Football Thoughts : Jeff Fisher’s Last Stand
December 14th, 2016
The life of a football coach, they love you when you succeed and hate you when you lose. In the case of the Los Angeles Rams, their coach, Jeff Fisher, had over stayed his welcome for quite some time. Despite having one of the strongest front 7 in football, including Alec Ogletree who is 5th in tackles this year, the Rams, simply could not muster more than 4 wins this season. This lack of production in the win column can be attributed to a complete lack of offence, an offence that is last in all categories, except rushing, in which they are second last. The Rams are last in passing, not surprising considering they had Case Keenum, and then a rookie, Jared Goff, start at QB. Furthermore, the Rams are last in points, scoring an embarrassing 14.9 points per game. This pathetic offensive production is a full point lower than the Cleveland Browns! The Browns?!? Yes, the worst team in football is scoring more points than the Rams.
The Los Angeles Rams’ production during the Fisher era has never reached great heights. Correction, the Rams’ production never reached anything, including any playoff appearances, or at the very least a .500 season. No, none of these markers of success or even respectability were met, and yet, Fisher, remained the Captain of the ship. This prolonged and grossly drawn out firing was due to the quality of wins that were won. Regularly, the Rams would somehow beat Superbowl contenders, such as the Seahawks and 49ers, and these sort of wins earned Fisher, a certain level of credit. However, this credit has inevitably run out, and this season, even with wins over the Seahawks, Buccaneers, and a down-but-good Arizona team, Captain Fisher, is gone. Now, this Rams team has to pick itself off of the ground and go into Seattle for what everyone is considering to be a complete obliteration.
The odds for the game are at -15 for the Seahawks. These point spread numbers do not get thrown around lightly, and in fact, Goff started as a 14 point dog in Foxboro Stadium against Tom Brady, and lost by 16. This 16 point loss is a little bit misleading, as Goff, who could not do anything, had the Rams down 20–23 points all game. Goff, scored a last minute TD to make the score look a little better, and yet, did not cover the point spread. These facts, coupled with the fact that the Seahawks were just blown out, seems like a complete bloodbath in the making for the Rams. However, it will be quite the opposite. This will be Fisher’s last stand in spirit. The Rams’ players will come onto the field tomorrow with a ferocious energy, knowing full well their production led to Fisher’s demise. Look for the Rams’ defence to really play up to the upper echelon of defensive football. This will be a low scoring game, that the Seahawks, will not cover. Wait until an hour before kickoff to get the best number and play the Rams, on the point spread. Jeff Fisher’s spirit will win this game, and cash you the winning ticket.
