Catching up with the Rams

I've had a couple of funny nights and days (in a row) due to Bod Pod testing and dietary change.  For these reasons, I haven't had a lot of time to blog about what's up with my Rams.  There have been a lot of news bits flying around on the wire.  The purpose of this entry is to filter and condense them all here.

#1 Stan Kroenke and the Patriot-Way

Imagine my distress when I came across a piece in the Boston Herald declaring Stan Kroeneke's admiration of the Patriot-Way? You know how I feel about this subject.  The Patriot-Way is just a fig-leaf covering Bellichick's totalitarian approach to doing business.  It's another way of saying 'my way or the highway' from a Bellichick perspective.

Since this guy hasn't managed to win a playoff game since he was caught cheating, I see no real point in lionizing this little bastard.  He's easily the most over-rated coach of all time.  Furthermore, this guy has no coaching tree, as is often mistakenly alleged by the media.  His sycophants continue to flunk-out in both the Pro and the college ranks.  This guy is no Paul Brown.  He is no Bill Walsh.  He is no Tom Landry.  He is no master innovator, nor is he a coach of coaches.  Fuck Bellichick.  May he eat shit and die.

According to the quotes, Kroenke read "Inside the War Room", which is subtitled "Building the perfect football team".  Kroenke proclaimed that this book described a wonderful business culture in which there were clear-cut responsibilities, clear cut assignments of final authority, and no escape from final accountability.  No shit, eh?

This immediately raises question marks in my mind.  What the hell does Bellichick know about building the perfect football team?  At the the end of the day, this dude is famous for just one thing:  Never having had an undefeated season.  Yep, you read that right.  Straight word to the moe-foe there.  Furthermore, the purported 'defensive genius' has the last-ranked defense in the NFL.  What does he know about the perfect football team?

Stop licking this guy's ass, for Christ's sake.  It is most unseemly for for a weak-minded fool to apply the yardstick of his wretched intellect to the game of Pro Football.  It is disgraceful for the same wretched fools to be caught licking the arse of Bellichick in public.

With that said, I am all in favor of clear-cut responsibilities, final say, and unavoidable final accountability... just as long as it doesn't all end up in Bill Bellichick's hands at the end of the day.

#2 Kroenke releases Josh McDaniel's from his contract

And McDaniel's immediately rejoined the Patriots' staff.  Speaking of Bellichick sycophants who flunk-out all over the place... and speaking of the Patriot-Way..

If Stan Kroenke's vision lies in New England, you sure can't prove that by his #3 move.  After sacking GM Billy Devaney and HC Steve Spagnuolo, the only coach under contract with the Rams was Bellichick Sycophant Josh McDaniels.  For approximately 24 hours, I was sweating bullets over the question of whether Jeff Fisher or Josh McDaniels would become the next Rams-HC.  Knowing that:

1. The Rams were reluctant to change offensive coordinators and systems for a 3rd time in Sam Bradford's brief 2 year career.
2. That Kroenke was (is) in-love with the Patriot-Way.

It was somewhat logical to conclude that McDaniels had to be in the running for HC.  Then sigh not so, but let him go into hey nonny, nonny.  McDaniels was released from his contract either Friday or Saturday morning, and he resigned with the Patriots sometime Saturday afternoon.

Good riddance.  I never liked the guy in the first place.  I still blame him for the destruction of a pretty good Denver Bronco team.  As you know, I just don't like Bellichick sycophants.  

I regret the fact that Sam has to go through another offensive transition, but if we face the facts, we must realize that he had no chemistry with McDaniels in the first place.  Those two gave it a try, but they just didn't mesh well at all.  Sam never grasped McDaniels' passing scheme, and McDaniels seemed unable to help him master it. The lines of communication were down.  This is all the more curious since McDaniels runs a spread offensive not all that different from the one Bob Stoops runs at Oklahoma.

There's something wrong with that McDaniels kid.  He is a weird Taurus.  As a Virgo, I aught to love the guy.  I don't don't.  Furthermore, as a Taurus, he aught to have great chemistry with a Scorpio like Sam Bradford.  Clearly, he didn't.  Further, he aught to have good and cordial relations with an Aries like Bellichick, but he shouldn't worship at the guy's arse.

There is something bad-wrong about that Josh McDaniels kid.  He just ain't right.

#3 All signs are pointing towards Jeff Fisher

In the past 24 hours, a significant number of facts have become evident.

1. Most of the so-called 'coaching A-Listers' are not interested in returning to the job in 2012.
2. The pool of available Head-Coaching Candidates has never been thinner than it is today.
3. There aren't many hot coordinators in the league right now.
4. Stan Kroenke wants to end the coaching carousel in St. Louis by bring in a veteran head coach.
5. The only guy who fits the suit is Jeff Fisher.

We've seen many other news blurbs about the Rams having the edge because of Sam Bradford, the Dolphins loosing their grip on Jeff Fisher, Fisher being close to delivering his decision, etc. Jason La Canfora has been on the record for a week now declaring that Fisher would be the next coach of the Rams.  Chris Mortensen has certainly backed these claims up.

As you know, I am not particularly pleased by any of this.  I don't think we made a sufficient effort to bring Gruden out of retirement.  Money talks.  Let's buy him out of Monday Night Football.  If you made him a whopping offer, I bet you he would come along.

So why do I object to Jeff Fisher?

1. I already made my case about his mediocre record.  No need to cover this again.
2. I don't think he will go well with Bill Polian.
3. I don't think he will go well with Sam Bradford.
4. He comes from the defensive side of the field.  He was a DB with USC and Chicago.
5. Our problems are on offense.  We need an offensively-minded, point scoring head-coach.
6. Given the fact that the NFL has illegalized defense, and given the fact that you have to look around for a yellow flag every time you hear the pads pop, I am not sure you can even hire a head coach from the defensive side of the field anymore.  Believe me, I choke as I write this.  I am from the defensive side of the field.

I just don't think Jeff Fisher meets our most pressing needs.  It would be better to bring back Mike Martz as head coach.  I would favor that move.  I can't believe the Bears have released him from his contract.

#4 Gregg Williams for DC

A number of reports, particularly those from Adam Schefter, state that Gregg Williams will be the next defensive Coordinator of the Rams.  Why?

Greg got his start in Jeff Fisher's coaching tree.  Gregg Williams has no contract for the 2012 season.  He is a coaching free-agent.  Although some have mentioned him as a potential HC candidate, and although there are openings available, it seems increasingly unlikely that Gregg Williams will get an HC position this year.  Many dispute whether he has the demeanor of a head coach, and whether he can delegate authority.

Further, we know there are now issues surrounding the hiring of an aggressive defensive coach as your HC, thanks to the NFL Competition Committee.  Anytime the pads pop, you have to look around for the yellow flag.

I am not sure why Gregg Williams would want to leave New Orleans.  I am not sure why he would rather work with Jeff Fisher than Sean Payton.  I am not sure why he would leave a good thing when he's got one.

Still, Schefter is almost never wrong.  This report has to be taken seriously.

#5 Jeff Tedford for OC

If Fisher is the head coach, and Williams is our DC, who will be the man tasked with repairing our woeful offense?  This is the Achilles' heel of our football team, you know?  We suck because of our offense.

Some rumors are circulating--very underground--that Stan Kroenke wants Jeff Tedford, head coach of the Cal Berkeley Bears to fill this position.  I am not sure Tedford would be interested in semi-demotion from head coach to offensive coordinator, especially when some consider him worthy of a full NFL HC position.  Still, the rumor is circulating that Kroenke has reached out to Tedford.

If he will take the position, I am all for it.  Tedford is my homeboy.  He's from SoCal originally, but he went to Fresno State where he was a very memorable Bulldog QB during my High School years.  He became the OC of the Oregon Ducks, and then the head coach at Cal.  I happen to be a UCLA guy.  He's been a serious thorn in our Bruins' side for years now.  Let's fetch him out of there to coach the Rams.  He is responsible for the early development of a QB you may have heard of:  Aaron Rodgers.

Jeff also happens to be a November 2, 1961 Scorpio dude.  Sirius 1.1 claims he has extremely high synastry scores with Sam Bradford, something Josh McDaniels didn't have.  They should be very good together.

#6 No sign of Bill Polian

At the moment, there is no sign of the Rams or Kroenke communicating with Bill Polian. The only word published on Bill Polian all week long stated that he was interested in the vacant Chicago Bears' position.

As you may imagine, my outlook is glum. I really, really, really want to see Bill Polian take over this organization. Bring Chris along with you.  There is nothing wrong with the way the Rams do things that cannot be addressed and corrected by hiring Bill Polian.  I am sure this guy can fix the organization.  He's fixed every organization he's ever been in, no matter how dysfunctional.

At the moment, all reports state that the Rams want to pair an experienced veteran HC (read: Fisher) with a young and hungry GM (read:  somebody Fisher would select).  Given the notion that Fisher is doing the selection, can you guess who we are talking too?  Titans VP of Operations Lake Dawson and VP of player personnel Ruston Webster.

So we are going to be the Titans-West instead of the Giants-West now, eh?  I am not too pleased by that.  I would sooner be the Colts-West.