Some Rams coaching news to discuss this morning. The Post-Dispatch is reporting that the team will seek permission to interview Dallas receivers coach Ray Sherman and Miami secondary coach Todd Bowles. The Lions are also planning to interview Bowles.
Those two unheralded names will doubtlessly lead to charges that the Rams are going "cheap" in their search for a head coach. I don't know about that, but their names do kind of come outta left field. Miami had a solid pass defense, 4.8% DVOA ranked 12th in the league, and they were ranked among hte top 10 against all types of receivers, except for #2 WRs. I like that he was part of the Dolphins turnaround this season, coming over with Sparano and the Parcells regime. He's next in line for the defensive coordinator job in Miami, unless he's lured away with a head coaching gig. Here's what the PD said about Bowles:
Bowles is considered an ascending coach and one of the league's bright young defensive minds.
And here's some intel on Bowles from Pro Football Weekly:
The No. 1 Dolphins assistant on the radar of clubs looking for a new skipper is DB coach Todd Bowles, who has crafted a solid secondary out of a cast of players once deemed afterthoughts. André Goodman has quietly emerged as a major force over the second half of the season, particularly in Week 17, when he picked off a pair of Brett Favre passes. Bowles is a candidate for the Lions’ opening, and even if he doesn’t earn that spot, his name is likely to be batted around for other openings.
What makes this troubling for Sparano is the fact that Bowles, who came with Sparano to Miami from Dallas, is being groomed as defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni’s eventual successor. Unless Dolphins owner-in-waiting Stephen Ross sweetens a contract offer enough to convince Bowles to stay, Bowles won’t be taking up permanent residence in Miami.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Miami make an effort to keep him if he's this good. I wonder if he'd be interested in a defensive coordinator job with the Rams? A guy like that would be exactly what they need.
I could warm to Bowles, but the Ray Sherman thing seems like a bad idea. He's bounced around the league as a position coach, with a couple stints in the coordinator ranks, and now managing Terrell Owens sits atop the list of accomplishments on his resume, not that that's not impressive.
Rex Ryan confirmed to ESPN that the Rams (and the Lions) have expressed interest in him for the head coaching job, and after he and Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier battle it out in their Wild Card game this weekend, the Rams will extend interview invites to both.
I'm definitely interested in Frazier. His work with the secondary units in Cincinnati and Indy, and Minnesota's defense ranks among the top five against the pass and the run.
The PD also states that Jim Schwartz is expected to be a candidate once the Titans wrap-up their playoff run. The article also notes that the team has spoken with the agents for Spagnuolo and the Cowboys Jason Garrett. That doesn't exactly counter previous reports that the Rams would pass on those two because of their price tag; they could have just inquired to see what they'd cost. Still, how much less of a head coach would the team get with a defensive coordinator like Ryan or Frazier (maybe even Bowles)? I can't imagine the gulf between those guys and Spagnuolo is that wide. As for Garrett, pass.
Oh, but wait, there's more coaching news...Jim Fassel? He was a candidate for the Redskins coaching job prior to this season and he certainly has the NFL coaching experience. No thanks.