The St. Louis Rams coaching staff is starting to take shape. Following the hire of Jeff Fisher, the Rams' new coach had his coordinators hired within a week. The work has since turned toward hiring the assistant coaches. The public has been especially curious about a couple position coaches: at wide receiver and quarterback.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said today that he was still looking for a quarterbacks coach, but the team may be getting closer to hiring a receivers coach, according to Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch. One name on that list will be particularly familiar to Rams fans: Henry Ellard.
Ellard is, of course, one of the franchise's all-time greats. Their leading receiver until the days of the Greatest Show on Turf put new names in the record books. Ellard played for the Rams from 1983-1993.
Younger fans will remember him from his lengthy stint as the team's receivers coach, from 2001-2008. He was given his walking papers by Steve Spagnuolo.
Ellard's work as the team's receivers coach speaks for itself. Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce both predated his hire, but both players reached new heights under his tutelage. Of course, Mike Martz' high flying offense helped with their stats. Ellard then went to work for the Jets, from 2009-2011, under Brian Schottenheimer.
I can't really think of a more popular hire for Rams fans longing for the franchise's glory days.
Another candidate for the job is James Lofton. An eight time Pro Bowler as a player, Lofton used to be the Packers' receiving leader, before Donald Driver broke his mark.
As a coach, he worked in San Diego from 2002-2007 as the receivers coach. That was followed by a season in Oakland.