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znModeratorAre you sure, Zooey and wv I hear are rumored to be candidates. Just saying.
After getting fired the way they were, Z and WV will never coach again.
You can count on that.
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znModeratorExcept its not ‘the government’ that supports the climate-change-consensus. Its lots and lots and lots of different kinds of governments and organizations all over the world. Japan, Cuba, Norway, France, etc, etc.
If it were just the USA that was pushing this, it would be one thing — but its not.
w
vAs a child of 2 scientists, I have often had this conversation. Someone says, no there’s no global scientific consensus on climate change, that’s a conspiracy. And I say, do you know any scientists? It’s hard to get 2 scientists to agree on where to have lunch. Let alone get thousands upon thousands of them in different countries all over the globe and in different fields to agree to a lie when agreeing to a lie like that goes against the core inner principles that make them scientists in the first place.
It’s not one country. It’s not one field. It’s not one scientific organization. These are people whose very training includes the fact that they get individually rewarded for resisting theories they don’t believe in, and yet there is consensus.
Only people with ties to corporate interests deny this stuff. And even then their own corporations undermined them by accounting for climate change in their own fiscal decision making….which they did do, while also funding the deniers.
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znModeratorI had assumed that most people who knew something about global warming and weren’t employed by Exxon accepted global warming.
No–among educated advanced first-world nations the USA has the highest percentage of deniers.
It’s a direct effect of the money being spent to try and foster doubt.
It works in the USA, nowhere else.
znModeratorWell I dunno. I dont know what you mean by ‘leftist bias’.
It’s bs.
If you look at any normal faculty ratio there are invariably as many conservatives as leftists if not more.
This is the kind of thing said by people who swallow Limbaugh nonsense whole and do not really know the situation they’re trying to talk about.
I know for a real hardcore fact it’s bs.
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znModeratorFormer posters like GRITS, Nittany, RFIP or even me, could be our Head Coach. Ya never know.
Yeah I do know.
No posters won’t be coaches.
znModeratorFisher reminds me of Maxwell Smart with all of his excuses
We differ on that.
I see 2012-15 as including an incredible run of sheer stupid bad luck.
I can’t think of an teams that played well on offense when they BOTH (a) lost the starting qb, and (b) dealt with issues on the OL including both *extensive* injuries and inexperience. I am always open to hear from someone who can think of examples that counter that statement. Until I hear examples, though, I just figure that this is a huge factor and there is no evidence of any kind AGAINST seeing it as a huge factor.
How many games from 2012-2015 did they have a relatively healthy and/or decently experienced OL?
20 of 64.
How many games from 2012-2015 did they a functioning, non-melted down or non-injured starting caliber qb?
I give Foles 4 games so it’s 27.
How many games did they have BOTH things?
15. Of 64.
And when he says he is the only guy to coach 2 bad teams that also moved? That’s just true. I don’t see any point in him humbly denying it to earn macho points.
And you know in the end no one needs to be swayed by these things (though denying them is just, well, denial). People can still just easily go, I don’t care, I don’t like Fisher anyway.
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znModeratorVoting proves theory?
No, voting states positions.
Turns the issue into an informal poll.
So just stating a position.
znModeratorI’ve seen enough for this to be my vote, and it always will be my vote.
The overwhelming majority of scientists from all over the world, and from a wide array of fields, have arrived at the consensus view that climate change is real and human caused.
The USA is the only advanced country in the world where there is a notable percentage of people who deny this.
But then the USA is the only advanced country in the world where large corporate interests dominate what counts as news.
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znModeratorIMO Fisher is fair and balanced. Keyshawn asks a really stupid question.
znModeratorRams’ coaching search likely to focus on up-and-coming assistants such as Kyle Shanahan, Josh McDaniels
VINCENT BONSIGNORE
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/shanahan-739155-rams-coaching.html
It was bound to happen, of course. The Rams have a head coach opening and a need to make a big splash considering the sizable stage provided by the second-biggest market in the country.
With season tickets to sell and PSLs to pitch and a new fan base to entice and plenty of eyeballs standing on the sidelines just waiting for a reason to be turned, it made sense to assume the Rams would reach for the stars to grab everyone’s attention with a big-splash hire.
And so the narrative and rumors immediately began churning upon the Rams cutting ties with Jeff Fisher.
Jim Harbaugh was simply a phone call and a sizable chunk of Stan Kroenke’s billions away from leaving Michigan for Los Angeles.
Pete Carroll was a primary focus. Jon Gruden was interested. Sean Payton was on the short list.
Never mind all the above “candidates” already have great coaching jobs or, in Gruden’s case, a cushy, high-paying TV gig he’d have to have his head examined to want to leave for the grind and rigors and headaches of coaching in the NFL.
Big names equal plenty of clicks, don’t forget. And if pushing your client’s name out there means getting a raise or a couple of years tacked on to the current contract, hey, all the better.
So let the rumors begin.
Or, as a high-ranking NFL official who’s been down this road before sighed this week, “Next week it will be Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.”
In other words, nonsense.
Look, history has shown coaching searches sometimes take wild turns on a dime. So it behooves everyone to hold off eliminating anyone just yet.
But there is a world of difference between possible and probable, so best not to get caught up in the big stars residing in far away galaxies.
Back here on earth, some compelling evidence is emerging to suggest the Rams have begun focusing on current NFL assistants standing one rung away from a coveted head coaching job. With the two most prominent targets Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Which makes sense, considering the soft push they’ve applied to the gas pedal since showing Fisher the door lines up with the rules they must adhere to in talking to assistant coaches.
The Rams aren’t allowed to contact current assistants until after the season ends, and with most of the hot candidates coaching playoffs teams the wait is even longer in some cases.
If a potential target is coaching a team that earns a bye through the first round, the Rams can talk to him during the off week. After the wild-card round, they can talk to assistants from winning teams but only with the permission from their current teams.
After the conference championship round, they can interview for a second time a candidate from a Super Bowl participant they interviewed earlier.
Which brings us back to Shanahan and McDaniels.
With the Patriots having already earned a first-round bye, the Rams can talk to McDaniels as early as Jan. 2, or a day after the Patriots finish the regular season against the Miami Dolphins.
As for Shanahan, there is still an outside chance the Falcons finish with the second-best record in the NFC and a first-round bye. If so, the Rams can talk to him at the end of the regular season. If not, they have to wait one week.
Of all the names being bandied about, these two make the most sense.
Shanahan, though, might check off a few more boxes.
While McDaniels is associated exclusively with the Bill Belichick coaching tree, Shanahan was groomed under his celebrated father, Mike, and Super Bowl-winning coaches Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak.
And while most of McDaniels’ success has been tied into working with Belichick and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady – not that there is anything wrong with that – Shanahan’s body of work is much more well-rounded.
He has turned Matt Ryan and the Falcons into an offensive juggernaut this year, with the Falcons leading the NFL in scoring and trailing only the New Orleans Saints in yards per game.
In previous years, Shanahan helped get 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns out of Washington rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III and 1,613 yards out of rookie running back Alfred Morris in 2012.
In the process he proved his flexibility by constructing an offense that fit the skill set of RG3 rather than the other way around.
And as the offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans from 2008-09 he helped construct an offense that produced the third-most yards in the NFL in 2008 and a top-5 yardage offense and 10th-best scoring offense in 2009. His quarterback, Matt Schaub, threw for 4,770 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2009, Andre Johnson eclipsed 1,500 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons and Steve Slaton ran for 1,282 yards in 2008.
If you want to pin RG3’s demise on Shanahan rather than injuries, do so at your own risk. But keep in mind Shanahan has all but dispelled that narrative by pushing Ryan and the Falcons as high as they’ve ever been this year.
Keep in mind as well: RG3 and Schaub both had their best years with Shanahan as their coordinator, and Ryan is on pace to have his best season.
If you’re the Rams, that’s an attractive resume considering the need for an established track record of offensive success. With so much riding on the development and success of rookie quarterback Jared Goff, Shanahan makes a lot of sense.
That doesn’t mean he gets the job.
But if you’re wise, the focus should be in his direction rather than the Grudens or Harbaughs of the galaxy.
znModeratorThe 12 best NFL coaching candidates, and the one that teams are too scared to hire
Here are a dozen names to top any GM’s list as hiring season ramps upJason La Canfora
Conventional wisdom is running amok in the NFL.
Decision makers use the same criteria, covet the same profiles, worry about the same optics and produce coaching searches every winter that are very much carbon copies of what everyone else is doing. It’s an exercise in keeping up with the Joneses or covering one’s backside and fearing the unknown. Everyone is looking for QB whisperers/offensive play callers, so we have to have ours, too!
I’m over it.There is a reason there is so much futility in this league. And this is part of it. Relying on consultants more times than not results in “inside jobs” where nepotism or cronyism seeps in, and the coach who’s hired invariably worked previously for (or grew up best friends with the son of) the consultant leading the charge. The idea of headhunters is beyond ridiculous — if an owner can’t put together a decent list of candidates, someone in his organization better be able to have enough of a grasp on the league to do so. And these copycat candidate lists often lack much vision, creativity or foresight.
So this year, as I present the dozen guys I believe are best positioned to constitute the coaching class of 2017, please allow me to stump for Dave Toub. Yes, Dave Toub. And the fact you have no idea who the hell he is, in and of itself, is indicative of the kind of tail-wagging that has been going on with these searches for far too long.
Toub is the stud special teams coach for Andy Reid in Kansas City. He’s the guy who has been helping win games for the Chiefs with big returns and fake punts and shifting field position and motivating men and outsmarting his opponents. And before that, he was the guy behind the perennially dominant special teams in Chicago (2004-12). Oh, and before that he led Reid’s special teams units in Philly (2001-03), which were also generally top notch. He’s the guy behind Devin Hester and Robbie Gould and, lately, Chiefs dervish Tyreek Hill.
Many of his players over the years have told me Toub should be leading an entire team, not merely one unit. He’s a leader of men. He commands respect. He gets the best out of players. He is arguably the best coach on Reid’s esteemed staff in Kansas City, and Reid has been nothing but a developer of NFL coaches. He grows them. And Toub is one of his best, yet the fact that he coaches special teams works against him. That still remains true in spite of Hall of Famers like George Allen and Marv Levy were coaches who came through the special teams pipeline, not to mention Bobby Ross or Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, another one of Reid’s disciples.
“He’s a combination of Harbaugh and John Madden,” one of Toub’s former colleagues said. “He is the real deal. This guy can coach. Period. He’s a big guy, physically, who can take over a room when he has to. He gets people to buy in. These guys love playing for him. He comes from a great [coaching] family tree. Look at Andy Reid’s assistants over the years. This guy is ready. All he needs is a chance.”
A personnel exec who used to work with Toub, 54, said: “If Dave Toub can’t get a job in this league, then I give up. Talk to other coaches in the league. They know who is for real and who is horseshit or the flavor of the month. This guy can coach a football team. He’d be the first guy I’d talk to, and it isn’t even really close.”
Toub has been involved in head coaching searches before, interviewing with the Dolphins when they hired Joe Philbin (how did that work out for them?) and the Bears in 2013 (when they hired Marc Trestman — yikes). He has been under consideration for many more, but general managers have been scared to pull the trigger. I spoke to two of them a year ago about Toub, a former all-WAC offensive lineman who was drafted in the ninth round by the Eagles but never made it on to an NFL roster. Both agreed he was a hell of a coach and an inspired thought to run a team and that he merited a chance, but then both essentially ruled it out in the end because they needed to develop a quarterback and were locked into going offense. Neither guy who was eventually hired, by the way, is what I would call especially safe even only one year in.
Another exec who knows him said: “Superb at what he does and by a million miles the best special teams coach in the league. He is an A-plus guy.”
You can find a quarterback coach and offensive coordinator to work with the passers. It doesn’t have to define the entire coaching search. I would actually assert that special teams coaches are ahead of the curve in that they already must address players from both sides of the ball, and in essence the entire team with regularity. They aren’t dealing with merely those certain position groups. Besides the head coach, the special teams coach is the only guy on the staff entrusted with clock management and other in-game responsibilities. He also must adjust to losing more players than any other unit. A special teams coach comes in with no inherent bias to either side of the ball, and thus no sentimental ties or desires of offense over defense (or vice versa) in terms of roster composition with the GM.
I hope this hiring season that some of the GMs who invariably consider Toub actually give the Chiefs a call and ask to interview him. I hope they reflect on how Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin were two of the more outside-the-box hires of the past decade or so, and how well they have worked out. I hope they get beyond the norms and perceived constraints and branch out a little bit. If they do, I suspect they end up richly rewarded.
As for the other guys at the head of this year’s class, I don’t see anyone from the college ranks heading to the NFL, though Stanford’s David Shaw is perennially at the top of that wish list (and the Rams and 49ers in particular might want to feel him out, just in case).
Excluding guys like Shaw and Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh, who I simply don’t see even thinking about leaving their current jobs, here are the dozen candidates who, along with Toub, should be getting heavy consideration next month as these searches begin in earnest:
Currently out of the leagueJon Gruden: A football savant, someone born to coach, and long coveted by pro and college programs. I truly believe he is ready to listen and listen intently, specifically, in Los Angeles. It’s Hollywood or bust, I reckon. And the Rams and Chargers should both be fully exploring this option immediately. Outside of L.A., Gruden is staying in the broadcast booth, and those who do aim to woo him should come correct.
Tom Coughlin: His résumé speaks for itself and I’ve been reporting for weeks on the mutual interest between him and the Jacksonville Jaguars. At age 70, he might not be best suited to a rebuilding team — and the Jags are nothing if not perpetually rebuilding — but that is his most likely destination at this point. He has a home there and deep ties from his first go-round leading the original expansion Jags. Their search will start with him and might end with him as well.
Ex-head coaches who are current coordinators
Josh McDaniels: He will absolutely kill it when he gets another shot … and he is getting another shot in 2017 after a tough initial tenure as head coach of the Broncos. McDaniels is as good of a play caller and schemer as there is, and I’ve been touting his return for years. The time is now. Look at what he did in the four games that Tom Brady was suspended this season. He has matured from the humbling stint with Denver, and is a better person and a better coach for it. Coaching is in his blood, and if you are looking for a young Jon Gruden (not that Gruden is old, at 52), McDaniels is your guy. I can’t imagine there is a team out there with an opening that does not request to speak to him.
Todd Haley: His first shot coaching the Chiefs ended ugly, but he, too, has grown from that experience. He can run an offense and he can develop tight ends and receivers, and he did go to the playoffs in Kansas City with Matt Cassel as his starting QB. His work in Pittsburgh has been excellent, and he managed to forge a strong bond with Ben Roethlisberger in the aftermath of the QB’s displeasure with the dismissal of his former coordinator, Bruce Arians. Jacksonville, Buffalo and San Francisco could make sense for him.
Mike Smith: His winning percentage in Atlanta was exceptional. He can coach. It’s hard to argue against that. And the way he has led the Buccaneers defense this season, getting them out of the shadows of the collapsed former regime of Lovie Smith and getting better each week, has been truly special. Some believe he could be part of a Jacksonville package if Coughlin came in as a football czar and not the head coach, and either way, he will get opportunities to interview.
Jim Schwartz: His Eagles defense has looked like the best unit in the NFL at times, and while it has waxed and waned and slumped occasionally, Schwartz is a smart football mind. Like McDaniels, he is a Bill Belichick disciple who understands how to put a smart program in place and he is the rare man to take the Detroit Lions to the postseason.
Current coordinators without head coaching experienceKyle Shanahan: He gets the best out of his personnel, he is a gifted offensive mind and he obviously comes from great coaching stock. He can shapeshift the identity of his offense from week to week, like McDaniels. Like some others on this list, this has been his calling for a long, long time. He has become more open and engaging with players and the media and the evolution of his relationship with Falcons QB Matt Ryan is indicative of that. The 49ers will look long and hard at him if Chip Kelly is gone, among others.
Teryl Austin: He has been an “It” coordinator for several years now and he has benefited from going through the interview process in years past. His Lions defense has had precious few standout players, yet it has managed to exceed expectations and keep teams out of the end zone. He has had an exodus of talent in recent years but has remained a stalwart. He needs to team himself with a top offensive coordinator candidate. Buffalo will look long and hard at him once Rex Ryan is let go.
Vance Joseph: He’s young and he’s gifted. He has transformed Miami’s defense on the fly this season and has gotten Ndamukong Suh, who has chewed up and spit out far more experienced coaches, to buy in. He has also benched other key veterans and then brought them back with good results. He has adjusted his scheme to fit personnel along the way — playing more zone, not trying to get too cute — and some of the very scouts who were down on him early in the season are pushing hardest for him now. He walked into a difficult situation and is thriving and people are noticing.
Sean McVay: He is a few years from being as hotly coveted as guys like McDaniels and Shanahan are now, but he is very much in that same mold. He’s going to be the youngest coach in the NFL at some point, it’s just a matter of when. He has done great things with Kirk Cousins and players swear by him. They trust him intrinsically. He has everything you would want in a complete package and teams will ask to interview him next month. He’s still a little raw, perhaps, but I would rather grab him now than risk never being able to hire him.
Russ Grimm: He’s the only position coach on this list, but the job he has done with the Titans offensive line is ridiculous. Few can mold boys into men like he can. He was groomed to be a head coach under my buddy Bill Cowher and he came damn close to being head coach in Pittsburgh, and in Chicago, at various times. He has been a coordinator and understands more than merely the run game, though his work with the Titans shows just how dominant his blocking schemes and ground approach can be. His hiatus from football after his firing in Arizona has him reinvigorated.
Others receiving votes
Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott rallied his unit back to form in the second half of season and has been a top candidate for a few years now.
Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia still has a wild and wooly look that isn’t the CEO image most owners want. He’s also the likely heir apparent to Belichick in New England if he sticks around there long enough.
Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter could be held back by his name, believe it or not, in this crazy corporate league as I talk to more execs about him.
Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel has been as good a position coach — next to Grimm — as there is and has the Belichick roots.
Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak will eventually get college offers and he had a decent stint previously as head coach of Titans.
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znModeratorWhat network?
Sorry, don’t know.
December 21, 2016 at 3:43 pm in reply to: Eric Davis, Kirk Morrison & D'Marco Farr discuss the Rams #61446znModeratorI haven’t listened to it all yet. BUt, they are pretty good on Gurley, when they get to that.
znModeratorJon Gruden: ‘I have no intention of coaching’ for now
Conor Orr
Just as Linus van Pelt spends hours awaiting the arrival of the Great Pumpkin every fall, those of us interested in the head coaching industry await the yearly appearance of our favorite, seemingly mythical winter creature: The Jon Gruden returning to head coaching rumor.
The former Raiders and Bucs coach, who won a Super Bowl back in 2003, has been associated with the opening in Los Angeles via several published reports over the last few weeks. However, the ESPN Monday Night Football announcer appeared on the network’s Mike and Mike show Wednesday to say he’s happy where he is.
“You know Mike, I love football. I’ve said that a million times,” Gruden said, via ESPN. “And I just want to say that I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. My full attention is on the Cowboys-Lions game, I cannot wait for our final Monday Night game. There’s a lot of chips on the table. But right now, I have no intention of coaching. I really enjoy what I’m doing and I feel like I’m really close to the fire. I’m getting plenty of satisfaction out of doing what I’m doing.”
While the Gruden comeback rumors often elicit eye rolls, an opening in the Los Angeles market carries a different weight than previous jobs. Like the Giants gig a year ago, it is a premier franchise in a premier location; one of the most visible jobs in professional sports. If anything were to entice Gruden, couldn’t it be the bright lights of Hollywood and the sheen of a soon-to-be-completed billion-dollar stadium?
Apparently not. As NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo have both said in recent days, the smart money might be on someone like Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan or Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the Rams job. Perhaps Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith would also come into play.
The “headline” names associated with this job, like Gruden or Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh or Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll have all now publicly dismissed any interest they might have in coaching the Rams even if the roster seems to be set up for quick success.
There is no doubt Los Angeles will want to hoist a big-name candidate at the end of this coaching search. But, according to Gruden, he will not be the one.
znModeratorRams seek retribution against hapless 49ers
By Alden Gonzalez
OS ANGELES — If nothing else, this Week 16 Christmas Eve matchup against the San Francisco 49ers is a reminder of the first sign that the Rams’ return to Los Angeles would not get off to a very good start.
You remember, right?
It was Sept. 12, on Monday Night Football from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Rams were embarrassed on national television, losing by a 28-0 score. Think about what has transpired since then.
They amazingly won their next three games, but then lost nine of their next 10. Todd Gurley still hasn’t done anything on the ground. Jared Goff finally became the starting quarterback, but has yet to play well. And the Rams’ longtime head coach, Jeff Fisher, has been fired.
The Niners, meanwhile, have yet to win a single game.
Now the two meet at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, trying to reignite a once-heated rivalry with two teams that are a combined 5-23. The Rams will be in their throwback blue-and-yellow uniforms that the locals love so much, but that probably won’t be enough to drum up much interest.
Here are six opposing players to watch, courtesy of ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner:
OFFENSE
QB Colin Kaepernick: Kaepernick wasn’t in the starting lineup when these teams met in Week 1. He took over in Week 6 and has started nine straight games, but has yet to be at the controls of a victory. His accuracy remains an issue as he’s completed just 55.5 percent of his passes, but he does have a strong 13-to-3 touchdown-to-interception rate. Kaepernick’s propensity for being much better in the first half than the second has contributed to San Francisco’s struggles to close out games and get a second victory.
RB Carlos Hyde: On Tuesday, Niners offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins said Hyde has been “growing as a runner” over the course of the season and he’s more decisive than he was earlier in the year. Since Week 11, Hyde is averaging 101.4 yards per game on 6.18 yards per carry.
OL Zane Beadles: The 49ers have been decimated by injury, including on the offensive line, where they’ve been without left tackle Joe Staley (hamstring) for the past couple of weeks and center Daniel Kilgore is out for the season. Then center Marcus Martin hurt his ankle last week. All of those moving parts have left Beadles to pick up the slack. He’s played left guard, left tackle and center over the past three weeks. It’s unclear where he’ll be against the Rams, but it’s safe to assume he’ll be out there somewhere come Saturday.
DEFENSE
DL DeForest Buckner: Buckner has played more snaps than just about every defensive lineman in the NFL despite missing a game because of a foot injury. He’s also been one of the few healthy and reliable defensive players the Niners have been able to count on all season. Buckner has 69 tackles with five sacks and two fumble recoveries on the season.
S Antoine Bethea: Injuries actually have hit the defense harder than the offense this season, and it was especially evident against Atlanta last week. Things got so bleak at inside linebacker that Bethea volunteered to step in after Nick Bellore went out with a shoulder ailment. Bethea is one of the team’s leaders and also has been dependable and durable. He has 96 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery this year.
LB Gerald Hodges: Hodges missed last week’s game for violation of team rules and it’s unclear if he’ll play this week. Coach Chip Kelly has said that decision will be made as the week goes on. The Niners clearly need Hodges, but they are comfortable not playing him if he’s not doing the right thing throughout the week. If he doesn’t play, the Niners will have to scramble at inside linebacker again as only Michael Wilhoite and recently acquired Carl Bradford remain at the position on the roster.
znModeratorInteresting interview with Casserly. He talks about the process of hiring, and he has a list of candidates to be a head coach.
And the list is NOTHING like the one we’ve seen with the Rams.
To me this is a reminder that coaching hire discussions get too stuck on and limited to familiar names.
znModeratorSources: Jon Gruden a focal point in L.A. Rams’ coaching search
Charles Robinson
The Los Angeles Rams are moving toward a meeting with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden about the team’s head coaching vacancy, multiple sources with knowledge of the Rams’ coaching search have told Yahoo Sports. The sources indicated Gruden has become a focal point on the Rams’ list of candidates, but that other candidates could also come into play – notably Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw and New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton.
It’s not known whether Shaw or Payton have any level of interest in the Rams job, but multiple sources said Gruden would be inclined to listen if the Rams were willing to grant him full personnel authority. One source said such a concession would be a “must” for Gruden to even consider taking a meeting with franchise leadership in the coming days. The Rams will consider granting personnel authority to at least some of the candidates in their search and that Gruden is among that group, a source told Yahoo Sports.
Gruden, Shaw and Payton are three names that continue to fit the theme of the early list of Rams candidates who would make a big splash in the market. The team also had initial interest in Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and University of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh but both quickly brushed off any consideration for the opening. If Shaw is interested, the Rams could quickly set a meeting with his representatives. Seeking Payton would be more complicated, as he signed a five-year contract extension with the Saints last offseason and the Rams would first need to reach some level of agreement on potential draft-pick compensation with New Orleans.
A meeting with Gruden would be far less burdensome, particularly considering there is already some high-level familiarity with the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders coach. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff previously spent four years with the Buccaneers from 2005-09, overlapping with the final four years of Gruden’s tenure as head coach of the Buccaneers. During that time, Demoff was a senior assistant to then-general manager Bruce Allen. Essentially, he had a front-row seat to see how Gruden ran his coaching staff and interacted with the personnel department. It’s that experience which is believed to be elevating Gruden on the list – along with Gruden’s high profile.
Those who have spent time with Gruden say he has continued to believe he could again coach at a championship level in the NFL, particularly with rule changes that have given more leeway to offenses in recent years. But they’ve also said he has viewed his options for a return very selectively and largely predicated on a team’s quarterback situation. In that respect, Gruden’s belief in Jared Goff would be key.
It’s notable that he gushed about Goff in one of his “QB Camp” features on ESPN and also in some other interviews. While such public praise is taken with a grain of salt in many corners of the NFL, one source close to Gruden said he has also privately expressed that he believes Goff is a franchise quarterback.
“He does believe in him – that’s not just for TV,” one source familiar with Gruden said. “He thinks [Goff] has the stuff to be a franchise quarterback. I don’t know if Jon would have traded the farm to get him, but he sees him as a guy that was worthy of building a team around him. He sees leadership and star power there.”
Interestingly, those are two traits the Rams might value most in Gruden, too. Not just that he has been to a pair of Super Bowls and won a ring, but also because he has the type of high profile that will resonate with the Rams’ fan base. For financial reasons, that is expected to play a factor in the next head coaching hire.
While other names have been raised in the Rams’ search, sources have told Yahoo Sports there is a business component that will also factor – specifically, the plan of Rams owner Stan Kroenke to sell hundreds of millions of dollars in personal seat licenses for the new Inglewood stadium. The Rams are expected to begin that effort in force in early 2017 – not exactly an ideal launching point with the Los Angeles fan base already seeming to have grown frustrated with the team.
znModeratorMannion ready to play vs. 49ers if Goff can’t
Rich Hammond
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161219/mannion-ready-to-play-vs-49ers-if-goff-cant
THOUSAND OAKS >> Regardless of whether concussed rookie Jared Goff plays this weekend, the Rams seem prepared to make a change at quarterback with an eye toward 2017.
Goff remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol, the aftermath of the big hit he took from Seattle’s Richard Sherman last week, but Goff participated in Monday’s light practice and hasn’t been ruled out for Saturday’s game against San Francisco. There’s a secondary decision to be made, though.
Even if Goff plays, it seems likely that Sean Mannion, who has been inactive for 13 of 14 games this season, will leap over Case Keenum on the depth chart and (at least) be the Rams’ backup.
“He’s earned it,” interim coach John Fassel said of Mannion after Monday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “It would be great to see what he can do. Case would understand. So we’ll see how that goes.”
Mannion became the forgotten man in the Rams’ high-profile quarterback derby this season, even though he performed well in the preseason, but he could be a big part of the Rams’ future.
The Rams drafted Mannion in the third round in 2015, one month after they acquired Keenum (for a second time) and one year before they drafted Goff at No. 1 overall. Mannion appeared in only one game last season, in place of ineffective starter Nick Foles, when Keenum was out with a concussion.
Mannion served as Keenum’s backup for the first game of this season — against the 49ers, coincidentally — but lost that role to Goff the following week and hasn’t been a part of the active roster since then.
The Rams clearly intend for Goff to be their quarterback of the future, but Keenum is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and Mannion is under contract for at least two more seasons. If Goff can’t play — or even if he can — it would seem prudent for the Rams to get Mannion more acclimated.
Keenum was not available for comment after Monday’s practice, and Goff is scheduled to speak to reporters after Tuesday’s practice.
“I’m always ready to go in the game and win,” Mannion said. “That’s been the mentality I’ve taken all year, so nothing changes there. Obviously, like anybody, you want to get an opportunity to play. Being the backup, I guess, puts you closer to getting in the game. All year I’ve prepared as though I’m the one playing, the one starting, and I’m the one who has to go in and win games. So that doesn’t change.”
Fassel said he talks about the roster with general manager Les Snead “three or four times a day,” so any decision on Rams quarterbacks probably wouldn’t come from Fassel, including whether to play Goff.
Goff left Thursday’s game in the fourth quarter after a massive hit from Sherman near the sideline. Goff seemed to be arguing to stay in the game, but he remains in the concussion protocol.
There’s no firm timeline for NFL players with concussions to be cleared. First, they must be free of symptoms. Then, they must be able to do light exercise and weight training before they’re allowed to return to full football activities.
Fassel indicated the Rams would wait as long as Thursday — the Rams’ final full practice before Saturday’s game — to make a decision on whether Goff would play against the 49ers.
Without doubt, Goff is the Rams’ future, but beyond that, everything could change.
The Rams soon will bring in a new permanent coach, and it’s probably no coincidence that possible candidates — Jon Gruden, Josh McDaniels, Sean Payton among them — each have a background as a quarterbacks coach and/or an offensive coordinator.
There’s no assurance that the next coach will want to keep Mannion as the Rams’ backup, so Mannion would cherish any opportunity to play now and prove himself.
Mannion hasn’t been in a game since Sept. 1, when he finished a solid preseason. In three games, Mannion completed 39 of 60 attempts for 325 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, albeit against second- and third-string defenses.
“Like anybody in this locker room, you want to get an opportunity to play,” Mannion said. “I’m certainly no different. I think you try to stay engaged in ways other than being on the field. On game day, I come out early and probably throw 125 balls and get a really good workout in. That’s how I stay engaged on game day, and then do whatever I can during the game to help Jared or help Case or help the team.”
znModeratorznModeratorIs it a film that demanded a sequel?
Sure.
It’s a great film.
I hope you have the right DVD version…there are a lot of “not the right one” ones out there.
znModeratorEven if it was just a lot of ‘bad luck’
I will still be glad for some new coaches, new personnel guys,
a new approach.And better luck.
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znModeratorThat leaves us with one opening on the Practice Squad.
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off the net from Ramgator
! Rams signed Reggie Northrup Jr LB to practice squad
I worked with his Dad, Reggie Sr, for almost 11 years on the Fire Dept, till he transferred to another station 4 months ago. Guys, this is a GREAT GREAT pick up!! He was one of FSU’s ALL TIME tacklers! And he wasn’t even used to his strengths?? I JUST talked to Reggie Sr on the phone. Jr has already worked with Singletary and met Fassel. Both KNOW that Reggie is also a TERROR on Special Teams. At LB, he is QUITE capable of sealing the outside and blitzing gaps. QUITE CAPABLE!
Even if he was not on the Rams, I’d be SOOOO happy for Reggie Jr AND Sr. I KNOW there has been MUCH hard work put in. The kid LOVES to play and is hungry as hell! Guy’s, we just picked up a late 1st / 2nd round LBer, talent wise! Jimbo Fisher did NOT use him to his strength. In fact FSU hardly even relies on the LB positions. But Reggie STILL produced big time.
THE best thing about him? HE TACKLES ON THE SPOT! He is also a great kid. ALWAYS “Yes Sir” or “No Sir” I’M STOKED!!!!
znModeratorSean Mannion Press Conference – 12/19
Quarterback Sean Mannion talks about preparing as if he’ll see playing time this week against the 49ers
znModeratorSean Mannion may start for Rams if Jared Goff (concussion) can’t play
Alden Gonzalez
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff was still in concussion protocol and remained day-to-day on Monday, with the Los Angeles Rams still uncertain if their rookie quarterback can go in Saturday’s home game against the San Francisco 49ers. If Goff isn’t ready by then, the Rams may turn to Sean Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015 who has spent almost his entire career confined to the bench.
With Case Keenum a free agent at season’s end, the Rams — 4-10 after losing nine of their past 10 games — would like to see what they have in Mannion before the year wraps up.
“Case has performed well when required,” Rams interim coach John Fassel said, “but it would be good for the team to get a look at Sean and see what he can do if pressed into service by necessity.”
Goff took a vicious hit from Richard Sherman in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 24-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, prompting him to exit immediately. Goff seemed fine to teammates in the aftermath of that game, but would have to pass several tests before being deemed ready to play under the NFL’s concussion protocol. Players must complete a five-step process that includes rest and recovery, light aerobic exercise, continued aerobic exercise and introduction of strength training, football-specific activities, and then full football activity/clearance.
Goff was with the team during their walk-through workout at the facility on Monday, taking part in all the meetings, but his status remains unclear. The Rams would ideally know by Thursday, their final practice of the week.
Regardless, it sounds as if they are committed to keeping Keenum inactive and having Mannion spend these last two weeks at least as a backup.
“Obviously that would be a great opportunity for me,” Mannion said. “I’ve honestly been preparing for that all year.”
Mannion was the 89th overall pick out of Oregon State in 2015, finishing his collegiate career as the Pac-12’s all-time leader in passing yards, a record previously held by USC’s Matt Barkley. Since then, Mannion has attempted only seven regular-season passes in his NFL career, completing six of them late in a 31-7 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 29, 2015 — a game, ironically enough, that Keenum missed while in concussion protocol.
Mannion began this season as the backup, but that was only because the Rams were bringing Goff along slowly. Mannion has been inactive since Week 2.
Despite the limited snaps, though, the 24-year-old believes he has improved “a lot” since being drafted.
“Without getting a chance to play, maybe it doesn’t show to you guys and you guys aren’t able to see it, but I certainly feel like I’ve been getting better and better each day and each week, from last year to this year,” said Mannion, who went 39-of-60 for 325 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in three preseason games this year.
“Should he need to get in the game, it would be great to see what he can do,” Fassel added. “He was a draft pick of ours. He’s earned it. He comes in early every day, and he stays late with Case and Jared. He prepares like he’s going to play, which is hard to do as an inactive third quarterback all season.”
znModeratorput carson wentz or jared goff in that offense, and i’m not entirely convinced they’d be better. even while scaling back their responsibilities. or maybe even as good.
Yeah that’s where we differ.
Put Wents and Goff in that offense, which is WAY scaled back, and with that OL and those skill players, and in my mind there’s just absolutely no way they would not be doing better than they are now.
In terms of making plays? Dallas is 29th in passing attempts, 1st in rushing attempts, and 2nd in rushing yards. They scaled the offense back for him and don’t ask him to do as much. Sure he’s making plays but then so are Wentz and Goff–under more challenging circumstances.
I mean just on paper, all other things being equal, which rookie qb ought to be doing better?
The one with the scaled back offense who throws less while the team successfully runs more?
Or the one without the scaled back offense who throws more and that’s with not much of a rushing attack?
znModeratordak prescott is still playing well. i don’t necessarily buy the argument that he’s being propped up by the offensive line and elliot. certainly it makes a difference but not THAT much of a difference.
Read the first post, this thread. It isn’t just that he’s propped up by those things. Dallas limits what they let Prescott do. They have enough of an offense around him so that they can scale what they ask of him way back.
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znModeratorYou've gotta blame the pass protection for this ball placement. Way too much pressure on the QB. pic.twitter.com/pr8FPOWMGJ
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) December 19, 2016
Scouts absolutely loved this type of play from Wentz in college. You can really see why. pic.twitter.com/BCTteEVGWM
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) December 19, 2016
Gonna need a Wentz highlight video after this season set to https://t.co/bz0fcBnpuE pic.twitter.com/EG0t89VAnZ
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) December 19, 2016
znModerator1-13: the 49ers’ fast, steep, disorienting fall from grace
The ghost of the Jim Harbaugh era haunts the 49ers, who need a clean break from those glory daysATLANTA — Quarterback Colin Kaepernick walked into the visiting locker room at the Georgia Dome and allowed himself a moment to remember. The last time the 49ers played here, the NFC championship game for the 2012 season, Kaepernick rallied the 49ers from a 17-0 deficit for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Being here again brought back memories.
“When I first walked in the locker room,” Kaepernick explained, allowing a smile to break his stoicism, “my locker and (Joe) Staley’s locker was the same lockers we had during that championship game. There was a little bit of a nostalgic moment.”
But then Kaepernick had to shut down the reminiscing. That would do him no good this day, just remind him how far the 49ers have fallen. Because that was a long, long time ago. Watching the 49ers get blasted 41-13 by the host Falcons, basically an NFC wild card team, it felt like ancient history. Not four years ago, but four eras ago.
That NFC Championship game was waaaaay back when the 49ers were Super Bowl contenders. That was followed by mediocrity and dysfunction. Then rebuilding. Now, they are in the era of embarrassment.
Sunday’s loss, the 13th straight, has the 49ers chasing the Cleveland Browns for the longest losing streak in the NFL. They aren’t even competitive. Success is merely landing a couple of blows in the process of getting stomped out.
The shellshock from the veterans makes sense. The lack of answers, the disbelief in their glare, is understandable when you consider just how fast this has happened.
Remember how disappointing 8-8 was? They were owned by rival Seattle. The team CEO was tweeting shots at the head coach. The quarterback had the yips. They lost to the then-lowly Raiders, who were on their way to 3-13 and were laughed out of Oakland.
They were outscored by 34 points that year, one season after outscoring opponents by 134. Coming off a third straight trip to the NFC championship game, the 49ers were crumbling on their way to a .500 record.
And they’d give anything to get back to that level.
Sunday, the Falcons toyed with them. Matt Ryan threw a season-low 23 passes and still posted his second-highest yards-per- pass average of the season (12.1). Davonta Freeman rushed for 139 yards on 20 carries. He could’ve gone for 200.
“You know what’s going on,” said veteran linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who with Kaepernick are the only players to start Sunday and in that NFC title game. “Patrick Willis retiring. Justin Smith retiring. Some other big-name guys leaving the team. We’ve just got to rebuild. I guess we’re in a rebuilding stage right now. … I’m not in a rebuilding stage in my career. This is my 11th year. Next year will be my 12th. I really have no time to be rebuilding. I want to win.”
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The memories of the glory days are a hindrance at this point. It was recent enough that several of the 49ers can still taste the adrenaline of playing for Super Bowls. Eight players on the roster started in Seattle in the NFC title game after the 2013 season: Kaepernick, Brooks, Staley, NaVorro Bowman, Tramaine Brock, Vance McDonald, Eric Reid and Glenn Dorsey.
They create an unreachable expectation, keep alive a standard not reachable any time soon.
General manager Trent Baalke has been kept around because of those memories. Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly were chosen as plug-in head coaches because the glory days felt like they were just right there.
Kaepernick is still the starter — despite tension with the front office, declining play and a roster that doesn’t fit his skill set — partly because a quarterback-of-the-future was never drafted. A new signal-caller isn’t needed when you’re so … close … to getting … back.
But those illusions are extinct, vanquished by weekly demolitions at the hands of even mediocre NFL teams. The 49ers now have seven losses by at least two touchdowns. Four of those are to teams currently with losing records. This is the team the bad franchises feast on, and the good ones cruise past them with B performances.
As 49ers legend Steve Young said, everybody needs to be taken to the parking lot until they prove why they should be let back in. Because the 49ers need a complete restart. On the front office. On the roster. On the stadium.
CEO Jed York sounds safe, so a fresh start may not be possible — unless he adopts a fresh approach. Doing so requires a new general manager and likely a new head coach.
The 49ers are so bad, a completely regenerated paradigm is needed. And that is hard to accomplish when the glory days were
znModeratorI think free agency will very important this year considering lack of draft choices.
I think they stopped doing big splash free agency.
A long list of misses and bad luck there combined, ie. expensive bad luck. Thinking of Finnegan, Long, Wells, Cook.
They do better with mid-range signings (Fairley, Hayes, Britt).
They look like they have cap space BUT they have a boatload of their own FAs to sign, including saving room for Donald (ie. if you sign a guy now he takes money from future caps too).
Things may change but that’s where it stands right now I think. I think they’ve walked away from big-market FA signings.
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znModeratorGus Bradley was fired by the Jags.
Interesting. Why couldn’t they wait 2 games? They don’t have a new stadium to finance.
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