UPDATED (10:10 a.m.)… The St. Louis Rams have fired Scott Linehan as
their coach. The team has confirmed the move and a news conference is
scheduled for today at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Linehan will be replaced
on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, formerly the
head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
“I have enormous respect for Scott Linehan as a person and believe
under the right circumstances he will be regarded one day as a fine
head coach,” Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom said in a written statement.
“Unfortunately, the situation with the Rams as they exist today is no
longer acceptable and we have to make a change. “We do this with a
heavy heart, and we thank Scott for his efforts and dedication on
behalf of the Rams. “By appointing the well-respected Jim Haslett as
our head coach, we are making an interim move that we hope will make
the Rams winners again.” The move was expected after Sunday’s loss to
the Buffalo Bills dropped the Rams’ record to 0-4 this season and 3-17
since the beginning of last season. Rosenbloom recently had promised
to make changes if the team’s play didn’t improve, and Linehan
appeared to lose the support of his players. He benched quarterback
Marc Bulger last week in favor of Trent Green, and running back Steven
Jackson criticized the move on a radio show. There also was talk that
Linehan was at odds with wide receiver Torry Holt, producing
speculation that he might be trying to trade Holt. Linehan had a
record of 11-25 with the Rams. He went 8-8 in 2006 in his rookie
season as an NFL head coach. But the Rams now have surrendered 30 or
more points in seven straight games dating back to last season and
have been outscored, 147-43, in four games this season. It was the
second straight season with a slow start for the Rams. They began 0-8
last season. The Rams’ losing streak dating to last season is eight
games. They rarely have been even competitive in games: They’ve been
outscored by 26 points per game this season and by 14 points per game
since the start of last season. This season, they rank 30th in the
league in total offense and next to last in total defense. The Rams
are beginning their bye week. Haslett gets a promotion despite
overseeing the NFL’s 31st-ranked defense. He was chosen by the club’s
decision-makers after they reportedly also gave consideration to
offensive coordinator Al Saunders. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
reported that there was consideration given to keeping Linehan for the
rest of the season and hiring former Rams coach Dick Vermeil as a
consultant, but those ideas were rejected. The decision reportedly was
made overnight in a meeting involving Rosenbloom and other high-
ranking team officials. An online poll by the Post-Dispatch conducted
Sunday night found that 92 percent of respondents thought Linehan
should be fired. The newspaper also reported that there will be
changes made to the team’s front office after the season. One of
Haslett’s first decisions will be whether to reinstate Bulger as the
starter at quarterback. Bulger signed a six-year, $65 million contract
extension last year, and his play apparently was not regarded as the
team’s main problem within the locker room. Holt recently said
publicly that the club’s offensive line had to improve its play or
Bulger would not last the season. Jackson said on the radio late last
week that Bulger was the team’s leader and it made no sense to sit
down a quarterback after giving him such a hefty contract. Linehan’s
switch to Green failed to provide a spark. Haslett was the Saints’
head coach between the 2000 and 2005 seasons and had a record of
45-51. He led the Saints to the playoffs in the 2000 season. He was
fired after the team went 3-13 in 2005, the season in which it was
displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. The question is
whether it will be a two-firing Monday. The Oakland Raiders also could
dismiss their coach, Lane Kiffin. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan might
replace him. There have been reports for weeks that Raiders owner Al
Davis was about to fire Kiffin. The two have been at odds since the
offseason, when Davis reportedly tried to get Kiffin to resign but
Kiffin refused. The only thing keeping Kiffin in his job then, it
seemed, was that he didn’t want to resign and forfeit future salaries,
while Davis didn’t want to fire him and pay future salaries. Now it’s
possible that Davis will oust Kiffin and maintain that Kiffin violated
his contract and isn’t owed those salaries. The Raiders are 1-3 and
firing a coach after four games wouldn’t be completely new to Davis.
In 1989, he fired Mike Shanahan as his coach four games into the
season and replaced him with Art Shell. The Raiders went 4-12 last
season in Kiffin’s rookie season as a head coach. In the offseason,
Kiffin reportedly wanted to fire Ryan but Davis blocked the move.
There were reports that wide receivers coach James Lofton was hired
without Kiffin’s input, although the Raiders denied that. The Raiders
made a series of expensive player moves, raising expectations for this
season despite the fact that they’re starting young quarterback
JaMarcus Russell. The troubles of the offseason intensified when
Kiffin said after a poor defensive performance in a season-opening
loss to the Denver Broncos that Ryan and Davis collaborate on the
defensive game plans. Ryan came to Davis’s defense, saying publicly
that he–not the owner–is in charge of the defense. That seemed to
reinforce Ryan’s loyalty to Davis and underscore the point that he’s
in line to succeed Kiffin. If Davis doesn’t give the job to Ryan, it
could go to Lofton, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp or running backs
coach Tom Rathman. The Raiders also employ former coach Paul Hackett
as a scout. The Raiders, like the Rams, have a bye next weekend.
Why dont the Rams package Stephan Jackson and Marc Bulger and trade
for a good QB. If they did that they should be able to get an elite QB
like Peyton Manning or Donavon McNabb.
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