01.13.2009 6:42 pm
St. Louis Rams coach Jim Haslett interviews with Packers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
While the Rams were interviewing Minnesota assistant head coach-defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier on Tuesday in Los Angeles for their head-coaching job, Rams coach Jim Haslett was finishing up an interview in Green Bay.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who once worked for Haslett in New Orleans, is looking for a new defensive coordinator _ and Haslett is a candidate. Haslett arrived in Green Bay on Monday evening and had dinner with McCarthy and members of his staff. Haslett met further with McCarthy on Tuesday before heading back to St. Louis.
McCarthy was Haslett’s offensive coordinator from 2000-2004 in New Orleans while Haslett was Saints head coach. Haslett could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Good Bye, Jim. I can’t say that I will miss you. Oh by the way, your defensive strategy is awful. But hey, I think you can drag down the Packers even further, so we can maybe beat somebody.
If Haslett is interviewing with the Packers that tells me either he is not totally committed to the Rams or he does not feel confident in returning to the Rams next season. I think St. Louis needs to move in another direction.
The man knows he may not have a job at the end of the week. Wouldn’t you be looking for a new job as well? I can’t fault him for going to interview and i am glad the Rams were nice enough to let him.
Haz is keeping his options open. The Rams would be stupid not to make him head coach. Assistant coaches are about 30% successful. Head coaches the second time around are 60% successful. I like the odds!
He has already won half the battle by unifying and gaining the respect of the player and the front office. They know him a lot better than you or I do. In life, I tend to trust the opinions of those who know a person best.
And, for you Martz bashers, the only Superbowl the Rams have ever won was with an OC named Martz. I think Haz can keep him in tow, like Vermeil did.
Head coaches the second time around are 60% successful??? For every experienced re-tread success story like Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, or Tony Dungy (each of whom had better prior success than Haslett), there are or have been experienced re-treads coaches who are or have struggled like Herman Edwards, Lindy Infante, George Seifert, Dick Jauron, Dom Capers, Bobby Ross, Sam Wyche, Art Shell, Joe Bugel, Bruce Coslet, Mike Ditka, Dennis Erickson, Rich Kotite, Tom Flores, Ted Marchibroda, Joe Gibbs, Steve Mariucci, Dennis Green, Jerry Glanville, Dan Henning, etc..
And head coaches hired from the previous losing staff of the same team have been much worse.
Let us hope and pray this is an indication he won’t be back with the Rams. And if Mike McCarthy is serious about this and brings in Haslett to be his defensive coordinator, the over / under on his stay in Green Bay just dropped to two years. It will be nice to see the Packers picking 2nd each year instead of the Rams though.
I like Jim, but I think the Rams need to move in a different direction.
Its time for change!
Jim needs to have a real shot at the rams. That wasn’t his team. He has a proven winning record as a head coach in the NFL. Let him put his team together then pass judgement on his coaching skills