Stinky Fish in St. Louis?

The Rams hired Jeff Fisher to be their coach next year.  I always thought he was a good coach.  And if you  look at his record, he has 22 more wins than losses despite a couple bad years when he first started with what was then the Houston Oilers.

Coaching the Tennessee Titans from 1994 until 2010, 17 years,  his record was 142 wins 120 losses.  In 1999 they were AFC champions and ironically lost a close game to the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl.  Aside from 1999, they won their division 3 other times, and made the playoffs a total of 6 times.  In those six trips to the playoffs, their record was 5-6.

I was reading some reader comments on Yahoo Sports and some St. Louis fans don't think he's a good coach.  I would have to disagree.  And, yes, it always comes back to my Lions somehow.  As a Lions fan, I think I'm at least a good judge of bad coaches and bad management for that matter.  I can at least say for certain that Jeff Fisher is not a bad coach.

I think Fisher and St. Louis are both making the right move.  Sam Bradford is a good quarterback, and St. Louis has some other good young talent thanks to their imitation of what Detroit did for several years.  They also have the 2nd pick in the upcoming draft to add another star player to their team that could make a huge impact.  And don't forget, they already have a Pro Bowl level running back Steven Jackson.

This may also be a situation where the master has become the apprentice.  Jim Schwartz, who used to work for Fisher in Tennessee, came to Detroit when they also had an early first round pick to help get things going in the right direction.

My prediction: look for St. Louis to win 8 games next year and compete with the 49ers for their division the next year.

Will Rex Ryan and Jets make playoffs again?

It's been great this year as a Lions fan watching other teams fire and hire without feeling like my home team should do the same.  The Lions made huge strides forward as a franchise and have followed the footsteps of the Tigers and the Red Wings to become a place that free agents want to come play.

I'm also thankful for the coach we have and his desire to do his talking with results on the field and not in front of the camera.  That said, I enjoy the entertainment value of Rex Ryan.  Seeing the offensive coordinator makes me think the Jets ship is sinking and Shottenheimer got out before the rest of the coaching staff is fired.

Mark Sanchez hasn't turned out to be what New York fans seem to want.

So my poll question, displayed at the right, will the Jets make the playoffs again while Rex Ryan still remains coach.
Rex can't shield himself from attacks anymore
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/jets/rex_can_shield_himself_from_attacks_xUBjUYgV54ctnYrS2xiVfL

Brian Shottenheimer will not return to the New York Jets next year
http://rotoworld.com/player/nfl/873/jets-offense