Fisher, Snead Bring Culture Change to Rams Park

For the first time since the team moved to St. Louis, the Rams will begin a season with both a new head coach and new general manager.

The team introduced Les Snead as its GM last Tuesday. The former Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel replaces Billy Devaney, who was fired January 2. That same day, the Rams fired head coach Steve Spagnuolo and later replaced him with former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher.

What Fisher and Snead bring to an organization with a 15-65 record over the past five seasons is a combined philosophy that comes from being former players. Fisher also has 17 years of experience as a head coach and is comfortable in his own skin. The former Chicago Bears safety has been far more open with the media in just a month than Spagnuolo ever was. That’s not to say that Spagnuolo wasn’t friendly; he just didn’t say much. Fisher devoted more than an hour to interviews at both his and Snead’s introductory press conferences. Fisher’s coaching staff isn’t even complete yet, but both times he spoke for an extra 20 minutes in a roundtable discussion with a handful of media members, myself included. Snead spoke to the same group for 26 minutes following his 25-minute press conference, which included both Fisher and Kevin Demoff, executive vice president of football operations and chief operating officer.

After just a month at Rams Park, the culture is already changing. Gone is the paranoia of Spagnuolo, who’s been described as an insecure control freak. Spagnuolo, who came to the Rams following a successful stint as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, is now the defensive coordinator in New Orleans. He is also a coach with little playing experience, rising through the ranks instead as an “Xs and Os” guy who studied playbooks. That works for some, but it did not work during Spagnuolo’s stint as head coach. Part of the reason that Fisher commands so much respect is not just his years of experience, but also because he played in the NFL.

Snead was a former college tight end at Auburn, unlike his predecessor, who stands 5-foot-7 and weighs about 160 pounds on a good day. Billy Devaney, on the other hand, never played the game. That makes a difference in terms of respect that a coach or executive receives from players. Some of that respect is earned through years of work, but Devaney seemingly did not have a consensus of trust, while Snead already does. One former player told me that he’s confident Snead will do a great job, because Snead understands the game and evaluates players as a former NFL player himself.

The next step for the Rams is to put a winning team on the field for the first time since 2003. While the Rams also have the lease at the Edward Jones Dome looming over the team’s head, Demoff said the best way to keep the fans interested and for the team to remain in St. Louis is to make the Rams a winner again. That responsibility now falls to Fisher and Snead.

The ball’s in your court, gentlemen.