Is Brandon Staley more than halfway through his Rams career?

[FarNorth]

So no one wants to talk about Pelissero's NFL.com article?

The Sports Mockery post is all about speculation based on Pelissero's addition of Staley to his Young Coaches to Watch list (link). Really, checking out the other names on that list, to me, Staley isn't the best candidate for the Bears -- I mean Lincoln Riley and Joe Brady would probably move the needle more. John DeFilippo is on a later part of Pelissero's list, but seems to have all those Chicago connections that the Sports Mockery post seems to think are important.

Anyhow, the end of Pelissero's article is where he lists other coaches to watch in the coming years. Pelissero includes:

• Rams RB coach Thomas Brown, 34
• Rams safeties coach Ejiro Evero, 39
• Rams OC Kevin O'Connell, 35
• Rams CB coach Aubrey Pleasant, 34
• Rams pass game coordinator Shane Waldron, 41

Staley isn't the only Rams coach that the NFL is paying attention to and by the end of the season, he might not be the most likely Rams coordinator to get a HC gig.

Don't know about Sports Mockery or the Bears, but if I were an NFL owner needing a head coach I'd hire Staley in a flash.

And if I were Stan Kroenke, I'd tear up his old contract the day the season ends and maybe double or triple his salary. Make it easier for Staley to stay and rack up some success with the Rams before taking on a challenging rehab mission somewhere else.

 

[PhillyRam]

Harbaugh to Bears is a real rumour as per Jason Smith Fox sports talk show on Thursday.

If Staley is smart, he should in my opinion stay for another year and soak up as much McVay as he can

Agree, be selective is my point, which means if the right job does not open, wait a yr.

Often times a young coach has one shot to succeed. Fail early and your HC career is done.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Don't know about Sports Mockery or the Bears, but if I were an NFL owner needing a head coach I'd hire Staley in a flash.

And if I were Stan Kroenke, I'd tear up his old contract the day the season ends and maybe double or triple his salary. Make it easier for Staley to stay and rack up some success with the Rams before taking on a challenging rehab mission somewhere else.

i agree 100%.

mcvay and staley were made for each other in coaching a team. why break that up. no salary cap for coaches, pay him so he won't get lured by the money from another team.

.

 

[Merlin]

i agree 100%.

mcvay and staley were made for each other in coaching a team. why break that up. no salary cap for coaches, pay him so he won't get lured by the money from another team.

I'm all for hiking his salary kurt but tbh I don't know that you can pay a guy enough to keep him from taking a head coaching job. And even though I agree with the takes above on teams preferring offensive minds and all that... I feel like his association with McVay is going to make him highly desired with owners.

His competition are guys like Saleh and Eberflus but Saleh for whatever reason hasn't gotten a job yet so he may be a poor interviewee, and Eberflus looks good this year but last year I think was a mixed bag. Staley came in, identified what he needed at a minimum to get this defense rolling, and has them playing lights out. I think he's a fuckin rock star man. I'm assuming he's as good as gone though I do hope I'm wrong.

 

[BonifayRam]

Is Brandon Staley more than halfway through his Rams career?
Sean McVay was looking for another Sean McVay with Staley and that could mean he’s gone soon

By Kenneth Arthur@KennethArthuRS Dec 7, 2020, 11:56am CST

In the last few years, not every team in search of a new head coach has trended towards “youth.” In 2020, we saw Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera land jobs again, while Matt Rhule came with little NFL experience but 45 years spent on the planet.

However, 38-year-old Joe Judge landed with the Giants and 37-year-old (at the time) Kevin Stefanski was hired by the Browns. Both are currently in position to make the playoffs this season, albeit with Judge in a much different type of postseason race than most teams thanks to being in the NFC East. Stefanski has Cleveland at 9-3, their first winning season since he was a 25-year-old assistant for the Vikings.

In 2019, the Broncos, Jets and Buccaneers all went with experience over exuberance but some teams did opt to go for “the next Sean McVay.” That included the Packers hiring 40-year-old Matt LaFleur, who has them at 9-3 in the NFC North right now, and the Cardinals hiring 40-year-old Kliff Kingsbury; Arizona has slipped to 6-6 but they’re much more competitive than the pre-K days. Meanwhile, the Dolphins went with 37-year-old Brian Flores and Miami’s gone from one of the worst 0-7 starts in history a year ago to currently holding an 8-4 record with a shot to win the AFC East.

Then there was the Bengals, who hired 36-year-old Zac Taylor, who like LaFleur also used to coach for McVay with the Rams. Taylor’s team is 2-9-1 but there’s been little talk of moving on from him, at least until he gets another shot to work with a healthy Joe Burrow.

Then of course we can flip all the way back to 2017, when McVay was hired by the Rams when he was 11 days shy of 31 and the 49ers hired Kyle Shanahan when he had just turned 37. Both coaches have taken their team to a Super Bowl in the three full seasons since.

Realistically, where are the recent endorsements for hiring an “experienced” head coach? Arian having the Bucs at 7-5? Frank Reich getting the Colts to 8-4? Jon Gruden leading the Raiders to 7-5 with a near-loss to Gase’s Jets on Sunday? There are experienced coaches who are having success, none more so than Andy Reid, but where would the Chiefs really be right now without Patrick Mahomes above all else?

That’s why it may not be much longer before Brandon Staley is a head coach — and the LA Rams are back on the market for a defensive coordinator who could emulate the success that he’s had through his first 12 career games at the position.

The Rams sit at 8-4, one win shy of their 2019 total under McVay and not-youthful defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. They are fifth in points allowed, second in yards allowed, fifth in yards per carry allowed and first in net yards per pass attempt allowed. Opposing teams have thrown for 14 touchdowns (fewest in the league) and 12 interceptions. Of the three by Kyler Murray on Sunday, all came with some extenuating circumstances, like a random broken coverage or a short field after a turnover.

Give credit to Aaron Donald for being the best player on the planet and Jalen Ramsey for being an elite corner, but Staley’s got three things working greatly in his favor when the 2021 coaching interviews begin:

• He works for Sean McVay
• He coaches the best defense
• He’s turning 38 in three days

I think we can guarantee that Staley will be getting interviews. What are the chances any of those teams wants Staley bad enough to take him over the other candidates on the market?

The openings
Houston Texans
Atlanta Falcons
Detroit Lions

You could make some argument for any of these teams, but what if Staley is so popular that he gets to choose his destination? Then I think I’d cross the Lions off right now. Even though they have a better record than Atlanta or Houston, they seem to be further from success than a team with Deshaun Watson or Matt Ryan. Just my opinion, not a fact obviously.

The expected openings
New York Jets
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers

I’m adding the Chargers to “expected” after they lost 45-0 to the Patriots on Sunday. I even had to Google it to make sure Anthony Lynn wasn’t fired when I typed this.

I think Staley would do his best to avoid the Jets and Jaguars, but the Chargers make a compelling case given that they have Justin Herbert, Joey Bosa and several other key players to build around. Plus, Staley wouldn’t have to move.

But then there are two other job openings that could be coming, especially if they think they can get Brandon Staley.

“Surprise” openings
Denver Broncos
Chicago Bears

These aren’t necessarily huge surprises, but the 4-8 Broncos and 5-7 Bears are both entering that period of time when they can consider making another transition at head coach. And they were also Staley’s two most recent coaching stops.

Vic Fangio, 62, is 11-17 in two seasons with Denver and the Broncos defense has fallen well short of the expectations they had when they made that hire two years ago. Fangio brought Staley with him from Chicago but this season they are 21st in points allowed.

The Bears hired Matt Nagy when he was a few months shy of 40, but after a 12-4 record in his first season, he’s fallen to 8-8 in year two and it seems all but assured that he won’t post a winning campaign in year three. Chicago has a terrible offense and a mediocre defense and that’s not what the Bears organization stands for; they just wouldn’t be the “Bears” if they didn’t have an excellent defense ... to go with their terrible offense.

Other “surprise” openings — which by definition may not make them surprises — would be the Bengals, Eagles, Cowboys, Vikings and Ravens; Baltimore has ridden with John Harbaugh for 13 years, but it’s been eight since they won the Super Bowl and the Ravens are 1-3 in the postseason since that shocking championship for Joe Flacco. That would also be an organization that I’d expect to interview the NFL’s best defensive coaching candidate.

And as of now, that person might be Brandon Staley.

 

[Memento]

I don't care how much you have to pay him; you keep Staley on this team, along with McVay.

 

[thirteen28]

You just SHUSH with that talk right now, mister!! This is the first of many years, dammit!

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

I think any team hiring him after only one partial season would be taking a BIG risk. That being said, I hope we can keep him for at least one more year.

 

[Merlin]

The key with hiring Staley (who IMO would be a very strong hire) is what his plan is to bring the young QB along. That's one of the reasons teams focus on the offensive guys.

But I think he's such a pro that he'll go into his interviews with a strong plan there. He may even take an offensive coach with him, for example a guy like Wes Phillips who is due to get an OC gig but might not with us.

He's gone IMO. Remember at this point teams are going to want the Rams or McVay way of doing things on top of the actual hire himself.

Oh and btw if I'm Staley my #1 job is the Falcons gig. They have a vet QB so he doesn't have to change young QB diapers and can just stack the offensive staff while he fixes that terrible defense. And they have strong ownership as well as a front office in transition.

 

[Loyal]

Honestly... it's just a saying I picked up on as a kid. I first heard it from my Grandparent's neighbor. He was a salt of the earth country boy and Florida native. I remember asking him what it means too.

So it's really something I've been saying since I was a kid.

This Swearengin character must be Southern I'm guessing? LOL

You're a daisy if you do!

 

[Loyal]

Well good thing Matt Patricia is available, just in case ~ @CGI_Ram

 

[dieterbrock]

Well, I surely dont want him going anywhere, but I personally dont understand all the love for the guy. If anything, the success of the D this year kinda validates Wade Phillps dismal performance as DC.
Again, I think he's good, glad we have him and surely dont desire a change, but on the other hand I think you could turn this D over to a number of up and comers and they would shine too. I mean seriously, you hand over a D that has a generational talent at DT and arguably the best DBack in Ramsey, you surely have to expect greatness

 

[Memento]

Well, I surely dont want him going anywhere, but I personally dont understand all the love for the guy. If anything, the success of the D this year kinda validates Wade Phillps dismal performance as DC.
Again, I think he's good, glad we have him and surely dont desire a change, but on the other hand I think you could turn this D over to a number of up and comers and they would shine too. I mean seriously, you hand over a D that has a generational talent at DT and arguably the best DBack in Ramsey, you surely have to expect greatness

Before this game, there have only been two touchdowns scored in the second half against us. He's made some mistakes, but has almost immediately adjusted on the fly. He communicates well, his players love him, and he's basically the defensive McVay.

I will be VERY sad and VERY disappointed if he leaves. Detroit's going to go for Saleh, but some other team will go after Staley. He's arguably the best DC that the Rams have had in my - admittedly - short lifetime. (Wade and Lovie were good, but they had their struggles here.)

 

[Loyal]

Only if you hobble them...

 

[Allen2McVay]

(Staley’s ) arguably the best DC that the Rams have had in my - admittedly - short lifetime. (Wade and Lovie were good, but they had their struggles here.)

Fritz Shurmur was a quality Defensive Coordinator under John Robinson in the ‘80s ... six playoffs in seven seasons.

Then there is the famous Larry Marmie who was a DC under Mike Martz.

During one particularly bad run, Martz famously said ... ‘everybody knows Larry Marmie is just the best.”

FYI ... Marmie was not the best.

 

[PressureD41]

If I was him, and wanted to leave then Texans w/ Watson is a no brainer. But ya lets hope he's more calculated and wants to soak up more of McVay-isms before picking his spot.

 

[Marc Spector]

I hope he' s not leaving as Outside of Houston and the Bolts, every other open job is shit.

the Jets are a mess but will need to draft a offensive guru.
The Bears honestly need a offensive guy as the Defense is set
the Jags are just as awful as the Jets and are still trying to make the London move
Detroit is saddled with an aging QB and no solid pieces to build around *AND* those idiots fired the only coach to get them to respectability,
And I think Blank will promote Raheem Morris tbh


so 4 outta 6 jobs are set up for one to fuck around and get fired 2-3 years after getting the job

 

[gogoat1]

Our owner is filthy rich with no salary cap for coaches. I say pay the man almost what McVay is getting right now. Very close to head coach money. And give McVay a raise, lock them both up.
I am liking what I am seeing with our D coach.

 

[Reddog99]

I hope he doesn't go anywhere and I don't think he will. He might interview but I think he ends up back with the Rams for another year but that's just my opinion/speculation.