It's time to clean house. Spags and Devaney have had more than enough time to at least get this team to a somewhat respectable level, but instead they are the laughingstock of the NFL.
The First thing I am doing is hiring John Dorsey (director of college scouting) away from the Green Bay Packers to be our new general manager. By all accounts Dorsey has an incredible work ethic and is a big reason that the Packers have had such success with the past few drafts, and is also a big part of bringing in some of the talented undrafted free agents that the packers have had success with. Dorsey will have the final say on all player acquisitions, but he will also need to take input from the coaches and advisers I am bringing aboard in this fantasy scenario.
Hit the jump to find out who else I think the Rams should hire to take over for the current Front Office and coaching staff.
Right after I get off the phone with Dorsey, I'm calling John Gruden and convincing him to come to St. Louis. Gruden runs a version of the west coast offense that is more aggressive than Pat Shurmur's, but isn't too complex of an offense like Josh McDaniels'. He would be a perfect head coach because of the style of football he would bring, and because people listen when he talks. We need a head coach who has some charisma and who people respect, and that is exactly what Gruden would bring.
The next step is filling out Gruden's offensive coaching staff. For offensive coordinator, I am plucking away Bill Callahan away from the New York Jets. Callhan is currently the offensive line coach and assistant head coach in New York. He has prior experience working under Gruden in Oakland, and actually succeeded him as head coach there. When he was offensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2000, they lead the league in passing. Just two years later, when he was head coach, the Raiders led the league in rushing, proving that Callahan is adept at making the best out the personnel that he has.
Now that we have an offensive coordinator, I need to pick the Quarterback's, Running Back's, Wide Receiver's, Tight End's, and Offensive Line's coaches. For Quarterback's coach, I am hiring Josh Heupel, who was Sam Bradford's Quarterback coach at Oklahoma, led the Sooners to the 2000 national championship (he was the Quarterback), and is currently the co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. I think he is more than qualified for this position, and he would really help Bradford in his development as a passer. I think bringing back some familiarity would do wonders for Sam's confidence.
For the running back's coach, I am going to keep Sylvester Croom on the staff. He is the only coach who has really shown anything under Spagnuolo and there is no reason to bring a new guy in to keep Steven Jackson motivated. Croom has shown that he can get the best out of Jackson, so he stays.
For the Reciever's coach, I am bringing in both Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Both have strong ties to the organization from the greatest show on turf days, and both are going to be Hall of Famer's. They know how the game should be played, and they can pass that knowledge on to the receiving corps.
For the Tight End coach, I am going to hire Mike Denbrock, who is currently the Tight End coach at the university of Notre Dame. Denbrock has helped develop players such as Anthony Fasano, John Carlson, Kyle Rudolph, and Tyler Eifert, and he has over twenty five years of coaching experience.
For Offensive Line coach, I am once again dipping into a college football coaching staff, but this time I am hiring someone from Wisconsin. Bob Bostad is the current offensive line coach and run game coordinator of the Badgers, and he has been with them since 2005 meaning he has developed some serious talent along the offensive line, making him a perfect choice as offensive line coach.
Now we head to the defensive side of the ball where I must first choose a defensive coordinator. I would hire Jim Leavitt, currently the San Francisco 49'ers linebackers coach, and the former head coach of the university of Southern Florida. Leavitt has played an essential role in the 49'ers rise up the list of top rushing defenses, and he recruited and developed strong defensive talent in his time at South Florida, such as Jason Pierre-Paul, Jerome Murphy, and George Selvie. He has experience helping drag football programs from the depths of mediocrity and making the respectable teams. Now, to fill out his coaching staff we are going to need a Defensive Line coach, a Linebacker coach, and a Defensive Back Coach.
For the Defensive Line Coach, I am hiring Joe Cullen, who is currently the defensive line coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but will likely be gone at the end of the season as they are in the middle of a coaching change. Cullen has experience as a very successful defensive coordinator at the collegiate level (Richmond) and during both of his stops in the NFL (Detroit and Jacksonville), he increased the sack production of the defensive lineman.
For the Linebacker coach, I am hiring Jack Del Rio, who was recently the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and was let go just a few weeks ago. Del Rio was previously a linebacker in the NFL for eleven years, the linebacker coach of the Baltimore Ravens, and the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. I am also naming Del Rio the assistant defensive coordinator.
For Defensive Back's coach, I am hiring Ron Cooper from Louisiana State University. Cooper has helped develop such talent as Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, and Tyrann Mathieu. Claiborne and Mathieu were both first team All-American defensive backs, marking the first time that a school has ever had two defensive backs on the division one All-American team. As for the Special Teams' coach, I think Thomas McGaughey should suffice. He is also a coach at LSU, although he is the special teams coach. He has been in charge of some fantastic special teams players, and he would make an excellent addition to the coaching staff.
By adding these coaches, the Rams could finally bring some respectability back to the franchise. What do you think?