Who was worse, Spags or Linehan?

[LesBaker]

I know we've been over this a lot in the past but really no coach/gm could survive the record Spags and Devaney put up over three years. No set of extenuating circumstances could've saved their jobs. The results were too horrible.

And again, Fisher didn't come in and build on the good work that had been done before him. He fired every coach and replaced 2/3 of the team, right out of the gate. That's not an endorsement of the prior regime, it's a condemnation...

There was no other way to do it.

It had to be scraped down to the bone.

 

[MTRamsFan]

Linehan never had control of his teams. Spags tried to adopt the 4-Pllars, but it crumbled around him. They are decent coordinators but terrible head coaches. Hard lessons learned for the RAMS.

 

[So Ram]

I wonder why Rich Brooks wasn't included? All three are carrying 50 lbs of suck

Chuck Knox was good back in the day.I know his style was out dated.He did move on to Seattle & have a great run.
His last run sure was horrible,but tough moving the team I'm sure.

 

[thirteen28]

This thread reminds me of the South Park episode where they had to choose between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.

As close a call as this is, I'm going to go with the minority and say Spags was the worst. Linehan certainly sucked, and one of his biggest mistakes was hiring Steve Loney. Ultimately though, that name is why I picked Spags, because he retained Steve Loney, even after it was obvious that Loney was a complete stuttering clusterf*** of a miserable failure. Retained him all three years he was here. Loney already had an established track record of failure before Spags came, and was still allowed to stick around and build even more onto that record. Spags could have dumped him at any time from his first day on the job. We spent big free agent money on the OL, and not only did those guys not get better, they instead regressed badly. By the time Jason Brown got his pink slilp, he couldn't have blocked a semi-determined Girl Scout.

To this day the "legacy" of Steve Loney has affected us negatively, as we've had to completely rebuild our offensive line. The only holdover from that era isn't even playing the same position. And those offensive line problems are a big reason why Bradford hasn't fully developed yet, because Fisher and Snead have been spending a lot of resources on cleaning up that mess. I think they will get us over the hump in that area, but man it's been a long slog to get a decent OL again.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

Spags went 10-38

Isn't that the worst three year record for a coach in NFL history?
If so, we have our answer folks.

 

[Thordaddy]

I'm not really invested in this debate the way I once was,I supported both these guys as long as I thought they COULD be the answer,fact is I was banned from the PD for a post in support of Linehan keeping his practices closed to the press,but by the end of his stint I realized he was not the answer and couldn't even command respect from his team , I did see competence in the game from him.
Spags I supported just out of the same benefit of the doubt ,I never saw anything from him that indicated HE even thought he could coach a team of todays pros, his four pillars idea was silly and really bespoke his lack of understanding and or confidence in his ability to lead anything but choir boys,what a monumental mistake bringing him in behind a limp wristed guy like Linehan.
We couldn't be the worst over that period without the worst coaches,so really it doesn't matter ,they both sucked bad enough I got little to say in either ones defense glad they are both gone , if Fisher wins 7 games this year ,he'll have won as many games in three years as these two did in six ,while rebuilding and a perennial youngest team in the league.
I can't see how anyone who CAN vote in this poll (in other words has lived the Linspagtastrophy) has the cajones to say Fisher is in a "must prove" year.
I don't think either one is good enough to be a coordinator for Fisher.

 

[Oldgeek]

I've been hired to replace horrible managers. You can make some pretty simple changes and look really smart. Fisher following Harry and Lloyd (Dumb & Dumber) made his task a little easier.

 

[Rams and Gators]

Fisher

 

[kurtfaulk]

Spags punted to the Giants so they could take a knee. For that, i will be eternally embarrassed...

Perhaps the most perplexing decision I have ever seen a head coach make on a football field. It was all downhill after he made that call. It had to have an effect on the players psyche because they were awful the rest of the way. How could they play hard for a coach that doesn't have any faith in them.

.

 

[FRO]

I'm not really invested in this debate the way I once was,I supported both these guys as long as I thought they COULD be the answer,fact is I was banned from the PD for a post in support of Linehan keeping his practices closed to the press,but by the end of his stint I realized he was not the answer and couldn't even command respect from his team , I did see competence in the game from him.
Spags I supported just out of the same benefit of the doubt ,I never saw anything from him that indicated HE even thought he could coach a team of todays pros, his four pillars idea was silly and really bespoke his lack of understanding and or confidence in his ability to lead anything but choir boys,what a monumental mistake bringing him in behind a limp wristed guy like Linehan.
We couldn't be the worst over that period without the worst coaches,so really it doesn't matter ,they both sucked bad enough I got little to say in either ones defense glad they are both gone , if Fisher wins 7 games this year ,he'll have won as many games in three years as these two did in six ,while rebuilding and a perennial youngest team in the league.
I can't see how anyone who CAN vote in this poll (in other words has lived the Linspagtastrophy) has the cajones to say Fisher is in a "must prove" year.
I don't think either one is good enough to be a coordinator for Fisher.

So thankful we have Fisher. I hope he is here for a very long time. He is building this team the right way. Hasn't tried the quick fix approach, rather build a young team that will peak at about the same time. We should be a playoff contender for years.

 

[PowayRamFan]

Both were bad, Linny was the worst.

 

[RamsSince1969]

Linehan was in over his head from the beginning, and there was some talent here. Aging talent...but talent nonetheless.
Spags started with nothing, got it going then fucked it up.

It's my understanding a huge part of the f-up was he was such a control freak, he wouldn't delegate the work out to lighten the load. That's Fisher's strong point and something I didn't consider when Fisher's name came up. It's a huge part of being successful when you let your generals run the battles of the war and just oversee the conflict and take responsibility win or lose. I call them both a dead-heat tie for embarrassing our proud franchise. But, also, Georgia not having any money to pay a real coach was a real reason we sucked. Cheap cheap cheap 99 cent store coaches will get you those results.

 

[GreeneCounty]

I say a dam tie both sucked. Fisher is such a genius compared to the dipshits that were running Rams park years ago.

 

[Speeps]

Spags was the worst. Linehan is still a good offensive coordinator with a good offensive mind. Spagnuolo was a wanna be Coughlin that didn't have the credentials. Spags worried about stupid shit that had nothing to do with Football.

 

[sjm1582002]

Spags got hired because of the Giants shocking upset win in the Superbowl.

Previously that year the Patsies put up close to 40 points on this "mastermind's" vaunted defense.

A one game wonder.

Those two horrific final years under Linehan were the most miserable performances by a Ram's football team, ever.

Games were over before midway thru the second qt.

 

[LesBaker]

Spags got hired because of the Giants shocking upset win in the Superbowl.

Previously that year the Patsies put up close to 40 points on this "mastermind's" vaunted defense.

A one game wonder.

Those two horrific final years under Linehan were the most miserable performances by a Ram's football team, ever.

Games were over before midway thru the second qt.

I said at the time that if Brady wasn't hurt the Patriots would have won that game, and they almost did anyway. He was wearing a boot because of his ankle.

Spagnuolo is not in the NFL.

That tells us all we need to know.

 

[JackDRams]

I said at the time that if Brady wasn't hurt the Patriots would have won that game, and they almost did anyway. He was wearing a boot because of his ankle.

Spagnuolo is not in the NFL.

That tells us all we need to know.

Actually I think Spags is a defensive assistant for the ravens still. Taking steps backwards in the league, but still around.

 

[den-the-coach]

No contest Linehan was the worst Head Coach in Ram history. Spagnuolo took over at a bad time, however, made many mistakes in his own right, but the players did not quit on Spagnuolo like they did on Milquetoast Linehan. I knew the Rams were in trouble when I watched Linehan's press conference in horror. The man stammered, closed his eyes, totally uncomfortable from a public persona and I thought, how is this guy going to motivate? This is now the leader? Egad!

It's quite obvious that Shaw & Zygmunt wanted a patsy and Scott Linehan was sent from central casting because he fit that profile. His coaching staff did not even respect him as Haslett from day one had planned a coup, however, that ended up blowing up in Haslett's face too. Just not Head Coaching material and any shape, way or form and should not have been interviewed for the job whatsoever!

The ghost of Harland Svare can now rest easy because he's no longer considered the worst Head Coach in Ram History...Scotty "One Eyed" Linehan now holds that distinction.