The annual NFL coaching carousel is about to kick get going. The St. Louis Rams figure to be in the middle of it all, after a disappointing third season under head coach Steve Spagnuolo. While Spagnuolo looks to be as good as gone, the case of Josh McDaniels is a curious one. Talk of him finding his way to Kansas City to work for Chiefs general manager and old New England friend Scott Pioli.
Here's the item about McDaniels from the National Football Post this morning. Chris Mortensen talked about it again on the air today too.
If, as expected, Todd Haley does not survive in Kansas City, Josh McDaniels could end up with the Chiefs three years after many thought he would land there. Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli could hire his old buddy from their New England days to be his head coach-if he could sell McDaniels to Clark Hunt. Or, Pioli could hire a defensive minded head coach and make McDaniels the coordinator, assuming McDaniels is fired in St. Louis. Aside from the Pioli connection, another reason McDaniels makes sense on the other end of Missouri is he has a strong relationship with Matt Cassel. In fact, the quarterback and his former offensive coordinator still talk frequently.
If Stan Kroenke replaces general manager Billy Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo, McDaniels might have the option to stick around, and finish out the last year of his contract.
The Rams offense has been terrible. McDaniels was supposed to inject some dynamism into the Rams offense. That didn't happen. The lockout prevented a smooth transition. The front office failed to acquire much in the way of offensive talent to pair with a bright young quarterback. Remember, Mike Sims-Walker was seen as the answer to a team with serious needs at receiver? Exactly.
The decision to not hire a quarterbacks coach was particularly short-sighted. Even more curious, all of the offensive coaches under McDaniels were here last year, part of the Spagnuolo-Pat Shurmur group of coaches that looks overmatched on most Sundays.