St. Louis Rams outbid Dolphins for Fisher as new coach

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS

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.

Fisher is widely considered the top prize in this winter’s coaching-search sweepstakes.

His long stint in Tennessee included a Super Bowl matchup against the Rams in 2000 in which Tennessee fell 1 yard shy of forcing overtime in a 23-16 loss. 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 franchise-type player despite an injury-plagued, unproductive 2011. The Rams have the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft and a favorable salary-cap situation.