Dearest Stan: Keep Spagnuolo
by Eric Nagel on Dec 21, 2011 2:30 PM CST
in 2011 NFL regular season
Email
Print
Oh boy. I can't even begin to imagine the can of worms I'm about to open up, but I'm going to write this anyway. For a long time, I've been in the mindset of firing Spagnuolo. But the more I think about it, the more I think the team should keep him.
I don't see any scenario where the Rams keep both Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo, but they should keep one of them. And that one person should be Spagnuolo. If you dare to hit the jump, I'll try to convince you.
First off, I'm going to talk about player progression. Now, I think we all know that Spags is NOT an offensive guy. I don't think he has an offensive bone in his body, and for that reason, I think he needs a strong minded offensive coordinator not named Josh McDaniels to help him succeed as a head coach. For that reason, I'm not going to look so much at offensive players, but more defensive players:
I'm no expert, but I strongly think that Spagnuolo has had a huge impact on Long. Two years ago, we weren't even sure if he would pan out. Now, he's among the leagues best in pressure and is turning into one of the best defensive lineman in the league. He has 13 sacks this year, even though he's been double teamed in almost every game and has little help on the inside.
Another Pro-Bowl quality player. The Rams picked him in the 2nd round a few years ago and have never looked back. He's clearly thrived in Spag's defense and is one of the best linebackers the Rams have had in a long time. I'm sure you can give credit to Spagnuolo and DC Ken Flajole (his specialty is linebackers) for his development.
Stewart has really shined this year, and has clearly qualified as a diamond-in-the-rough type player. Given where he was just a few years ago, you have to give some credit Spagnuolo, who has spent quite a bit of his career coaching defensive backs. This leads me to...
Sure, Fletcher has been injury prone. But when he has been healthy, he's been a quality starting corner. When opposite of Ron Bartell, the Rams have a good one-two punch on the defensive side of the ball (three-four if you include Darian Stewart and Quintin Mikell). When healthy, the Rams have a very good secondary with a good mix of young and veteran players.
We all know how the Rams draft. They assign a value to a certain position, and that value is the priority that they draft with. It wouldn't come to the surprise of any fan to think that both OLB positions are 10 and 11, respectively. Picked in the waning hours of the draft, Chamberlain is easily one of the Rams best special teams players. His progression this year as a defensive starter can't be overlooked either. While he isn't going to be an All-Pro, having a player like him on the team certainly helps when it comes to depth.
Another depth player, Gordy has become one of the Rams better corners. He clearly has progressed throughout the season and could see time next year as in the dime, or even nickel package based on his play this year.
Quinn's a raw player who has had problems against the run, but has still made an impression on the team. Its clear that his run defense problems have prevented him from starting full-time, but credit the coaching staff with utilizing him in every way possible, as evident by his three(!) blocked punts.
Of course, for every player like them, there is a Darrell Scott, a Justin King, or a Ben Leber. However, it's clear that when the injuries started to mount, players like Jabara Williams were cast aside to help fill gaping holes in other positions. Unfortunately, that is just how it works sometimes. Still, Spagnuolo's presence certainly can't be ignored, and the 5 defensive starters (and two key role players) I mentioned certainly have made an impact on the team.
It's clear that some of the players the Rams have cast off have had a big impact on other teams. Look at Larry Grant and Laurent Robinson, and you'll be puzzled as to why they didn't thrive in St. Louis. Is this Spagnuolo's fault? Well, that's questionable. Larry Grant certainly makes you question Spagnuolo's ability, but Laurent Robinson is another factor entirely. If the position coaches can't improve players, you can't expect a head coach to push everything aside on the team and focus on one player entirely. That is what positional coaches are for. So while Spagnuolo might be a decent head coach, his underlings are the ones you should really be worried about.
Another key fact to remember is that this team has stuck with Spagnuolo, even after you look at his record. They buy into his style and the team clearly plays for him. If the Rams wouldn't have had three epic-sized contracts in Sam Bradford, Chris Long and Jason Smith, they most likely could have added more talent as well.
No, clearly the biggest problem this team has had is on the offensive side of the ball. Josh McDaniels has done a piss poor job of managing this side of the team, refusing to adjust any facet of his strategy to the clearly incapable Rams. This refusal has cost the Rams countless points, and has severely damaged Sam Bradford's ability. Spagnuolo is the boss, yes. But what would a defensive coach do? What could he do? I severely doubt he has the capacity to fire McDaniels. Nor do I think anyone on the team would be qualified to replace him in-season. I also don't believe Kroenke, who appeared to be a main factor in the McDaniels hiring, would appreciate Spagnuolo attacking his prized offseason possession.
On offense, the Rams have two key problem areas: wide receiver and offensive line. Jacob Bell and Jason Smith are likely on their way out. The prior, a Scott Linehan holdout, has done little to impress since he's been a Ram, and Jason Smith is a product of one of the worst drafts in recent history. They both had the dubious honor of being coached by Steve Loney, who I personally believe to be a horrible offensive line coach.
As far as the receivers go, they waited long enough to add Brandon Lloyd, but the loss of Danny Amendola certainly hurt the team more than anyone expected. It's hard to fill 10 holes when you only have 5 draft picks.
In conclusion, no Spagnuolo should not be fired. It most likely will not happen, but ideally, Josh McDaniels and select position coaches should be fired. Should Devaney stick around? That's debatable. But Spagnuolo was brought in for one purpose: to create a good defense. For all intents and purposes, he's achieved that goal, at least as well as you can when the defense is on the field for 45 minutes of every game and is missing every cornerback the team started the season with to injury.
If you ask me now, the Rams need to revert back to a WC offense, something Bradford clearly thrives in. They need to find new positional coaches for certain positions, and draft players like Matt Kalil to bolster the offensive line. If the offense can play decent, even mid-range, this team could win games. A lot of games. The record they have does not reflect (when healthy) the talent this team has.
Spagnuolo hasn't been perfect, but after inheriting a team absolutely devoid of any NFL talent and one currently facing countless injuries (not to mention a massive budget), could you really think of someone who could do any better? If his worst tick against him is that he can't control the basket-case that is Josh McDaniels, is it really a fire able offense (no pun intended)?
Dearest Stan, stop this madness. Nobody likes Dan Snyder, so don't act like him.
Note: This post went out WELL before I was expecting it to, and as such, it isn't complete (although I have added a little extra to it). Since it's already out there, I figure it might as well stay out there. There will be another piece with Pekka and I debating this topic tomorrow, so stay tuned.
57 comments
|
2 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I would understand what your trying to say but he is the head coach which means
whether or not he understands the offense he is in charge of it as well not just defense cause you can’t really be a head coach if you only look at one aspect and not the other cause if that is the case then he’s better off being a co-ordinator not a hc
by Freewheeler2 on Dec 21, 2011 2:36 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Im torn
On one hand he has failed as a HC for the first 3 years BUT this season is different. You can contribute too much to the failure of this team like the lockout, injuries, learning a new system and only having a second year qb who not only had to learn a new system but line calls as well. I’ve said many times I wouldn’t lose sleep if he was fired but he should be allowed to carry out his contract. These players play for him, they buy into what he’s doing and look at how good the D is doing. If we had a competent O they would do even better.
Also I agree we should go back to the West Coast. And even though shurmur left a bad taste in our mouths about it, it doesn’t have to be boring, look at the Packers. Sam seemed comfortable in it and he thrived. Either that or McD needs to adjust his system to our strengths. Get Sam some weapons, a competent lib and with a full offseason, he will thrive.
Ignorance is Bliss
by RG31 on Dec 21, 2011 2:39 PM CST via mobile reply actions
70 years after Bert’s final day as a head coach, he remains the only name that stands in the way between Steve Spagnuolo and the title that he never dreamed of competing for – worst head coach in NFL history.
The stat that put Bell in that position is the sparkling .179 winning percentage, lowest of any of the 157 coaches that qualified (via pro-football-reference.com). As an influential owner and later league commissioner, Bell earned his way into the NFL Hall of Fame, but as a coach, he was about as far away from John Madden and Vince Lombardi as you can get.
In his three years with the Rams, Steve Spagnuolo has laid out a resume that infamous head coaching pariahs such as Rich Kotite, Joe Bugel and even Scott Linehan must be humbled by. After Sunday’s loss to the woeful Arizona Cardinals, Spags’ career record dropped to 10-33 for a winning percentage of .233. Next worst on the list is David Shula’s disastrous run in Cincinnati (W-P% .268) and Cardinals trainwreck Dave McGinnis (W-P% .298).
Even if the Rams caught fire, went 5-0 and finished the season 7-9, their head coach would still rise only to sixth worst on the 157-man list. Finish 0-5, which is far more realistic given the schedule, and Spagnuolo would be nipping at Bell’s heels in the race for least successful coach in NFL history*
Read more: http://interact.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=852710#ixzz1hCinkuf9
Rams Bulls and Mets allllllllll day also i do love white castle
Bravo man
personally,i feel as if spags needs a staff and coordinator that can manage offense. Let spags handle the defense and bring ib guys to offense for em . Cause billy d sucks.
by Ram_Redemption on Dec 21, 2011 2:52 PM CST via mobile reply actions
No thank you!
As much as the players you mentioned are good additions…..a lot more were bad.
Beating off the dog is never appropriate when we have company over...... I mean EVER!
by sergey606 on Dec 21, 2011 3:03 PM CST via mobile reply actions
I agree
with you on your piece. Last year when Shurmur was here it may have been conservative but at least Pat knew what he was dealing with. McD is off the mindset it will work my way or it wont work at all which he has proven to be correct…it don’t work at all. Spags still has this team even with the horrid record. The guys do believe in him and what he stands for. In my ideal scenario it would be getting rid of Billy D, McD and replacing him with w west coast OC, and letting Spags play out his final year. Get a good solid GM to give Spags some talent nd see if he can make it work. Spags got maximum potential uot of last years squad to have the record they had and some people forget that. However looking just at the record this year it would seem the team took a step back. I think if you look at the starters that are still healthy and playing they are have as good if not a better year than last.
I tend to agree with you
I’d rather give Spags another chance than sit around waiting during another rebuild, potentially with the same thing happening (no wins) all over again. Admittedly if Spags fails it will set it back another year at least, but that’s the risk really.
On another note, thank god for TST. The official rams website is just pissing me off with how it acts like everything is good. Not to mention the adverts they send out!
Well....
I was a huge supporter of Spags, and gave him a new chance every week this year, hoping he could do something. But every week he lacks that certain something. He doesnt fight for players, he is a maneqin out there. A good point i can make is the many none called penalties against the Bengals last week, many were obvious to the common fa, but Spags didnt tell the refs or argue or anything, he just let things slide. Players mess up and he gives them a pep talk every time. his game management is beyond horrible, the regression that has transpired is beyond rediculous.
I started the movement P.A.S.S.(people against steve spagnoula) over at clanram.
Spags is a great person and great DC, but right now in his career he is not a HC. Maybe in 5 years or less he gets another shot and does better, since a lot of HC’s learn from there mistakes and come back and do good. But at this point in his career, he has the 2nd worse winning % of any HC ever. and two of his teams have scored less then 200 points in a season, which has been done 15 times if we dont get it this year(which we wont with the schedule remaining). And its the 2nd worse since WW2, both coming from Spags.
He needs to go. no mistake about it.
P.A.S.S.
Sorry
Spags is a GOTS-to-go situation, as is Devaney (who’s clearly mishandling the acquisition of talent). If the Rams want to keep Spags onboard as defensive coordinator, fine, but we need a coach who can legitimately rebuild the offense. Am I asking for a return of the Greatest Show on Turf? No, but I want my team’s offense to be better than 10 points a game – which would be great for Kroenke if we were talking about Arsenal, but this isn’t soccer we’re talking about. Rams fans deserve much, much better. Oh, and McDaniels should not only be fired but banned from NFL coaching altogether.
100% AGREEEEEE!!!!!!
Spags only fall back this year was being put in situations during the game that he had never been in and faultering. Seen this with garrett in dallas as well they are young coaches and gonna make some mistakes but ultimately will be really good head coaches. Its tough to defend devaney he has done good things but took a serious gamble this year with personel and the injuries made it worse. Still dont think there is a gm out there that would be head and shoulders better tho. KEEP BOTH!!!
REMEMBER!!!!!
The rams r two years out of completely cleaning house with one off season in between it all. It takes more than two years to build a team!
Tough Sell
It’s hard to sell Spags on his defensive player development when a bunch of the guys you mention are from the top three rounds of the draft. He needs more successes from later in the draft and UDFA for me to buy his developmental credentials.
I don’t hold Spags overall record against him as badly as some seem to. Year one (1-15) is pretty excusable, no one was going to do well year one. Year two, he overachieved and I think that fooled not just the fanbase, but the front office as well. They halted the rebuild and tried to patch holes in the roster with FA to make a run at the div. It was an utter failure and year three is almost a complete loss, and worse, it may have been a step back.
To me, Kroenke has to look at this year and decide who is ultimately responsible for plan B. Plan A was obviously to take the division. Plan B should’ve been to deepen the roster. Plan B may suffer at the needs of Plan A, but it shouldn’t be lost completely. Whoever totally undermined Plan B is who should go.
totally agree..
We seemingly adopted a lets win now mentality which is fine but in the process we dropped some seemingly good young talent in hopes they would latch onto the practice squad and completely dropped the ball.
Now the whole latter part of our draft this year is on someone else’s team.
All the Rams fans that want to keep Spags
and all the ones (like yourself) who were undecided, fail to realize that this guy can’t manage a team. And by managing a team, I mean everything from picking his staff to controlling his staff. The Draft to FA. Player development to game planning to game adjustment to press conferences…..etc. etc.
Don’t tell me he didn’t have a hand in picking his staff…
Maybe its not his fault the his OL coach sucks. But it surely his fault that he hasn’t stepped in and done something about it.
Don’t tell me he doesn’t have a say about FA pick ups and in the War Room…This is as much his team as it is Devaney’s.
Don’t tell me he couldn’t have developed some of the later round player that he let go. And seeing as how you opened that can of worms about him being the guy that controls the defense…then all I have to say about that is, he should be a DC not a HC. Basically, he should be just as responsible to develop a guy like Jason Smith as opposed to Darian Stewart, because thats what Head Coaches do. Or at least they hire competent people who can.
Don’t tell me he doesn’t form some kind of game plan before each game, we all know that’s part of his job. And if you’ve watched these games don’t tell me you haven’t shaken your head in disbelief as to how they’re structured. And let’s not forget how well he adjusts during the game or at halftime when adversity strikes.
And honestly, could you sit threw another one of those vanilla post game press conferences?
by ZamRam on Dec 21, 2011 4:04 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Well
Spags is the architect of the worst run defense in the NFL for last 3 years
Spags hired Josh besides keeping same in WCO
Spags cut all young talent for one year stopgaps
Spags struggles in game day coaching.
The only blue player Spags has develiped in Long, JL is maybe above average, no one else really improved, Stewart would not make most teams that have actual talent
Gordy looks the part but has give in 72% completion %
Spags is in way over his head, will go back to being a fine DC when he has talent
by Mike Dietrich on Dec 21, 2011 4:25 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
-we didnt have the worst run defense last year or the year before that
-spags didnt hire josh mcdaniels
-seeing as how everybody wanted to win this year as opposed to 2 years from now can you really blame him?
-i think alot of head coaches would struggle in gameday coaching with this offense
-JL’s a fucking beast you should be ashamed, Stewart is my new favorite player on defense and yes he would start for alot of teams, bradley turned out pretty good under spags and robert should be pretty good also.
-And ya gordy was like grilling hamburgers somewhere a couple weeks ago so i’ll let a 72% completion rate slide for his solid play.
You need some facts
From 2009-2011 the Rams are last in the NFL in Run Defense
They cut young players when the seaosn was already lost like Williams and Hines
Spags did hore Josh, thats what a HC does, picks and hires his staff, like he hired Shurmur who was an old Eagle friend
The next time JL blows up a guy behind the LOS will be a 1st, most of his tackles are after 5 yards, solid player but not a difference maker
Gordy was practicing against the Packers Wr’s every day, a bit different than grilling hamburgers. How can a CB be solid with a 72% comp %?
by Mike Dietrich on Dec 21, 2011 5:30 PM CST up reply actions
?
Football outsiders has the team rush defense:
25th in 2011
20th in 2010
32nd in 2009
Also, I’d say that Kroenke had quite a bit of influence on the McDaniels decision. I wouldn’t agree with you on your view of JL either.
But to each his own.
Stats
I added up all 3 years, I knew they were not last every year but if you combine all the total yards and YPC they are at the bottom
Stan has not said boo and has limited football experience, cant see him making changes
Watch JL on Sunday, he will play hard and hustle but most if not all his tackles are after positive yards. Now if youmeasure him against all other awful Devaney picks its a home run because he is actually still on the team and plays every Sunday
by Mike Dietrich on Dec 21, 2011 5:44 PM CST up reply actions
Stan has been a part of the Rams ownership since they arrived in St. Louis
Not to mention he’s been described as a control freak.
Still don’t agree with you at all on JL
ya dude
im pretty sure i read that kroenke pushed for mcdaniels to be oc
and its not fair to even use 2009’s defense, it was spags’ first year and he inherited…shit
And although i dont remember every single tfl laurinaitis has had i know for a fact he had a couple in the cleveland game alone so no he’s still a grown man out there
Yes when you do that, that is called misleading spin...
More misleading spin is the whole 5th oldest team in the league… So what, the Steelers are the 2nd. He did choose veterans over rookies at LB which bumps the age up, but the Rams also had injuries that they also had to cover with aged veterans like Al Harris.
72% comp % is due to the fact that he came into this defense mid season (because of injury) and had to learn it on the fly. You can see his improvement with each game but in his early games he got caught thinking he had help so he played underneath and got burned over the top and other such things. This is exactly why stats screw people up because they dont think about the ways that stat was produced and thus how it should be interpreted.
Which gets down to the heart of the fire spags camp…they dont actually want to know WHY the team failed to improve in a subsequent season. They just want to look at a handfull of stats that state what everyone already knows (that the team did not play well) and believe that the organization should grab the bull by the horns and fire everybody…that’ll fix it.
Disclaimer: If you are unsure, the next paragraph is definitely sarcasm! :)
I mean it worked for the 49ers right? They got Jim Harbaugh! after they fired mooch, then fired dennis ericson, then fired mike nolan, then fired mike singletary, then fired jim tomsula before getting to harbaugh. That type of thinking works like a charm..I mean look at all the successful organizations that do that shit…cowboys, Raiders (just win baby! the mantra of I dont want to hear about solving issues, just get me the next guy that will win LOL! hows that workin out for ya!)
The bottom line is there is a whole slew of things that blew this team way off course and most of them wont happen next year.
- And here's the Rams' 2010 season in a series. Incomplete pass, 18-yard run, incomplete pass, 7-yard run, 5-yard pass, 3-yard run, sack, incomplete pass, punt. Shoot me. - 3K
by leadhead on Dec 21, 2011 6:51 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
exactly...when a winning team is 32nd in rush defense, they just flip the logic over and say "hey they only allow 14 points a game thats all that matter baby"
- And here's the Rams' 2010 season in a series. Incomplete pass, 18-yard run, incomplete pass, 7-yard run, 5-yard pass, 3-yard run, sack, incomplete pass, punt. Shoot me. - 3K
Bravo!
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 21, 2011 10:28 PM CST up reply actions
rec'd
stats are fun to look at and all of this stuff, but you need to take qualatitive measures into account when determining the quality of a job done.
Let me digress on something meaningless. On Madden in a league, I have the 3rd best defense with the Rams thanks to my league best rush defense (ironic huh? haha) but my pass D is incredibly middling, although, being 16th isn’t too bad… I am 5th in the league with interceptions at something like 29 and 3rd in sacks. I clearly attack the ball and create turnovers. and people HAVE to pass because the run d is so solid.
However, you could argue that my pass d is weak because I allow the 16th most passing yards… stats mean people will look at yardage and not think that those couple thou yards given up are a result of aggressive ballhawking (that sometimes fails) meaning more big plays for the oppostion and huge chunks of yardage as opposed to conservative defense.
We see a lot of this with the Rams too just not many defensive turnovers due to lack of talent.
The Rams run D isn’t THAT bad, except that due to lack of athleticism at OLB they get gashed for huge runs generally, while making several TFLs and stuffing many runs. Likewise with pass d.
http://brotherspork.wordpress.com/
yeh F stats
in my mind we are 30-10 since spags took over. u guys take homerism to the next level.
Rams Bulls and Mets allllllllll day also i do love white castle
Also on GM
You cannot hire a new GM and force a lame duck coach on him, he has to be able to pick his own guy
Also the roster under Spags is 5th oldest in the league starting the season, this went astray from whatever plan they may have had, now there is no plan at all
If we keep Spags it should only be as a DC.
Sense that isn’t likely, he needs to go.
He’s such a poor manager and doesn’t seem to learn from his mistakes. As bad as the Rams play in any given first half, the beginning of any second half is always the worst. Whatever he says (or doesn’t say) in the locker at halftime is clearly uninspiring.
For all of you that lament all the players let go (Avery, Jabara, Greco) over players we kept (Gibson, Goldberg, Butler) remember that Spags has final say in all roster moves.
You can always find something positive in any situation. That doesn’t make keeping Spags the correct move.
Alex Song - Krunk as Fuck!
Could you be any more obtuse?
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 21, 2011 10:31 PM CST up reply actions
Larry Grant...
Has 26 tackles and 1 sack. This crap that he is thriving or has become some sort of beast for the Niners needs to stop because statistically he ahd a better year for us last year than this year.
He's been playing very well filling it for
who is it? I don’t know. Pat Willis? Stats don’t mean everything.
Disagree
I think that the Rams record would be better with Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh or Ken Whisenhunt as head coach. Carroll has completely turned over the Seahawks roster and they are competitive. Seattle and Arizona are 7-7 and are improving and the Rams are losing week after week. Arizona has played most of the season with Skelton at QB and they are still at .500. Seattle has had their share of injuries and they are at .500.
No question that McDaniels has been a total failure but Spags doesn’t seem to be able to make necessary adjustments to win games.
Disagree +1000
None of those guys could have a winning record with this squad as it sits right now. 7 dbs out for the year I mean come on really. No one OL played the same position all year. The team MVP missing time. The injuries aren’t an excure they are a fact and for the love of god don’t go all Pack last year. They lost no one that would effect a gameplan other than Finely. When they lost Taucsher he was replaced by a 1st rounder in Bulaga and the OL play 16 straight as 1 unit. When we lost Smith, Saffold, Bell, and Brown not playing worth a shit they were replaced by guys competing in atug or war down the frickin street. Could those coaches have squeezed out another win or so maybe. But what’s the difference between 2-14 and 4-12…better draft slot.
I love that this year is different for Spags, but not McDaniels. I’m not going to waste too much of my time on this, because with statements like -
the basket-case that is Josh McDaniels
- you clearly have no credibility on the matter. However, I will respond to this:
Josh McDaniels has done a piss poor job of managing this side of the team, refusing to adjust any facet of his strategy to the clearly incapable Rams.
Remember when the Rams threw a ton against the Packers? Remember when they ran the ball disproportionately a bunch of other times? Remember when they then threw a ton against the Seahawks?
Yeah, that’s called gameplanning and adjusting.
Remember when Bradford’s original go-to guy went down? Was that spot left empty? Or was it filled by two players that were not originally intended for it?
Remember when Bradford and Feeley were considered Questionable for a MNF game? Remember when McDaniels discussed adjusting the playbook? Yeah, the hint is right there: it’s called adjusting.
Remember when McDaniels joined the Rams with a history of using a TE that can also run the ball and block and catch as a FB? Remember how no TE on Rams has that versatility? Remember how McDaniels doesn’t force any TE runs? Guess what. You nailed it! He adjusted!
I realise McDaniels has become the scapegoat du jour, but you need to come up with more credible lies.
"Noooo!!!" - Referee, Oilers @ Avs, 26.11.2011
The 2011-2012 Colorado Avalanche: there will be blood and there will be wins. Maybe.
"God I'm excited for those two to fail miserably." - SBNation writer Andrew Sharp on Josh McDaniels and Tim Tebow.
The Number Zero, for everything but mathematics. Blood and Thunder Record: 9-12-1 (Total Record: 10-13-1)
by Tempestuous Binary on Dec 21, 2011 8:23 PM CST reply actions
you are right. He HAS done some adjusting
it just hasn’t worked. The offense still stinks.
I guess I get a free pass when I said this came out before it was ready?
by Eric Nagel on Dec 21, 2011 10:09 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
remember when mcd passed 3 consecutive times at the goal line last week?
before running it it with sjax? thats not gameplanning, thats mike martz style egotystical, thinking his plan WILL work no matter what.
by Mark Jaramillo on Dec 22, 2011 12:04 AM CST up reply actions
this is wrong
because as far as i know he seldom utilised TEs for anything but blocking lol
Kendricks was overdrafted to be that guy for him and hasn’t been too successful (although he’s a rookie so he gets a pass).
the main point is that his adjustments have not worked and the ones you mention are things any OC would do. The fact that you try and pass on the Packers when despite giving yards they make plays on the ball and the fact that our WRs blow and Sam is underperforming/Feeley is Feeley, you kinda realise that adjustments like that are stupid.
How do you justify a bomb on 4th and 1? or how do you justify the same play twice in a row on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1?
http://brotherspork.wordpress.com/
Steve Young even said today about Rex Ryan
I’d rather have him as a DC, he doesn’t understand the QB position….and that’s Rex, Spags isn’t close to that level of coaching
Beating off the dog is never appropriate when we have company over...... I mean EVER!
by sergey606 on Dec 21, 2011 8:56 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Spags
Has got to go……he has let other coaches run ramsherd over him……..he’s a D coach not a ‘Head Coach’
Eric, how can we now expect a piece from you regarding why Spagnoulo should go, when you've just given us your real thoughts? Or is your thread with Pekka gonna be a continuation of this one, but on a grander scale because you both want him to stay?
"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet - I'm gonna break your face..." The Champ
by JoolzMF on Dec 21, 2011 10:43 PM CST via mobile reply actions
I mentioned all of this before.
The effort they continue to show and the defensive development are the main reasons to ask for continuity with this coaching staff, at the very least with Coach Spagnuolo.
I hope Stan is listening to you. At the very least, he has to consider it.
"I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don't leave any bullets in the chamber."
"Everything negative- pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise."
-Kobe Bryant
Chris Mortensen: "You know it's the 'Show-Me' State right Sam?"
"Pshh, 'Show Me.' (smirking) Yeah, I've heard that."
-Sam Bradford
Ok
You covered all the bases in regard to Spag being a great defensive play caller and developer of young defensive talent. However, you missed the boat on justifying why the Rams should invest anymore time on Spag as a HC.
Why on earth should our team keep a head coach who has proven again and again that:
1. He cannot manage a game to save his life.
2. His record stinks.
3. He is so conservative in his play calling, micromanaging, and obviously held the offense down (see last season with Shurmur and this season with McD).
4. You state the team “plays for him”. How can this be a true statement when our record is like it is and we have lost some very winnable games. (I believe the players are past playing for Spags and they are to the point that they are playing hard for pride of all things).
Keeping Spags would be like a congressional district continuing to vote in the same do nothing candidate term after term. Its a losing formula. Spags has done a lot for our young defensive players, but that does not justify his retention. We need a strong minded, take no sh!t HC that can light a fire under our players and who will let the offensive coordinator run the offense. Granted, there have been a slew of injuries this season and Spags deserves some credit for getting those 2nd and 3rd and 4th string players to play at a level they didn’t expect to play at. But the rest is just not cool, not cool at all.
They will notice and they will giggle.
+1 papapegasus
Kinda ironic we were writing our comments near the same time. Both have similarities. Great minds think alike! Go Rams!
Eric, your article should have been titled...
Dearest Stan: Keep Spagnuolo… as defensive coordinator. Nothing in it convinced me he deserved to be an NFL head coach, you DID however convince me he deserves to be the team’s DC. The whole article centered around several stand-out defensive players. First of all, there are 53 men on this roster that must be managed not just 8 or 9. Spags is responsible for making the ‘offense’ and defense work in harmony with each other (ying-yang). That’s not been the case in his tenure here. The offense plays their usual 3-6 downs a series, punts and the defense takes over and plays for 45 out of 60 minutes of the game like you said. This has always been a signature of Spag’s teams throughout his tenure as a Rams HC, not just this year. And it doesn’t matter whether the teams are teams are riddled with injuries or not. Even the GSOT offense and defense worked well with each other, the offense scored at will while the defense had a "bend but don’t break" philosophy. That created success for this franchise.
Next you can’t credit Spags for developing certain players (Long, Laurinitis, Fletcher, etc.) while blaming injuries and position coaches for the rest of the team’s demise. Spags chose his staff and his job is to ensure they’re all doing their jobs correctly to get this team ready for game day. Head coaches are tactical coaches not positional coaches, so he must trust the coaches underneath him with developing player personnel; there’s just not enough time for him to work on select individuals. Spags and Devaney are responsible for selecting the current players on this roster, so Devaney’s not the only person responsible for bringing in inferior talent. Spags was the one who cut Laurent Robinson and Larry Grant, so he does have control of personnel decisions. The more puzzling thing like you said is how are other teams getting maximum performance out of these players while the Rams got mediocre results. The answer is there’s better coaching for both of these players on their new teams, which starts from the top (the head coach) all the way to the bottom (their position coaches).
My biggest reasons for firing Spagnuolo has to do with the weaknesses in his HC duties which are bad game-clock management; not getting the team ready to play with as much fire in the 2nd half as they had during the first 5 minutes of the game; not knowing when to take a gamble; an inability to manage both sides of the team harmoniously during games (as stated above); and not knowing when to finish off an opponent when you actually do have the lead in a game. These are chronic problems that he’s never learned to correct. They’re tactical aspects of the job so you either have the ability to manage them or you don’t. It’s what seperates a head coach from being a offensive (or defensive) coordinator. Spags doesn’t have these as of yet in his career. Maybe he’ll develop them over time, but he’s just not ready for all of this responsibility right now. His best bet is to spend more time as a DC on another team with a strong head coach and learn from him once he’s let go from the Rams.
by Da Rams! on Dec 22, 2011 10:04 AM CST reply actions 2 recs
+1 and rec'd
They will notice and they will giggle.
by papapegasus on Dec 22, 2011 10:09 AM CST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Turf Show Times
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Cover the web with Turf
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
