by Ryan Van Bibber on Dec 19, 2011 3:53 PM CST
SB*NATION.NEWSLETTER
At 2-11 with each loss blurring together with the last one, the odds do not favor Steve Spagnuolo keeping his job as head coach of the St. Louis Rams. A report from the San Diego Union Tribune in November noted that team owner Stan Kroenke was already planning make changes at head coach and general manager. Today, Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network noted something similar, saying on the air that sources told him the Rams plan to "blow things up" after the season ends.
Whether you blame the injuries, the personnel decisions, or the weather, it's pretty tough to stand by what the Rams have done this season.
Lots more after the jump...
There's no shortage of head scratching decisions with this team. Bernie Miklasz noted this morning the coaching staff's stubborn refusal to adapt the game for Sam Bradford similar to what they did with Kellen Clemens and A.J. Feeley. Not hiring a quarterbacks coach looked like a poor decision at the time because of the lockout and a new system. The defense is playing better, after 12 games, but it's notable that last year's group of outside linebackers made for a better unit than this year's group.
Other teams have handled similar injury situations, the Seattle Seahawks for instance, with aplomb. Add in the anecdotal stuff you hear about the coaching staff - e.g. Mike Karney's interview in which he noted Spags barely talks to the players during halftime, telling considering how poorly the team plays after the half - and it's pretty tough sell to keep the coach.
Finally, whether Spagnuolo's a good guy or not, it would be pretty tough to try and sell season tickets, much less get a new stadium, by bringing the same bunch back to lead the team in 2012.
Opinions aside, this is the second high profile report claiming that the Rams will make coaching changes ahead of the 2012 season.
LaCanfora's news does conflict with a report from Adam Schefter over the weekend that the Rams would like to keep McDaniels. With the changes coming in Kansas City, there's plenty of talk that McDaniels could be brought in as the offensive coordinator, where he'd be working for Scott Pioli and with Kyle Orton and Matt Cassel.
As for Spagnuolo, he could probably have his pick of defensive coordinator jobs. Many still believe he could go back to Philly, where Andy Reid once saw him as the eventual successor to Jim Johnson.
For the Rams, it's yet another coaching change, and it's more important than ever that they get it right this time.
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