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Rams' coaching search likely to focus on up-and-coming assistants such as Kyle Shanahan, Josh McDaniels
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF COLUMNIST
It was bound to happen, of course. The Rams have a head coach opening and a need to make a big splash considering the sizable stage provided by the second-biggest market in the country.
With season tickets to sell and PSLs to pitch and a new fan base to entice and plenty of eyeballs standing on the sidelines just waiting for a reason to be turned, it made sense to assume the Rams would reach for the stars to grab everyone’s attention with a big-splash hire.
And so the narrative and rumors immediately began churning upon the Rams cutting ties with Jeff Fisher.
Jim Harbaugh was simply a phone call and a sizable chunk of Stan Kroenke’s billions away from leaving Michigan for Los Angeles.
Pete Carroll was a primary focus. Jon Gruden was interested. Asshole Face was on the short list.
Never mind all the above “candidates” already have great coaching jobs or, in Gruden's case, a cushy, high-paying TV gig he’d have to have his head examined to want to leave for the grind and rigors and headaches of coaching in the NFL.
Big names equal plenty of clicks, don’t forget. And if pushing your client’s name out there means getting a raise or a couple of years tacked on to the current contract, hey, all the better.
So let the rumors begin.
Or, as a high-ranking NFL official who’s been down this road before sighed this week, “Next week it will be Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.”
In other words, nonsense.
Look, history has shown coaching searches sometimes take wild turns on a dime. So it behooves everyone to hold off eliminating anyone just yet.
But there is a world of difference between possible and probable, so best not to get caught up in the big stars residing in far away galaxies.
Back here on earth, some compelling evidence is emerging to suggest the Rams have begun focusing on current NFL assistants standing one rung away from a coveted head coaching job. With the two most prominent targets Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Which makes sense, considering the soft push they’ve applied to the gas pedal since showing Fisher the door lines up with the rules they must adhere to in talking to assistant coaches.
The Rams aren’t allowed to contact current assistants until after the season ends, and with most of the hot candidates coaching playoffs teams the wait is even longer in some cases.
If a potential target is coaching a team that earns a bye through the first round, the Rams can talk to him during the off week. After the wild-card round, they can talk to assistants from winning teams but only with the permission from their current teams.
After the conference championship round, they can interview for a second time a candidate from a Super Bowl participant they interviewed earlier.
Which brings us back to Shanahan and McDaniels.
With the Patriots having already earned a first-round bye, the Rams can talk to McDaniels as early as Jan. 2, or a day after the Patriots finish the regular season against the Miami Dolphins.
As for Shanahan, there is still an outside chance the Falcons finish with the second-best record in the NFC and a first-round bye. If so, the Rams can talk to him at the end of the regular season. If not, they have to wait one week.
Of all the names being bandied about, these two make the most sense.
Shanahan, though, might check off a few more boxes.
While McDaniels is associated exclusively with the Bill Belichick coaching tree, Shanahan was groomed under his celebrated father, Mike, and Super Bowl-winning coaches Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak.
And while most of McDaniels’ success has been tied into working with Belichick and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady – not that there is anything wrong with that – Shanahan’s body of work is much more well-rounded.
He has turned Matt Ryan and the Falcons into an offensive juggernaut this year, with the Falcons leading the NFL in scoring and trailing only the New Orleans Saints in yards per game.
In previous years, Shanahan helped get 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns out of Washington rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III and 1,613 yards out of rookie running back Alfred Morris in 2012.
In the process he proved his flexibility by constructing an offense that fit the skill set of RG3 rather than the other way around.
And as the offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans from 2008-09 he helped construct an offense that produced the third-most yards in the NFL in 2008 and a top-5 yardage offense and 10th-best scoring offense in 2009. His quarterback, Matt Schaub, threw for 4,770 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2009, Andre Johnson eclipsed 1,500 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons and Steve Slaton ran for 1,282 yards in 2008.
If you want to pin RG3’s demise on Shanahan rather than injuries, do so at your own risk. But keep in mind Shanahan has all but dispelled that narrative by pushing Ryan and the Falcons as high as they’ve ever been this year.
Keep in mind as well: RG3 and Schaub both had their best years with Shanahan as their coordinator, and Ryan is on pace to have his best season.
If you’re the Rams, that’s an attractive resume considering the need for an established track record of offensive success. With so much riding on the development and success of rookie quarterback Jared Goff, Shanahan makes a lot of sense.
That doesn’t mean he gets the job.
But if you’re wise, the focus should be in his direction rather than the Grudens or Harbaughs of the galaxy.
[www.ocregister.com]
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF COLUMNIST
It was bound to happen, of course. The Rams have a head coach opening and a need to make a big splash considering the sizable stage provided by the second-biggest market in the country.
With season tickets to sell and PSLs to pitch and a new fan base to entice and plenty of eyeballs standing on the sidelines just waiting for a reason to be turned, it made sense to assume the Rams would reach for the stars to grab everyone’s attention with a big-splash hire.
And so the narrative and rumors immediately began churning upon the Rams cutting ties with Jeff Fisher.
Jim Harbaugh was simply a phone call and a sizable chunk of Stan Kroenke’s billions away from leaving Michigan for Los Angeles.
Pete Carroll was a primary focus. Jon Gruden was interested. Asshole Face was on the short list.
Never mind all the above “candidates” already have great coaching jobs or, in Gruden's case, a cushy, high-paying TV gig he’d have to have his head examined to want to leave for the grind and rigors and headaches of coaching in the NFL.
Big names equal plenty of clicks, don’t forget. And if pushing your client’s name out there means getting a raise or a couple of years tacked on to the current contract, hey, all the better.
So let the rumors begin.
Or, as a high-ranking NFL official who’s been down this road before sighed this week, “Next week it will be Urban Meyer and Nick Saban.”
In other words, nonsense.
Look, history has shown coaching searches sometimes take wild turns on a dime. So it behooves everyone to hold off eliminating anyone just yet.
But there is a world of difference between possible and probable, so best not to get caught up in the big stars residing in far away galaxies.
Back here on earth, some compelling evidence is emerging to suggest the Rams have begun focusing on current NFL assistants standing one rung away from a coveted head coaching job. With the two most prominent targets Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Which makes sense, considering the soft push they’ve applied to the gas pedal since showing Fisher the door lines up with the rules they must adhere to in talking to assistant coaches.
The Rams aren’t allowed to contact current assistants until after the season ends, and with most of the hot candidates coaching playoffs teams the wait is even longer in some cases.
If a potential target is coaching a team that earns a bye through the first round, the Rams can talk to him during the off week. After the wild-card round, they can talk to assistants from winning teams but only with the permission from their current teams.
After the conference championship round, they can interview for a second time a candidate from a Super Bowl participant they interviewed earlier.
Which brings us back to Shanahan and McDaniels.
With the Patriots having already earned a first-round bye, the Rams can talk to McDaniels as early as Jan. 2, or a day after the Patriots finish the regular season against the Miami Dolphins.
As for Shanahan, there is still an outside chance the Falcons finish with the second-best record in the NFC and a first-round bye. If so, the Rams can talk to him at the end of the regular season. If not, they have to wait one week.
Of all the names being bandied about, these two make the most sense.
Shanahan, though, might check off a few more boxes.
While McDaniels is associated exclusively with the Bill Belichick coaching tree, Shanahan was groomed under his celebrated father, Mike, and Super Bowl-winning coaches Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak.
And while most of McDaniels’ success has been tied into working with Belichick and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady – not that there is anything wrong with that – Shanahan’s body of work is much more well-rounded.
He has turned Matt Ryan and the Falcons into an offensive juggernaut this year, with the Falcons leading the NFL in scoring and trailing only the New Orleans Saints in yards per game.
In previous years, Shanahan helped get 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns out of Washington rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III and 1,613 yards out of rookie running back Alfred Morris in 2012.
In the process he proved his flexibility by constructing an offense that fit the skill set of RG3 rather than the other way around.
And as the offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans from 2008-09 he helped construct an offense that produced the third-most yards in the NFL in 2008 and a top-5 yardage offense and 10th-best scoring offense in 2009. His quarterback, Matt Schaub, threw for 4,770 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2009, Andre Johnson eclipsed 1,500 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons and Steve Slaton ran for 1,282 yards in 2008.
If you want to pin RG3’s demise on Shanahan rather than injuries, do so at your own risk. But keep in mind Shanahan has all but dispelled that narrative by pushing Ryan and the Falcons as high as they’ve ever been this year.
Keep in mind as well: RG3 and Schaub both had their best years with Shanahan as their coordinator, and Ryan is on pace to have his best season.
If you’re the Rams, that’s an attractive resume considering the need for an established track record of offensive success. With so much riding on the development and success of rookie quarterback Jared Goff, Shanahan makes a lot of sense.
That doesn’t mean he gets the job.
But if you’re wise, the focus should be in his direction rather than the Grudens or Harbaughs of the galaxy.
[www.ocregister.com]
