The head coach vacancy for the Los Angeles Rams is one that will certainly look attractive to potential suitors. NFL coaches, both current and retired, coordinators, and college coaches may be having their name thrown into the mix, but with differing levels of interest.
Jim Harbaugh was a name that immediately came to mind for folks who thought the Michigan coach might be interested in coming back to the NFL and sticking it to the 49ers twice a year. He took his name out of the running, for now at least, when he said the whole thing was just being stirred up by jive turkeys.
Pete Carroll wants to come back to the Coliseum, right? Not so fast. The Seahawks’ coach told the media - in a conference call on Tuesday - that he’d like to have his name ruled out entirely.
A former Super Bowl winner, Jon Gruden is another oft-mentioned name linked to the opening. Time will tell if the Rams’ can pull him away from his handsomely paid job working Monday Night Football for ESPN. The good news, assuming he’s your top choice, is that he’s apparently willing to listen.
Two of the more realistic names being thrown out there are for young coordinators looking for their chance to take the reigns: Patriots’ OC Josh McDaniels and Falcons’ OC Kyle Shanahan. Looking at the numbers, and what their respective teams are accomplishing on offense, it’s clear to see why these names would rise to the top.
The question, regarding these two, is which one would be able to get the most out of the Rams’ talent. The Rams don’t have a Julio Jones type receiving threat. They certainly don’t have Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski.
It may be a while before either of these guys show any true interest, as both are bound to say their focusing on this week’s opponent as they approach the postseason. Kevin Demoff, in announcing the firing of Jeff Fisher, had this to say about the team’s intentions for finding a new head coach:
When you get to the end of the season and you start to submit the permission forms for the coordinator candidates or the candidates throughout the NFL, that you’re going to be prepared, and hopefully that you can have a plan for how that first week goes. We’ve studied the history of hiring dates and when people get hired. When you look at it, usually there’s a wave that goes January 10-12, and then the dominoes start to fall. You’d love to be in the January 10-12 group, so that you can start to build a staff.
So it may be another month or so before we finally get the answer we’ve all been waiting for.
But for now, we can prognosticate. We can also wager. According to Bovada, the aforementioned Josh McDaniels looks to be the favorite to land the job, with 2/1 odds.
Jim Mora Jr. is another name in strong consideration, it seems. Currently the head coach at UCLA, Mora’s team boasts a 4-8 record, and have gotten worse, from a win/loss standpoint, in each of the past three seasons.
Think you know who’s going to land the Rams’ head coaching job? Go ahead and put a sawbuck on it.