Steve Spagnuolo is going through a rough season in his first as an NFL head coach. He had the unenviable task of taking over a roster which was left in disarray by the previous administration. No real effort had been done to bridge the gap from The Greatest Show on Turf to the next wave of players, with the notable exception of drafting studly running back Steven Jackson before Marshall Faulk was retired.
The results to this point have hardly been surprising. Poor Spags and his troops endured seven losses, including several blowouts, before finally earning their first victory this past Sunday against the Lions. While he's cherishing this first win, Spagnuolo realizes it's the first step of many.
Despite making a good amount of money to coach in the National Football League, Steve Spagnuolo has an unenviable task this year: coaching the St. Louis Rams. The Rams won just two games a year ago, and the roster was in a state of transition -- and in disrepair, really -- when he took over as the new head honcho.
If not for the ineptitude of the Lions, the 2008 Rams would have easily been the worst team in football. Only two teams scored less points and only one team (Lions, of course) allowed more. Some of the most talented players were aging and they dismissed two former stars (Orlando Pace and Torry Holt) as part of the rebuilding process after the disastrous campaign. Spagnuolo, though, is tired of hearing about and having to talk about 2008.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
The Rams enter the 2009 season in full-on rebuilding mode. Another bad season wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for the future of the franchise as a whole, as they need to continue to grow their young players. The remnants of the strong Rams rosters from earlier this decade are either gone or aging quickly. New head coach Steve Spagnuolo will look to mold the next generation his way, starting immediately.
Scott Linehan arrived in St. Louis in 2006 billed as one of the next up-and-coming young coordinators to make the jump to the head-coaching ranks. He won eight times his first season, but managed just three more wins over the next 20 games before the Rams mercifully sent him on his way.
Steve Spagnuolo, previously a young coordinator with the Giants, got the gig this offseason, and he went about rebuilding a team that regularly made playoff appearances earlier this decade.
And after a two-win effort in 2008, things can only get better. For Spagnuolo that starts with overhauling the offensive line. The club signed free agent center Jason Brown away from the Ravens, and selected tackle Jason Smith second overall in the April draft.
The Rams recently inked a very solid fullback, in Mike Karney, but he's not the news in fantasy football. He shouldn't ever be owned in fantasy leagues, unless there are some who use fullbacks (I've never heard of any, though I'd prefer that to having a kicker). Karney is a quality football player, but that is a completely separate arena than being a fantasy football player.
What does happen with the move of Karney, though, is a ripple affect. Think about how much more effective Thomas Jones was this past season, after the Jets revamped their offensive line and acquired a solid blocking fullback.
Assuming the Rams don't screw up the second-overall draft pick, this has really been a great offseason. It started with hiring an up-and-coming coach in this league, Steve Spagnuolo. They've added depth to the secondary, shored up the middle of the offensive line, and now have signed a great fullback.
Mike Karney, who had previously spent his entire five-year career with the New Orleans Saints, will now be helping clear holes for Steven Jackson.
The Ravens and Lewis agreed to a multi-year deal that won't be formally set for a couple of weeks, but General Manager Ozzie Newsome said he's happy to see the 10-time Pro Bowler sticking with the purple and black.
[Newsome] wouldn't disclose the length of the deal but said "Ray Lewis can retire as a Raven."
By tomorrow afternoon, the Ravens will either have their replacement for Jason Brown or the Vikings will have brought back the elder statesman of their offensive line. Matt Birk says that his first jump into free agency won't take long, as he'll make a decision by Thursday on whether to sign with the Ravens or return to Minnesota.
The Ravens need Birk more than the Vikings do. Minnesota has been planning for Birk's potential loss, as they are grooming John Sullivan to replace Birk, although there is little doubt that Birk, a six-time Pro Bowler, will be a better center in 2009 than Sullivan.
Coming off a stellar 2008 season, Baltimore's Jason Brown wanted to be paid as if he was a top NFL center. The Ravens balked at that idea; St. Louis did not. So even though there were rumblings that Brown did not really want to be a Ram, he couldn't turn down a whopping five-year, $37.5 million contract when St. Louis put it on the table.
According to ESPN's John Clayton, Baltimore topped out its offer to Brown at about $6 million a year -- a number that St. Louis flew past. Of Brown's new contract, $20 million will be guaranteed.
Steve Spagnuolo is going through a rough season in his first as an NFL head coach. He had the unenviable task of taking over a roster which was left in disarray by the previous administration. No real effort had been done to bridge the gap from The Greatest Show on Turf to the next wave of players, with the notable exception of drafting studly running back Steven Jackson before Marshall Faulk was retired. 
Despite making a good amount of money to coach in the National Football League, 
Training camps have wrapped up, the 
Scott Linehan arrived in St. Louis in 2006 billed as one of the next up-and-coming young coordinators to make the jump to the head-coaching ranks. He won eight times his first season, but managed just three more wins over the next 20 games before the Rams mercifully sent him on his way. 
The Rams recently 
Assuming the Rams don't screw up the second-overall draft pick, this has really been a great offseason. It started with hiring an up-and-coming coach in this league, 
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that 
By tomorrow afternoon, the Ravens will either have their replacement for 
Coming off a stellar 2008 season, Baltimore's 
