The internet quivered a bit yesterday when we learned via Michael McCarthy of the Sporting News that former Los Angeles/St.Louis Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher has been in talks with FOX Sports about joining their broadcast team for the 2018 NFL season.
Today, we learned from Andrew Marchand at the New York Post that Fisher will join the booth in Week 4 when the New York Jets travel to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on what sounds like a one-game tryout.
It’s a bit of a strange situation.
I can understand the hesitancy. Fisher is widely derided by fans as an online whipping boy for his final stretch with the Tennessee Titans and of course his nearly five-year stint with the Rams. Bringing him into a broadcast team could overshadow the actual quality of the job he does with a Fisherism here or there or any allusions to the job he did as a football head coach. But then why even bring him on for a tryout at all? If the intent is to slow-ease him into a broadcast role to prevent a “they’ll fix it” or “When I was coach” mention, perhaps he’s not sincerely prepared for the gig. It certainly doesn’t make much sense when you look at the wide number of head coaches who have joined the media side without doing so on a single-game tryout basis…
But it’s the Fish. Nothing is ever normal with Jeff Fisher.
Suffice to say the sheer abnormality of the situation combined with the internet’s love of all things Jeff Fisher should provide enough allure for people to check things out on Sunday, September 30.
Whether or not they’ll stick around to pay the kind of attention FOX is hoping, we’ll have to see.