St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has done an excellent job finding various bogeymen to blame for his team's 2-5 record. This week, he's letting the NFL know about its "responsibility" to let him know whether or not the 49ers will have Aldon Smith in uniform when they host Fisher's Rams on Sunday afternoon.
Jeff Fisher can’t prepare for Aldon Smith and the 49ers because of the NFL
There’s a kink in the Rams head coach’s game planning for this week’s matchup against the 49ers, and he’s going to need the NFL to do something about it.
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
“I think the league has a responsibility to inform us early enough in the week so we have a chance to game plan if that’s the case. I would expect not to hear he would not be available for the game on Friday,” Fisher said in a conference call with the Bay Area media on Wednesday.
Smith is nearing the end of his nine-game suspension, but several reports have surfaced that his punishment could be lifted sooner. He has served seven games of his suspension so far. Smith’s availability is impacting Fisher’s ability to prepare his team ahead of this week’s game.
Or, you know, Fisher could prepare his team for both scenarios ... just in case. Nobody's accusing the Rams of being well prepared. After a 34-7 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City last week, tight end Lance Kendricks said this about playing in Arrowhead Stadium:
“It was loud out there. We couldn’t get the signals out. We couldn’t get the personnel out ... We have to be ready for that type of stuff. I just don’t think we were ready for everything they threw at us.”
If only the NFL had fulfilled its responsibility to tell Fisher that Arrowhead Stadium is loud. It’s not like the place is in the Guinness Book of Records for being loud or anything.
This is Fisher’s 20th season as an NFL head coach (only six of which have been winning seasons). Surely, he’s encountered a similar situation somewhere in his past.
Either way, the NFL better get on the stick. The league has two days to let Fisher know whether Aldon Smith will be playing this week. He should totally bring this up at the next competition committee meeting.
Our Rams blog may need to add another section to its Jeff Fisher Wheel of Excuses.
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