Ravens hire Spagnuolo as senior defensive assistant

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

BALTIMORE -- Steve Spagnuolo is getting another chance to prove his defensive coaching skills.

The Baltimore Ravens hired the former Rams head coach and defensive coordinator of the Saints and Giants on Friday as a senior defensive assistant. Spagnuolo will have an opportunity at redemption following an unsettled 2012 season in which he oversaw a historically bad defense with scandal-plagued New Orleans.

Spagnuolo was fired in January by Saints coach Asshole Face following one season in New Orleans in which the Saints' defense allowed a single-season NFL record 7,042 yards. However, his record as a defensive coach before 2012, when the Saints were floundering in the wake of their bounty scandal, was far better.

Spagnuolo had top 10 defenses with the Giants in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. His 2007 defense led the NFL with 53 sacks and the 2008 unit was sixth in the league with 42.

In the Giants' 2008 Super Bowl triumph over New England, their defense sacked Tom Brady five times and held the Patriots, who had led the NFL with an average of 36.8 points per game, to only 14 points.

"Steve had a number of opportunities in the league right now, and we're excited he picked the Ravens," Harbaugh said. "He comes to a staff that we believe is very strong, and he makes us even better. His wealth of NFL coaching experience speaks for itself, and he'll help us across the board.

Before joining the Giants, Spagnuolo was a defensive assistant in Philadelphia from 1999-2006. He coached several Pro Bowl players including Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard, and helped Philadelphia field a 10th-ranked defense in the 2004 season, when the Eagles made it to the Super Bowl before falling to New England.

Spagnuolo also spent three seasons as St. Louis Rams head coach from 2009-11, going 10-38.

Payton hired him to take over the Saints' defense in 2012, only months before Payton wound up being suspended in the bounty probe.

Payton never actually coached with Spagnuolo.

 

[Rambitious1]

I saw this.

Man, he keeps sliding down the totem pole.......

 

[Mojo Ram]

"I'm not sure why this happened. I'm gonna have to watch the tape and...well...talk to...ummm... see what happened there..."

 

[CGI_Ram]

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[den-the-coach]

This is why the Ravens have a great organization. Now Spagnuolo is a good DC and one of his issues with the Rams as Head Coach is he sweated the small stuff New Orleans just was not a good fit because of no Head Coach and I am sure Spags overstepped in a Alexander Haig sort of way.

So now he gets hired BTW same title as Gregg Williams with the Titans and can observe and interject, but the Ravens have a strong coaching staff. IMO what could happen is the very same thing that happen to their offense. Harbaugh promoted Jim Caldwell after firing Cameron. Current Raven DC Dean Pees is not that strong of a DC and the Ravens just bought an insurance policy with Spagnuolo.

It also gives Spagnuolo an opportunity to reinvent himself and even if he does not become the Raven DC, it will be just a matter of time before Chief Head Coach Andy Reid comes calling because Bob Sutton will be a disaster as the DC in Kansas City.

 

[Thordaddy]

This is why the Ravens have a great organization. Now Spagnuolo is a good DC and one of his issues with the Rams as Head Coach is he sweated the small stuff New Orleans just was not a good fit because of no Head Coach and I am sure Spags overstepped in a Alexander Haig sort of way.

So now he gets hired BTW same title as Gregg Williams with the Titans and can observe and interject, but the Ravens have a strong coaching staff. IMO what could happen is the very same thing that happen to their offense. Harbaugh promoted Jim Caldwell after firing Cameron. Current Raven DC Dean Pees is not that strong of a DC and the Ravens just bought an insurance policy with Spagnuolo.

It also gives Spagnuolo an opportunity to reinvent himself and even if he does not become the Raven DC, it will be just a matter of time before Chief Head Coach Andy Reid comes calling because Bob Sutton will be a disaster as the DC in Kansas City.

In short IMO Harbaugh threw the guy a bone,good on him, Spags probably helped him OUAT.
Hopefully the post concussion syndrome incurred from banging his head against the brick wall of a Shaw run organization has cleared and he has a few good years of coaching in the AFC before he retires.
I do think his chances of ever being a HC again ,since he probably should never have been one are pretty slim.

 

[den-the-coach]

I do think his chances of ever being a HC again ,since he probably should never have been one are pretty slim.

Correct he will never be a Head Coach again you can't get hired with that won loss record ever again, but I can see him back as a DC and like I posted the Chiefs could be the right call because of the history with Reid.