Jeff Fisher has finally made his decision between the St. Louis Rams and Miami Dolphins, and has agreed to become the head coach of the St. Louis Rams, according to Peter King of Sports Illustrated and Adam Schefter of ESPN. Rams owner Stan Kroenke targeted Fisher as his top candidate from the beginning of the search, and now the franchise has their man. Here is the definitive tweet from Peter King :
Fisher to the Rams.
— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) January 13, 2012
Related: The search for the next St. Louis Rams General Manager continues
Rumors had swirled that Fisher might choose to Miami, and the Rams continued to interview other candidates for the position through Thursday, but the veteran NFL coach eventually chose to hitch his wagon to Sam Bradford, Chris Long, Steven Jackson and a roster otherwise in flux. One big reason Fisher chose the Rams is the control he will have over personnel in St. Louis, something he couldn't secure while talking with the Dolphins. Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports explains the deciding factor in Fisher's decision in the following way:
Fisher was willing to meet halfway on personnel control, but Ross wouldn't budge. He's an Ireland man. And now Fisher is headed for The Lou
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 13, 2012
The Rams went 2-14 in the 2011-12 NFL season and are slated to select No. 2 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, so Fisher figures to have plenty of input on how the organization uses its premium picks in April. Fisher has 17 years of head coaching experience and has a winning percentage of .542, which is a stark departure from the two failed rookie head coaches the Rams experimented with before hiring Fisher to run the show.
Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.