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Reports of head coaching and front office changes for the St. Louis Rams abound these days. Such is life for a 2-12 team that started the season with much bigger expectations. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has some big decisions to make when the season ends. Reports of what the decision will be fluctuate, with most giving the general impression that both Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney will be fired. A report today from John Czarnecki at Fox presents another possibility, keeping Spagnuolo while letting Devaney go.
Czarnecki:
Owner Stan Kroenke, who keeps homes in Denver and Malibu, is said to be torn about what to do with Devaney and Spagnuolo, but some believe both could be fired at the end of the season. If only one goes, Devaney could be it.
Keeping Devaney doesn't seem like a realistic option regardless of what happens. The Rams have done a poor job acquiring talent; look no further than the offense for proof of that.
Personally, it would be a pretty tough sell to hang onto Steve Spagnuolo after this season. Bernie Miklasz at the Post-Dispatch said about all there is to say on Spagnuolo's performance this season, why the excuses just don't matter.
I keep coming back to the way the Rams have played compared to the rest of the NFC West. Since Week 9, the Rams are 1-6. Arizona is 5-2, and Seattle, a team with an injured reserve list as long as the Rams' list, is 6-1.
Czarnecki also noted this about Spagnuolo: "Coach Steve Spagnuolo is 10-36 overall and his control-freak tendencies have rubbed some players the wrong way."
That jives with what I've heard, but I don't know how much of that is just player ego, etc. Head coaches are supposed to be obsessive. There are also whispers of tension between Spagnuolo and McDaniels, but I have no way of confirming that.
This post at Pro Football Talk notes the problem Kroenke might face in bringing Spagnuolo back next year, the last year of his contract. Being a lame duck head coach is a mostly untenable position. Teams either have to cut ties or give them an extension. Coaches with a 10-36 record generally don't get contract extensions.
We'll see what happens when the season ends. For those of you keeping score at home, we have more reports from credible sources who say that Spagnuolo and Devaney are gone when the season ends.