2012-2016- The Fisher Era

Future looks grim for the L.A. Rams with Jeff Fisher and Les Snead running the show

Not to beat an already mutilated dead horse, but the Rams are now back in Los Angeles. The team is in a much larger market, but expectations are also much higher. The Rams are off to a decent start, but will it be efficient enough in the long-run? Signs are pointing to more “7-9 bull—-.”

Recent reports are suggesting that the Rams are close to re-signing head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead. This would be a huge mistake, especially since both have made questionable contributions to the team. Fisher is still looking for a winning season, while Snead’s career is likely riding on the success of rookie quarterback Jared Goff.

The Rams rolled the dice by trading up for Goff, and now they are in debt in terms of draft picks for the next few years. This may still pan out if Goff becomes the franchise quarterback that the Rams hope for. In the meantime, the Rams are putting their faith in veteran Case Keenum’s limited abilities. Keenum does not give the Rams the best chance to win. If Goff doesn’t pan out, L.A. will have inherited damaged goods.

The quarterback issue is alarming, but there are quite a few holes to fix. The wide receivers continue to be an issue, the offensive line needs an upgrade at center and most importantly, the Rams cannot win games with this defensive scheme.

The defensive line remains dominant, but the remainder of the unit is beyond concerning. The Rams run either 4-2-5 or 4-1-6 defensive scheme, which would be fine if this was planned from the beginning, or if the team possessed a deep defensive backfield. There is a reason most teams run with three or four linebackers; athletic tackling machines are needed. Linebacker Alec Ogletree cannot do it by himself.

While it appears the Rams are destined for yet another 7-9 season, what’s even more scary is looking down the line. As mentioned above, the Rams are limited with draft picks, but they’re also strapped for cash.

Plenty of money is already invested in current star players. The Rams still need to re-sign the likes of Ogletree and keep Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley in mind for the future. The Rams did free up some space, but not enough to sign both their key players and multiple proven veterans. This is why things appear to be grim at the moment: 1.) Snead extended contracts to the Rams’ impact players, which also takes a large portion of cap space. 2.) the Rams are without future early NFL Draft picks for several years to come.

With all of this in mind and watching the Rams continue to struggle by repeatedly making the same mistakes as the past, fans shouldn’t be happy with the direction they are heading. The Rams reportedly working on contract extensions to Snead and Fisher is just another slap to the face of fans. It’s obvious that both Fisher and Snead are not the answer for the Rams.

You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.

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