Rams beat out Dolphins in the Fisher sweepstakes

Almost two weeks after they put away the helmets and shoulder pads, the St. Louis Rams picked up their third win of a dismal season.

The Rams prevailed in a high stakes head-to-head competition with the Miami Dolphins and landed Jeff Fisher for their vacant head coaching job. The team said Friday it was finalizing a deal to hire the veteran coach who sat out the 2011 season after 17 years in Tennessee.

The 53-year-old Fisher interviewed twice with the Rams, once in Denver with owner Stan Kroenke and again in St. Louis when he toured facilities and met with quarterback Sam Bradford.

The Titans won three division titles and made six playoff appearances under Fisher, who stepped down a year ago as the league’s longest-tenured coach, saying he needed a break.

St. Louis’ offer may have trumped Miami’s for several reasons. Bradford was the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 and is considered a franchisetype player despite an injury-plagued, unproductive 2011. The Rams have the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft and a favorable salarycap situation.

In addition, Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff is the son of Fisher’s agent, Marvin Demoff.

The Rams might offer more power too. The franchise is replacing both coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney, while the Dolphins have GM Jeff Ireland in place.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, plan to interview several more candidates before hiring a coach, owner Stephen Ross said. Fisher’s decision came 10 days after he interviewed with Miami.

“It lasted a little longer than I would have liked,” Ross said. “We did everything we thought we could do. We were stretching. We made an offer better. We worked hard at it.” Etc.

A person familiar with the situation says the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have received permission to interview Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for their vacant head coaching position. Chudzinski, who helped turn around Carolina’s slumping offense in just one season, interviewed for openings with the Jaguars and Rams this month, but didn’t get either job. . . . New York Jets coach Rex Ryan says embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez has the support of the organization, and he vows to clean up a team that was in turmoil late in the season. Ryan is also disappointed by players anonymously criticizing Sanchez. “Saying things and not putting your name on it? That’s not being a Jet,” he said. . . . The Denver Broncos signed longtime long snapper David Binn after Lonie Paxton was ruled out of their playoff game against New England so he could continue dealing with a family issue. . . . David Lee has agreed to join the Buffalo Bills as quarterbacks coach. Lee has 37 years of coaching experience and spent last season as Mississippi’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. . . . The Atlanta Falcons have added a new limited partner, though Arthur Blank continues to hold more than 90% ownership of the team. Brian J. Barker is owner of AFS, a domestic freight company headquartered in Shreveport, La.