Snead Rams new GM

[bluecoconuts]

Snead accepts Rams' GM post, ending team's long search
By Jason La Canfora
NFL Network Insider

Les Snead has accepted an offer to become general manager of the St. Louis Rams, according to a league source.


Snead, who had been the Atlanta Falcons' director of player personnel, was one of several candidates for the position.

On Friday, NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche had reported that the Rams had shortened their list of prospective GMs to two or three finalists, including Snead and George Paton of the Minnesota Vikings.

Early Saturday, however, the Vikings announced they had promoted Paton, naming him the team's assistant general manager and keeping him in Minnesota.

Snead was in Atlanta for 13 seasons. He began his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, working with the scouting staff there from 1995-97.

Snead's name has been linked with the Rams position since the team began its search. In early January, we reported on NFL.com that Snead was in the mix before the team had even hired new head coach Jeff Fisher. We also reported that the Oakland Raiders had been considering Snead for their GM spot, a job that ultimately went to Reggie McKenzie.

Follow Jason La Canfora on Twitter @JasonLaCanfora

 

[bluecoconuts]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1062 ... of-falcons

Shane's article about Snead, since I found out by him.

 

[-X-]

Falcons take a hit to front office

By Pat Yasinskas
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_ ... ont-office


An offseason of upheaval continues for the Atlanta Falcons.

Director of player personnel Les Snead is leaving to become general manager of the St. Louis Rams, several league sources confirmed to ESPN.com.

This comes after offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey left to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder took a college job. Dirk Koetter has taken over as offensive coordinator and Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. The Falcons also have made several other changes to their coaching staff.

While the departure of a front-office employee might not seem as big of a deal as changes on the coaching staff, this particular case is a big deal. Snead carried lots of weight in the front office and was viewed as a key assistant to general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

This is an excellent hire by the Rams because Snead is an experienced talent evaluator, who is more than ready for the next step. He should work well with new coach Jeff Fisher. But it’s also a big loss for the Falcons, and Dimitroff will have to adjust his staff.

Snead had been with the Falcons for 13 years and had worked his way up the scouting ladder to director of personnel.

 

[joeybittick]

Falcons take a hit to front office

By Pat Yasinskas
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_ ... ont-office


An offseason of upheaval continues for the Atlanta Falcons.

Director of player personnel Les Snead is leaving to become general manager of the St. Louis Rams, several league sources confirmed to ESPN.com.

This comes after offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey left to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder took a college job. Dirk Koetter has taken over as offensive coordinator and Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. The Falcons also have made several other changes to their coaching staff.

While the departure of a front-office employee might not seem as big of a deal as changes on the coaching staff, this particular case is a big deal. Snead carried lots of weight in the front office and was viewed as a key assistant to general manager Thomas Dimitroff.

This is an excellent hire by the Rams because Snead is an experienced talent evaluator, who is more than ready for the next step. He should work well with new coach Jeff Fisher. But it’s also a big loss for the Falcons, and Dimitroff will have to adjust his staff.

Snead had been with the Falcons for 13 years and had worked his way up the scouting ladder to director of personnel.

Gotta absolutely love hearing that :bign: Aside from their lack of playoff success, the Falcons have been one of the premiere franchises in the NFC since Dimitroff and Mike Smith took over.

 

[Anonymous]

I hope he puts us over the top.

 

[JdashSTL]

After reading about him, I dont think hes just gonna be a "figure head." :mrgreen:

 

[Anonymous]

...

A synopsis. Some bits and pieces on Snead. From here and there.


* Snead's name has been linked with the Rams position since the team began its search. In early January, we reported on NFL.com that Snead was in the mix before the team had even hired new head coach Jeff Fisher.

* We also reported that the Oakland Raiders had been considering Snead for their GM spot, a job that ultimately went to Reggie McKenzie.

* 2011: It previously was believed that the San Francisco 49ers interviewed for the recently-filled G.M. position only candidates who were not working for NFL teams or, in the case of the guy who got the job, someone who works for the Niners, Trent Baalke. Quietly, one candidate who is currently employed with another club was interviewed. We’re told that Falcons director of player personnel Les Snead interviewed for the job, presumably on Monday.

* While the departure of a front-office employee might not seem as big of a deal as changes on the coaching staff, this particular case is a big deal. Snead carried lots of weight in the front office and was viewed as a key assistant to general manager Thomas Dimitroff. This is an excellent hire by the Rams because Snead is an experienced talent evaluator, who is more than ready for the next step.

* Prisco on Snead: Love the hire of Les Snead as Rams GM. He is a grinder.

* Snead oversees both the college and pro scouting efforts and works closely with Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. He also plays a day-to-day role in the analysis and evaluation of the Falcons current roster and provides salary value analysis of all player acquisitions, while aiding in the research on how to acquire future free agents.

* Kroenke is mirroring the Pats model and so that's probably what we should expect. Kroenke wants a setup where there's ONE man's vision that moves the team forward. Fisher is that man like Bellicheck is the man in NE.

* The Rams hired Fisher to remake the team. They wanted a GM to provide the personnel expertise to facilitate the transformation

* Snead's ability to rise through the ranks with the Falcons across multiple regimes and an ownership change suggests he's adaptable. (Snead, who accepted the job Saturday, has worked with four head coaches and two interim coaches during a Falcons tenure dating to 1998. Dan Reeves, Bobby Petrino, Jim Mora and Mike Smith were the head coaches. Wade Phillips and Emmitt Thomas were the interim coaches.)

* He's a talent evaluator and a film guy. Devaney is a boss/politician and Snead more of a grinder.. Fisher runs the team. Snead can grind out player evaluations on both the pro and amateur level. That's his background. Devaney relied on guys like Snead to provide the background information and give it to the decision makers and in the Rams scenario that is going to be Fisher.

* Prisco on Snead: One thing about Jeff Fisher, he will lean heavily on Snead. He's smart that way.

 

[Ramhusker]

OK, I was warming up to a George Paton hire but this will do fine. Now what do we got to do? A couple more positional coaches? Let's get this party going!

 

[Angry Ram]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

 

[libertadrocks]

* Snead oversees both the college and pro scouting efforts and works closely with Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. He also plays a day-to-day role in the analysis and evaluation of the Falcons current roster and provides salary value analysis of all player acquisitions, while aiding in the research on how to acquire future free agents.

* Kroenke is mirroring the Pats model and so that's probably what we should expect. Kroenke wants a setup where there's ONE man's vision that moves the team forward. Fisher is that man like Bellicheck is the man in NE.

* He's a talent evaluator and a film guy. Devaney is a boss/politician and Snead more of a grinder.. Fisher runs the team. Snead can grind out player evaluations on both the pro and amateur level. That's his background. Devaney relied on guys like Snead to provide the background information and give it to the decision makers and in the Rams scenario that is going to be Fisher.

Thanks for the rundown ZN.

The few statements I highlighted are characteristics I like to see in a GM. I like the hire.

 

[Anonymous]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

I don't see it that way at all. We need someone who can identify good talent to transition to the NFL because we're not going to be drafting in the top 10 any more. Give JF quality options to pick from and this Rams team will impress. Snead seems to have a good track record so I'm even more optimistic.

 

[iBruce]

I didn't know much about Snead specifically before the hire, but what I've read has been impressive. I've expected the Falcons to be a dominant team w/ all their talent.

 

[Selassie I]

Hopefully his eye for talent proves to be a good one.

I'm just very relieved that they didn't go with the bean counter.

 

[Angry Ram]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

I don't see it that way at all. We need someone who can identify good talent to transition to the NFL because we're not going to be drafting in the top 10 any more. Give JF quality options to pick from and this Rams team will impress. Snead seems to have a good track record so I'm even more optimistic.

It's so obvious that Fisher is gonna be the authority figure of all player decisions. Snead isn't gonna be Kolbert or Dimitroff or Mayhew. Not saying this is a waste of time, but this GM isn't gonna be like the ones of the majority of teams.

 

[JdashSTL]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

I don't see it that way at all. We need someone who can identify good talent to transition to the NFL because we're not going to be drafting in the top 10 any more. Give JF quality options to pick from and this Rams team will impress. Snead seems to have a good track record so I'm even more optimistic.

It's so obvious that Fisher is gonna be the authority figure of all player decisions. Snead isn't gonna be Kolbert or Dimitroff or Mayhew. Not saying this is a waste of time, but this GM isn't gonna be like the ones of the majority of teams.

But I still think he can be when it comes to the draft. I could see Fisher having a lot more influence over UFAs. We also have the trade down possibility in the 1st round? Will Fisher have the final say on that? No clue. This hire makes me believe that Fisher wont be in the Belichick role when it comes to the draft.

 

[Anonymous]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

I don't see it that way at all. We need someone who can identify good talent to transition to the NFL because we're not going to be drafting in the top 10 any more. Give JF quality options to pick from and this Rams team will impress. Snead seems to have a good track record so I'm even more optimistic.

It's so obvious that Fisher is gonna be the authority figure of all player decisions. Snead isn't gonna be Kolbert or Dimitroff or Mayhew. Not saying this is a waste of time, but this GM isn't gonna be like the ones of the majority of teams.

But I still think he can be when it comes to the draft. I could see Fisher having a lot more influence over UFAs. We also have the trade down possibility in the 1st round? Will Fisher have the final say on that? No clue. This hire makes me believe that Fisher wont be in the Belichick role when it comes to the draft.

Fisher explicitly said he wouldn't know what guard to pick (as a for instance) in the 6th round. The GM will advise heavily and as with most coach-dominated drafts, the coach's attention will drift after round 3. So a good GM is necessary.

Besides, this is basically the same arrangement they had with Vermeil and Armey. Vermeil brought Armey in. Vermeil pretty much made the draft decisions, but in an environment where he drew heavily on expert advise. Once Armey protested a Vermeil choice and Shaw elected to be a tie-breaker (that was the Holt v. Bailey thing...Vermeil wanted Bailey). That was the only exception we ever heard about.

I don;t know how well Fisher drafts or how much say he had with the Titans (Young aside--that was an exception to what they did, whatever it was they did). But, usually, when talking about coach-dominated drafts, I say it's a bad idea to let a first-time head coach have the say in a draft. Obviously Fisher isn't a first-time head coach, so that scruple doesn't apply.

If this were a ship Snead would be the XO.

...

 

[Ram Quixote]

Even if this is Fisher's ship, smart men know their limitations. At this point in time, I believe Fisher is a smart man.

Of course, this doesn't preclude the chances of smart men making decisions that don't work out as well as they thought. But I will remain the optimist.

 

[Angry Ram]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

I don't see it that way at all. We need someone who can identify good talent to transition to the NFL because we're not going to be drafting in the top 10 any more. Give JF quality options to pick from and this Rams team will impress. Snead seems to have a good track record so I'm even more optimistic.

It's so obvious that Fisher is gonna be the authority figure of all player decisions. Snead isn't gonna be Kolbert or Dimitroff or Mayhew. Not saying this is a waste of time, but this GM isn't gonna be like the ones of the majority of teams.

But I still think he can be when it comes to the draft. I could see Fisher having a lot more influence over UFAs. We also have the trade down possibility in the 1st round? Will Fisher have the final say on that? No clue. This hire makes me believe that Fisher wont be in the Belichick role when it comes to the draft.

Well there's no reason to believe they won't work together, but again like you said if there's a trade down, and Fisher is hellbent on Kalil or Blackmon, he's gonna get Kalil or Blackmon. But who knows, maybe they'll agree on everything. :what:

 

[Anonymous]

Ehh I'm not as excited as much. It's clear that the GM isn't gonna hold as much power as he normally would so I don't think its as important. It's nice to see the posistion finally filled, tho.

I don't see it that way at all. We need someone who can identify good talent to transition to the NFL because we're not going to be drafting in the top 10 any more. Give JF quality options to pick from and this Rams team will impress. Snead seems to have a good track record so I'm even more optimistic.

It's so obvious that Fisher is gonna be the authority figure of all player decisions. Snead isn't gonna be Kolbert or Dimitroff or Mayhew. Not saying this is a waste of time, but this GM isn't gonna be like the ones of the majority of teams.

But I still think he can be when it comes to the draft. I could see Fisher having a lot more influence over UFAs. We also have the trade down possibility in the 1st round? Will Fisher have the final say on that? No clue. This hire makes me believe that Fisher wont be in the Belichick role when it comes to the draft.

Well there's no reason to believe they won't work together, but again like you said if there's a trade down, and Fisher is hellbent on Kalil or Blackmon, he's gonna get Kalil or Blackmon. But who knows, maybe they'll agree on everything. :what:

Again...no different than when Vermeil brought in Armey. Armey was his guy and his hire. Vermeil had real and contractually guaranteed final say.