In response to losing six of their last seven games, having the worst offense in the NFL and headed to fifth consecutive losing season under the current front office and coaching regime, the Los Angeles Rams did the obvious this week; banned Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson from the sidelines.
It’s important I throw a caveat in here. Rams vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff has denied Dickerson has been banned, but, you know, come on. Demoff is a nincompoop who still, apparently, thinks there’s something to be salvaged from Fisher’s time with the Rams. If there is a guy pushing for a Fisher extension after another shitty season, one Fisher himself said this team was too good to suffer, it’s Demoff. He’s a moron.
All Rams alumni, and especially @EricDickerson, are always welcome at our games and practices.
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) November 28, 2016
Fisher, evidently didn’t get the “lie about it” memo from Demoff, because not only did he admit it, he verified pretty much every facet of Dickerson’s story.
Dickers has not shied away from honest criticism of the current Rams’ coaching staff. As a person with two eyes (and a fresh glasses prescription) and a brain, ED can see that the rams are loaded with young talent, but don’t seem to have any coaches on the staff capable of developing that talent.
@EricDickerson has a candid opinion. Proud of him 4 speaking. @RamsNFL has right to field passes. Fisher frustrated, & wrong focus. #MakeUp
— JimEverett.eth (@Jim_Everett) November 29, 2016
Understand something if you’ve actually stumbled onto this article while looking for Erectile Dysfunction pills, every human being in the NFL, outside of Demoff apparently, believes this same thing. All of us. Every writer, analyst, head coach and assistant coach in the league all think Fisher and his staff are terrible. So all Eric Dickerson did was state the obvious. The sky is blue. Water is wet. Case Keenum’s chin is magnificent and Jeff Fisher is a shitty coach with a staff of even shittier coaches.
But Dickerson is an All-Time Ram. Like Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Vince Faragamo, Jackie Slater and Kurt Warner, these are men that will always be associated with the team.
We all r pissed like @EricDickerson about r @RamsNFL losing, imagine if the @Browns banned @JimBrownNFL32 from sidelines 4 talking winless?
— JimEverett.eth (@Jim_Everett) November 29, 2016
Fisher called Dickerson personally to tell him he would not be welcome at games. Here’s ED’s version.
“We, as the Rams, we’re not going to have you talking about the team and asking things from the team,” Fisher said, according to Dickerson via Fox Sports. “We’re not going to do that …We’re not going to have you talking about the team and then have you on the sidelines. The players feel uncomfortable with you on the sidelines and as long as I’m head coach here, you can come to the games, but we’re not going to have you on the sidelines.”
The players, he says… Uh huh. So Todd Gurley doesn’t want Eric Dickerson around.
Here’s Fisher’s version, that Demoff might want to read himself.
“I had a discussion with Eric and it was brought to my attention Eric wanted some things from the organization and it was shortly after he had been critical of us, of me, of the players and of our quarterback coach,” Fisher told NBC Sports. “And there’s a natural conflict there. He has every right to be critical because we’re all frustrated with the respect to the season and he has every right to comment and to be critical. But there’s a line that has to be respected, when you on one side criticize the organization and come back and ask the organization for something.”
Fisher says Dickerson is welcome and can be critical but if he's critical, don't expect sideline passes in return. https://t.co/1wgERgAoVH
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 29, 2016
But in calling Dickerson, Fisher opened himself up to what ED really thought about the whole situation and where each man, Fisher and Dickerson, rank in Rams lore.
“Jeff,” Dickerson said. “First of all, I wore the Rams uniform. You could get fired, (GM) Les Snead could get fired, Kevin Demoff can get fired, but I will always be Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams. That’s why I wear that gold jacket, to say what I can say. I’m not trying to hurt the players. I love the players. I’m a player, I’m always a player first. I don’t want to hurt my players. … As long as you’re the head coach, you don’t ever have to worry about seeing me at Rams game ever again.”
Hopefully for the Rams sake, Dickerson will be back on the sidelines in the 2017 preseason. Jeff Fisher is petty, he’s a loser and he’s a bad coach. Hopefully this is just one more reason for Stan Kroenke to pull the plug sooner than later.
