Whether Jeff Fisher stays or goes this offseason, the Rams need to find Jared Goff some help. Like, yesterday.
Fisher has been notorious for having some less-than-stellar offensive coaching staffs, and he's going to need a proven play-caller, game planner and quarterback whisperer for Goff. The kid has promise, but he's also raw. It's debatable how close Goff is to being ready to win big at this level. Some evaluators I trust watched film of his early starts and roll their eyes, while others guarantee me Goff will be a stud. But everyone can agree that the Rams roster on offense is a failure.
They need to invest in the offensive line the way the Raiders have. Rams owner Stan Kroenke will have to dig deep this offseason because it's not all going to come from one draft. Of course, this isn't a great free-agent class, but at this point the Rams have nowhere to go but up. They need pass catchers, desperately, at receiver and tight end. Basically, they need everything but a running back. And what they don't have is time.
If Goff heads under center next season with anything close to this cast of characters around him, you can almost predict something bad will happen. He'll get hurt. Or his confidence will get shattered. Or all of the above.
Despite the recently revealed contract extensions for Fisher and GM Les Snead there is a strong sentiment in league circles that change is still quite possible after the season, and if nothing else, many coaches around the league believe Fisher will reach out to long-time offensive coach Norv Turner to coach Goff in 2017. Turner tells me he's not heard from any teams since leaving his post as Vikings offensive coordinator a few weeks ago, but he remains open to listening should the right coaching opportunity present itself this winter.
That would be a good starting point for Fisher, whose offenses have tended to tank, and tank badly, since he had the late Mike Heimerdinger -- an offensive whiz -- running that side of the ball for him. Goff isn't going to be able to do this on his own, and right now he has precious few people around him capable of getting him where he needs to go, on the field or off.
More notes from around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
If the Ravens win the AFC North, and I'm starting to like their chances more each week, give some huge kudos to their personnel side. Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta and that staff have taken some criticism in recent years, and the roster got more lean than it normally is for that model franchise, but their two major free-agent moves have been a massive success (Eric Weddle and Mike Wallace) and their 2016 draft has already paid massive dividends.
Ronnie Stanley could be a franchise left tackle, and their third-day picks are killing it already. Watch slot corner Tavon Young on Monday night -- I suspect he sees a lot of Julian Edelman in a matchup that could go a long ways to deciding that huge game in New England.
Running back Kenneth Dixon is starting to run by people and looks like a major weapon in the screen game. Matt Judon is already making big plays rushing the passer. Alex Lewis was a day-one start on the offensive line before getting injured (and he could be back by the playoffs). Chris Moore's elite speed is starting to flash more. Undrafted free agent Michael Pierce (Samford) has been an impact player from Week 1 on one of the NFL's top defensive lines.
If the Ravens get anything out of either potential edge rusher they drafted in the second or third round in future years (Bronson Kaufusi was hurt in camp and out all year; Kamalei Correa is very raw), this could be a grand slam draft.
Buffalo Bills
All the talk about Tyrod Taylor in Buffalo and the focus on the quarterback position has obscured the fact that the defense still isn't very good. I have a hard time thinking Rob Ryan is a hugely popular guy in that building right now.
New York Giants
Plenty of evaluators I talk to are predicting a late-season slide for the Giants, and that was before the JPP injury. This won't be an easy month for them.
San Diego Chargers
If Philip Rivers had played in November the way he played in September, the Chargers might be in first place in the AFC West. He's rivaling Blake Bortles for most interceptions in the NFL, and they have come in game-killing situations and clustered together the last four weeks. If San Diego ever had Joey Bosa and Rivers both in form at the same time it would have been a very different season for them.
