This just in:
Linehan has a pulse!
Joking aside, the coach should be commended for his rare flare of his temper. This team needs it.
It's particularly interesting to note that the mouth of Claude Terrell was the straw that broke the coach's back. Terrell's been nothing but a dog as a necessary fill-in on the o-line. You'd think getting the chance to start might motivate a player; not Claude Terrell. It's too bad when a back up lineman thrust into starting duty gains such a sense of entitlement that he doesn't feel the need to take his role all that seriously in the midst of an 0-6 and heading nowhere fast season. If the rest of the o-line were at all healthy, I choose to think Terrell's agent would be working to get him on a practice squad somewhere.
Issac Bruce sums up Linehan's outburst and Claude the Fraud's, ahem, motivation best:
In the face of an 0-6 season, accountability and motivation should be the lone source of pride for this team. Bravo to Linehan, we needed to see this kind of passion about a month ago, but, hey, better late than never, or too late in the Rams case. It may not result in a win, but I could settle for a good contest where Rams players execute near flawlessly and play with a single-minded desire to finally win a game.
Hopefully, the dedication being shown by some other players will combine with Linehan's comments to light the proverbial fire under this ass of a team.
Look no further than Brett Romberg for an example of the kind of motivation the team sorely needs.
Uh, well, actually, Brett, one of those "four other guys" doesn't seem to give a shit that he's no better than a fill-in.
Check out this quote from Bernie Miklasz about Terrell's reputation:
That leaves only the question of why Terrell is still employed here, something that might be further explained by the last sentence in the post from Bernie linked above, "This is one weak HC."
Yes, Linehan's blow up also contains a subtext of the loud public outcry for his dismissal. He knows all too well that his job is on the line, and slacking players aren't helping his cause, or the team's for that matter. Again, I'm glad Linehan finally read these idiots the riot act, but the fact that it's coming after the sixth loss speaks volumes about why Linehan might not be an ideal fit for the Rams head coaching job.
I'm usually too cynical to buy into all the lame "all you need is heart" cliche, but generally motivation and dedication allow individuals to be even better than their abilities, be it in the office or in pro football. A little bit more of that from the Rams and their coach, and we might not be talking about the season that was less than halfway through it.
Ok, rant over.
In other news, it sounds as though Bruce and Romberg and Corey Chavous will be able to play this week. It's an odd feeling to be heading into a game with more players coming back from injury than replacements.