Rams are declining media requests for Les Snead interview

[RamFan503]

A part of me gets this. Given the timing of Fisher's and Snead's contract extensions, I'm of the mindset they may want to let things settle a bit before talking to the media. I also think even though the players try to limit watching/reading media reports, this would be a huge distraction having more media bashing of the head coach, etc. Some might think they should go on the offensive vs. a perceived hiding, and explain the reasoning behind the extensions. I am willing to bet when there is anything to be discussed with the media, it will be Demoff doing all the talking.

Problem with that is they may very well themselves not know what direction they are going to go. They may have signed the extension but we all know how football goes. That extension could be voided or Fish could be let go anyway, or he could "resign to be closer to his family", or.....??? I'm not sure making a statement that could change in a few weeks is to anyone's advantage.

 

[dieterbrock]

Sounds like Fish is done and they want to keep Snead. Since Fisher brought him in it's an awkward situation

 

[99Balloons]

My speculation is Snead is made head Scouting Director. Fisher is made General Manager/Coach.

All drafting and final decisions will be all on Fisher's. Snead is just extended as a glorified scouting director. Nothing more and nothing less.

 

[hotanez]

Sounds like Fish is done and they want to keep Snead. Since Fisher brought him in it's an awkward situation

My god I hope your right. This would be the greatest gift I could get for Christmas! Please be true please I beg of you.

 

[RamFan503]

The difference is, this isn't just a recent thing that could be caused by shutting out a bitter media resource. The strangest surrounding Snead has been clear and present since post-draft. I first noticed it during Hard Knocks. Everything with so focused around Fisher (even with Tavon's contract announcement!), and NOTHING on Snead. You saw him once and I don't think he even said anything. It was beyond weird, yet nobody talks about it.

PURE SPECULATION TIME: No facts whatsoever. OK, so what if Snead was forced into making the Goff deal? Could this be a possible explanation? Reaching here, but it has boggled my mind since Hard Knocks...

Except that Snead was never all that visible. Now that they made this announcement, and Snead is likely out scouting the college championships, they will no doubt want to get in a room together and get their message synced. I know that sounds sinister but it is done all the time in virtually every industry. This could be nothing or it could be something. We could come up with all kinds of theories and none of them would make one bit of difference.

 

[RamFan503]

My speculation is Snead is made head Scouting Director. Fisher is made General Manager/Coach.

All drafting and final decisions will be all on Fisher's. Snead is just extended as a glorified scouting director. Nothing more and nothing less.

And I actually like that you led with that it is your speculation. You could very well be right. I think we are all just guessing here but something along the lines of what you are saying sounds very plausible. I just have a feeling Snead would like that role anyway. Sounds like a pretty cherry deal.

 

[StealYoGurley]

My speculation is Snead is made head Scouting Director. Fisher is made General Manager/Coach.

All drafting and final decisions will be all on Fisher's. Snead is just extended as a glorified scouting director. Nothing more and nothing less.

???? You want to give Fisher more responsibility uke:

 

[BatteringRambo]

He has a pre scheduled hair cut appointment by his wife.

 

[Hey Man]

Fisher will say that he knows nothing about the media wanting a Snead interview and he sure if Snead was asking that he would answer there questions , he would do a Dickerson !

 

[Merlin]

My speculation is Snead is made head Scouting Director. Fisher is made General Manager/Coach.

All drafting and final decisions will be all on Fisher's. Snead is just extended as a glorified scouting director. Nothing more and nothing less.

Fisher already has full power. Not sure why changing labels on how it already works would be some top secret deal.

I tend to think @RamFan503 has it right. They know the fans are pi$$ed. Synching stories is actually kind of important at this juncture, that plus it allows the press to cool a bit, or so they think.

But the press won't back off, because it's not just about the offense with a rookie QB. This defense is a steaming pile of excrement as well. And when the players start quitting on the field, it's gonna be interesting. We're already near that point IMO, with Atlanta looming large next weekend.

 

[Ram65]

How about Snead is doing his freakin' job!! Everyone knows the Rams need some better talent!!!!!

 

[99Balloons]

Snead is the GM in name only. Fisher is the de facto GM as all draft decisions fall on him. With Fisher getting a two year extension with the one year option, I am guessing that the Rams are trying to sync their PR story to some effect that Snead is going to be the Director of Scouting.

We all don't know what the Rams true plans and intent are. At this point as Rams fans, we are all guessing who is the person going to get fired after next season.

That's just my take on it.

 

[Mackeyser]

Well, we just don't know.

I have a pretty good idea what might happen if Fisher stays. Less so if he leaves.

But...as of now we just don't know. And, if we're all honest about it, the FO has been duplicitous for reasons that have nothing to do with competitive advantage or even being fair to employees.

So... it's all intrigue for the sake of...what? Drama?

No clue.

Personally, I'm done with it. Speculating doesn't help and it's really the purview of off-season material. We got 4 games left and even if all we do is pick the nuggets out of this lost season, that's as good as it gets. Hopefully, they become seeds for future success.

I mean wasn't Derek Carr on that Raiders team we beat 52-0? And even when they lost so big to us, you could see that they had pieces.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Vinnie said that Snead got extended as well. Also said there's a 2nd year option for the Rams on Fisher.

 

[Yamahopper]

My speculation is Snead is made head Scouting Director. Fisher is made General Manager/Coach.

All drafting and final decisions will be all on Fisher's. Snead is just extended as a glorified scouting director. Nothing more and nothing less.

In reality that's how it has been.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Who cares....I'm looking at a bunch of guys we DIDN'T draft...that's on whoever....and I'm looking at the guys we DID draft....

The sooner this is all over the better....

It doesn't take a genius to draft Aaron Donald. Don't have to be smart to take Todd Gurley...Ogletree either...Just look at some top teams and grab the best players...

I'm looking at the 2nd round and beyond...and it's not pretty.

 

[MTRamsFan]

Problem with that is they may very well themselves not know what direction they are going to go. They may have signed the extension but we all know how football goes. That extension could be voided or Fish could be let go anyway, or he could "resign to be closer to his family", or.....??? I'm not sure making a statement that could change in a few weeks is to anyone's advantage.

I did read somewhere that even though there is an extension, it may not mean much depending on how the season ends up. I will try to find the link and post it. Problem is I don't trust much coming from the media, because it could be just speculation on the writer's part. Unless there is a statement from Kroenke, Demoff, etc. I don't think anything being reported is 100% accurate, especially the terms.

 

[MTRamsFan]

Jeff Fisher's extension doesn't guarantee much beyond compensation

Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There was no press release, no statement from the owner, not even a mention on the team's social media accounts.

Only a confirmation.

Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher is indeed signed through the 2018 season, a development his own organization does not seem overly enthused to get behind. News leaked Sunday morning, hours before the Rams were beaten handily by a New England Patriots team that is generations ahead of them in this sport. Fisher later confirmed his extension and said he signed it "well before" even the first preseason game, which took place 114 days ago.

That essentially confirms one other thing, too: The Rams didn't want this out there during the season. They wanted to see how it all played out, because they're back in L.A. and image matters so much right now. Perhaps they also wanted flexibility, because it's a lot easier to cut ties with Fisher and the money owed to him if the public is not aware he signed an extension in the first place.

All this really does is guarantee Fisher's compensation, and maybe not even so much of that. Sources told ESPN they believe the deal includes a team option for the Rams, who still could part ways with Fisher after the season and owe him only one year of salary. The Rams have dropped seven of their last eight games, and the final quarter of 2016 is coming up. If Fisher doesn't prove his team is on track to becoming a consistent winner, Rams owner Stan Kroenke still can make a change.

"I've got some work to do here to finish up strong," said Fisher, who was extended along with general manager Les Snead, who also was in the final year of his contract. "You know, we have some personnel issues to deal with and get better, and we have some issues to deal with from an offensive side."

The Rams' offense has been a continual problem under Fisher. They're 32nd in the NFL in yards per game this season, after ranking 32nd in 2015, 28th in 2014, 30th in 2013 and 23rd in 2012. On Sunday, in a 26-10 loss, they finished the first half with one first down and did not reach the end zone until less than two minutes remained in the game. It was their eighth loss, guaranteeing Fisher his 15th non-winning season in 21 full years as a head coach.

Fisher has 164 career losses, one away from the all-time leader, Dan Reeves, making him almost certain to finish this season with the record.

But the expectation all along has been that Fisher would return. And it appears as if next year is when he really needs to get this whole thing right. The excuses of relocating a franchise or grooming a rookie quarterback will no longer be in play, seemingly making the 2017 season the one when Fisher will truly sit on the proverbial hot seat. But the Rams never seemed comfortable with his short extension beyond 2016 becoming public knowledge, even amid tumultuous speculation.

The timing for it getting out could not have been worse.

Days after a 49-21 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints, Fisher was involved in a public spat with Hall of Fame running back and Los Angeles Rams legend Eric Dickerson, who was infuriated by being denied sideline passes as a response to his criticism of the team. Fans were turning on the team, their demands that Fisher be fired growing louder. Given that, this leak -- confirmed initially through a team spokesman, though the length of the extension wasn't specified -- smelled of something that came from Fisher's camp, done as an act of self-preservation.

If the extension was done so long ago, why wouldn't the Rams simply announce it, or at least let it be known so as to quell speculation?

"I don't know," Fisher said. "It's out of my hands. You know, we had a lot going on this offseason. A lot of stuff going on, so, I don't know. It's not my place to make that announcement."

On Sunday's news, first reported by NFL.com, Fisher said, "I don't know where it came from." He denied being made uncomfortable by the Rams' decision to not announce his extension, then admitted that "the wins and losses fall on my shoulders" and said he's "excited about this opportunity" to continue with the Rams.

"Stan knows what we've been through," Fisher said, "and he knows the direction we are headed as a franchise."

Fisher got a lot of support in the locker room, which seemed genuine. The 53-year-old has never really had issues winning over a room and gaining the trust of his players, which is part of his appeal. Fisher joined a franchise that had lost 65 of 80 games over a five-year stretch and made it competitive, but is he the guy to make the Rams a playoff team?

"For sure," running back Todd Gurley said. "He’s done it before."

"He’s been to the big dance," defensive end Eugene Sims added, referencing a Super Bowl loss for Fisher's Tennessee Titans to the then-St. Louis Rams to end the 1999 season. "He knows what it takes. We just have to do our part."

"He’s put together a hell of a team this year, man," defensive end William Hayes said. "It’s just unfortunate he’s getting a lot of slack on us losing."

Losing has been a problem with the Rams for a while now, and their new city has a lot less patience for it. It's tough to say what the team's record would have to be in order for Fisher to be let go at season's end, but it's clear that very little is guaranteed -- not even with an extension.

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angele...ion-doesnt-guarantee-much-beyond-compensation

 

[Rmfnlt]

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...gns-contract-extension-los-angeles-rams-coach

"Jeff Fisher has an extension in place to return as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, a development that leaked to the media on Sunday morning but transpired several months earlier".

"The Rams confirmed the extension through a team spokesman but are not expected to send out a press release."

"It's never been my personal position to go ahead and release that stuff," said Fisher, whose agent, Marvin Demoff, is the father of Rams COO Kevin Demoff. "I'm very appreciative with respect to Stan, knowing what we were going through. It somehow got out. I'm expecting to be the coach of this franchise. However, I understand that the wins and losses fall on my shoulders. That's the fact of our business, and I get that."

Why was this delayed, if it was executed before the season began? Any why aren't the Rams officially acknowledging it?

Here's my guess...Fisher leaked it. Made the story up about it being executed before the season began and basically put the Rams in a awkward position of having to react. If my guess is right, they are figuring out how to react to the story Fisher made up... it will take a little time to develop a strategy.

"Players, however, stood behind him."
Of course.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Fans were turning on the team, their demands that Fisher be fired growing louder. Given that, this leak -- confirmed initially through a team spokesman, though the length of the extension wasn't specified -- smelled of something that came from Fisher's camp, done as an act of self-preservation.

Interesting and it makes sense.

"He’s been to the big dance," defensive end Eugene Sims added, referencing a Super Bowl loss for Fisher's Tennessee Titans to the then-St. Louis Rams to end the 1999 season. "He knows what it takes. We just have to do our part."

I am not sure he does anymore, but he needs to start with more superior assistant coaching on the offensive side of the ball. Give Bou the boot, demote Boras back to TE coach(TE play dropped off once he moved up), and get a real OC and hand him the reigns.

I hope Fisher leaked this and pissed someone off and they fire him. Supposedly the contract is written to only owe him a year of salary. Kroenke can sell some land and make that up in a heartbeat.