Wanna blame him for not getting a QB? Okay, do that. But I'm not prepared to blame him for betting on Bradford when he took the job here. All I can really blame him for is his hit-and-miss drafting and lack of foresight. That's still not enough to say he's wrong for the job. It just means he's close to becoming crap out of luck.
I have a number of issues with Fisher and what you've stated are just two of many. Can't fault him for sticking with Bradford. Would have done the same thing in his shoes. Can't fault him for 2013. Nothing you can do when you lose your QB for the year. However, I do fault him for 2014 and this year. We had an opportunity to draft a QB to hedge our bets in 2014 and we didn't. We risked it all on Bradford and we lost. And then we risked it all on Foles and we lost. In my opinion, Fisher is responsible for both of those failures. Especially Foles.
This is a business. A tough business. And when you make massive mistakes like Foles this deep into your tenure, it's impossible for me to have any sort of belief that he can fix it and right the ship.
The drafting hasn't been bad (pending Greg Robinson and the 2015 Draft). We've definitely made mistakes in FA. And we need a lot more help at WR than I thought we would coming into the year. And this all worries me. Because Fisher has struggled on the offensive side of the ball thus far in terms of personnel.
But again, that's just a couple issues I have. I don't even care about the penalties. I think they're a meaningless. Some teams play disciplined, some teams don't. There's noc orrelation to winning or losing tied to how often you're penalized. The things that bother me the most are his coordinator decisions and game management decisions. Gregg Williams was a great hire. And had he not been suspended, maybe things would have been different. However, Walton and Blake Williams were both duds. Schottenheimer over Hue Jackson was a colossal error. And then he couldn't attract any decent OC this off-season. It's hard to swallow that.
On top of that, I hate the way he manages the game. I don't like his overly conservative style. I know our offense sucks but I still hate the way he consistently wastes possessions.
Frankly, I think time is up. Four years is a long time in the NFL and the team has gotten worse in terms of record each year. Fisher made a massive mistake in Foles when he could not afford it. And there were options available. I'm tired of losing. I'm tired of feeling like so many other teams have better head coaches. I'm tired of watching guys like Arians, Harbaugh, Carroll, etc. coach circles around Fisher.
Look at the team Arians took over. I know Fisher had it worse. Which is why I never busted his balls in 2012 or 2013. I knew how much work this team needed. But Arians took over a Cardinals team with a good defense and WRs but absolutely atrocious QB play, OL play, and HB play. Look what he built. The guy traded a 6th round pick for a QB that is currently in MVP discussions. Say what you will but that wasn't luck. It's not a coincidence that Fisher keeps making mistakes at the QB position (and has since McNair left) while a guy like Arians struck gold like that. I don't think Fisher has an eye for QBs.
It bothers me that I have sat through a decade plus of losing and I look at other teams/coaches able to turn teams into playoff contenders over night. Four years is enough for me. I don't want to sit through another QB mistake. I don't want to sit through another losing season. The Rams need to make a change. I recognize the risks. Fisher isn't a terrible HC. He's not Spags or Linehan. He's not in over his head. He's not incompetent. But he's also not good enough to turn this team around fully and get them over the hump. I'd rather take my chances on another coach. I'd love for us to hire Hue Jackson. I want to see the Rams try to clear that hump.
We all know how stubborn I am. We all know how opinionated I am. Yes, I want it my way. I think I know what's best for the team even when I don't. I am always trying to think like a GM and plan ahead. Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm wrong. But I love this team. I invest everything I have emotionally into this team year after year. I find a way to make myself optimistic about this team every single season. I do my best to remain patient and loyal to our guys until they prove they can't get the job done (don't always succeed but I try). But it's getting harder and harder to deal with this. I can take the Rams trying to get better and failing. I can't take the Rams not giving a shit. Many of you will disagree but I feel that the Rams sticking with Jeff Fisher means they don't care about getting over that hump and trying to win. That's not something I can accept. I've sat through some truly dismal seasons but I won't sit through another year where we actually have talent and see it go to waste.
Because I love this team, I think they have to make a change. Continuity for continuity's sake is not the right plan. You can only stick by a guy that can't deliver wins for so long. What has Fisher done to earn a 5th year? This team overachieved in 2012. It achieved about what it was capable of in 2013.(I'd say overachieved if you consider Bradford's injury) But I strongly feel like this team has underachieved each of the past two years and Fisher's decisions are to blame for it.