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          NFL Nation

          Jeff Fisher pleased with shape of Rams

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterAug 1, 2015, 02:30 PM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Each season, before St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher says goodbye to his players for their summer vacations, he offers a strong message about the various pitfalls of a month away from the team's watch.

          Fisher takes the lecture seriously and has even gone so far as to research which positions are more likely to get in trouble. And Fisher keeps a list of all the things that can get players in trouble that he recites before sending them on their way.

          “We were in touch with them," Fisher said. "You know, I failed them from the standpoint of, I talked to them about wave runners and four wheelers and jet skis and driving fast and all of those things."

          Well, maybe not all of them.

          "But, I forgot to talk to them about the fireworks," Fisher said. "So fortunately, we dodged that bullet. But, no, they understand. I think they have a good feel. It’s a responsible group and we’re fortunate that, you know, while everybody was gone, they made good decisions.”

          Yes, the Rams were fortunate in that all of their players returned with all of their fingers intact, not to mention the rest of their bodies. Players in Tampa Bay and New York weren't so lucky with the fireworks, losing fingers along the way.

          More impressive from Fisher's standpoint wasn't just how his team avoided off-field troubles but the work it apparently put in during the offseason. With the exception of guard Cody Wichmann, who landed on the physically unable to perform list with a calf injury, the rest of the roster passed conditioning tests with flying colors.

          “I told them yesterday that this has been by far, from a results standpoint, it’s been the best since we’ve been here," Fisher said. "When you talk about weight, when you talk about offseason improvement and then you talk about a conditioning level and a conditioning test that they blew away; as the rookies did as well.

          "It is a tribute to them. It is a tribute to the training staff and medical staff. Everrybody’s worked hard, they know it is important. And this is a one-time opportunity for this football team.”