Jeff Fisher and his band of merry men, pardon me...assistants, are finally assembled with the St. Louis Rams now that Brian Schottenheimer and Gregg Williams are in house as offensive and defensive coordinators respectively. For obvious reasons these three are the figures that most will focus on when it comes to the success of the Rams in 2012. However, not content to rest of this Fisher added another key piece shortly after these hires were made official.

Dave McGinnis worked with Fisher during his time with the Tennessee Titans and has a long coaching history under his belt. McGinnis will now be with Fisher once again assuming the role of assistant head coach and his near quarter century coaching pedigree provides a young Rams team with plenty of leadership from the top down.

Now that the revamped staff is locked and loaded, the Rams have three members of their coaching collection with head coaching experience in the past. Obviously Fisher brings his know-how with his from Tennessee, but Williams was in charge with the Buffalo Bills from 2001 to 2003 while McGinnis also had a stint as a head coach with the Arizona Cardinals from 2000 to 2003. This collective familiarity with the intricacies of the NFL will no doubt be quite useful in the rebuilding process.

The last item remaining on his checklist is for Fisher and company is to find a general manager that can assist with the task of creating a competitive roster for the upcoming year and seasons to come. The second overall selection in April’s NFL Draft will no doubt make that undertaking a much more attractive gig with plenty of flexibility given the league’s new salary structure for incoming rookies. Not too mention the growing fan fare for RGIII.  There is still a great deal of work left to be done in order to get the Rams back to a competitive level, but they now have the pieces in place to get everyone on the same page.

Let’s take a Look at those pieces.

The points in the CVC's message to Stan Kroenke's London plan can be counted on one finger.

When it comes to the big question hanging over the St Louis Rams' future - where will they play home games in 2015 - the ball is in the court of the St Louis Convention and Visitor's Center. The STL CVC for short. They owe Stan Kroenke and the Rams a proposal for dome improvements that would elevate the building into the upper tier (read: revenue-producing, not gimmicky design elements like video lightboards) of the NFL. 

Before they tender that proposal, though, they offered a few choice words for Kroenke and his plan to move three of the team's next 24 regular season home games to London: "No f***ing way." 

Well, that's a paraphrase. But it isn't too far off the mark, according to a report from the St Louis Post-Dispatch: 

The Rams stand to benefit not just in "awareness" when it comes to playing in London -- they get paid, too. The NFL guarantees revenues in excess of a sellout for these caravan games, and a sellout at 82,000-seat capacity Wembley Stadium is nothing to sneeze at in comparison to revenues from the Dome. While the team has already offered to reimburse season ticket holders for those tickets, the CVC can't be happy about the impact on local businesses of losing these three keystone events. And the Rams have not stated or implied any plan to pay back vendors, local bars, parking lots, or the like. 

While it's honorable for the CVC to be sticking up for the little guy in this dispute between power brokers, it strikes me as exactly the wrong approach if they want to keep the team here for the long term.

Remember, these games are all about leverage. And Stan Kroenke has all of it. He has exercised only the tiniest amount by moving games to London, and publicly opining about co-owning the Dodgers. If he was serious about burning bridges with St Louis, he could simply sew up the pocketbook and refuse to put a good product on the field. (For example, he could have let Jeff Fisher go, and signed a college guy on the cheap like his fellow cross-pond-er Malcolm Glazer, and saved himself tens of millions of dollars.) 

For the CVC to be playing these penny-ante games when the stakes are in the billions is frankly ridiculous. Kroenke is waiting to hear how the Dome and the St Louis region is going to pay back the "jack" that he has put into this team. What he's hearing right now is essentially an open invitation to look elsewhere. 

Not a good sign if you're a fan of the St Louis Rams.  

Dear Stan,

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

A tired cliché, I know, but one very applicable to the current situation regarding the Rams’ future in St. Louis and the potential blaze burning behind your office door.

As bidders emerged for the Los Angeles Dodgers this week, you threw your name in among those listed as interested, although we know you did not put in an official bid for the team, according to the Los Angeles Times.

This news came on the heels of the Rams three year agreement to play one home game per season in London, home of your Arsenal FC and a testing ground for the potential of a full-time NFL team in the future.

With both moves, you exacerbated fears the team will take their leave of the Show Me State as soon as 2014 and move to greener pastures in sunny California or across the pond.

You could very well be leveraging those interests against St. Louis county for quick action on improving The Edward Jones Dome but L.A. and London are also realistic options.

So all I’m asking as a Rams fan is for you to be a little more straightforward. Don’t reveal all of the cards because we all understand you are a shrewd businessman, but also don’t leave us second-guessing and speculating on each public move.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff tried to stomp the rumors out on Twitter last week, but some kind of reassurance from the owner himself would be appreciated. We can’t help but believe some of this is a PR scheme, using Demoff as a puppet while the real dealings are made behind doors to possibly move the team.

The point is, Rams fans were excited with the Jeff Fisher hire, only to be undercut again by your forays into other sports markets.

We have suffered through some bad football and have every right to be paranoid and upset after years of disappointment.

But we understand you are a hands-off owner and will give you the benefit of the doubt in ongoing negotiations with St. Louis County.

A little reassurance would be nice though, now and then.

Maybe you could throw a little water on that fire.

Sincerely,
Rams Fans

Rams beat reporter Jim Thomas reports that the Rams have agreed to play a home game in London for each of the next three years, helping Roger Goodell build a fan base across the pond and uniting two of Kroenke's highest-profile business interests -- the Rams, and the Arsenal Gunners of the English Premier League.

Stanley Enos Kroenke's love of sports comes from his Missouri childhood, raised as a fan of the St Louis Cardinals and named after two of its all-time greats. But his business acumen comes from the Wal-Mart world, which is built on finding markets and seizing opportunities wherever you find them.

St Louisans cheered Kroenke's bid to take over the Rams, hoping to celebrate him as one of their own. But now they are running up against his business side, and his perceived lack of commitment to St Louis, who may lose the team in 2015. How does this move impact our city's chances of keeping the Rams?

The answer is complex, but for now it does not sit in Kroenke's hands: the ball is in the City of St Louis' court.

When Stan Kroenke personally introduced Jeff Fisher to St Louis as its newest football coach, he firmly deflected any questions about his team's long-term commitment to the city, saying: "I don't think for me to comment on that process is timely. I think the city has within its power, to present a propsal to us by Feb. 1. There’s a team in place to deal with that.

"We’ll see how it sorts itself out."

Such talk presents Kroenke as a man waiting to take action, but his London announcement with the NFL shows that he has hardly been sitting still.

For the St Louis CVC, which manages the Edward Jones Dome and the convention facilities within, the difficult task of presenting a proposal for upgrading the Dome to make it a "top tier" facility now has additional political complexity. For the Rams to move to London and have nationally televised games three weeks in a row represents a strengthening of the team's brand, but it helps the city little.

Economists have often debated the worth of professional sports to local cities, arguing that the limited job creation and recreational spending that are generated by pro sports are just borrowing from other jobs, other spending, that might be done on other local entertainments. Trying to quantify the value of sports usually falls to qualitative factors -- does wearing one's team colors boost civic pride? Does having a championship banner hanging from a hall drive up the perceptions of your city as a growing, thriving place? Do these factors help St Louis attract people and grow where similar-sized cities such as Oklahoma City or Omaha might fail to register?

And if such questions about keeping the Rams boil down to civic pride, how then should the CVC respond to Kroenke's slap-in-the-face deal with London and the NFL? Should they swallow their own pride and submit a good-faith offer? Or will they be tempted to invite Silent Stan to take the other seven home games where he will, if he finds other pastures to be so green?

For those St Louis fans who are asked to buy season tickets, year in and year out, this London deal is already unpopular and unsettling. A rabid few will book tickets overseas and cheer along with pints of bitters in hand. But for most of the Show-me state, they can only sit and stew unhappily as forces larger than they control the fate of their team.

Now that the coaching search is over we can begin to look more toward 2012. With Jeff Fisher now at the helm and the Rams with an identity moving forward it’s time to look at the personnel that will take the field for OTA’s and mini-camp before you know it.

While in Tennessee Jeff Fisher's Titans had the reputation for playing tenacious, tough football. The offense is often remembered as something out of the George Clooney movie , Leatherheads. Where the forward pass was unheard of or a novelty at best.

Yes Fisher had and used Eddie George as a focal point of his offense. However it has been noted that a pain point for Fisher in is time in Tennessee was the lack of ever having a true number 1 wide receiver. It’s not as if Fisher had Jerry Rice or even Tory Holt lining up yet elected to just hand it off repeatedly to George.

Fear not Rams fans there will surely be a role for Bradford on the 2012 Rams. And the QB will actually be allowed to throw the football down the field in an attempt to score touchdowns.

Some of what Fisher likes to do is, indeed, old-school when compared to the recent high-scoring trend that's turned NFL games into live action matches of Madden. Fisher does like to run the football and control the clock, field position and the game. He believes in competitive, maybe a bit rough around the edges men doing the blocking up front. He would like to see his guys punish opponents. He does not object to seeing opponents limping away in pain. This is the guy who got the most EVER out of Albert Haynesworth.

You know…that boring style of football that has the San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens all one win away from the Super Bowl. Four Pillars beware.

Despite the league’s best efforts to turn today’s NFL into a game of touch-football, there's still a place for ground-and-pound. But if your worries are that Fisher's offense will be one-dimensional and predictable, just simmer down.

In listening to his press conference, Fisher noted Bradford as a key factor in wanting to take the Rams job.  Fisher should be very good for Bradford's physical and mental health and overall development. If the Rams can find a playmaker or two, Bradford should rebound from the battering he absorbed in 2011.

The 2011 Rams gave up more sacks than any NFL team. During coach Steve Spagnuolo's three seasons, otherwise known as SpagBall only two NFL teams allowed more sacks than the Rams. That is bad. Bradford was sacked 36 times in his 10 starts and pressured on 35 percent of his dropbacks. That's not taking into consideration the number of times he was hit while throwing or knocked down.

With Fisher running the show this will be a focus for sure. In his full 16 seasons as the head coach in Houston/Tennessee, Fisher's teams had the league's third-lowest sack rate. In quarterback Steve McNair's time as the starter for Fisher, the Titans ranked among the league's top 10 for fewest sacks allowed in six of nine seasons.

Granted this will not happen overnight but rest assured Fisher will address the situation and hold those accountable in a way Spagnuolo and company never did.

Bradford, to the delight of the fans as well, will soon realize he'll be given the opportunity to make plays downfield. Fisher's passing game in Tennessee was more effective than given credit for. For Rams fans a bit confused by this concept. Downfield usually is defined by attempting a pass beyond the first down marker. Often of 20 yards or more. I know, I know, I had to look in the rule book too. But apparently it IS allowed.

McNair started under Jeff Fisher from 1997 to 2005 and was voted the NFL's co-MVP in 2003, made it to three Pro Bowls and of course one memorable Super Bowl.  Tennessee's passing game over that period will never be confused for the Madden type stats Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford and Drew Brees have been putting up. But there was a lot to like.

In his time as the starter in Tennessee the Titans ranked  10th in the league in completion percentage, 10th in passer rating, fifth in average yards at the point of the catch, 10th in passing yards, 12th in touchdown passes, and 10th in yards per attempt. The Titans also had the NFL's third-lowest interception rate over that period.

Making these numbers all the more impressive considering the Titans' cast of receivers. Something Bradford and Ram Nation can relate to. McNair top guys were wide receivers Derrick Mason, Kevin Dyson, Drew Bennett (yeah, that Drew Bennett) and tight end Frank Wycheck (are you listening Lance Kendricks!).

I cannot speculate if Fisher will modify his approach in St. Louis; a lot will depend on who he brings in as offensive coordinator and the direction the Rams go in both the offseason free agent market and the NFL draft . But this much seems certain: Fisher will do what's best for Bradford.

‘Twas the day of Black Monday, and all through Rams Park

A franchise was emerging, back from a seemingly eternal dark

Stan came with his axe and off came their head

Devaney and Spags, an error of Rams football fell dead

Their standard wouldn’t cut it, 10 wins in three years

Kroenke said “enough, our fans have cried enough tears”

Thusly, the coaching search began

Shrouded in mystery, the true style of “silent Stan”

Suddenly, a name emerged, one that energized the fan base

A man with a great track record and a mustachioed face

Jeff Fisher it was, an experienced head coach for once

Stan wasn’t looking for the next Linehan or Spagnuolo dunce

But the Dolphins stepped forward, they wanted Fisher too

Using south beach and tropical climate to woo

The dolphins had the deep pockets of owner Stephen Ross

But just ask Sparano, he’s not the best boss

‘Twas a battle of epic proportions, The media asked “which billionaire wins?”

Fisher debated for what seemed like weeks over the Rams and the ‘Fins

The main issues it seemed were money and power

Ross had more cash but denied Fisher the leeway of Bill Cowher

So in the end, it was the blue and gold

Fisher got a franchise QB and a roster he can mold

Excitement rang out in Rams nation, the first sign in a while

For the first time since the Greatest Show on Turf made us smile

Now it’s time for a new era, hopefully one filled with Super Bowl glory

And Jeff Fisher will be the author of this new St. Louis story

Gregg Williams' expected departure from New Orleans to become the St. Louis Rams' defensive coordinator should caution Rams fans.

Williams is well known for coming after opposing quarterbacks without caution. The New Orleans Saints brough five or more pass-rushers 51.1 percent of the time in 2011, leading the NFL. The percentage was also an NFL best in 2010 at 49.5 and in 2009 the Saints defense came in second at 48.2.

According to John McTigue of ESPN Stats & Information the Rams, meanwhile, came with added pressure 32.5 percent of the time during that period, 15th-most in the league.

Fans and players tend to favor aggressive play, but as this chart indicates, NFC West quarterbacks have essentially had their Williams' New Orleans defenses in the postseason over the past two years. And we're not exactly looking at Brady and Rodgers here.

*chart courtesy of ESPN

Matt Hasselbeck's four touchdown passes led Seattle past the Saints in the wild-card round a year ago. Alex Smith's four total touchdowns (one rushing) were the difference for the 49ers in the divisional round Saturday.

Most schemes will work with the right players, of course. In these cases, veteran quarterbacks made the Saints pay for their aggressive tactics. Hasselbeck and Smith fared well, in general, regardless of how many rushers the Saints sent.

The following is a quote given to Mike Sando who blogs about the NFC West for ESPN.

"A lot of defenses are unsound in how they do things," Hasselbeck said when I caught up to him following his Tennessee Titans preseason debut, in St. Louis. "These guys (the Rams) are really sound. They might not lead the league in sacks up front, but they do a nice job getting pressure. They play together as a defense. They don't give up big plays. Even when you get them, it's for 20 yards instead of for a touchdown."

Looking closer one can see even more cracks. The high-and-mighty Saints gave up an NFL worst 14 pass plays covering at least 40 yards during the regular season. Our downtrodden Rams gave up 12, but they also lost an astounding 10 of their top cornerbacks to injury.

And one final note. The Rams won only twice in 2011. One of those victories came against New Orleans, with A.J. Feeley at quarterback.