Rams' new coordinator likely to be in-house hire

Rams’ new coordinator likely to be in-house hire

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/new-coordinator-figures-to-be-in-house-hire/article_db2bcb31-9d15-5e90-97de-1563cd8717c4.html

PHOENIX • As Rams coach Jeff Fisher winds down his deliberate search for a new offensive coordinator, it’s all but a certainty that the replacement for Brian Schottenheimer will be an in-house hire.

That means either tight ends coach Rob Boras or quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti. Fisher has high regard for both, but at this point Boras probably is the frontrunner.

There is precedence for an in-house hire from Fisher’s long tenure as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. After defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell left for New England following the 1996 season, Fisher promoted his linebackers coach, Gregg Williams, to defensive coordinator.

When Williams left to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills following the 2000 season, Fisher promoted linebackers coach Jim Schwartz to the defensive coordinator post.

Boras, 44, is a native of Glen Ellyn, Ill., who has spent 11 seasons in the NFL coaching tight ends with the Rams, Jacksonville, and Chicago. Among his college-coaching stops was a five-year stint at Nevada-Las Vegas from 1999-2003. He was the offensive line coach there for all five seasons, but doubled up as offensive coordinator his last three seasons there.

Cignetti, 49, a Pittsburgh native, has been an NFL quarterbacks coach with San Francisco (2007) and New Orleans (2000-01) prior to his stint with the Rams. He has been an offensive coordinator at several stops on the college level: Fresno State (2002-05), North Carolina (2006), California (2008), Pittsburgh (2009-10), and Rutgers (2011).

Both Boras and Cignetti were part of Fisher’s original Rams staff in 2012.

Former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett interviewed with the Rams last week for Schottenheimer’s old job, and a second interview with the Rams was planned. But Hackett dropped out of the Rams’ OC search on Wednesday and is headed to Jacksonville as quarterbacks coach.

The Rams were impressed with Hackett’s interview. But in Jacksonville Hackett will be reunited with Doug Marrone. Hackett, 35, was Marrone’s offensive coordinator at Syracuse and with the Bills. Marrone is assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the Jaguars.

Hackett is the only outside candidate for the coordinator’s job in St. Louis known to have interviewed with the Rams, although Fisher did have phone conversations with Kyle Shanahan and Adam Gase.

Shanahan ended up with Atlanta, where Seattle defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is expected to be named head coach after the Super Bowl. Gase reunited in Chicago with John Fox, after working with him in Denver

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Rams’ coordinator search narrows again

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/15874/rams-coordinator-search-narrows-again

News came Wednesday that Nathaniel Hackett, the only remaining known outside candidate the St. Louis Rams had courted for their vacant offensive coordinator job, pulled out of consideration for the job and was headed to Jacksonville to become quarterbacks coach.

Hackett was scheduled to have a second interview with the Rams earlier this week but that clearly was postponed for a reason. The reason being an opportunity to go to the Jaguars. In Jacksonville, Hackett reunites with Doug Marrone after the pair worked together in Buffalo.

Hackett wasn’t assured of getting the Rams job, so it’s possible that he opted to take the guaranteed job in Jacksonville. But whether he bowed out of the St. Louis proceedings on his own accord or because he knew he wasn’t going to get the job really doesn’t matter at this point.

What does matter is where the Rams go from here. We are now 22 days removed from the departure of Brian Schottenheimer to Georgia as its offensive coordinator. We knew then that Rams coach Jeff Fisher would probably take his time before making a hire. But with reports out of San Francisco that the 49ers are going to elevate quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst, the Rams have the only coordinator position still open in the league.

Considering the Niners also were near the end of the line in hiring a coordinator, it’s probably a good indicator of the method the Rams are going to use to fill their job. In other words, it seems quite likely the Rams will end up hiring someone in house for the job.

That could very well lead to the conclusion of tight ends coach Rob Boras. Boras was the man the Rams very likely would’ve chosen for the job had Schottenheimer left last year and is the coach on the offensive staff who is most regarded as an up-and-comer in league circles. Boras has been in the league for 11 years coaching tight ends but only has three years as a college coordinator to his name, all coming at UNLV where he also coached the offensive line.

Quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti also figures to be in the mix. He interviewed for the Cleveland Browns’ offensive coordinator job and is also thought to be a bright offensive mind. Cignetti also offers a little more experience calling plays. He’s been a coordinator in college stops at Fresno State, California, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.

The well of outside candidates has mostly dried up at this point. The Rams showed interest in Kyle Shanahan and Adam Gase but Shanahan is headed for Atlanta and Gase has already landed in Chicago. Green Bay denied the Rams permission to speak to quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt and Indianapolis promoted Rob Chudzinski before the Rams could speak to him. The Rams also hoped to interview Greg Roman but he took the job in Buffalo before the Rams could talk to him.