NFL

LA Rams Fans Saw the Future and It Looks Eerily Similar to Past

The future of the Los Angeles Rams is now in the hands of rookie quarterback Jared Goff, but if Sunday's 14-10 loss to the Dolphins was any indication, the remainder of the season will look eerily similar to the past.

They say the past is not supposed to define your future, but in the case of the Los Angeles Rams, you only need to look at the recent past in order to see what's in their immediate future.

The future was supposed to be now. One week ago, head coach Jeff Fisher announced that No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff would be the Rams starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. 

Fans in L.A. were excited, players were energized, dawn was approaching and the era of Goff was on the horizon…and then, reality set in.

The Rams offense remained mediocre in a 14-10 come-from-ahead loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and Goff's debut was uninspiring to say the least.

Goff finished 17-of-31 for 134 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He spent the entirety of the game wrapped in bubble wrap as ultra-conservative play calls required him to dink and dunk his way down the field, attempting just five passes beyond 10 yards, with his longest completion of just seven yards (before yards after catch). 

"I would like to throw some balls down field and I think that will be in the plan every week and it's up to them," Goff said about the lack of plays down the field. "I think it had a lot to do with the weather and a little bit with the play calling."

After the game, both Goff and Fisher credited no delay of game penalties and the QB's ability to get in and out of the huddle as a positive, essentially staging that all the setup and staging in the game was seamless, but the outcome and results were lackluster. 

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"You could see the light, there's light there for him," Fisher said after the game. "So we'll continue to allow him to get ready and continue to progress."

The light is not coming from Goff, but rather, its shining directly in the faces of Fisher and first year offensive coordinator Rob Boras.

The Rams offense looked stale and bland, the same it has all season. Despite the change at quarterback, the team scored just 10 points all game, consistent with where they've been over the past five weeks. 

Boras' play calls are a direct correlation to that, but ultimately the responsibility lands on Fisher who is 4-6 this season and headed for another 7-9 record. 

The Rams have finished with seven wins in four of the last six seasons, and have never had a winning record under Fisher. He's 31-42-1 in four-plus seasons with the team, and is in the final year of his contract.

Fisher has not made the NFL playoffs in what will soon be seven consecutive seasons and the Rams are 64-127-1 since 2003, the last time they wont the NFC West Division.

"They saw our future here today," Fisher said after the game about the L.A. fans. "I'm just disappointed for them that we weren't able to hang on and win this game."

Unfortunately for the City of Angels and the organization as a whole, that future remains bleak and reminiscent of the past without a significant change at the coordinator or coaching position.

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