That Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher didn't know general manager Les Snead also received a two-year extension is further proof the Rams are crumbling from the inside out as players and personnel try to find out who is to blame for the team’s failings.
“I’m so busy here, I was honestly unaware he was extended. I’m being honest with you, we’re just working here,” Fisher said in a media session Tuesday. “I look at this as being my responsibility, the win-loss record.
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"We need to do a better job from a personnel standpoint. We’ve had some unfortunate things take place with some high picks in Stedman Bailey and Tre Mason and those kinds of things you don’t anticipate. But we’re moving forward.”
According to MMQB, Fisher's comments about the Rams (4-8) needing to do a better job from a personnel standpoint didn't sit well with the organization, as one Rams source called the public condemnation "a shot" at the Rams front office.
"You see it under that umbrella — 'We need to do a better job in personnel.' OK, but you want everyone to think that you have full control," the source told MMQB. "You can’t have it both ways, and it can’t always be the talent. Look at the roster, 2012 to now. In '12, Jeff did a masterful job with what he was given. But we've gotten more talent, and we've gotten worse."
The MMQB report described Fisher and Snead's relationship as "toxic," much like that of Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke when the San Francisco 49ers duo's power struggle eventually led to Harbaugh's ousting in 2014.
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“It’s always good to have healthy tension between the coach and GM, but that shouldn’t hurt the team or cause finger-pointing,” said another Rams source said. “Over five years, [Tuesday] was the first time you saw public comments. That should never happen. … The organization has given them a long leash. And given that they’ve had time, they have to win, and they have to be able to work together.”
The Rams have not had a winning season since Fisher and Snead joined the franchise in 2012. Snead was hired after Fisher, who had input on the decision, but as his record (31-44) continues to get worse with the Rams, it seems to be only a matter of time before Fisher, like Harbaugh, is out the door in California.