In his Monday Morning Quarterback column today, SI's Peter King saves a little space to talk about the St. Louis Rams' current and former offensive coordinators.
Regarding the Rams hiring of Josh McDaniels as their new OC, King recounts a conversation with one unnamed NFL general manager who calls it the best coaching hire of the offseason so far. Said the unnamed GM:
When you look at the job he did with Matt Cassel in New England in 2008, and then how much he got out of Kyle Orton this year, there's no doubt in my mind he'll help Sam Bradford expand his skill set and be a better quarterback.
Was the unnamed GM Billy Devaney? Ha, just kidding. In all seriousness though McDaniels' record with quarterbacks (not to mention receivers) has been cited numerous times in the build up before his hire and the excitement afterwards.
And for the former Rams' OC Pat Shurmur? King defends criticism of the Cleveland Browns' decision to hire Shurmur over more well-known, experienced candidates. It's hard to know what kind of head coach he'll be, but I'll defend his work as the Rams' OC for the last two years. He got results this season from a nucleus of talented but inexperienced players while lacking the kind of playmakers to give the offense a much needed dimension down the field.