. I can't imagine the reporters thought he was actually going to answer that question - right?

So instead of the article being about the ground breaking, it is about what Stan didn't say. Guess I'll have to see if anyone reported on THAT.

I guess we already have a GB thread. Forgot about that thread.

 

[So Ram]

What does this mean? At first I thought you were saying that you think Snead is in greater contact with KD than he is with Fisher. But after re-reading it, I am probably wrong. Are you wondering if Snead talks with Demoff more regularly than Fisher? Are you wondering if Demoff is more in Snead's camp than Fisher's? Are you wondering if Snead has been hiding because he knows Fisher is on the way out? I honestly don't know what you are getting at with this.

Demoff is doing the hiring & firing.
I''m not sure Fisher will be back ??
I think Snead knows his future.
I guess my question is how important is Les Snead to The Rams organization ??
Is he the GM of the future ??

-- Does he go when Fisher goes ??

 

[EastRam]

Unless it's real estate I don't believe Kronke has a clue.

 

[DaveFan'51]

Rams owner Stan Kroenke speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Rams' new stadium in Inglewood on Thursday. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)


Kroenke deflects question on future of Coach Jeff Fisher, GM Les Snead

By RICH HAMMOND / STAFF WRITER

INGLEWOOD – On a day when Rams owner Stan Kroenke beamed with pride, and even appeared to get emotional at one point as he discussed his new stadium, only one question made Kroenke chuckle.

Any update on the possible contract extension for Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead?

“I think Kevin (Demoff) is up to speed on that,” Kroenke said of the Rams’ chief operating officer. “I’m sure you could talk to him about that.”

In a rare occasion, Kroenke briefly answered media questions Thursday at the end of a groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium, on the former site of the Hollywood Park racetrack.

Kroenke seemed amused by the contract question, and punted it to Demoff, his top deputy, who previously has declined to comment. Fisher and Snead, both hired in 2012, are in the final year of their respective contracts and the Rams, at 4-5 this season, have yet make the playoffs during their tenure.

Kroenke, who has attended home and road games this season, was asked to assess the team.

“Well, obviously all of this has been said,” Kroenke said, “but the defense has been playing very well and on offense we haven’t been producing the way we’d like to. So there’s a big opportunity there. If you get the offense going, the argument would be that we could be pretty darn good.”

Shortly after he put in a shovel in a pile of dirt, to symbolically start the construction of a stadium expected to open in 2019, Kroenke discussed Jared Goff, the quarterback he hopes will thrive there.

With Kroenke’s blessing, the Rams made a blockbuster trade in April to acquire the NFL draft’s top pick and select Goff. This week, Fisher chose to promote Goff into the starting spot, and Goff will make his debut against Miami on Sunday at the Coliseum.

“I think Jared is a very talented young man,” Kroenke said. “That’s why we drafted him first in the draft.”

A few minutes earlier, in an interview with NFL Network, Kroenke spoke at more length about Goff and compared him to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, one of the league’s top players.

“Aaron is special and everybody recognizes it,” Kroenke said. “Aaron does things that you can’t coach. Jared has that same ability. You see him do things in practice that you can’t coach. He makes those throws. That’s why you pick him first in the draft, because you think he’s special.

“We have high hopes for Jared. The coaches say he has progressed and he’s ready. It’s complex in the NFL. It’s not like playing in college. It’s a different level. When you move to a different level, things speed up. Some of that is just becoming used to it, and I think the practice, throughout the fall at that level, has helped Jared.”

[www.ocregister.com]

So, it would appear that weather or not Fisher and Snead get New Contracts is up to Demoff according to Kroenke. At least that's the way I take it!
And If Kroenke is correct, and Goff is Like Donald. We are going to have one Killer of a QB!!

 

[DaveFan'51]

Unless it's real estate I don't believe Kronke has a clue.

Kroenke Owns several Sports Franchises, He Hires who he thinks are the Best people to run them. Just like any Business, as the owner, you set it up and you hire people to run it! Some people are hands on, some aren't!

 

[RamFan503]

Demoff is doing the hiring & firing.
I''m not sure Fisher will be back ??
I think Snead knows his future.
I guess my question is how important is Les Snead to The Rams organization ??
Is he the GM of the future ??

-- Does he go when Fisher goes ??

Thanks for clarifying. Yeah - I wish I knew the answers. I think KD does the day to day operations but when it comes to senior level hirings and firings, I have to guess that Stan gets involved. I like a lot of what I THINK Snead has done. But honestly, I don't know who had more say in any of this. It will be interesting to see as I think it would take a pretty huge uptick in the win column to secure anyone's job for the future.

 

[RamFan503]

Unless it's real estate I don't believe Kronke has a clue.

Might not be a safe bet. I've never been around people with the wealth of a Kroenke but I have been around some pretty wealthy businessmen. Most of them don't invest or buy into things they know nothing about. I agree that it is unlikely he gets involved in day to day operations and most of the minutia. But this cat was an athlete in college and has really invested heavily in sports teams. I am going to guess that he know more than just a little about football. And probably chief among his knowledge base is knowing that he needs to let football people make most of the decisions. I doubt he is clueless on football but I also doubt he thinks he could run the team ala Jerruh Jones.

 

[Loyal]

It's never a good thing when Kroenke deflects questions about an important decision. Fish better check his "hole" card.
~StLouis

 

[RamzFanz]

Rams owner Stan Kroenke speaks

I've never before read this sentence.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Might not be a safe bet. I've never been around people with the wealth of a Kroenke but I have been around some pretty wealthy businessmen. Most of them don't invest or buy into things they know nothing about. I agree that it is unlikely he gets involved in day to day operations and most of the minutia. But this cat was an athlete in college and has really invested heavily in sports teams. I am going to guess that he know more than just a little about football. And probably chief among his knowledge base is knowing that he needs to let football people make most of the decisions. I doubt he is clueless on football but I also doubt he thinks he could run the team ala Jerruh Jones.

Yep, it's tough to know if moves like trading up for Tavon were more Fisher than Snead, or if both were really on board. But I would bet Demoff knows who to credit with the draft success. It does seem like Snead is out of the limelight and less associated with the game day stuff than in the past. Could that mean he is distancing himself from a sinking ship of coaches, or is he just keeping his nose to the grind stone, afraid to look up?

I think the drafting has been pretty good overall. They may have missed on OLine picks, and it is tough to tell with young receivers, but they do well on defense and finding UDFAs and late round talent. It makes me wonder. The coaching staff is strong on the defensive side of the ball. Are they making those picks and letting Snead find the offensive talent? Or is Fisher deeply entrenched in both sides?

 

[FarNorth]

Since we're speculating, I also personally suspect that Demoff, who controls the contract money, may have been responsible for the demise of Bradford and Jenkins, both of whom Fisher really liked. If so, that would put a rather different light on the team record and qb issues the last couple of years.

 

[FRO]

It's never a good thing when Kroenke deflects questions about an important decision. Fish better check his "hole" card.
~StLouis

You wrote this in blue font, but I am in actual agreement. Non answers are answers. If Fisher has a winning season, he stays. If not he has to go. 5 losing seasons in a row cannot be rewarded. That just tells the league that losing is accepted in your organization.

 

[FRO]

Yep, it's tough to know if moves like trading up for Tavon were more Fisher than Snead, or if both were really on board. But I would bet Demoff knows who to credit with the draft success. It does seem like Snead is out of the limelight and less associated with the game day stuff than in the past. Could that mean he is distancing himself from a sinking ship of coaches, or is he just keeping his nose to the grind stone, afraid to look up?

I think the drafting has been pretty good overall. They may have missed on OLine picks, and it is tough to tell with young receivers, but they do well on defense and finding UDFAs and late round talent. It makes me wonder. The coaching staff is strong on the defensive side of the ball. Are they making those picks and letting Snead find the offensive talent? Or is Fisher deeply entrenched in both sides?

I wouldn't say the drafting has been good. It hasn't been bad by any stretch and it has been very good on one side of the ball. It's been pretty poor on the other. Two guys picked in the top 10 aren't the players the Rams need them to be in Robinson and Austin. What hurts is that Matthews and Hopkins were drafted after them and are much better players at the same position. That being said the hindsight game can always be played when it comes to the draft. I think the only thing that can save Fisher and Snead at this point is Goff. If he is the guy they think he is, that changes everything.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I wouldn't say the drafting has been good. It hasn't been bad by any stretch and it has been very good on one side of the ball. It's been pretty poor on the other. Two guys picked in the top 10 aren't the players the Rams need them to be in Robinson and Austin. What hurts is that Matthews and Hopkins were drafted after them and are much better players at the same position. That being said the hindsight game can always be played when it comes to the draft. I think the only thing that can save Fisher and Snead at this point is Goff. If he is the guy they think he is, that changes everything.

I agree that there were some bad picks in there. (Picks that I didn't advocate btw) . It makes you wonder. Maybe the formula is just different on offense. The superior athletes that Fisher/Snead love do well on defense but maybe offense is more about technique and existing skill (I think it is). But overall I would say they have been drafting well. Look back at teams that are regarded as drafting well each year. They all have some bad years, bad picks. The middle round drafting for the Rams has been consistently good. I think overall I rate, whomever is making the picks as a pretty good talent evaluator.

 

[…..]

Might not be a safe bet. I've never been around people with the wealth of a Kroenke but I have been around some pretty wealthy businessmen. Most of them don't invest or buy into things they know nothing about. I agree that it is unlikely he gets involved in day to day operations and most of the minutia. But this cat was an athlete in college and has really invested heavily in sports teams. I am going to guess that he know more than just a little about football. And probably chief among his knowledge base is knowing that he needs to let football people make most of the decisions. I doubt he is clueless on football but I also doubt he thinks he could run the team ala Jerruh Jones.

Completely agree.....there's no way you can discount Stan's knowledge, involvement, passion for his sports teams, or more accurately, his sports empire. You're talking about America's premier land owner, Napa Valley vintner, retail strip mall magnate (conveniently attached to his wife's stores). Smart enough to wiggle his way into a position where his wife's stores actually pay him rent for owning the buildings in which they reside. He once owned THF Realty in St Louis....the THF stood for "to have fun", and I guess grossing over 300 million a year is fun.

Known to have less body fat than most of the young players his teams draft, he's very competitive though quiet. A guy named after Stan Musual and Enos Slaughter is probably deeply rooted in sports and to say Stan doesn't have a clue about anything sports related would not be something I would ever say.

 

[Mojo Ram]

Claiming the Rams(Snead) have had bad drafts is a myopic POV unless you do some research and look around the league in the last 4 years.

Perspective. The Rams have drafted better than most.