InvaderRam wrote:

are there any internal candidates for the job.

Boras, the TE coach.

Rams likely won’t rush into new offensive coordinator hire

By Nick Wagoner | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/

EARTH CITY, Mo. — As of late Wednesday afternoon, there wasn’t much to know about the St. Louis Rams’ now vacant offensive coordinator position.

We know that Brian Schottenheimer has taken the same position (with added quarterback coach responsibilities) at the University of Georgia. We know the Rams now have an opening. But we don’t know who will be next in line to take Schottenheimer’s place.

The one thing we do know, however, is that Rams coach Jeff Fisher probably won’t rush into any hire unless he decides to hire from within.

Jeff Fisher typically takes his time hiring new assistant coaches.”I think there’s always a list,” general manager Les Snead said Wednesday. “Jeff’s philosophy is always, ‘Hey, be patient, don’t rush into it.’ But it’s like anything. what’s the pool like? This is all happening. You’ll see the philosophy with Jeff is let’s be patient, let’s go through. I think that’s what you’ll see.”

That’s what we’ve seen from Fisher when the defensive coordinator job has popped up in each of the past two offseasons.

In 2013, Fisher fired Blake Williams, the de facto defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, on Jan. 2. From there, Fisher deliberately went through the interview process, spending time with the likes of Dick Jauron and Mike Singletary before he hired then-Detroit Lions defensive backs coach Tim Walton on Feb. 15.

Last year, Fisher appeared to be committed to keeping Walton, but after taking some time to go through his options and, most importantly, repair his relationship with Gregg Williams, he fired Walton on Jan. 29. It was quickly apparent that Gregg Williams would be the new defensive coordinator, but Fisher didn’t even make that official for another two weeks.

In this case, Schottenheimer’s departure doesn’t come at the behest of Fisher. At Fisher’s end-of-season news conference, he was asked what he thought of Schottenheimer’s performance. To the chagrin of many Rams fans, Fisher offered an enthusiastic endorsement.

“I think Brian is an outstanding playcaller,” Fisher said. “He’s very organized. He’s an excellent teacher. You can’t put the record on his shoulders. That’d be very, very unfair.”

That endorsement followed another underwhelming performance from a Rams offense that regularly forced the defense to play almost perfect football just to have a chance. The Rams finished 28th in yards per game, 20th in rushing yards, 23rd in passing yards and 23rd in points per game in 2014.

That effort wasn’t much of an upgrade over his previous two seasons in charge. In 2013, the Rams were 30th in yards per game, 19th in rushing yards per game, 27th in passing yards per game and 22nd in points per game. In 2012, the Rams ranked 23rd, 19th, 18th and 28th in those respective categories.

Of course, Schottenheimer had his share of challenges along the way, including the repeated loss of starting quarterback Sam Bradford, several injuries along the offensive line and a big injury this season to receiver Brian Quick. And it’s also important to remember that Schottenheimer coached for Fisher, and much of the conservative approach falls in line with what Fisher prefers.

Nonetheless, the Rams offense regularly struggled to find ways to use Tavon Austin in the offense and the team’s inability to make adjustments at halftime repeatedly put the Rams behind the eight ball on offense in the final 30 minutes of games.

The Rams offense averaged a feeble 2.6 points in the third quarter of games this season, which ranked 30th in the NFL. They weren’t much better in the fourth quarter, either, posting 4.8 points per game in the final 15 minutes, which was tied for 24th in the league.

As for possible replacements, there are many former head coaches with offensive backgrounds who could be appealing. That list includes former Bears coach Marc Trestman, former Browns coach Rob Chudzinski and in-limbo Niners coordinator Greg Roman. If Fisher decides to stay in house, one name to remember is current tight ends coach Rob Boras.

No matter the ultimate decision, Fisher’s history would indicate two things: He won’t be looking to turn the offense in a drastically different direction and we won’t get an answer in the immediate future.

Dak wrote:

“It’s a hell of a thing, killing a man. Take away all he’s got and all he’s ever gonna have.”

Little Bill Daggett: Well, sir, you are a cowardly son of a bitch! You just shot an unarmed man!

Will Munny: Well, he should have armed himself

I was just listening to Snead on 101 (it’s posted).

I am not so sure about the “friendly fired” scenario. Snead sounded taken aback. Clayton (also posted) did not present it as a friendly firing. It sounded like Schott wanted out.

Nothing is clear yet but I will say this. When Fisher fired Walton, it was open and explicit. No secrets, no hedging, no sugar-coating. So I don’t know on this one.

Maybe Schott wants no part of a move scenario. (?)

And, starting as an OC in Georgia means getting in line to eventually be a college head coach. Maybe that’s what he wants.

bnw wrote:

Harvin was a cancer in the locker room. That is why he had to go. Good move by Carrol. Harvin was also injured too much and at the end refused to play. I wish the best for TA but in real progress I like what his WV teammate Bailey has shown this year in what shortened season he had.

Yes that was said about Harvin too. It was also said there was only so much they could do with him.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000412483/article/why-did-the-seahawks-trade-percy-harvin-to-the-jets

…Harvin was difficult for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to integrate into the Seahawks’ offense. He’s not your average receiver that runs the entire route tree and can get open on his own. Seattle had to scheme plays to get him the ball, and they were struggling to do so.

I agree that Bailey looks good.

GreatRamNTheSky wrote:

PLease, LA is full of distractions? So, there is no night life in STL?

LA the evil empire by the sea huh?

Grow up and get real.

Grits

InvaderRam wrote:

yes way more distractions.

you’re getting way too touchy. i’m actually kind of in support of the rams moving back. for selfish reasons.

Grits…cool it, okay. I don’t want to lock the thread.

bnw wrote:

Two years? Doubt it. Lack of creativity on the OC.

I don’t doubt it for a second, myself. LOok at Brian Quick, for one. And in college Tavon was never really a receiver. Remember he said the playbook in 2013 was like it was in Spanish. I doubt he can run more than a handful of routes at the pro level with any real effectiveness, at least so far. That’s one reason I always saw him, before they even drafted him, not as a receiver but as something else (combined yards weapon). He’s just not a natural receiver type…it isn’t what he is. And I was for drafting him. Plus I never bought this “lack of creativity” mantra on Schott. I always thought it was just this automated mantra.

bnw wrote:

Good riddance. Hire Mike Martz now.

I like Schott actually. But either way, they ain’t gonna hire Martz, I bet. Anyway, onward and upward…we’ll see what they do.

Brian Schottenheimer leaving Rams to become Georgia’s offensive coordinator

By Katie Sharp

The St. Louis Rams will have a new offensive coordinator next season. Brian Schottenheimer has left the team to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Georgia, as first reported by Seth Emerson of the Macon Telegraph and since confirmed by Georgia.

Schottenheimer was the Rams offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, during which the Rams ranked 28th in total offense (316.2 yards per game) and 25th in scoring offense (20.2 points per game). The team ranked in the bottom third of the league in most offensive categories each season, and showed little improvement statistically during his three-year tenure with the Rams. Prior to coming to St. Louis, Schottenheimer spent six seasons in the same position with the New York Jets, where he had more success as their offensive coordinator thanks to a strong ground game. The 2009 Jets led the league in rushing yards and ranked fifth in yards per carry.

If there is one hole in his resume, it is that Schottenheimer has never overseen a dynamic aerial attack. Although admittedly he has not worked with an elite quarterback during his time in both New York and St. Louis, his teams never ranked in the top half of the league in passing yardage.

wv wrote:

It’s hard to break habits in season.

You know whether or not this process actually helps CK improve, it is still true that you cannot do a lot to change technique etc. during a season.

I sometimes see some fans expecting that. No, a lot of that is just off-season stuff.

OahuRam wrote:

Thanks ZN. All of this is giving me Alzheimer’s.

Uh…all what is?

We were discussing curry recipes,right? (?)

from off the net

Dak wrote:

How about “reimagine” … that’s what Fisher did.

I dunno, I wonder.

See it seems to me that the situation dictated the approach.

If you were hired by SF, they had a great veteran team with a top defense, a good OL, and some weapons (Davis, Gore). You would go with that.

If you were hired by the Rams, you would recognize they had a young core, mostly because they had already been burned down in 2009 with a “start over” approach (plus they had fired the equipment manager, which is just a radically unthinkable deviation from all that is sacred). You would build around that core.

I looked at Seattle once and I think most of the players jettisoned in 2010 and 2011 when Carroll took over are not in the league. I think he inherited the poorest roster of all 3 coaches. The Rams list of guys still in football from the 2011 roster is much longer than Seattle’s list from the 2009 roster.

Rams’ Kroenke has made his LA play, but it’s not time for St. Louis to panic — yet

Howard Balzer
FOX Sports Midwest

http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/story/rams-kroenke-has-made-his-la-play-but-it-s-not-time-for-st-louis-to-panic-yet-010615

ST. LOUIS —

Disaster is around the corner. The sky is falling. Panic is in the air.

That encapsulates the general feelings of the St. Louis football fan base when they woke up Monday morning to learn of the doom that appears certain: Rams owner Stan Kroenke has entered into an agreement with the Stockbridge Capital Group to build an 80,000-seat stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The stadium encompasses roughly half of a $4 billion project at Hollywood Park that will include a performance center with up to 6,000 seats and other amenities that include office space, residential units, a hotel and areas for parks and playgrounds.

Furthermore, according to Chris Meany, senior vice president of Hollywood Park Land Co., construction will begin even without a commitment from an NFL team once a ballot proposal is passed that will green-light the development.

“I’ve heard that there’s a lot of talk about a lot of sites that have been out there for a very long time, for years and years and years. I don’t see shovels in the ground on those projects,” Meany said at a Monday press conference. “We’re putting our shovels in the ground and going forward. This is the location in Los Angeles that for decades was the best location for sports and entertainment.”

None of this should come as a surprise. Ever since it was revealed that Kroenke already owns 60 acres adjacent to Hollywood Park, there have been loud whispers that his Kroenke Group was also involved in talks to develop the Hollywood Park site.

So the suspicions were confirmed. But numerous questions remain unanswered, especially as it relates to the Rams’ future in St. Louis. The NFL wouldn’t comment specifically on the story, only reiterating that there will be no relocation of any team — including the Chargers or Raiders — to Los Angeles this year.

It also hasn’t deterred Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon from strongly pursuing the initiative he announced Nov. 5 and where groundwork has been laid over the last 14 months. Notable in Nixon’s consistent message is that he intends to show that St. Louis merits continued membership in Club NFL — be it as home of the Rams or, should the Rams move on, another team with wandering eyes.

“St. Louis is an NFL city,” Nixon said in a statement issued Monday, “and I am committed to keeping it that way. I look forward to reviewing the recommendations from Dave Peacock and Bob Blitz later this week and working with the St. Louis community to put forward a plan that’s consistent with our principles of protecting taxpayers, creating jobs, and making significant use of private investment to clean up and revitalize underutilized areas.”

Peacock, a former Anheuser-Busch executive, and Blitz, a Clayton attorney, indicated in a Monday statement from their spokesperson that they remain on track to present a new stadium plan — the key to strengthening St. Louis’ bid to keep the Rams.

“The news today is another reminder of how much competition there can be for National Football League franchises and projects that include NFL stadiums, but it does not change our timeline or approach,” the statement read. “It is important to remember this will be a long-term process, but one that the State of Missouri and the St. Louis region are fully pledged to seeing through. We are ready to demonstrate our commitment to keeping the NFL here, and to continue to illustrate why St. Louis has been and will always be a strong NFL market. We will present a plan to Governor Nixon this Friday as scheduled, and we expect that it will meet his criteria, thereby allowing us to share our vision with the public shortly thereafter. In the meantime, we will continue to have discussions with the NFL, as well as Rams leadership.”

Ever since Nixon went public in early November, even in the advisory announcing the conference call, he has emphasized, as did Peacock and Blitz in their statement, the efforts to show that St. Louis is a worthy NFL city. Peacock has made sure to make his case to the league office, keeping Roger Goodell and Co. updated on the plan of attack.

And league relocation rules are tilted heavily toward keeping teams in place. The Rams are obligated to make good-faith efforts to work with St. Louis on a new stadium plan. So, if Nixon’s crack team can present a viable plan, Kroenke can’t just ignore it.

It is important to remember that no NFL team has ever left a city when a legitimate plan for a new stadium had been proposed. It is also important to note Nixon’s stated goal “to clean up and revitalize underutilized areas.”

That’s a clear reference to the proposed area north of Lumiere Place and reaching close to the Stan Musial Bridge that is expected to include mixed-use development around the stadium that Kroenke would likely be a part of. It might not be as grandiose as Los Angeles, but, hey, we are what we are.

The reality is that now is not the time to panic. Kroenke always had leverage and now could have even more with the Inglewood plan becoming very public in the same week that Nixon will see the fruits of Peacock and Blitz’s labor. All along, everyone knew the only chance we have is to present a plan that will open the eyes of those who make the decisions on relocation requests.

Lookin’ good! Flip through our photo album of NFL cheerleaders.

Admittedly, Kroenke is turning the screws on St. Louis already, making big news in Los Angeles while remaining invisible here. If he has sincere intentions of keeping the team in St. Louis, he has a funny way of showing it. But unless he plans to do as he pleases and the league office be damned, the ball isn’t entirely in his court. And soon we’ll see the strength of the city’s plan to make him play ball.

Of course, there have been those within NFL ownership who wondered whether Kroenke might “go rogue” at some point, so we can’t discount that possibility. There are those who believe he plans to move with or without league approval, knowing he holds the trump card: a solution to the league’s long-standing Los Angeles stadium problem.

Meanwhile, we can only sit back and watch the high-stakes game that Kroenke enjoys playing as he continues to collect real estate and teams. No one, it seems, can top him from having his cake and eating it, too. After all, he’s a billionaire.