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Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Many, many Rams fans want offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to get the head coaching job at Vanderbilt. They are on his side for a change.
This move would force them to find another whipping boy, but fans are willing to pay that price to refresh the Rams offense.
Schottenheimer gets the Pat Shurmur Treatment week after week in the Rams Talk forum and in our various live chats. He takes the fall for everything this side of global warming.
Every failed play was a terrible call. Every three-and-out offensive possession was his personal responsibility.
Some fans believe the Rams were poised to unleash an epic offensive fury on the NFL this season. They believe the Rams were prepared to make scoreboards explode with rapid-fire touchdown strikes – only to see Schottenheimer stifle that awesome attack with his pedestrian game-planning and play-calling.
In this corner of cyberspace, the sloppy execution of the Rams offense was always a bigger concern than the Xs and Os. Listless route-running, missed blitz reads, passes caroming off the bodies of unresponsive receivers, pre-snap penalties galore . . . this is what happens when a team enters a season with many prospects but no proven playmakers.
Football experts found plenty to hate about Schottenheimer’s scheming. Refuting such criticism is impossible, given unit’s poor production. Results are results.
The bigger concern, though, was the halting development of so many skill position players. Tavon Austin belatedly made an impact before suffering a season-ending injury. Zac Stacy eventually emerged as a viable feature back andStedman Bailey finally became a reliable possession receiver late in the season.
Tight end Jared Cook flashed his potential here and there, but never became a consistent force. Chris Givens surfaced on occasion, but Brian Quick remained virtually invisible in the passing game.
Should the coaching staff have done a better job developing those players? Or are some of those guys hopelessly flawed and destined to wash out of the league, Mardy Gilyard-like?
That is one of the great debates with this organization.
The Rams made little progress this season. Their red zone efficiency improved before Sam Bradford’s injury.
Their shift back to a ground-and-pound approach was generally successful. The team won some games with scatter-armed Kellen Clemens at quarterback, which is no small feat.
(In Schottenheimer’s previous gig, he won a lot of games with disaster-prone Mark Sanchez playing quarterback for the Jets. Again, that was no small feat.)
The Rams could build on their 2013 gains by shoring up the injury-battered offensive line, returning Bradford to good health, drafting a developmental quarterback with real upside and adding an established wide receiver.
Fans would prefer more dramatic change, which is why they demanded Schottenheimer’s firing morning, noon and night, week after week, month after month.
But as Rams fans have seen, changing coordinators is seldom a magic wand solution.
The Shurmur Era ended when he moved on to the Cleveland Browns as head coach. He struggled in that role, too, largely because he had terrible players.
The Rams tried to open up the offense by hiring offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels to replace Shurmur. Trouble was, they lacked viable downfield passing threats and an offensive line sturdy enough to protect the seven-step drop back.
McDaniels failed spectacularly. He returned home to New England, where he immediately regained his genius label while overseeing better talent.
(He recently backed out of the Cleveland Browns head coaching search, probably because that franchise has terrible players.)
Now the Schottenheimer Era could end with his ascension to head coaching. The Vanderbilt job would be a lot like the Browns job for Shurmur, an uphill fight.
IMO, the Rams coordinator’s job for 2014 offers Schottenheimer a better opportunity to advance his career. The team has a more realistic offensive scheme for the talent in place on both sides of the ball.
Stacy, Austin and Bailey appear to be much better players than Isaiah Pead, Quick and Givens.
But Vanderbilt would give Schottenheimer a chance to succeed or fail on his own merits. He would ultimately be responsible for his personnel.
Given his experiences at Rams Park, that must have some serious appeal.
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Many, many Rams fans want offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to get the head coaching job at Vanderbilt. They are on his side for a change.
This move would force them to find another whipping boy, but fans are willing to pay that price to refresh the Rams offense.
Schottenheimer gets the Pat Shurmur Treatment week after week in the Rams Talk forum and in our various live chats. He takes the fall for everything this side of global warming.
Every failed play was a terrible call. Every three-and-out offensive possession was his personal responsibility.
Some fans believe the Rams were poised to unleash an epic offensive fury on the NFL this season. They believe the Rams were prepared to make scoreboards explode with rapid-fire touchdown strikes – only to see Schottenheimer stifle that awesome attack with his pedestrian game-planning and play-calling.
In this corner of cyberspace, the sloppy execution of the Rams offense was always a bigger concern than the Xs and Os. Listless route-running, missed blitz reads, passes caroming off the bodies of unresponsive receivers, pre-snap penalties galore . . . this is what happens when a team enters a season with many prospects but no proven playmakers.
Football experts found plenty to hate about Schottenheimer’s scheming. Refuting such criticism is impossible, given unit’s poor production. Results are results.
The bigger concern, though, was the halting development of so many skill position players. Tavon Austin belatedly made an impact before suffering a season-ending injury. Zac Stacy eventually emerged as a viable feature back andStedman Bailey finally became a reliable possession receiver late in the season.
Tight end Jared Cook flashed his potential here and there, but never became a consistent force. Chris Givens surfaced on occasion, but Brian Quick remained virtually invisible in the passing game.
Should the coaching staff have done a better job developing those players? Or are some of those guys hopelessly flawed and destined to wash out of the league, Mardy Gilyard-like?
That is one of the great debates with this organization.
The Rams made little progress this season. Their red zone efficiency improved before Sam Bradford’s injury.
Their shift back to a ground-and-pound approach was generally successful. The team won some games with scatter-armed Kellen Clemens at quarterback, which is no small feat.
(In Schottenheimer’s previous gig, he won a lot of games with disaster-prone Mark Sanchez playing quarterback for the Jets. Again, that was no small feat.)
The Rams could build on their 2013 gains by shoring up the injury-battered offensive line, returning Bradford to good health, drafting a developmental quarterback with real upside and adding an established wide receiver.
Fans would prefer more dramatic change, which is why they demanded Schottenheimer’s firing morning, noon and night, week after week, month after month.
But as Rams fans have seen, changing coordinators is seldom a magic wand solution.
The Shurmur Era ended when he moved on to the Cleveland Browns as head coach. He struggled in that role, too, largely because he had terrible players.
The Rams tried to open up the offense by hiring offensive mastermind Josh McDaniels to replace Shurmur. Trouble was, they lacked viable downfield passing threats and an offensive line sturdy enough to protect the seven-step drop back.
McDaniels failed spectacularly. He returned home to New England, where he immediately regained his genius label while overseeing better talent.
(He recently backed out of the Cleveland Browns head coaching search, probably because that franchise has terrible players.)
Now the Schottenheimer Era could end with his ascension to head coaching. The Vanderbilt job would be a lot like the Browns job for Shurmur, an uphill fight.
IMO, the Rams coordinator’s job for 2014 offers Schottenheimer a better opportunity to advance his career. The team has a more realistic offensive scheme for the talent in place on both sides of the ball.
Stacy, Austin and Bailey appear to be much better players than Isaiah Pead, Quick and Givens.
But Vanderbilt would give Schottenheimer a chance to succeed or fail on his own merits. He would ultimately be responsible for his personnel.
Given his experiences at Rams Park, that must have some serious appeal.
