Web Search powered by YAHOO! SEARCH
09.22.2008 7:11 pm

Did you hear the big news Monday from Rams Park?

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  • Email this
  • Print this

No, you didn’t. Because there wasn’t any.

As usual, coach Scott Linehan took the podium at 4 p.m., followed by defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and offensive coordinator Al Saunders. For about 45 minutes, they tried to explain away another jarring and embarrassing defeat, while providing reasonable answers to stinging questions. It wasn’t pleasant, but they deserve credit for facing the fire.

New owner Chip Rosenbloom is an an extraordinarily difficult position. Does he honor his dying mother’s wish and stick with Linehan till the end of the year? Remember, the Rams haven’t changed head coaches during a season since 1962, when Bob Waterfield resigned.

On the other hand, can Rosenbloom afford to wait and risk that the franchise, which Georgia Frontiere loved so dearly, will tumble even further into a deep and dark abyss?

If Rosenbloom determines that the highly unpopular Linehan must go, and soon, does he:

A) Do it now, on the heels of three dreadful performances and before Sunday’s home game vs. Buffalo? It almost certainly would put more seats in the seats at the Dome, and at least would create a positive buzz among an increasingly hostile fan base.

B) Wait until after the game and do it during the subsequent bye week? That would provide some time for the transition to set in, and also would allow the new head coach (presumably an interim choice) to get his feet wet on the road (Oct. 12 at Washington).

These are difficult questions — far tougher than the coaching braintrust is facing. How Rosenbloom answers them will tell us a great deal about what kind of owner he intends to be and perhaps set the tone for the franchise for years to come.

All for now . . .

31 comments

Comments are closed.

1. Grades too high. yada yada.
2. Shaw is telecommuting. Maybe the defense is too.
3. Where’s the play action passing? What’s easier for opposing defense? To get fooled on runs they stop for no gain or short passes that go for no gain. If I was any opponent, I’d put 10 in the box too.
4. On second thought, Isaac Bruce going to S.F. was a blessing…..for his career. I’m sure he’s going “Rams Who???”
5. To all the St. Louis fans that don’t really know this team, what do you think happened during the 80’s and 90’s?
6. Cardinals in first place.

Bulger will be a good QB on any other team.

— Where's Jack Youngblood?
8:03 pm September 22nd, 2008

KEEP LINEHAN! This way we’ll get the #1 overall draft pick next year

— Brian
8:13 pm September 22nd, 2008

Keep Scott for the next five years. We can use a whole new O-Line.

— Georgia (from the grave)
8:17 pm September 22nd, 2008

I don’t know about everyone else but at least the games are easier to watch this year. I remember in the past I would get excited and get butterflies in my stomach, ulcers and whatnot. Not this year, no reason to get angry or excited anymore because the games have been lost well before the Rams take the field. What a horrific job of management all around. All I know is that if I did my job as poorly as the current players and coaches on this team I would be fired.

— Ramfan in Omaha
8:20 pm September 22nd, 2008

Don’t expect any changes. Chip was blowing smoke up your you know what to keep fan interest as long as possible. He is only worried about revenue, driving the price of the franchise up to sale. Chip let’s the hated coaches take the stand and try to settle fan unrest, instead of showing the marbles to answer questions himself, because now he will hide from media and fans, he was banking on improved performance against Seattle to atleast keep fan interest for a few more home games. No changes coming until there is a change of ownership, and I hope that owner atleast has the testicular fortitude to face media and fans, and fire the incompetent front office people and their hand picked coaches in LineScam and Has-Been.

— chaos3430
10:45 pm September 22nd, 2008

That press conference was almost as bad as the game.. no emotion, no answers, no personality..

end the madness

— St Louis Missouri Real Estate
11:03 pm September 22nd, 2008

“I’m Scared to death to lose”…..
This only gives fans and players the idea that he as a coach leaves losing as an option. Vermiel and Martz never considered that an option. Those two coaches got hard nosed and closer to the players. Linehan seems to have the same effect on the rams that a substitute teacher does for a 7th grade middle school history class.

— Jake
11:38 pm September 22nd, 2008

WELL…AT LEAST THE RAMS HAVEN’T GONE TO A LAST RESORT MOVE SUCH AS….oh I don’t know a little something I call the NEW ENGLAND SPECIAL which involves cheating and doing anything you can to win, if anything we still have our class, maybe little pride at this point but we haven’t cheated!

— Jake
11:46 pm September 22nd, 2008

i dont care what the rams do this season, as long as they do what it takes to get a schottenheimer or cowher for the seasons to come.

— Josh
1:04 am September 23rd, 2008

I think everyone is overlooking a practical and maybe almost too obvious option here that just might help this franchise/team. EXERCISM. Maybe Haslett brought over some of that voodoo curse that was put on the Saints down in the Bayou and now our team’s spirit has been subdued. Nobody else can seem to figure out what’s going on with this teams pathetic performance. Get a young priest and an old priest with some holy water and just clean Rams Park, from the locker rooms to the practice fields and through the offices. And then if nothing changes, go ahead and fire the whole lot of them. I’m not trying to offend. I’ve actually held off this comment for the week to see what would happen in Seattle. There’s something just not right with this team. Just not right. We need to lift the dark cloud that hangs over these players. I can’t imagine that it would cost very much to do, either.

— Eric R.
2:51 am September 23rd, 2008

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Show All