Jeff Fisher was officially named the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams at a team press conference today. With owner Stan Kronke and VP Kevin Demoff by his side, Fisher addressed the media in the straight-forward manner you’d expect from the mighty mustached one.
In one of worst-kept strategy secrets in the league, Fisher stated his formula for winning would built around protecting the quarterback, running the football and playing solid defense. That formula is no surprise to anyone who has followed Fisher’s Titan teams of old, but he said it with such confidence and a matter-of-fact demeanor, that viewers and listeners had no choice but to believe that it would come to fruition just like he said.
To help bolster the Rams defense, Fisher will pluck the Saints’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams from New Orleans. Williams was in the final year of his contract with the Saints and jumped at the chance to work with Fisher after serving as his DC in Tennessee from 1997-2000.
Despite reports of his deal being worth five-years and $35 million, Fisher stated the selection of Rams over the Miami Dolphins was predicated on “non-economic” issues (Miami was reportedly ready to offer up to $8 million per year), including his comfort with former #1 pick Sam Bradford and owner Stan Kroenke.
Fisher’s run-heavy offense should prove to be a great benefit to Bradford, who’ll be learning yet another offense. Who’ll be calling the shots is still up for debate, as Hue Jackson and Brian Schottenheimer are considered front runners for the position. Regardless of the hire, you can expect Bradford to hand the ball off to Steven Jackson (and his potential backup) often and have the added protection of a legit fullback, a concept past Rams coaches have seemed allergic to.
Maybe the team will reach out to area natives Matt Hughes or Tyrone Woodley from the MMA world to perfect the team’s ‘ground-n-pound’ offense. Fans should expect a rugged, blood-thirsty team.
“We want to do whatever it takes to win football games. We want to be a tough, physical football team,” Fisher stated.
