Why Steve Spagnuolo Is Most Likely On His Way Out In St. Louis

St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo has only won 10 games in his three years with the Rams. The closer we get to the end of the season, the more it looks like the Rams will be looking for another head coach.

The NFL is a cruel business, and in a perfect world it would be easy to let Steve play out the last year of his four year contract. There are good excused to not fire Steve: the injuries were too much for this team to overcome, the shortened off-season, the regression of offensive players in a new system, and the fact that the Rams don't have a lot of talent. An even better argument might be - Who would want to replace Spags, since there will be a lot of jobs opening up in the league?

However, in this not so perfect world, it's the end results that matter. In that regard, with 10 wins to his name and his failure to develop young players should be enough to fire Spags. There is a bigger reason to fire Steve and that's because the rest of the NFC West is fighting for playoff spots, while the Rams were out of it a long time ago.

The Rams were picked as favorites to win the NFC West and finally head back to the playoffs. Instead, the San Francisco 49ers easily won the division title, while the Rams struggled to win 2 games. Yes, the 49ers had a lot of talent, but they were bringing in a new coaching staff, while the Rams were bringing back all their coaches except their offensive coordinator.

If it was just the 49ers that were doing well, it would be easier to handle. But two other NFC West teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals, are still fighting for the last playoff spot. They might not make the playoffs, but it's just surprising that they are in this position.

Consider this: In week 9 the Rams had one win, the Seahawks had two wins, and the Cardinals had two wins. Since then, the Rams have won one game, while the Seahawks and Cardinals both have won five. Granted, they both swept the Rams in that time frame, but you can't control who you play.

It's not like those two other teams are far better than the Rams. They both are overcoming injuries to their teams as well.

At the end of the day, it's looking bad for Steve Spagnuolo. I wouldn't be opposed to giving him one more season, but I would expect the Rams owner might have other ideas in mind. What better way to bring in a new regime, than after a season where there is no other way to go but up?