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Is it the time right to bet on Fisher & the Rams?

Dave Friedman

by Dave Friedman in NFL Football

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

On Sunday, it was announced Rams head coach Jeff Fisher had signed a contract extension. The internet erupted, mocking the franchise for re-upping a coach who has struggled in recent years. But before you start betting against Los Angeles each week, let’s consider Fisher’s resume. It’s better than you might think.

Fisher got his first taste of head coaching part way through 1994 as the interim bench boss with the Houston Oilers. While the team went 2-14, two of the losses were close, and Fisher managed to win one of the six games he coached that season. The interim tag was taken off for the start of the 1995 campaign.

Under Fisher (1995-2010), the Oilers/Titans went 143-122-2 against the spread. Since joining the Rams, he’s 36-38-2 for betting purposes. Nobody will jump up and down about a 179-160-4 record, but that is a 53-percent winning percentage. While it won’t make you rich, even when you factor in vig, Fisher backers are slightly ahead.

His overall mark for the same time period is 177-165-1, which is solid, if not spectacular. Compare that to the previous four Rams head coaches: Steve Spagnuolo (10-38), Jim Haslett (2-10), Scott Linehan (11-25), and Joe Vitt (4-7). That totals up to 27-80. Dating back to John Robinson who retired in 1991, Mike Martz (56-36) is the only coach with a winning record.

If you take a look at the coaches hired over the past two years, would firing Fisher be a foolproof way to get results? Maybe, maybe not. The most recent hires in the league are Chip Kelly, Ben McAdoo, Hue Jackson, Dirk Koetter, Adam Gase, Mike Mularkey, and Doug Pederson. Their combined record is 34-50 this season. (To be fair, they all took over franchises that fired their previous coaches for a reason.) Going back two years, you can add in Gary Kubiak, John Fox, Jim Tomsula, Jack Del Rio, and Todd Bowles. Their record is 64-63.

Keep in mind that, even with Fisher’s extension, the details of the contract make it fairly easy for the Rams to move on whenever they want. Nobody is suggesting we open the doors to Canton, but winning in the NFL is really hard, and Fisher has done a reasonable job, overall.

Seeing how the Rams just got crushed in New England, the time to make cash by betting on L.A. may have arrived. As the season draws to a close, take an extra minute to consider the Rams warts and all (i.e. rookie QB Jared Goff?).


Photo Credit: Keith Allison (flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/]

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