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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Jeff Fisher has an extension in place to return as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, a development that leaked to the media on Sunday morning but transpired several months earlier.Fisher confirmed it in Sundays postgame news conference, minutes after his team was thoroughly outplayed in a 26-10 loss to the New England Patriots. He said the deal was signed well before even the first preseason game.The news was first reported by NFL Network, with multiple sources confirming to ESPN that Fisher and general manager Les Snead, who was also in the final month of his current contract, are signed through the 2018 season. Snead was not made available by the Rams, who dont allow the media to conduct postgame?interviews with front-office members.Fishers team has dropped seven of its past eight games, one loss away from giving Fisher his sixth consecutive losing season as a head coach.Asked what he would say to fans who are wondering why he is receiving an extension, Fisher said: Well, Id tell them the truth -- that this was done well before the season started. It was done well before we had 90,000 people at the Coliseum for our first preseason game. Were moving forward. Thats what were doing. Were trying to put a winning product on the field.The Rams confirmed the extension through a team spokesman but are not expected to send out a press release.This week especially represents bad timing for the news to go public. Days after a 49-21 loss to the New Orleans Saints?last week, Fisher was involved in a public spat with Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, who was infuriated over being denied sideline passes as a response to his criticism of the team. That prompted fans -- old ones in St. Louis, new ones in Los Angeles -- to turn on the team and Fisher, who they had long been clamoring for to be fired.Fisher said discussion with the Rams started at the end of last year, and they moved into the offseason. So I agreed with the organization well before this season started.But the extension does not seem to guarantee much beyond compensation. Its viewed more as a token of appreciation from owner Stan Kroenke, who didnt want Snead or Fisher to finish this season with lame-duck status.Sources told ESPN they believe the deal includes a team option for the Rams, who still could part ways with Fisher after the season and owe him only one year of salary.Its never been my personal position to go ahead and release that stuff, said Fisher, whose agent, Marvin Demoff, is the father of Rams COO Kevin Demoff. Im very appreciative with respect to Stan, knowing what we were going through. It somehow got out. Im expecting to be the coach of this franchise. However, I understand that the wins and losses fall on my shoulders. Thats the fact of our business, and I get that.Fishers Rams have been no better than 7-8-1 and are only 4-8 this season, despite winning three of their first four games. Fishers teams have finished above .500 in only six of his 20 full seasons as an NFL coach, and he has 164 career losses, one away from tying Dan Reeves for the NFL record.Entering Sunday, the Rams were tied for the NFLs most total penalties (691) and had averaged the fewest yards per game (309.1) since Fishers first season with the franchise in 2012.Players, however, stood behind him.I love him, Rams running back Todd Gurley said. I dont care what everybody else says.Damn good decision, added defensive end Eugene Sims of Fishers extension. Fishers a good coach, and hes a players coach. He takes care of us. Hes a great coach. He puts us in good situations. We just have to come out and do our part. We play the game; they coach us.Asked if he believes Fisher is the right man to take the Rams to the playoffs, a place they have not been since 2004, defensive end William Hayes said: Absolutely, man. Stand-up guy, takes care of his guys. He does everything that a player wants from his coach. He pushes us.Hayes pointed to all the close losses the Rams have sustained, five by seven points or less, as an indication that this season couldve easily been different.The extension is proof the Rams brass does not view Fisher as harshly as the fan base does. They credit him, and Snead, for turning around a franchise that had lost 65 of 80 games in the five years before they took over and are grateful for what Fisher did in helping transition the team from St. Louis to Los Angeles over the offseason.But Fishers Rams still have to get right if he wants to stay.Ive got some work to do here to finish up strong, Fisher said. You know, we have some personnel issues to deal with and get better. And we have some issues to deal with from an offensive side of the ball.ESPNs Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington contributed to this report. 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Queensland have done plenty of talking during the State of Origin series, but NSW are intent on having the last say.The Maroons have had every reason to celebrate so far as they claimed their 10th series win in 11 years last month.But it is what the Blues see as a lack of humility and arrogance in those celebrations that have provided NSW with all the motivation they need ahead of Wednesdays game three dead rubber at ANZ Stadium.Blues prop Andrew Fifita was incensed as a number of Maroons players, including Johnathan Thurston, Corey Parker and Josh McGuire verbally abused him following their series clinching game two triumph in Brisbane.McGuire subsequently took to Twitter to label the Blues losers, a moved that had also got under the Blues skin considering it was the Brisbanne props first series win and his maiden run on appearance.dddddddddddd.Ahead of his final Origin game, retiring Blues skipper Paul Gallen labelled Queenslanders as bad winners.Blues coach Laurie Daley has declined to become involved in the pre-match barbs, but hinted at extra motivation provided by the Maroons as NSW attempt to avoid a 3-0 series clean sweep.That is all part of the fun and games of Origin, Daley saidWhen you are on top you can say what you want, when you lose you just have to cop it and accept it and move on.We need to go out there on Wednesday night and have a red hot crack and we might have something to say about it afterwards. 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