After taking the Rams' job, head coach Jeff Fisher made his most important hire at offensive coordinator. He chose Brian Schottenheimer.

I don't know what the Rams and quarterback Sam Bradford are getting in Schottenheimer. The gangs of New York did such a number on Schottenheimer's reputation, he's barely recognizable as he begins his new job in St. Louis.

Schottenheimer coordinated the New York Jets' offense for the past six years and was subject to the whims of an extreme mood-swing fan base in a town without pity.

Before you co-sign on the withering criticism of Schottenheimer in New York, it is wise to remember that the masses scream for the firing of Giants head coach Tom Coughlin every time his team fails to convert a third down. Coughlin has been fired approximately 7,238 times by the New York media, but he's guiding the Giants to another trip to the Super Bowl.

Two years ago Schottenheimer was portrayed as the second coming of Bill Walsh. Jets fans fretted that they'd lose their precious genius to an NFL head-coaching opportunity.

When the Jets' offense stalled this season, Schottenheimer suddenly became the borough idiot. Schottenheimer was blamed for the slow progress of quarterback Mark Sanchez. He was blamed for the Jets' 8-8 record. Schottenheimer was blamed for traffic congestion, overreaction to Hurricane Irene, Jason Bay's diminished power, subway crime and A.J. Burnett's soaring ERA.

Jets head coach Rex Ryan, having failed to back up his bluster, needed a scapegoat to explain away the troubles of 2011. Schottenheimer was pinned.

The Schottenheimer record in New York was mixed. During his six seasons as coordinator the Jets ranked as high as ninth in the NFL in points scored, and as low as 25th in points scored. Last season the Jets had the league's No. 1 red zone offense but ranked 30th in the same category in 2010.

Critics would point to a lack of consistency but decline to mention that Schottenheimer worked for two defensive-minded head coaches, Eric Mangini and Ryan. Or that his Jets quarterbacks ranged from the oldest in the league (Brett Favre) to the youngest (Sanchez). Another talented quarterback, Chad Pennington, couldn't stay healthy.

For all the finger-pointing over Sanchez's erratic play in 2011, the fifth overall pick of the 2009 draft passed for nine touchdowns with only three interceptions to help the Jets win four of six postseason games in his first two seasons.

Sure, the 2009 and 2010 Jets were primarily constructed to win on defense and with a robust running game, but Sanchez made big plays to get the team into consecutive AFC championship games. Was Schottenheimer a tourist for that run?

And Sanchez did throw for 26 touchdowns in 2011; in St. Louis such frequent invasions of the end zone would have offense-starved fans comparing the kid to Jim Hart.

It's fair to say that Schottenheimer wasn't as good as hyped during the high times, or as clueless as depicted in 2011.

Schottenheimer has first-rate football genes, being the son of Marty Schottenheimer. No one questions Brian's intelligence and understanding of the game. Applying that football IQ may be the issue; critics have suggested that Schottenheimer has a bit of the 'smartest guy in the room" complex. And his play-calling came under fire.

On the other side of the argument, he's had strong running teams in New York, good if not great passing teams in New York, and played a role in developing QBs Drew Brees and Philip Rivers as an assistant in San Diego.

I offer no predictions. The overwhelming majority of Rams fans were amped about the team's hiring of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels before the 2011 season, and the Rams sputtered to an average of 12.1 points a game. McDaniels never adapted his offense to fit the available personnel.

At this early stage, I wouldn't worry about the Schottenheimer style of offense. It's simplistic to say that he comes from the Don Coryell coaching tree. That's because the Coryell offense has taken many forms, depending on the coach and coordinator who run it.

It was a wide-open passing attack in San Diego under Coryell and in St. Louis under Mike Martz. It was a balanced offense in Dallas with Norv Turner. It was a power-running bulldozer in Washington during the Joe Gibbs glory days.

Besides, Schottenheimer will run the kind of offense that Jeff Fisher wants him to run.

St. Louis is a fresh start for Schottenheimer. He has an exciting opportunity to create something. The Rams have been so bereft of offense, Schottenheimer is virtually starting from scratch.

It's virtually impossible for the Rams to get worse on offense. Over the past five seasons the Rams have lost 65 of 80 games with the offense ranking last in the NFL in points, total yards, touchdowns from scrimmage, yards per passing attempt and passer rating. Only two teams have allowed more sacks over the last five seasons; only one has converted a lower percentage of third-down plays.

The Rams haven't averaged as much as 20 points a game since 2006. That's pathetic given the proliferation of offense in the pass-crazy NFL.

The standards are low. If Schottenheimer can get Bradford rolling in 2012 and design a competent offense, we'll be comparing him to Martz circa 1999-2001.

This is a tremendous opportunity for Schottenheimer to silence the whining over his alleged inability to turn Sanchez into an elite quarterback.

Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft, was the NFL's offensive rookie of the year. Bradford's second season was a lost year, as he was taken down by a variety of factors including weak pass protection, mediocre receivers, a debilitating ankle injury, foolish coaching and a loss of confidence.

Bradford's comically impatient critics would have us believe that he doesn't have what it takes to move into the circle of elite quarterbacks. It's way too early for that, but the Bradford Project has been placed on Schottenheimer's desk. We'll see how both men do.

Suppose Bradford fails to establish traction in 2012 and beyond? If Schottenheimer can't produce an impressive offense with a No. 1 overall pick (Bradford) and a No. 5 overall selection (Sanchez), then he'll have some explaining to do.