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Cook excited about Rams' new OC
By Nate Latsch
http://stl.scout.com/story/1539965-cook-excited-about-rams-new-oc?s=124
ST. LOUIS — Rams tight end Jared Cook was smiling ear to ear on Monday morning as he talked about his team’s new offensive coordinator, Frank Cignetti, with a group of reporters.
“We're excited about Cig,” Cook said. “We all love Cig. He's a great guy, so we're excited about the opportunities that he's going to bring for everybody on the offense and the different style of offense that he’s going to be able to implement.”
The Rams was looking for a new offensive coordinator shortly after the season ended and Brian Schottenheimer left to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Georgia.
The team settled on promoting Cignetti from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, in part because head coach Jeff Fisher wanted to maintain some level of continuity with the offense.
Cook said Monday that should help the Rams.
“If we would have got a totally new offensive coordinator that wasn't here with us previously, there ain’t no telling what changes he would have brought that would have confused everybody,” the tight end said. “I think Cig knows the personalities, he knows what type of players he has, he knows what players can fit in what positions and I think it's going to make it easier for him to make his decisions on what type of plays to run, what type of offense to put in.
“It helps us too because we know the type of person Cig is, it’s not like we have to get used to a whole new regime of a coach and him imputing all different kind of plays in. Him being familiar with the faces that are in the locker room is going to make it easier for both parties. It’s going to make it easier for the coaches as well as the players and I think that's huge, it's huge.”
Cook called Cignetti a “great coach” and explained that the new offensive coordinator manages personalities well, communicates with the players well and tells them exactly what he wants from them.
“He's a smart guy,” Cook added. “He’s everything that you’d want.”
It remains to be seen if Cignetti, who has never been an offensive coordinator in the NFL, is the right coach to turn around a Rams’ offense that has ranked among the bottom third in the NFL since Fisher was hired and brought in Schottenheimer.
The Rams ranked 10th in the league in scoring back in 2006, when they went 8-8 in Scott Linehan’s first season as coach. Since then, they haven’t ranked better than 21st in scoring or 23rd in yardage.
The defense has ranked near the middle of the pack in the first three seasons under Fisher. If the offense can improve with Nick Foles pulling the trigger and playmakers in place like running back Tre Mason and a group of receivers that includes Cook, Kenny Britt, Brian Quick and Tavon Austin, then St. Louis could finally break through the .500 barrier and compete for a playoff spot.
“I think now is our opportunity to just go out and get it,” Cook said. “I don't think it's a matter of if, I think it's a matter of when. As long as we’re clicking on all cylinders, as long as we’re communicating, as long as we’re taking care of our side of the ball and doing the things we can control — the defense is going to be good, we know how good our defense is — but as long as we control the things that we can control, I don’t think we’ll have a problem.”
By Nate Latsch
http://stl.scout.com/story/1539965-cook-excited-about-rams-new-oc?s=124
ST. LOUIS — Rams tight end Jared Cook was smiling ear to ear on Monday morning as he talked about his team’s new offensive coordinator, Frank Cignetti, with a group of reporters.
“We're excited about Cig,” Cook said. “We all love Cig. He's a great guy, so we're excited about the opportunities that he's going to bring for everybody on the offense and the different style of offense that he’s going to be able to implement.”
The Rams was looking for a new offensive coordinator shortly after the season ended and Brian Schottenheimer left to become the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Georgia.
The team settled on promoting Cignetti from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, in part because head coach Jeff Fisher wanted to maintain some level of continuity with the offense.
Cook said Monday that should help the Rams.
“If we would have got a totally new offensive coordinator that wasn't here with us previously, there ain’t no telling what changes he would have brought that would have confused everybody,” the tight end said. “I think Cig knows the personalities, he knows what type of players he has, he knows what players can fit in what positions and I think it's going to make it easier for him to make his decisions on what type of plays to run, what type of offense to put in.
“It helps us too because we know the type of person Cig is, it’s not like we have to get used to a whole new regime of a coach and him imputing all different kind of plays in. Him being familiar with the faces that are in the locker room is going to make it easier for both parties. It’s going to make it easier for the coaches as well as the players and I think that's huge, it's huge.”
Cook called Cignetti a “great coach” and explained that the new offensive coordinator manages personalities well, communicates with the players well and tells them exactly what he wants from them.
“He's a smart guy,” Cook added. “He’s everything that you’d want.”
It remains to be seen if Cignetti, who has never been an offensive coordinator in the NFL, is the right coach to turn around a Rams’ offense that has ranked among the bottom third in the NFL since Fisher was hired and brought in Schottenheimer.
The Rams ranked 10th in the league in scoring back in 2006, when they went 8-8 in Scott Linehan’s first season as coach. Since then, they haven’t ranked better than 21st in scoring or 23rd in yardage.
The defense has ranked near the middle of the pack in the first three seasons under Fisher. If the offense can improve with Nick Foles pulling the trigger and playmakers in place like running back Tre Mason and a group of receivers that includes Cook, Kenny Britt, Brian Quick and Tavon Austin, then St. Louis could finally break through the .500 barrier and compete for a playoff spot.
“I think now is our opportunity to just go out and get it,” Cook said. “I don't think it's a matter of if, I think it's a matter of when. As long as we’re clicking on all cylinders, as long as we’re communicating, as long as we’re taking care of our side of the ball and doing the things we can control — the defense is going to be good, we know how good our defense is — but as long as we control the things that we can control, I don’t think we’ll have a problem.”
