Who is Dave McGinnis?

The Rams have hired their newest and perhaps most important position coach in Dave McGinnis. Mr. McGinnis, or just plain Dave, steps into a very precarious position with the Rams. Not only will he have the title of Assistant Head Coach, but he will more importantly have the job of coaching the linebackers.

The team already has a solid starting middle linebacker in James Laurinitis, but beyond the mad man from Ohio State University, things are far from settled. Brady Poppinga will surely stick around along with David Nixon andChris Chamberlain. McGinnis has his work cut out for him, but if his past sheds any light into his future, the Rams could have one of the more formidable linebacking corps in the league come kick-off in the 2012 NFL season. Hit the jump for more about our new coach!

Dave McGinnis has been around the sidelines of football for the better part of 38 years. While with the Titans, he coached up a few players of note, Keith Bulluck, Stephen Tulloch, and David Thornton. The trio reached career highs in damn near every category during his tenure. Before the Titans, McGinnis spent time with our NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals.

It was there that McGinnis coached up both an Arizona and St. Louis legend in Aeneas Williams. Simeon Rice won AP Rookie of the Year honors under Dave’s coaching. The Cardinals reached the playoffs in 1998 with McGinnis coaching the Cardinals to rank 3rd in the league in takeaways that year. He would go on to be the Cardinals Head Coach from 2000-2003.

He prowled the sidelines of Soldier Field for a decade with the Chicago Bears working with perhaps the most impressive linebacker corps in the history of the league. The names: Mike Singletary, Otis Wilson, and Wilber Marshall are definitely eye catchers on his resume. The Bears were known for their defense in those days, and that defense would lead them to the playoffs six times while McGinnis was a resident coach. During those six playoff runs, the Bears defense ranked in the top six in the league. Mike Singletary owes much of his fame to McGinnis as he coached him for seven years out of the twelve he spent smashing quarterbacks in the league.

McGinnis spent his time before the NFL much like other coaches, hopping around from one college to the next, earning his way into the big show. His first stop was at Texas Christian University in 1973, and his last at Kansas State ending in 1985. McGinnis the player was a standout starter as a defensive back at Texas Christian University. He earned his Bachelors in Management in 1973.

The great thing about this hire besides the man’s track record is his familiarity with the new Head Coach, Jeff Fisher. He already has great rapport with the Fish, and should make a seamless transition into working Gregg William’s defense. The bad thing however, is the possibility of McGinnis leaving after a few years of success for another Defensive Coordinator gig. He was elevated with the Titans last year into essentially an advisory/assistant head coach role. He seems to be a position coach/assistant head coach on the rise again, and just like Brian Schottenheimer, he could skip town if the right opening comes along. Then again, if Gregg Williams has much success here with the Rams, it could be McGinnis who steps up upon William’s departure.

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What do you think of this hire?

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Good pickup for the Rams!

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2%

Dave Who?

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