Rams COO: Judging Jeff Fisher by his record is 'unfair'
Los Angeles Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff hinted that head coach Jeff Fisher's job is safe, adding that just looking at the veteran coach's record when evaluating his job performance is "unfair."
"Everybody will want to judge Jeff through the prism of just the record, but that's totally unfair when you look at the set of circumstances he was handed this year," Demoff said to NFL.com. "It was different than any team in the NFL."
The Rams moved back to Los Angeles in the off-season after spending the previous 20 seasons in St. Louis.
"We moved halfway across the country, then had (organized team activities) in Oxnard," Demoff continued. "Training camp was in Irvine, now we're in Thousand Oaks. We moved coaches and players and families. To provide leadership and consistency, he's done a model job."
Fisher, 58, is the final year of his contract with the team and has posted a 31–43–1 record in his four-plus seasons with the Rams. Los Angeles has lost six of its last seven games and has a 4–7 mark so far this season. The Rams have posted nine straight losing seasons.
Earlier this season, ESPN reported that Fisher was in line for three-year contract extension, but no deal has been signed yet.
"He's a terrific leader of men," Demoff said about Fisher. "Players, coaches and staff—he has their complete respect in the way he runs the franchise. It's easy to talk about the record, but you have to take a snapshot of everything this year and give him the credit that he's due."
In 22 seasons as an NFL head coach with the Tennessee Titans and Rams, Fisher has led his teams to the playoffs only six times, and none of those appearances have come in the past seven seasons he has been a coach.
Fisher's 163 losses are third-most in NFL history among head coaches, and he is three defeats away from setting the all-time record, held by Dan Reeves.
– Scooby Axson
