Hey, this is the first thread I've posted about the Fisher situation so bear with me.
Adam Schefter has issued a load of new reports about the Fisher thing as of this afternoon. He says according to Fisher the situation is not at all about money, or some leverage game (which I've been saying for a while). Most importantly, Fisher says neither side has actually even made an offer. Fisher has a series of demands in terms of power and organizational structure. It's not just infamous "final say", it's other stuff involved in the organizational structure, right on down to how many trainers he's allowed to hire. Serious, this comes from Schefter. Fisher reiterated that this is between the DOLPHINS and RAMS, there's no third mystery party he's holding out for.
Here's the reality of the situation, and actually someone I know that's been investigating this and has contacts inside the Fins' front office has confirmed that I have it right. This isn't some secret source I'm trying to hide everyone, it's @KohneysKorner on Twitter, he works in the media and he's got contacts, he and I talk to each other on Twitter a lot, we even have a running bet on who ends up the next Dolphins head coach and if Fisher comes on he owes me a steak dinner at Charley's here in Tampa. Anyway.
Jeff Fisher in all likelihood told both teams his demands in terms of power, organization and promises. Both teams reacted by simply continuing through their list of interviews. They want to have interviewed all potential choices so that they have all of their options on the table and can make a choice whether to give in to Fisher's demands, or go in a different direction. For instance, the Rams are rumored to be pretty excited about Rob Chudzinski and they may decide to go that direction instead of giving in to Fisher's demands.
Everyone's waiting for Fisher to make a decision. But from his point of view, the ball is in the Rams' and Dolphins' courts.
So why do the Dolphins have an advantage? Because I believe that in addition to final say authority and the organizational structure demands, which he has demanded from both teams (and which the Dolphins have NOT agreed to according to Marc Kohn, unlike what NFP reported late last night), he may have demanded some extra promises/concessions from the Rams regarding their potential move to Los Angeles.
What kind of extra concessions? Think about it. When Bill Parcells was hired by Wayne Huizenga, he insisted on a clause being inserted in his contract that says that if Huizenga sells the team, Parcells' contract becomes fully guaranteed, AND he can leave any time he wants. Once Huizenga sold the team, that's exactly what happened, it triggered the clause and Parcells became a free man. He could fulfill the rest of the contract, or he could just walk away, either way he was getting paid and was free to work for anyone else. Interestingly, Parcells decided to keep working for the Dolphins for like a year and a half longer, even though he was essentially working for free (since the money was already his regardless of whether he worked or not).
I think Jeff Fisher probably asked the Rams for the same thing if they move to L.A., and this has freaked the Rams out enough that they want to interview everyone before they decide whether to give in to Jeff's demands.
Think about it. Let's say they the Rams give Fisher the $8 million per year over 5 years contract he's rumored to want. In 2 years they move to Los Angeles because the business opportunity is too good. Suddenly Fisher's contract becomes guaranteed, AND he can walk away. He leaves the team, having already earned $16 million and getting to walk away with another $24 million, and is free to coach any team he wants and start up a new contract. It's no wonder the Rams are reluctant.
This is likely the snag the Rams hit with Fisher. And that's likely why you keep seeing people insist that the Dolphins have a "slight edge".
I think it's perfectly plausible they've not discussed financial terms yet. Based on what people that know Fisher say about him, I absolutely believe that to him the financial part of this whole thing is an afterthought and he takes the view that it'll take care of itself quickly once the bigger stuff is out of the way.
Everyone is waiting for Fisher to "decide" and getting angry at him, but really it's the two teams that have to sh-t or get off the pot. That's my take.
