Jeff Fisher: The guy just gets it!

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CoachO

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In what can only be described as a classy move by Head Coach Fisher, the High School teams from the Ferguson-Florissant School District were special guests at the final day of Training Camp.

At the start of practice, athletes from one of the High Schools were escorted to the Season Ticket Holder tent down the sideline on the middle practice field. After the Rams ran through their Special Teams drills, and finished up with their stretching, Coach Fisher had most of the top 2 units go over to the tent, and meet the High School Players. In what can best be described as a receiving line, the Rams players shook hands and welcomed the kids attending the practice.

Then, midway through the practice, the McCluer North High School team took their place in the same tent. As one of the team drills was coming to an end, Coach Fisher himself walked over to the tent and "requested" some assistance from the 40+ athletes. He had them come out on the field, stationed behind the EndZone, and instruvted them to make as much noise as you can, while our offense works on coming out of our own EndZone. These players did not disappoint. And they even caused a false start on the 2nd Unit O-Line. As the drill concluded, and the Stars players made their way back to the tent, the Rams players encouraged them, by applauding and joining in their chatting.

And as if that wasn't a cool thing enough for these kids, as Training Camp came to an end, with the customary "dizzy bat" ritual for the rookies, the team came together. After Coach Fisher made his final remarks officially closing Training Camp, many of the players, led by Kenny Britt, Ray Ray Armstrong and Alex Ogletree, made their way over to the tent. They invited the high schoolers onto the sideline, and by now almost all of the Rams players were mixed in and huddling with these kids. In what can best be described as a "pregame" huddle, with players leading a group cheer, the Rams players joined the McCluer North Stars players in a pretty cool scene. It ended with the cheer, "Ferguson!".

I know for some, this sort of thing may not seem all that important. But for this fan, I found it to be an amazing display of class and shows the commitment to this community the Rams organization demonstrates every day. And for these kids, it gave them a respite from the real life turmoil many of us can only imagine.

Way to Go Jeff Fisher, and the St. Louis Rams!
 

CGI_Ram

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I think that city behaved badly. I can't post a comment without saying that.

But...

Anything that brings peace to Ferguson is good. Kudos to the Rams for being a part of the healing process.
 

CoachO

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I think that city behaved badly. I can't post a comment without saying that.

But...

Anything that brings peace to Ferguson is good. Kudos to the Rams for being a part of the healing process.
The thing that struck me seeing these kids.... How can a bunch of 15, 16, 17 or 18 year old kids, focus on football practice with all of this going on around them? I was told that this McCluer North team, and I assume it applies to the McCluer South and McCluer HS teams as well, cannot even practice at their school. With classes being canceled for the rest of the week, they have been forced to find parks to hold their workouts.

So bringing them to be a part of the last day of training camp, to me was really kinda cool.
 
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Jorgeh0605

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My favorite Rams are the ones I remember giving back and being good people. Fisher is quickly becoming one of my favorite people.
 

CGI_Ram

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The thing that struck me seeing these kids.... How can a bunch of 15, 16, 17 or 18 year old kids, focus on football practice with all of this going on around them? I was told that this McCluer North team, and I assume it applies to both the McCluer South and McCluer HS teams as well, cannot even practice at their school. With classes being canceled for the rest of the week, they have been forced to find parks to hold their workouts.

So bringing them to be a part of the last day of training camp, to me was really kinda cool.

Regardless of your position on this, the kids you speak about are impressionable young men. This was a win.
 

woofwoofmo

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As an observer from the other side of the state, it's good to see any positive news about Ferguson. Kudos to the Rams today and last Saturday for taking the initiative to bring the young men in and showing them that they are indeed special. Small steps in a journey down a long seemingly never-ending road.
 

FRO

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As an observer from the other side of the state, it's good to see any positive news about Ferguson. Kudos to the Rams today and last Saturday for taking the initiative to bring the young men in and showing them that they are indeed special. Small steps in a journey down a long seemingly never-ending road.
Most of the idiocy going on in Ferguson isn't the doing of the citizens of that city. Those poor residents have lost businesses which in turn has caused employees to lose paychecks. Kids not being able to go to school. Just a mess. This is a much needed break for the kids.
 

Alan

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I lived in Florissant for many years after I got out of the orphanage and went to McCluer HS until my senior year. The police departments in the whole area have always been racist. Nothing new there.

Great job by Fisher. (y)
 

LazyWinker

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That's really awesome. Coach Fisher was the right guy for the job. I Hope we can have him as long, if not longer, than Nashville.
 

Hey Man

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That's great to hear, for those kids to be able to experience that with there real life hero's.
 

CoachO

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On the heels of what I wrote:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...uson-area-high-school-football-teams-practice

By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- With their high school football season set to open in just two days, the McCluer North High Stars have spent time preparing for their season opener at a local park.

Because of the continued unrest in nearby Ferguson, Mo., the Ferguson-Florissant school district has been shut down all week. That means no school, and it also means the facilities at McCluer North, McCluer and McCluer South-Berkeley have been shut down.

About 15 minutes away, St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher and members of the front-office staff have been looking for ways to help. When informed that McCluer North had been practicing two miles away from the school at Wedgwood Park, the answer became clear.

The Rams invited the football teams at each of the three schools to come to Rams Park on Wednesday to use the indoor facility for practice and stay to watch the Rams close their training camp with their own practice.

McCluer North and McCluer High Schools took the Rams up on their offer Wednesday, and McCluer South-Berkeley is expected to come to Rams Park soon.

Fisher made it clear that all three schools have an open-door policy for as long as they need a place to practice.

"It means a lot to us," Fisher said. "You can all imagine what they're going through in addition to everybody in Ferguson. It's just very, very sad. We hope that things get worked out just as soon as they possibly can. This is different. This is football players and football players. This will be something that I hope they'll always remember."

After going through a practice on the team's indoor 80-yard field, the teams emerged from the Rams' locker room and took their sideline seats in a tent just to the north of the field. When Fisher was done speaking, many of the Rams players walked over and gave high-fives to the players from McCluer High.

Later in the workout, Fisher again walked over to the tent and invited the players to participate in a team drill in which the offense starts from deep in its own territory. The McCluer North players crowded near the end zone and provided plenty of noise for the Rams offense to deal with in a simulation of what the situation would be like in a game.

When the drill was finished, the McCluer North players provided plenty more energy for the Rams by offering up their own team chants. They also got to participate in the breakdown huddle at the end of practice. They formed a circle and yelled "1, 2, 3, Ferguson!"

Marquis Prophete, McCluer North's senior captain and left tackle, said it was his second time visiting Rams Park but under much different circumstances.

"Freshman year we got to come here, but this is a different experience altogether," Prophete said. "It means a lot to me. The Rams don't just think 'OK, they are in the same state or the same area,' but they see us. They know we need to practice and we need somewhere to practice at. I think it's really nice of them to reach out to all three of the schools. It's really great for them to look out for the community."

Last week, the Rams also donated 75 tickets to each of the three schools to attend the team's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. Tensions remain high in Ferguson, but the Rams plan to continue to look for ways to help.

If nothing else, the chance to practice on a real field offers each player the chance to simply forget about what's going on at home.

"It was nice morale for the team," McCluer North coach Courtland Griffin said. "Some of our kids do live in that neighborhood. Just to get away from it and clear their minds and not worry about what's going on in the streets and get away with football for a while, it's an awesome thing to do. This whole day has just been one of the most awesome days ever. We will remember this forever."
 

Blue and Gold

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In what can only be described as a classy move by Head Coach Fisher, the High School teams from the Ferguson-Florissant School District were special guests at the final day of Training Camp.

At the start of practice, athletes from one of the High Schools were escorted to the Season Ticket Holder tent down the sideline on the middle practice field. After the Rams ran through their Special Teams drills, and finished up with their stretching, Coach Fisher had most of the top 2 units go over to the tent, and meet the High School Players. In what can best be described as a receiving line, the Rams players shook hands and welcomed the kids attending the practice.

Then, midway through the practice, the McCluer North High School team took their place in the same tent. As one of the team drills was coming to an end, Coach Fisher himself walked over to the tent and "requested" some assistance from the 40+ athletes. He had them come out on the field, stationed behind the EndZone, and instruvted them to make as much noise as you can, while our offense works on coming out of our own EndZone. These players did not disappoint. And they even caused a false start on the 2nd Unit O-Line. As the drill concluded, and the Stars players made their way back to the tent, the Rams players encouraged them, by applauding and joining in their chatting.

And as if that wasn't a cool thing enough for these kids, as Training Camp came to an end, with the customary "dizzy bat" ritual for the rookies, the team came together. After Coach Fisher made his final remarks officially closing Training Camp, many of the players, led by Kenny Britt, Ray Ray Armstrong and Alex Ogletree, made their way over to the tent. They invited the high schoolers onto the sideline, and by now almost all of the Rams players were mixed in and huddling with these kids. In what can best be described as a "pregame" huddle, with players leading a group cheer, the Rams players joined the McCluer North Stars players in a pretty cool scene. It ended with the cheer, "Ferguson!".

I know for some, this sort of thing may not seem all that important. But for this fan, I found it to be an amazing display of class and shows the commitment to this community the Rams organization demonstrates every day. And for these kids, it gave them a respite from the real life turmoil many of us can only imagine.

Way to Go Jeff Fisher, and the St. Louis Rams!
Fish does get it. Good post
 

RamsesIII

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After all the pre/season analyses, this really tells me more about our team & head coach ( & Coach O, as well ) than 90 percent of the word tonnage that I've studied endlessly. We have a special team & greatness in leadership ( & in fans ). I really appreciate it.
 

Alan

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RamsesIII displaying interesting attire:
After all the pre/season analyses, this really tells me more about our team & head coach ( & Coach O, as well ) than 90 percent of the word tonnage that I've studied endlessly. We have a special team & greatness in leadership ( & in fans ). I really appreciate it.
Is that a breast cancer awareness t-shirt your avatar has on? (y)
 

Alan

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RamsesIII noticing a universal truth:
Could be a lung cancer T after that, though :)
No good deed goes unpunished. :LOL:
2007-06-26.jpg
computer+help.gif
 

LACHAMP46

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Stuff like this is why I believe the Rams will never leave St. Louis.....and shouldn't.