St. Louis Rams fans will recognize a couple of the names that are rumored to be in the mix for some college head coaching vacancies. Former Rams head coach and current Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz is rumored to be interested in the Arizona State job. Former Rams head coach and current Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is rumored to be in the mix for the head coaching vacancy at Washington State.
Martz worked for Arizona State earlier in his career. Though the Bears were in the midst of a turnaround season, which they may or may not still be, Martz was under fire for the early season struggles of the offense. Proving himself as a head coach in the NCAA might be a nice way to eventually jump back into running his own ship in the NFL.
Linehan was born and raised in Washington. From 1994-1998, he was a position coach and offensive coordinator for the University of Washington, before eventually graduating to the NFL. Mike Leach is said to be the top choice for WSU.
And what about the St. Louis Rams next failed head coach? At this point, anything can happen. ESPN's Chris Mortensen said today on the air that it will "be tough for Spags to keep his job." (Hat tip to friend of TST Evan Silva for passing along that tidbit). Philly fans and talk radio people have batted around Spagnuolo's name as a potential defensive coordinator there, but that will depend on what happens to Andy Reid.