The St. Louis Rams are hiring. Following Wednesday's firing of linebackers coach Blake Williams and the unofficial dumping of still-suspended Gregg Williams, the Rams need a new linebackers coach. Head coach Jeff Fisher is probably also going to be hiring a defensive coordinator, and one name mentioned for both those gigs is Clancy Pendergast.

Jim Thomas at the Post-Dispatch put Pendergast's name out there on Thursday morning. Pendergast led Arizona's defense from 2004-2008, and as Thomas points out, the group was ranked eighth in turnovers during that stretch. However, the Cardinals defense was ranked among the bottom seven teams for points allowed in all but one of those five years under Pendergast. The defense allowed an average of at least 24 points per game from 2005-2008.

His record as the defensive coordinator at Cal this year has been better.

Pendergast is just one possibility. Thomas' article does not speculate on other names or whether or not the Rams could promote from within.

NFL teams do not have to grant interview requests for coordinators and assistants for anything other than head coaching jobs. In the eyes of league rules, all coordinators and assistants are created equal and those are considered later moves.