"The best revenge is massive success." – Frank Sinatra
Jeff Fisher spoke candidly of his desire to get revenge on the Los Angeles Rams after they fired him last Monday, following a 42-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13.
Fisher sat down with Charissa Thompson of Fox Sports in his first interview since the firing, and vented his frustration with the organization and how the season unfolded.
"Bottom line is I didn't win enough games," began Fisher when asked what happened.
Fisher admitted that he was taken by surprise by the timing of his termination, but knew he was on the hot seat after the team had lost eight of their last nine games before the final decision to part ways was made.
"I knew things were getting tough, but I didn't anticipate this," he said. "I always thought that depending on what happened the last three weeks, there might be that potential, but on a short week it caught me off guard."
Fans in Los Angeles became increasingly frustrated with the team's performance and Fisher's public feud with Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson.
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As the team continued to lose, news of Fisher signing a two-year contract extension leaked, as did reports that his relationship with General Manager had turned "toxic."
"Somehow it got out and that became an issue," he said of the extension. "None of it was handled appropriately. In my opion, the successful NFL teams stay quiet, they don't leak things and that was a frustration of mine."
Fisher confirmed that the decision to draft Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft was largely his, but said that it was a "unanimous decision."
Both in his interview with NFL Gameday and Sirius XM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Fisher bestowed praise on Goff.
"He's going to be the face of this franchise and he's going to be great," Fisher said.
"He's still learning as you saw on Thursday night when he took that hit," he told Sirius XM NFL radio. "Don't take those hits. It hasn't translated into wins yet, but he's going to be special."
For Fisher, his pathway to "massive success" starts with an opportunity to coach another NFL team, something that he said he wants very much.
When asked where that next opportunity might be or when it will come, Fisher just had one requirement for the next head coaching job he gets.
"I want a chance to play the Rams," he said with a huge grin on his face.
That's going to be fun to watch.
The Rams next take the field on Saturday, December 24, at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum against the San Francisco 49ers.
