LOS ANGELES -- The word "culture" was referenced often in a dispirited Los Angeles Rams locker room late Sunday afternoon, in the aftermath of a 44-6 loss that punctuated their thoroughly disappointing season.
The Rams dropped seven straight games to end the year. They lost 10 of their last 11. And they finished with a losing record for a 10th straight season. In the end, they went 4-12 in their first year back in Los Angeles, the same record they had in their last season leaving Los Angeles. And now the search for a new head coach kicks into high gear.
"We just need to change the culture, man," Rams defensive end William Hayes said. "We have to create a winning culture around here. That’s what we’re lacking right now."
"This isn’t the culture that you want to live in," offensive lineman Rodger Saffold added. "I’ve been here several years and still haven’t had a winning season. I know I’ve worked hard to deserve better."
Said quarterback Jared Goff: "We need to do some things and get the culture changed, and with that comes higher standards and better players and more talent, and it just rolls. It just keeps going. It’s momentum, and I expect that to happen here.”
With the regular season over, the Rams can begin to interview NFL coaching candidates for teams who are either not in the playoffs or have a first-round bye. They'll begin doing that this week, with Sean Payton a reported target if the New Orleans Saints are willing to negotiate a trade. The Rams promise to maintain an open mind, though offensive coordinators like Kyle Shanahan (Atlanta Falcons), Josh McDaniels (New England Patriots) and Sean McVay (Washington Redskins) appear to be favorites and can all be interviewed this week.
The Rams fired Jeff Fisher on Dec. 12, 13 games into his fifth season with the organization.
"We just need to really have someone that can motivate us," sixth-year Rams tight end Lance Kendricks said. "Not that Jeff Fisher didn’t. But we need someone to motivate us, and we need someone to be on our butts when we mess up. Whether it’s each other, whether it’s the coach. Whoever it is."
Fisher wasn't necessarily that guy. He was beloved in the locker room, partly because he wasn't really a disciplinarian. In the end, though, it might have played a part in the Rams leading the NFL in total penalties since 2012 and not finishing better than 7-8-1 in that time, ultimately unraveling. It has also been a long time since the Rams were even adequate on offense. They went eight straight years without a 1,000-yard receiver -- until Kenny Britt broke that streak in 2016 -- and have finished within the bottom five in the NFL in yards each of the last four seasons.
Goff said he's "very excited" to get into a new offensive system, whatever that may be, and called this season "pretty identical" to his freshman year at Cal, when his team finished 1-11.
"We changed the culture in the building, and then we won in the coming years with the same guys that were 1-11 the year before," Goff said. "And that’s kind of what I expect to happen here, as well. ... We want to put this behind us as quickly as possible and want people to understand that this is not what we’re about and the standard will be set higher.”