Remember that feeling, fleeting though it was, you had last spring as the Rams draft picks came off the board? We didn't quite know what to make of it entirely, but it had an entirely different feeling, that it had been done right, unlike so many drafts of the past. It felt like things might be heading in the right direction. Things were heading in the right direction, with just a few more rivers to cross. 

Hiring Spagnuolo completes the desperately needed overhaul the Rams leadership, the one that started with Chip Rosenbloom's hands-on approach to the franchise, Linehan's firing and the removal of Zygmunt, and the promotion of Billy Devaney. Spagnuolo and Devaney have a big job(s) ahead of them. They must bring back and add more fans, helping them build a deeper connection with the Rams and use gains in the standings to stabilize a franchise with an uncertain future. 

Spagnuolo has a big job ahead of him, but he's comes with a proven track record as a leader and, more importantly, someone who knows what it feels like to win and is unwilling to settle for anything less.

A "To Do" for the Rams new head coach, Steve Spagnuolo:

• Impart a winning mentality in a locker room used to losing. Spagnuolo's ability to get the Giants to buy into his system last season in his first season as their defensive coordinator and continuing to push them after a rough start to the season impressed me. Through his guidance (and, obviously, others get credit too) the Giants defense transformed itself into a Super Bowl champion. The Rams may not be looking at a championship next season, but Spagnuolo, and some wise personnel moves, can get them winning games again.
  
• Finding his co-workers, specifically the coordinators. These are the guys that translate the vision into the right Xs and Os on the field.I suspect this is something Spags already discussed with Devaney in his interview, and he has a pretty good idea of who he needs. Having shown the commitment to right the ship, I expect the Rams should offer him whatever leverage he needs to get the right people in place (that sounds so obvious, but it didn't used to be that way at Rams Park). 
• Personnel decisions. Lots of goodbyes for players currently on the roster and hellos to those who'll replace them. Spagnuolo will work with Devaney to get the kind of players his grand design requires and round out the talent already in place.
• Building a tough defense around first round picks DE Chris Long and DT Adam Carriker. This kind of goes along with the point above, but these two are the foundation for the identity up front in this defense for years to come, and the front defines Spags' defense. It's no leap to assume that he'll keep the 4-3, but watching it evolve promises to be fun. In the backfield, he may have more work to do, with so many players' contracts coming up. Can he take O.J. Atogwe, who'll get the franchise tag for sure, from a really good ball hawk to an elite safety? Can he lure SS James Bulter to join him in St. Louis as a replacement to Corey Chavous?
  
• Fixing the offensive line and the offense. The Giants, despite someone named Manning at QB, feature a power running game, the same kind the Rams want/need to install. Nothing can happen until they fix the front. Devaney will be bringing in some new personnel for this, but what about the guys who stick around? 3k made a great point the other day about Incognito, "a more professional, focused franchise would have probably nipped the entire Incognito saga in the bud after the Redskins game." That applies to some other players elsewhere on the team too and is exactly the kind of thing that's been a huge part of the problems on the field. See above, "imparting a winning mentality." Can he help RB Steven Jackson reach cross the threshold to a truly elite player? Can he steady the offense enough to steady Bulger's hand? 

Looking at his background and his aggressive playing philosophy, things are really looking up on both side of the ball. There's a lot more to talk about, such as what players Spagnuolo might be able to lure to St. Louis. Now it's time to start thinking about the turnaround. There a few things left to do, but with the leadership in place the Rams can start thinking about repeating the turnarounds we saw this season in Miami and Atlanta and kicking off a new era of Rams football.

Giants fans over at Big Blue View are already commiserating the loss of their defensive coordinator. That's a good sign. 

Just in. Jim Thomas from the PD is reporting that the Rams will name Steve Spagnuolo as their new head coach before the end of the day.

This is good, no, great news for long suffering Rams fans. 

There must have been some ulterior motives behind the Garrett flirtation. Tackle Box suggested the Rams OC position for him. That may be the case, but I suspect it has more to do with, ahem, restructuring the locker room in Dallas. 

Wonder why Spags and not Frazier? That's not a complaint, just wondering. What about those reports of Spagnuolo wanting control over the roster? I suspect they were a little over blown, and coming from the NYC media, could have had more to do with the Jets and Brett Favre than anything. 

Shit yeah. this is good news. More thoughts on Spagnuolo to come, savoring the moment for now. 

Let's open it up for discussion.

[Note by VanRam, 01/17/09 10:02 AM EST ] Sentiment among Rams fans seems to be against Garrett - I'm half expecting to see pitchforks and torches. In fact, in all of the unscientific polls here and elsewhere around the interweb, Spagnuolo seems to be the top choice of Rams fans. So let's hear it, why Spags? Why not Garrett? Weigh in. If you're new here, hit the join button over on the left; Rams fans need to make their voices heard on this. 

What to make of the reports that Jason Garrett could be the guy? He came to St. Louis yesterday for what he called "a second interview," but the official word from GM Billy Devaney says it was purely information and refused to call Garrett the leading candidate. 

Yesterday, it was reported that Frazier and Spagnuolo were the top two candidates. So what happened, or what's going here? Some options.

1. The Rams really like Garrett and wanted to give him the chance to see the facilities while he considered the offer. That's the most obvious inference here. Word is that Devaney has made his recommendation to Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom et al, so this could be step two in convincing him to take it.
2. Contract issues with Spagnuolo and/or Frazier. What about that earlier report that Spagnuolo wanted control over personnel? Are the Rams at a sticking point over that issue or another one? If that's the case, is this a leverage tactic? 
3. Other jobs The Chiefs haven't made a decision on their head coach, but speculation is that they'll likely fire Herm Edwards. Are Rams candidates holding out for that job? There's also the Raiders, but for Spagnuolo and Frazier, being a coordinator for a functional team - and able to get a head coaching job next season - trumps head coaching for Al Davis, right?
4. Garrett's leveraging the Cowboys, not for money, but to send T.O. packing, a rumored possibility. Also, remember it wasn't all that long ago that Garrett was considered Wade Phillips replacement, as the 'Boys struggled this season. Things got real dysfunctional in Dallas this season, a rodeo of chaos, with players calling out each other and the coaches. And Jerry Jones is, well, nuts.

[Note by VanRam, 01/16/09 1:32 PM EST ] Jim Thomas from the PD confirms Frazier and Spagnuolo are the top two picks, with a slight edge to Frazier, for the Rams head coaching job. I suppose it's down to contract details (money & time) and role within the organization (i.e. personnel decision-making). Should have the answer in the next 24 hours.

Oh the excitement. With the interview wrapped up, fans are expecting the Rams to announce their pick for the team's new head coach soon. Could it be today?

Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole cites two sources that say the Rams will name their head today, and that it's a decision between Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo and Vikings DC Leslie Frazier.

I'm not at all surprised by word that the decision is between Spagnuolo and Frazier. That fits right in with discussions we've been having over the last few days, based on bits and pieces of info trickling out of other organizations.

From a PR standpoint, today would be a good time to name the new coach. The story would be get lots of yak time on the football shows surrounding the Conference Championship games this weekend, giving long-beleagured Rams fans something to get excited about as they watch the playoffs. A clearer vision of the teams' future would then be the topic of the week with the Senior Bowl on the horizon for next weekend. It would dominate the week in the St. Louis sports market too (where the PSL buyers live) as the hometown Cardinals sit on their hands this winter and the mediocre Blues skating just twice this upcoming week.

[Note by VanRam, 01/16/09 9:17 AM EST ] Pro Football Talk relays a report from Adam Schefter of NFL.com that Frazier is the favorite (hat tip to BruinFanBaby's fanshot). It's possible, but Schefter's been wrong on Rams coaching news before, e.g. reporting that Winston Moss would have a second interview with the Rams. Jim Thomas and the Post-Dispatch crew have been much tighter on the coaching news, for obvious reasons, and they maintain that Devaney's not tipping his hand, FWIW.

With the news that Haslett's out of the running for the Rams head coaching job, the picture becomes clearer, a little. Can we also interpret the PD report that Cowboys OC Jason Garrett lacks experience as a sign of his fate too? 

One item to report: Steve Spagnuolo did in fact meet with the Jets owner Woody Johnson this week; however, he is still not considered to be finalist for that job Wouldn't they have hired him by now if he was their man? 

We could essentially be down to three guys: Spagnuolo, Frazier and Ryan. Though Ryan is said to be favored for the Jets job; NY trumps St. Louis. We could have an answer as soon as today. Stay tuned.

Here's the updated head coaching chart.

It's now being reported that the Detroit Lions have named Jim Schwartz as their new head coach. What the hell does that have to do with the Rams, you ask? It means the Rams and Jets are the last two teams in the league still in the process of hiring a head coach.(Oh wait, I guess the Raiders might or might not be looking for a head coach too).

The Jets and Rams are both interested in a couple of coaching candidates: Rex Ryan and Steve Spagnuolo. However, Ryan is reportedly favored by the Jets, and they're reportedly willing to wait out the Ravens postseason run to get their man. Steve  Spagnuolo is on the Jets list too, but has yet to have a second interview with owner Woody Johnson, a sign that seems to confirm word that Ryan and Brian Schottenheimer are the top two candidates for the job. Spagnuolo has his interview today with Devaney and Rams ownership in LA.

So other than Rex Ryan, the Rams essentially have their pick of their finalist candidates, other than Ryan. And if they act fast enough, they won't have to compete with a potential opening for a head coach in KC.  My hunch tells me it's between Spagnuolo and Frazier.

There is, however, a potential new wrinkle, albeit one based on thin evidence, that Spagnuolo is insisting on control over the 53-man roster as a head coach. Brash, no? I'd have to think the Rams would be hesitant to ceed such power to a head coach after Linehan's input on personnel proved to be so disasterous. Or this could jsut be hearsay, and with Devaney's success in the personnel department since coming aboard, it seems unlikely he'd be willing to or asked to give that up. Together, Spagnuolo and Devaney might make a pretty good team though.

I'll go ahead and predict right now that Steve Spagnuolo is the Rams' next head coach.

Other items of interest...

• If Spagnuolo is hired as the Rams head coach, could he convince the team to trade for Eagles CB Lito Sheppard? As the former Philly DC, Spags is certainly familiar with Sheppard. Here's what Sheppard said when asked about it, "If he's smart." 
• Scott Linehan had a second interview for the 49ers offensive coordinator job.

I've posted scouting reports for all five finalists for the Rams head coaching job in the fan shots below.

All certainly have their merits, and fans of each candidate's current team seem high on each of them. These, obviously, represent a single opinion on each coach, but I think there's value in accounting for the fan perspective on each guy, as opposed to what we already know from the pundits.

In case you're getting here via direct link, I've posted the scouting report links below for your browsing convenience. (And if you haven't joined the Turf Show Times community, be sure to do so. There's plenty to weigh in on as the Rams go through a makeover this offseason. It's not for marketing or anything like that, it just allows you to comment, post, etc. We do the registration to avoid spam. Just click "join" on the left side of the screen.)

• Steve Spagnuolo
• Jim Haslett
• Rex Ryan
• Leslie Frazier
• Jason Garrett

Here's a new wrinkle in the Rams search for a head coach. Some are starting to think the Giants DC Steve Spagnuolo is the favorite, and GM Billy Devaney and ownership interview him tomorrow. He's on the short list for the Jets and Lions too, but he doesn't look like the favorite in either case. 

But there's another team in the mix: the Giants.

With Tom Coughlin's contract expiring in 2011, the Giants might consider an offer to Spagnuolo to be the head coach in waiting. From the NY Daily News:

Giants GM Jerry Reese said Monday the team would consider making Spagnuolo a "head coach-in-waiting" if it would keep him from leaving for another team. It would be an unprecedented move by the Giants, but since Tom Coughlin's current contract expires in 2011 when he will be 65, they could promise Spagnuolo the job would be his then.

"We consider everything here," Reese said. "We try to consider everything."

The Rams finish up their interview tomorrow with Spagnuolo, so expect news soon thereafter.