St. Louis Rams: 5 Reasons Why Jeff Fisher Is the Perfect Choice as Head Coach
St. Louis Rams: 5 Reasons Why Jeff Fisher Is the Perfect Choice as Head Coach
NFL.com has reported that Jeff Fisher will join the St. Louis Rams for their 2012 season. The Rams landed the perfect man for the job when they secured the ex-Tennessee Titans head coach.
Fisher has the pedigree to engineer a quick turnaround in St. Louis and help a young Rams team realize its potential.
With Fisher at the helm, Rams fans can expect to see a team better equipped to compete in the NFC West.
Here are five reasons why Fisher is the ideal man to lead the Rams and create a new era of success in St. Louis.
5. Experience of Reviving a Struggling Franchise
Fisher has plenty of experience reviving the fortunes of a losing organization. Good news for a Rams franchise coming off a 2-14 campaign and having won only 15 games in the last five seasons.
When Fisher began his head coaching career back in 1994 it was as interim coach of the Houston Oilers. After winning 12 games in 1993, the Oilers had been decimated in free agency having lost players the caliber of quarterback Warren Moon and defensive ends Sean Jones and William Fuller.
To make matter worse, the franchise was in the midst of arranging a move to Nashville the following year.
Although Fisher only went 1-5 in his brief debut season, the young coach quickly solidified the team and made them competitive.
After a 7-9 mark in 1995, 8-8 records followed in each of the club's next three seasons in Tennessee, as Fisher steadily reloaded his team with quality personnel.
Eventually the newly renamed Titans became a fixture in the AFC playoffs and one of the league's toughest teams for much of the next decade.
Having endured so many losing years, Rams fans can be encouraged by Fisher's track record turning a losing team into a winner.
4. His Teams Were Consistently Competitive
In 16 seasons with the Oilers and Titans, Fisher's teams finished below .500 only six times. His teams won 12 or more games in a season on four separate occasions.
Fisher kept his teams consistently competitive in some tough divisions. He began his stint in charge in the old AFC Central, competing against Bill Cowher's powerful Pittsburgh Steelers teams and Tom Coughlin's Jacksonville Jaguars.
Next up for Fisher was the newly formed AFC South, giving him two matchups per season against the Jaguars and the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts.
Fisher was always able to field tough and capable teams. He guided the Titans to the Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 1999 season and routinely remade an aggressive defense and a power running game.
3. His Reputation Will Help Attract Marquee Free Agents
Fisher is a highly respected coach whose name and pedigree could help the Rams to attract some elite free agents this offseason.
The Rams have struggled to tempt marquee players to join the team in recent seasons. The 2011 offseason saw ill-fated moves for Mike Sims-Walker and Dan Muir fail to yield any benefit.
Fisher's reputation could encourage top quality players to have confidence in the Rams latest rebuilding effort.
If so then the Rams can begin to quickly surround their young core with quality veterans and be in a position to compete within the division in 2012.
2. Fisher Has Consistently Built His Offense on the Running Game
Fisher's history favoring a heavy rushing attack is great news for the Rams and the league's finest running back, Steven Jackson.
With Fisher at the helm, the Rams can quickly move away from the foolish Josh McDaniels experiment and construct an offense more suited to their best player.
During his years in Tennessee, Fisher liked to be able to rely on a workhorse runner to pound the opposition and rest his opportunistic defenses.
Jackson is more than qualified for this role. Few defenses in the game can cope with Jackson's combination of brute force, sharp cuts and deceptive speed.
Fisher will feature Jackson and design schemes to increase his number of carries. That's bad news for the teams on the Rams schedule in 2012.
1. Fisher Emphasises Attacking Defense
Fisher's background crafting and coaching attacking defense makes him the perfect fit in St. Louis. Fisher learnt his trade under Buddy Ryan and is a proud proponent of the 46 defense.
The current Rams defense has been designed and developed within the fire zone blitz schemes of former coach Steve Spagnuolo.
Fisher's presence means that the Rams can retain their attacking mentality on defense and may even become more daring.
Fisher has worked with some of the finest blitz minds in the game including Gregg Williams, who could reunite with Fisher in St. Louis.
Fisher coached on Ryan's staff during the eighties, working with the outstanding and ultra-aggressive Philadelphia Eagles defense.
In 2000, Fisher's defense with the Titans was ranked No. 1 in the league and featured the talents of Blaine Bishop and the explosive Jevon Kearse.
Working with playmakers such as Chris Long and James Laurinaitis should enable Fisher to quickly construct another swarming, sack-happy defense in St. Louis.
With a Marquee Name on the Sidelines, the Rams Can Now Start to Build a Winner
After taking a huge step back, following a promising 2010 season, the Rams will be buoyed by the presence of a proven coach like Jeff Fisher.
Now that the team has a marquee name in charge, they can begin constructing a winning team. There is talent available to Fisher already on the roster.
Fisher would certainly take no time to make the Rams more competitive, particularly in the division, where the team was blanked in 2011.
If he sticks to the hallmarks of power running and attacking defense that made him successful in Tennessee, Fisher could produce a winner sooner than expected in St. Louis.