ASCENDING ORDERS
Rams will log a lot of air miles; Fisher all but demands they take flight on field too
Since the NFL approved their return to Los Angeles in January the Rams have been on the move, sometimes dizzyingly so.
A team meeting in Manhattan Beach. Off-season workouts in Oxnard. Training camp in Orange County and now a temporary home in Thousand Oaks.
Forget playbooks loaded on those team-issued iPads.
The players needed Google maps.
After navigating the logistics — and moving their families from St. Louis to Southern California — the Rams still face a major mobility question on the eve of their first season in Los Angeles in 22 years:
Can they move beyond losing?
They will travel a leaguehigh 35,952 air miles during the 16-game season while attempting to do so. So it won’t be easy. Consider:
The Rams finished 7-9 in 2015.
They have not had a winning season since 2003.
They have not made the playoffs since 2004.
They have not finished at least .500 since 2006.
Coach Jeff Fisher has a record of 27-36-1 in four seasons.
During an episode of the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” Fisher told players in a team meeting that he was not going “7-9 or 8-8 or 9-7, OK? Or 10-6 for that matter. This team’s too talented.
“I am not going to settle for that, OK? I know what I am doing.”
The Rams apparently think so.
Fisher and General Manager Les Snead could receive contract extensions, possibly before Monday night’s season opener at San Francisco.
The duo is credited with drafting players such as running back Todd Gurley, receiver Tavon Austin, offensive tackle Greg Robinson, linebacker Alec Ogletree and defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald.
They also are responsible for giving up six picks to trade up for the right to select quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 choice in last April’s draft.
Goff might very well be the quarterback of the future, but on Monday night he will be inactive and on the sideline in Rams warmups watching starter Case Keenum and, possibly, backup Sean Mannion.
Keenum’s play will be a key to the Rams’ success, or continuing struggles, and will dictate the timeline for Goff’s opportunity to fulfill his franchise quarterback status.
Franchise cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who will earn nearly $14 million this season, said he was eager for a new start.
“I’m just tired of losing,” he said. “It’s been four years of losing records since I’ve been here.
“If we can get over the hump and make a run in the playoffs, you never know what this team can do.”
The Rams’ schedule includes games against four playoff teams from last season. The Carolina Panthers played in the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots lost in the AFC championship game. And the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals play in the NFC West with the Rams.
The travel itinerary is as formidable as any opponent. Five of the first seven games are on the road, including one in London against the New York Giants (the Rams are the home team for the Oct. 23 game.).
St. Louis might have had drawbacks but travel was not one of them. The Midwest base meant no flight was more than four hours.
This season, the Rams have short hops to San Francisco, Arizona and Seattle. But they have long flights to Tampa, New York and New England as well as Detroit, their stopover before continuing on to London.
The schedule is backloaded with home games, including the final three against division opponents.
The Rams finally began to feel at home this week when they settled in at Cal Lutheran University, their temporary training facility for the next three years.
“We’re finally grounded,” Austin said, adding, “We can get focused now and start winning some football games.”
That would be a move in the right direction.