Who are your top 5 Rams coaches of all-time?

[rams24/7]

Curious what some of you come up with. I was brought up during Vermeil/Martz and would definitely put Dick #1, but who else makes the top 5? John Robinson and who else?

I'm excited to be schooled by my elders

 

[Dieter the Brock]

Vermeil
Malavasi
Martz
Knox
Allen

 

[snackdaddy]

Allen
Vermeil
Knox
Malavasi
Martz

Fisher remains to be seen.

 

[SierraRam]

1. Dick Vermeil
2. George Allen
3. Chuck Knox
4. Joe Stydahar
5. Ray Malavasi

 

[den-the-coach]

1. Dick Vermeil (Obiously)
2. George Allen (First Tenure)
3. Chuck Knox (First Tenure)
4. Mike Martz
5. Ray Malavasi (For the windbreaker alone)

 

[SierraRam]

1. Dick Vermeil (Obiously)
2. George Allen (First Tenure)
3. Chuck Knox (First Tenure)
4. Mike Martz
5. Ray Malavasi (For the windbreaker alone)

I couldn't bring myself to include Martz. The thread say's 'coaches', but I took it as 'head coaches.' Otherwise, we agree...

Martz is among the Top 5 Coordinators, but drafting and game management toss him off my list. I had to throw in Joe Stydahar for 1951!

 

[JackDRams]

Spagnuolo
Haslett
Linehan

Really the only good ones we've ever had.

Blue font by the way.

 

[Legatron4]

1. Steve Spagnuolo
2. Jim Haslett
3. Scott Linehan
4. Joe Vitt
5. Rich Brooks

 

[den-the-coach]

I couldn't bring myself to include Martz. The thread say's 'coaches', but I took it as 'head coaches.' Otherwise, we agree...

Martz is among the Top 5 Coordinators, but drafting and game management toss him off my list. I had to throw in Joe Stydahar for 1951!

I wanted to throw in Hamp Pool for 1951 many back then would debate the Vermeil/Martz with Stydahar/Pool back in 51, if history serves me well, plus Stydahar left after like one game in 52. Martz did get the Rams to a Super Bowl thus is the reason he's on my list with an honorable mention to John Robinson who won consistently from 83-89 without much support from upper management.

 

[den-the-coach]

1. Steve Spagnuolo
2. Jim Haslett
3. Scott Linehan
4. Joe Vitt
5. Rich Brooks

You forgot Harland Svare...Much lower winning percentage than Poppa Smurf Brooks!

 

[rams24/7]

I'm curious as to why there was so much head coaching turnover in the 1970s and early 80s despite very respectable W/L records from Allen, Knox, Malavasi, and Robinson

 

[Dodgersrf]

No love for J. Robinson?

I think R. Brooks got a raw deal. He was forced to start an all rookie backfield at one point.
Loved his trick plays.

 

[Dieter the Brock]

No love for J. Robinson?

I think R. Brooks got a raw deal. He was forced to start an all rookie backfield at one point.
Loved his trick plays.

Funny story,
we sat on the visitors section at Anahiem stadium since the Rams moved there from LA, just about the 35-40 yard line - nice seats but you'd alywas be in the sun. Well one year my dad's buddy Ed Smisson who had the prime time seats: in the shade, on the 50, on the home side - had invited us to sit with him and his family. So we took them up on it.

What Ed Smisson had no idea about was that me and my dad are obnoxious fans, and would root for our team really loudly. So we get up to where all these rich people are sitting basically and we stick out like sore thumbs.

Now if anyone knows about Anaheim stadium, i mean the fans were relatively quiet compared to fans from other cities. But where we had sat for so many years there was some rowdy fun fans. But up in the rich prime time seats, a whole other story.

So one day after a series of horrible run plays up the middle and a 4 and out, I started yelling "Robinson, Robinson, you need to run the 47 gap"
And some guy like two rows over turns each time and gives us a dirty look

So finally after about chanting that 25x the guy gets up - i still remember his face, he had blonde hair about 50 and had a mustache - and he storms up the aisle and starts yells at my dad "shut your fucking kid up!"
So basically that pretty much almost started a brawl, my dad stood up and defended me, and Ed Smisson (totally horrified) got everyone to calm down
Next homegame that guy comes up to me and my dad and apologizes and lets us know he is John Robinson's father in law!!!! J Rob had dumped his old wife and turns out married some hot young gal and this was her dad!
Needless to say we weren't invited back to the rich seats for the '89 season hahahaha

Anyway, I do think that Fisher got that move where he bends over and grabs his knees during each play from his mentor John Robinson.

 

[dieterbrock]

These threads always make me Lol.

I'm grateful that Dick V was HC of our only superbowl win but he was atrocious in his other 2 seasons and was forced to make changes to his staff. No way is he #1.

I have a top 2 of Malavasi and John robinson

Honorable mention to Martz

Knox I and George Allen were a little before my time

 

[DaveFan'51]

1. Allen
2. Robinson
3. Stydahar
4. Gillman
5. Vermeil
6. Knox
I couldn't narrow it down to just 5!!
( Of course 3, 4, and 5 are the ones that Won the Rams their Championships!!)

 

[Oyster]

I'm grateful that Dick V was HC of our only superbowl win but he was atrocious in his other 2 seasons and was forced to make changes to his staff. No way is he #1.

Yeah, the players were ready to revolt against him and the fans were none too happy. I guess a Superbowl tends to smooth things out.

 

[Frogbelly]

Curious what some of you come up with. I was brought up during Vermeil/Martz and would definitely put Dick #1, but who else makes the top 5? John Robinson and who else?

I'm excited to be schooled by my elders

Chuck Knox
John Robinson
George Allen
Sid Gillman

After that, I don't know. Vermeil had that one great season. Malavasi caught everything going his way. I liked Martz more as a oc.

 

[ramsince62]

1. Dick Vermeil (Obiously)
2. George Allen (First Tenure)
3. Chuck Knox (First Tenure)
4. Mike Martz
5. Ray Malavasi (For the windbreaker alone)

I was with you until you got to (Maladjusted) err, Malavasi....exchange him for John Robinson and I'm with ye.

 

[Ram Quixote]

I was extremely upset when Knox was fired. His best team was the '73 team with Hadl, but that team was forced to play in Dallas in the first round and lost. Rosenbloom blamed Knox for the playoff failures, but the Rams never had the QB required to win. Of course, they had Jaworski and traded him to Philly. Then Rosenbloom hired Allen, then fired him and hired Malavasi. Which really did nothing for the Rams in the playoffs in '78. But then came '79 when everything worked for Malavasi. But the next 3 years were pretty much it for Ray.

Then came Robinson, who rode Dickerson for 4 years, then Zampese for the next 3 years. Of course, Robinson never had the defense to hang with the elite offenses of the day.

Vermeil's first 2 years were a testament to how far the game had passed him by. Then came Martz, Faulk and Warner.

I will say this about Martz, if he had been allowed to just be the HC, rather than in charge of personnel, he would have been that much better. I do not blame him for the loss in SB36.

 

[den-the-coach]

I was with you until you got to (Maladjusted) err, Malavasi....exchange him for John Robinson and I'm with ye.

Yeah, but Ray did get the Rams to a Super Bowl and IMO any Head Coach that did that should be on the list. Now do I wish Rosenbloom hired Bill Walsh over George Allen back in 78? You bet, but Fred Dryer stated that Knox was far too conservative in the playoffs and with Malavasi they knew Ray would do whatever it took to win.

Plus it was Malavasi and the 7 defensive backs in 1979 that help stymie the Dallas Cowboys and helped Staubach into retirement. So for that win alone, the calorically challenged Malavasi goes on the list.