Rams New DC Gregg Williams Thinking Big

January 25th, 2012 Russ Loede Posted in Main, News

During an introductory conference call with the St. Louis media, newly-hired St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is promising a culture change on defense.

“That’s why people hire me. People want to figure out when they bought stock in particular players, when they drafted them and they paid them money enormous amounts of money, who’s at fault? Is it the decision makers who chose them or the young men that haven’t figured out what it takes to play in the National Football League?,” Williams said according to Kathleen Nelson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“I’ve been able to do that everywhere I go and get way too much credit for the X’s and Os. My specialty is handling people, especially difficult people.

“I look forward to the opportunity to mold these guys in some of the way I have in other places. From what I looked at on film, Steve Spagnuolo did a good job. These guys played really hard here.That’s a huge part of changing any culture.”

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Rams to Talk to Dolphins Director of Player Personnel Brian Gaine About GM Job

January 24th, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in News

The Rams will have a chat next week with Dolphins Director of Player Personnel Brian Gaine about their open GM position.

Gaine followed Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland to the Miami Dolphins in 2008, initially working as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel. His expanded duties when he took over as Director of Player Personnel before last years NFL Draft included working closely with Ireland, then coach Tony Sparano and the rest of the football department on the evaluation of players at the professional and collegiate levels.

He also is responsible for administrative and scouting responsibilities in both of those areas.

In addition to Gaine, the Rams’ list of general manager candidates includes rizona Cardinals Director of Player Personnel Steve Keim, New York Jets Vice President of College Scouting Joey Clinkscales, Atlanta Falcons Director of Player Personnel Les Snead.

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Video: Fisher, Rams Need to Draft Impact Players

January 23rd, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in Opinions, Video

Phil Simms and Cris Collinsworth think it’s going to take more than Jeff Fisher to make the St. Louis Rams a true competitor next year.

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Dave McGinnis Hired as New Assistant Coach

January 23rd, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in News

The Rams have a new assistant head coach, as today the team hired Dave McGinnis, who know Jeff Fisher all too well from his days with the Titans.

The 60-year-old was with the Titans for 8 seasons, 7 of which were with Fisher, and the final one this past year with new coach Mike Munchak. Before joining the Titans, McGinnis coached for the Cardinals from 1996-2003, first as the defensive coordinator before being named head coach midway through the 2000 season.

The Cardinals went 17-40 in three and a half season and he was fired after back-to-back last place finishes in the NFC West.

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Rams Hire Schottenheimer as New Offensive Coordinator

January 21st, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in News

The Rams have a new offensive coordinator, as today new coach Jeff Fisher officially hired former New York Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer to run the teams offense.

Schottenheimer was dumped by the Jets at the end of the season, as he and the Jets failed to make the postseason after they dropped their last couple games.

The son of Marty was expected to be a hot head coaching prospect, but now will have to settle for the Rams job after things didn’t work out for he and the Jets.

Scottenheimer has worked with a number of QB’s, including Tony Banks, Jeff George, Drew Brees, Doug Flutie, Philip Rivers, Chad Pennington, Kellen Clemens, Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez.

Last season the Jets offense ranked 25th in the NFL and failed to break the 20-point mark in each of the last three games.

He will have his work cut out for him in his first season with the Rams under Fisher.

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Rams to Play Pats in London in 2012 – Will Play a Game There As Well in 13 and 14

January 20th, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in News

The National Football League announced today that the Rams will face the Patriots in London, England’s Wembley Stadium this season. The game, which is part of the NFL’s International Series, will take place on Oct. 28 at Noon CST (6 p.m. UK). CBS will provide live television coverage of the contest.

The Rams will serve as the home team for this year’s contest, and the team has reached an agreement to play a home game at Wembley Stadium in 2013 and 2014 as well.

“This is a tremendous honor for our franchise, the city of St. Louis and our fans throughout the world,” said Rams owner E. Stanley Kroenke. “We are excited about the opportunity to reach new audiences globally. This is a great platform to showcase the city of St. Louis to London and the UK.

“We’ve seen first hand the increased popularity of the NFL not only in London but throughout Europe. To play a role in that growth over the next three years will be incredible and is a testament to the many good things happening not only in the NFL but also in the St. Louis Rams organization.”

The 2012 season marks the sixth-consecutive year in which Wembley Stadium has played host to a regular season NFL game. The league has held one regular season game in London each year beginning in 2007.

“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to represent the Rams and the National Football League in London,” Rams QB Sam Bradford said. “I’m sure it’s going to be a very exciting atmosphere that will provide a great experience for everyone involved in the game.”

The 2012 International Series contest marks the first time in team history that the Rams will play a regular season game outside of the United States. The Rams participated in the American Bowl during the preseason three times and won all three contests: a 1987 game against the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium; a 1989 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan; and a 1990 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs at Berlin, Germany’s Olympiastadion.

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Gregg Williams Joining Jeff Fisher’s Staff witht the Rams

January 17th, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in News

It appears that Jeff Fisher’s new staff for the Rams is going to have one of his old pals, as Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will be coming aboard as the Rams DC.

Williams and Fisher go way back, as he worked for Fisher with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans in the 1990s and the two have remained friends since those days. When Fisher accepted the Rams head coaching job, Williams was expected to join him as his contract was expiring at the end of this season.

The Rams defense in 2011 ranked 19th in yards allowed, were 12th in scoring defense and ranked second on third downs in 2011.

Potential replacements for Williams in New Orleans include former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo and current Dolphins defensive coordinator Mike Nolan. In-house candidates include assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Vitt, who has coached in the NFL since 1979.

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Fisher Denies His Agent’s Connection with Rams Exec Made Up His Mind to Coach Rams

January 16th, 2012 Matt Loede Posted in News

NFL.com reports that Jeff Fisher denies that his agent and his relationship to a Rams exec led to his decision to coming to St.Louis over deciding to going to Miami to coach the Dolphins

The Rams got their guy when Jeff Fisher agreed to St. Louis’ new head coach last Friday, choosing the NFC West cellar-dweller over South Beach and the Miami Dolphins. A small factor in the lead up to Fisher’s decision was how Rams executive vice president of football operations and COO Kevin Demoff is the son of Fisher’s agent, Marvin Demoff. In this week’s “Monday Morning Quarterback” column, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King reported that some in the league feel there could have been possible collusion on the part of Fisher and the Demoffs.

King spoke to Fisher on Sunday night and asked the new Rams coach if Marvin Demoff influenced his decision to go to St. Louis. “Under no circumstances at any time,” Fisher told King. “I have 100 percent conviction on that. This was my decision, and Marvin assisted me. I was the one who decided. No one pushed me anywhere.” Fisher went on to explain the process of how he settled on the Rams. “From [Day 1], when I began this process after the season, I felt Miami and St. Louis were my best options,” Fisher said. “I did my research. I looked at every team that had an opening. I looked at the personnel on each team, I looked at the owners, I looked at the cap situations, and I narrowed it to two. Not Marvin. Me. Marvin didn’t push me. I am convinced he was completely objective.”

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