Bernie, Linehan has had multiple seasons to prove himself. Clearly, this season is a loss one way or the other. If management knows he isn’t part of the long-term plan, why does it matter what happens in a single game? Why don’t they just move on regardless of today’s outcome? I don’t understand the business rationale.

Well they are playing fired up so far. Is the excessive celebration penalty the most stupid penalty in the NFL? Why add too much fun for the team and fans by letting them celebrate. I guess the TO hot doging left us with that one. Damn sharpies!

I hope you’re right about Zygmunt. That guys has to go if the Rams are ever going to be respectable again.

I don’t care who the coach is while he’s around. He is a saboteur.

Lunehan,and Zygmunt have to go as a package. Chip would be doing correction and not prevention, you have to remove this cancer from the organziation before any healing can begin. What is Chip waiting for, the players are lost, the fans are gone, for everyone’s sake both must go!

” The most difficult thing to assess is this: suppose the Rams play reasonably well, and fight hard, and lose a heartbreaker to the Bills? Does Linehan stay or go? The key figures in the Rams organization are wrestling with that. No advance determination has been made on this scenario. It’s a mistake to assume that Linehan is gone if the Rams lose a close one. Close loss? He’s on the bubble.”

And that’s the problem…It appears that they did play with some heart today…Now what do you do?

Don’t hold your breath.
Zygmunt isn’t going anywhere during the season unless he resigns.
The big changes will occur after the season.

-B

Well 31 to 14 is NOT a close loss. He should be gone tomorrow. However, Zygmunt is a much larger problem than Linehan. If Chip REALLY wants to improve the Rams he will fire Zygmunt.

Again: Zygmunt will not be fired during the season.

-B

On a straight line STL is about 20 miles south of DC… didn’t know that did you?!?! But what we all should know is that the STL Rams have gone south as a team. They aren’t in the Gulf of Mexico yet, but the ship has sunk right here on the banks of the Mississippi and someone in ownership has to throw them a pump to resurrect a team that has lost its way. I agree with all the blogs and sport’s pundits who say the coach and his enabler (Zygmunt) must go. What I don’t think is that Trent Green is the answer. Bulger should have been given an opportunity to work with a more resourceful Steven Jackson (last two games), Donnie Avery as a starting wideout, and Keenan Burton as the third receiver. Avery’s speed can stretch the field and open up more space for Holt, McMichael, and Jackson. Bulger should be reinstated by the new coach after the bye week and allowed to run the offense with better tools. Hopefully, Burton will be back next week and Looker can sit, along with Hall (or maybe cut). Their are receivers that have been on this roster who have more speed than either of them.

Finally, the defense played pretty good for a half, but when the offense goes 3 and out so much the defensive energy drains rapidly. Please remind Hasslett that his job is to light a fire under the the defense for FOUR QUARTERS not TWO.

Mr. Rosenbloom… we aren’t asking for you to move the team or invest millions more like a Bush bailout of our financial institutions, but we are asking you to seriously consider pumping up the Good Ship St. Louis Rams with a coach adept in leadership of grown millionaires and a front office that doesn’t dictate who the talent is on the field.

Now fans… lets support our team and change that will get this team back on the road to success.

Thanks for listening!

Bernie: Not having seen the game, and unaware of any behind-the-scenes occurrences, where does it stand now? First bullet point above is “if the Rams play poorly.” First half, they played well, correct? But second half was awful, I think (had to listen on the car radio). And the second bullet point was if they win, so that one’s out.

Again, where do you think it stands tonight?

The team is in shambles, and Linehan needs to go. Honestly, if I am Marc Bulger, I am happy not to be getting pounded into the turf any longer, but Bulger is NOT the problem, nor is Trent Green the solution. The situation is so bad that it’s hard to discern how much to attribute the miserable performances to a lack of talent or ability versus a lack of motivation. I don’t know how to improve the situation, but clearly Linehan is not capable of making it happen.

Without a change at the GM/VP position, the Rams will not be successful. Zygmunt must be dealt with in the fashion that Detroit handled Millen. Niether is a GM or player personnel expert. Yes you must be able to manipulate the salary cap but you must also have someone schooled and resourceful in players potential, especially with the Rams looking like a number 1 pick in the 09 draft.

As for Linehan’s successor, I have always liked Haslett, he brings a mean streak to the team he coaches. My suggestion, co-Head Coaches for the duration of the season, Haslett handling the defense and Saunders the offense. Have Mr. Rosenbloom step in and run the organization as he would a business that wants to make money. Get rid of the dead wood in the front office, expand the nature of scouting and give the co-Head Coaches an opportunity to turn up the heat both offensively and defensively, after all, we know we have a good kicker and punter.

Hey Bernie,

Mucho respect for you!

Enough is enough with Linehan! I’ve seen time and time again the Rams playing well in the first half of games, and then losing it in the second half. Same ‘ol, same ‘ol today. It’s time for him to go! There is no more respect for him on this team. The team has quit. Let’s get someone else in here and move forward. Next year is a new year, but with this regime, it would be same ‘ol, same ‘ol!

Ronnie W.
Valley Park

This is getting disturbing. Our guys are playing like they are dead. Linehan doesn’t seem to me to be the motivating kind of guy we need to be competitive. This team’s personnel ain’t as bad as they look. Chip has got to get a coach and a GM that can shake things up and get us going again. He’s got to get rid of the disaster that is Linehan and Zygmunt chop-chop. If Shottenheimer is available, hire him or someone of his stature. Give him free reign and keep all the big bosses away or we may as well import Bidwell to run things–

The players that like linehan played well in the first half in an emotional response to help save his job. In the second half the emotion was gone and they all played back to the norm–well below average. Good riddance to this back stabbing punk. martz now this. absolutely no class since vermiel. we deserve a good coach for a change.

The Ram showed the kind of effort today that indicates that they have the right front office in place and also the right coaching staff. I think all the fire the coach talk will finally stop. I can see the Super Bowl from my front yard.

Sarah

If Linehan goes, what about having assistant head coach/linebackers coach Rick Venturi ride out the rest of the season as “interim”. much like Joe Vitt did a few years back, leaving the coordinators time to focus on their jobs?

Bernie is absolutely right and unfortunately correct, Zygmunt is here for the remainder of the season - that’s a (sad but true) given. *sigh* I don’t think there’s a significant amount of hope left for this season but if Haslett gets in there as HC, he may likely be able to fire up the team, work with them and turn things around to a point where it’s not the incredibly dismal disaster we’re looking at now. Haslett and Saunders, less Linehan, can do one he** of a lot more good than we’ve been seeing.

I don’t think anyone can really blame Bulger right now. The last 3+ seasons he’s had almost no protection from a pretty lousy offensive line. He’s taken some brutal hits and very hard sacks! He’s not in great condition and it’s not his fault. Injuries have taken their toll. And for those who have been calling for Martz to come back or saying he never should have left - I STRONGLY disagree! He was a direct impetus to the current situation. (My own opinion, of course.)

But the team, its ability to work together and win is not going to be possible until the internal structure, those deep within the organization, are dug out and removed. I think we all know that isn’t going to happen now or even mid-stream in this season. So we have to hope that Linehan leaves - like right now - Haslett and Saunders can pull together the talented players we have and try to something halfway decent out of what remains of this season. We DO have talented players on the Rams team! They simply need to be shown hope, guided properly and given reason to play together and with purpose!

Sorry for the “rambling.”

Shell

This is the state of things for me as a Rams fan: I felt good about the Rams today at first. Then, reality hit me as I remembered that they lost by 17 points. It has come to that…..I’m impressed with a 17 point loss!!! Oh my gosh, have we fallen this far? It is time to make ALL of the moves before I start jumping up and down because the Rams made it to the field on time.