Was Spags the right choice for Head Coach?
by revrue914 on Jan 23, 2010 10:01 PM CST
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PrintOn the eve of the NFL championship games I had a thought that I wanted you fellow rams to give your opinions on. Did the Rams make the right choice in selecting Steve Spagnoulo over Rex Ryan? Both are rookie coaches and come from similar backgrounds yet Ryan has more success under his first year under the Helm then spags as he gets ready to lead the jets against the mighty colts and on the brink of contention to NY Jets first superbowl appearance in 41 years. Spags On the other hand is gearing up for the draft and is evaluating college players. So do you think if the rams had Ryan that we'd be more than a 1-15 team or contending for the superbowl? How much of the Jets success is Ryans coaching? Ryan had 2 free agent signings from his former defense join the jets( Bart Scott, Jim Leonard) and an aggressive draft trading up for rookie QB Mark Sanchez. With the team that Ryan would have inherited as coach of the Rams, do you think that Scott and Leonard would have followed Ryan to St Louis and would Ryan have still tried to trade up in the draft to select Mark Sanchez?
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if he brought scott
we would never have had drafted Animal Jr. and i personally believe butler is better than Leonard
He inherited a far better team in the Jets
than he would have found with the Rams. It is way too early to say whether we made the right choice for coach. In fact, the chances are we will never know.
In all honesty
I had those thoughts a bit but the analyzed things quickly and realized Ryan did inherit a much better team.
Spags walked into a team in worse shape than an expansion team.
His draft I felt was alright (some question marks but hey, no one’s perfect) and I feel confident in our future.
Take nothing away from Ryan though. I always like his dad Buddy in his hay day.. one of the best D-Coordinators ever.
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall." - Vince Lombardi
Ryan's a better Coach
Ryan may have inherited a better team, but he’s a better coach all the same. The Rams would have been 4-5 games better of with Rex. Spags was way overated as an assistant and as a Head Coach the Rams actually regressed from 2008. For all the hype they should have kept Haslett. Then they could have been in a good position to bring in Shanahan.
And what are you basing this on?
With this team,and its injuries, the Rams would never have won 4-5 games. We only had one win because of a fake FG. A coach can not make that much a difference when given this little.
is ryan a better coach
he has much better talent on the jets, but i didn’t see the RAVENS D fall apart the way the GIANTS D did. i think in the long run the RAMS hired the right coach
Spags is better because...
Hey guys just signed on and excited to be part of the community but to get to the issue at hand…
Spags had alot less talent to work with. Its easy to be a better head coach when you have the number one line in the NFL and 3 strong RBs. He is lucky to be in the playoffs right now and Sanchez is not carrying that team. He is so overhyped. Credit Ryan for a good defense but with all that talent what do you expect. Guarentee Darelle Revis as a ram= at the very least 3 or 4 more wins
we are cheap
thats our problem. our owners. instead of paying a quality coach and a coach who has proven himself we hire a cheap rookie coach. (not saying that spags isnt good or anything)
just that our owners are cheap. for example horrible turf.
CHEAP
LOL, you do have a point.
It’s easier to sell a team that’s ready to rebuild rather than tied up in too much money in salary. I think Spags has done a fine job, from the reading I do, it appears the players love him and have bought into his system. Tho it hasn’t been proven to work on a team, he did wonders w/his Giants D. I have faith in him. As VRramsFan pointed out, last yrs draft went really well, but still too early to tell for sure. The ppl in charge did find us a few good players during the season and they did contribute. Very hopeful for our future.
Wouldn’t the NHL owner be a good choice of owner? I really don’t follow the selling of the team story too much, nor do I watch the NHL.
So, the Indianapolis Colts are cheap?
So are the New York Jets? The Minnesota Vikings? The New Orleans Saints?
All four teams in the conference finals today have coaches that started their careers with their current teams.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
I can't believe we are even having thi conversation.
The guy walked into a shit storm where 60% of the roster including future hall of famers were cut or let go. He came into a stuation where the entire Front Office (minus Devaney) was replaced. This what have you done for me lately mentality is what keeps Oakland where they are (well that and Al “Mr. Burns” Davis). What have they had…6 Head Coaches in this decade? I don’t want to go through that. Give the guy time, to implement his system, his expectations and bring in players that can match his framework.
I’ll tell it to you like this. In the midst of a season where wins were more rare than getting mauled by a Polar Bear in STL, the guys on the team where all on board. They bought in and understood what was expected of them. Even after each lost, guys kept their composure. We didn’t have guys venting to the media about how they wanted to be traded to another team, yet you heard that all over the place (Cleveland, Buffalo). More importantly, even though we had nothing to play for, the team played hard. the coach showed consistency all year in his message, and never once did we hear about him crying to his team after a lose.
I’m happy with what the guy is doing.
by CaliRamMan on Jan 24, 2010 8:33 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Very well said.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
Thank you...
CaliRam im glad to see a fan that can pull his head out of his arse and realize what it takes to build a team. Spag had a good draft this year. He got an anchor at the line with tons of upside in Jason Smith. An anchor at MLB in JLau. A cornerback with much starting potential in fletcher. a nice depth lineman in scott. Two project backups in Null and Ogbonnaya (i actually think ogbonnaya could be a nice little steal) and a receiver we didn’t get to see much of, but is very athletic and promising. He added multiple starters in FA that have come in a contributed right away. Give the guy some time instead of calling for his head at the end of every loss. Coaches don’t win the games. Players do. Ultimately everything is up to them, and if you have half your team filled with late round picks and undrafted guys you will lose a hell of a lot of games.
good one CaliRam
for those of you constantly complaining about everything, go join some other team’s bandwagon. Spags is a great head coach and he knows what he is doing. Seriously cannot stand some people here sometimes. If Ryan was our head coach and Spags went to the Jets, you very same people would be complaining about how Spags should have been our coach. Go back and watch the 2008 Jets, and the 2008 Rams, and you tell me who is the better team.
All they do is complain and complain and expect a playoff team year in and year out. Rebuilding takes time, and it is a committment from the coaches, to the players, and even the fans. If you need a quick fix and want to root for a superbowl team, i hear the Saints bandwagon still has some room left.
Not to mention
Both of his Coordinators were rookies in their positions this year, too. Its hard enough when you’re in a new position but a some of these rookie head coaches were groomed for the spot (Colt’s Caldwell) or at least had guys around him that were somewhat seasoned (49ers Singletary)
That Spags had enough credibility to have the men buying in to his vision, while marshalling rookie cooridnators at the same time, is fairly amazing.
by CoachConnors on Jan 26, 2010 6:49 PM CST up reply actions
At least we have coordinators
The Bears can’t find anyone who will take either of their coordinator positions. They just got turned down by the Ravens QB coach who decided he’d rather take the Raiders OC job over the Bears OC job.
Now their interviewing some guy who was the Vikings QB coach.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
w...t...h...
What the hell is he thinking, turning down Chicago for the same job in Oakland? Oakland is famous for its end zone called the Black Hole, but maybe just as famous for being the equivalent of a stellar black hole: a place where people disappear and careers stagnate. Gruden was lucky to get out alive. Kiffin’s departure was an embarrassing mess. Randy Moss was a ghost during his time there. I honestly thought the only people who would coach there are the ones that had no alternative.
by CoachConnors on Jan 27, 2010 11:28 AM CST up reply actions
Chicago is a mess.
OCs are either afraid of Cutler’s label as a “coach killer” or they all know that Lovie is a lame duck who probably should have been fired this year and only has one year left. If the Bears miss the playoffs (and there really is no indication they’re getting better), he’s a goner. I think OCs see that and know if he goes, so do they so they don’t want to attach themselves to it. If they had fired Lovie and hired a new HC, they’d have no problem getting an OC on board.
As for DC, no one wants to be the lame ducks lacky. Everyone knows Lovie is the DC and if you get hired as the Bears DC, you pretty much have zero control.
Also to note on the OC front. The Bears GM (who most believe is a lame duck as well) went out and hired Mike Tice as Offensive Line coach. This was done without the “okay” by whoever the new OC is going to be. Most coaches want to hire their own staff, but Angelo went out and hired the staff before he interviewed anyone for the OC position. Right away, a lot of people pulled out. Now they’re down to interviewing QB coaches no one has ever heard of.
Basically, its just a mess in Chicago. Angelo and Lovie went out and said publically they’d have no problem filling the two coordinator positions. They said there were people lined up to take the jobs. Well, now they have egg all over their faces because they’ve both been oblivious and arrogant in the face of a declining team as if 1) it’s not either of their faults and 2) they really aren’t bad at all (which they are). The defiance is amazing when it comes to those two.
Oh, and one other thing. The Bears fired Ron Turner as their OC, but really didn’t give a good reason. They scapegoated him and I think many people know that. What’s funny is right now, he’s the best candidate available for the Bears OC job (by a mile) and they can’t hire him because they used him as a sacrificial lamb.
They’ve screwed themselves over so bad it’s comical.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
Anything to take the microscope of the Raiders is good with me
Although the Raiders haven’t confirmed Tom Cable will be their Head Coach yet, and Al has already hired a new OC, D-Line coach, QB coach…
And yes, I am still going to renew my season tickets. I love to sit real close to NFL football, I just love it.
by CoachConnors on Jan 27, 2010 12:43 PM CST up reply actions
I think Old Plastic Pants just likes to screw with people
besides, its not like Cable has any leverage, not with his propensity for slapping women around…..
Anyway, I’m not as big a fan of sitting real close at NFL games although it is fun. My uncle has 1st row seats on the 40 yard line behind the Rams offensive bench at the Dome. I sit there every once in a while. You can’t see crap near the endzones (especially the one futhest away) but it is fun to watch the players on the sideline. And my uncle absolutely loves that stuff.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
I'm on the 20, about 10 rows up - and LOVE it
The official bench area in the NFL goes (I think) from 35 yard line to 35 yard line. If you sit behind them and down low, yeah you do have a lot of stuff in your way, but the trade off is the players can hear you when you yell to them and you can get good pics of them on the sideline.
There’s only 3 places I want to see NFL football — 1) at home in my La-Z-Boy recliner, 2) an expensive suite/club seats that I can’t afford, with a bar and waitress, or 3) down there so close that I can hear them hit and they can hear me call out to them.
They often acknowledge us when we yell their names, and that’s a lot of fun. I love being able to talk to them at times, I love hearing the big hits, the expressions on players faces, and the body language, etc.
You can tell when a team has quit by their body language. This happened when JaMarcus came on the field late in the season. You could just see them all slump down like “Oh great, now we’re screwed”. You can see when players are tight as a unit or if they are keeping theri distance from each other and how they talk to each other on the bench. Being an old coach, that kind of stuff is fascinating to me.
When my daughter performed as a Junior Raiderette (down there with the real Cheerleaders for 3 or 4 games) I bought seats for the whole family in row 1 and although we had great pic taking views of her halftime show, the rest of the game we couldn’t see much at all.
I’m very happy to be where I’m at now in row 11 on the 20….it’s perfect for me. Only 6 rows seated ahead of us because the A’s dugout takes up a couple rows. And another big deal for me is I’m in seat #1,which is on the aisle, because I have a little nerve damage on my spinal column and I can’t keep my right leg bent for long (or at all sometimes).
by CoachConnors on Jan 28, 2010 1:57 PM CST up reply actions
Spags is good coach
Between moving out older players, the poor draft choices of previous regimes and what 20 guys on IR; You got to figure you are going to be on the bottom of the league.
Give Spags & GM time they are moving in the right direction.
It's a valid question...
But not a fair comparison.
Reality check!
Let’s not go freakin’ nuts here. Sure, it took brass balz to even take on the Rams job. And give Spags due credit for picking Smith and Lauranitis in the draft (he couldn’t have known about Smith’s soft skull). I was NOT impressed with the rest of the lot except maybe Fletcher. Obog and Null were wastes. Picking up Jason Brown and James Butler were good moves. I’m not sure there’s a lot of praise to go around for hiring Shurmur and Flajole though. Romeo Crenell was available for DC and about anybody with a pinhead could’ve done as good as Shurmur. How many of you fans were singing Spags and Shurmurs praises after the Redskins and Jags games?? Firing Incognito was exactly the right thing to do. Except it should’ve been after the season opening 28-0 loss to the hated Sea Hawks – not 10 games later. Keeping anyone around with an attitude and work ethic like Alex Barron’s doesn’t move me either. Nope. At 1-15 I’m not going to sing the coach’s praises. I’m gonna wait patiently and see if he picks Suh #1, an OLB at #2, and manages to get us a capable QB via FA or trading draft picks. Then we’ll see how we fare next season. And, if we end up 2-12 or 3-13 against an easier schedule, fire his ass the same way we did Tommy Prothro in 1972.
I don't even think it's a valid question yet
I think it takes a couple years of evidence before you can really judge a coach, unless he totally bombs in his first season (which Spags did not). I can think of a lot of names that wouldn’t have done any better, or maybe even worse. From what the guy has had to work with, for just one season, I can only consider a Pass/Fail scale and he gets a Pass.
Its like young Quarterbacks, you can’t make a call after 1 or 2 seasons because it simply takes longer than that to mature. You can’t eat fruit before it’s ripe and then describe what the final product will taste like in 6 months. I know it’s not a popular thing to say/think but it takes time and you just have to wait and see what it’ll be.
I'll tell you one thing
If we get in the habit of firing head coaches in less than 3 years we won’t attract any replacements worth a shit
If the rams are going to get any where they need to get rid of this no good coach
Spagnolla sucks as a head coach, when u go 1 and 15 that means u suck. When the season started the rams where projected to win 5 or 6 wins and they win only 1 and barely won that one. The rams last two coaches have been rookie coaches, and with these two we have had our two worst seasons in rams history. The rams need a veteran coach who knows how to coach and prepare a team week in and week out. And all of u fools out there who think hes doing a good job which is 1 and 15, is just as sorry as he is!!!! Maybe if u fools whould start putting presure on him to win games or get the hell out, maybe hell do a little better job, I doubt that would even work, so get off his nuts and let him know he better start winning cause us as ram fans deserve a hell of alot bettter then this!
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