I have no plans to nominate Steve Spagnuolo for the NFL Coach of the Year award, and while I've been disappointed in some of his game-day decisions, it's too early to know the kind of head coach he'll become. At least for now, I believe Spagnuolo's steady leadership and unflappable personality are a plus in a horrible situation.

Outside of Oakland, which is hopelessly dysfunctional, the Rams' head coaching job is the most thankless in the NFL right now. The coach who took the Rams gig had to be willing to tear down the roster, suffer through beatdowns, endure criticism from media and fans, and remain calm while patiently building a team in a slow, difficult process.

So that's why I respect Spagnuolo, so far. He isn't a carnival barker. He's a case worker. Gimmicks and hollering won't solve the issues at Rams Park. We can't have a reasonable discussion about Spagnuolo's pluses and minuses until the Rams begin restoring their talent base.

With the Rams heading to Detroit to play the Lions, it's a good time to ponder the depth of the massive project handed to Spagnuolo. And we'll see one of the prime culprits on Sunday: Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, the former Rams head coach.

Linehan and his football partner Jay Zygmunt all but destroyed the Rams' roster in a short time. Linehan took over a pretty decent roster in 2006 and got the Rams off to a 4-1 start. But Linehan somehow lost seven of the final 11 games in '06 even though Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson were having career years, even though Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt had 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and even though the Rams defense had 34 sacks and 32 takeaways.

From there, things rapidly deteriorated because of horrendous personnel decisions. Linehan had substantial power over the draft and free agency. He wanted Drew Bennett at wide receiver instead of Kevin Curtis. So the Rams threw away $30 million on Bennett — the most notable of several free-agent failures.

Of the 11 players chosen by Linehan and Zygmunt in the first three rounds of the 2006-08 drafts, six are already gone, and another (Adam Carriker) is a bust on injured reserve. Several are still here. Chris Long has been a serviceable defensive end, cornerback Jonathan Wade and offensive lineman John Greco don't start, and wide receiver Donnie Avery has exciting potential but can't stay healthy.

Billy Devaney, now the Rams' GM, was brought in after the 2007 season to help in personnel but didn't have final say over the 2008 draft. But it's at least fair to say Devaney shares some of the responsibility for the 2008 draft class.

If the right 11 players had been picked in those premium rounds from 2006-08, the Rams would have a fine nucleus to build around. They don't. What they have are too many roster holes and a salary-cap predicament. And Spagnuolo didn't create them.

Linehan went 7-24 in his final 31 games as head coach. At least he had a fighting chance in 2006. The roster that Linehan inherited from Mike Martz was in much better shape than the roster that Linehan left for Spagnuolo.

You'd have to be loony-tunes if you honestly believe any coach could, in less than a year, step in and repair the devastating amount of damage caused by Linehan and Zygmunt.

We'll be able to fairly evaluate Spagnuolo at some point, but it's too soon. After the brief Linehan era, Spagnuolo is still in the process of trying to fumigate and disinfect Rams Park.

READING TIME 3 MINUTES:

Free Brad Boyes.

The Blues aren't finishing their scoring chances, and winger Boyes is a big part of the problem. Boyes scored 43 goals for the Blues two years ago, but his goal production has declined. He has scored 10 goals in the last 38 regular-season games, and he has only four power-play goals in his last 50 games. Boyes is not alone. Patrik Berglund has only seven goals — two more than Brad Winchester — over the last 42 regular-season games. Paul Kariya was all but invisible on the ice during Thursday's 2-0 loss to Phoenix, and David Backes is off to another slow start.

Meramec CC celebrated "David Freese Day" on Tuesday. The Cardinals third baseman and his family were on hand to receive a framed print of his April MLB debut. Freese, who played baseball at Meramec in 2003 and 2004, hung out and signed autographs for more than an hour.

Mizzou desperately needs a win at unranked Colorado. Going back to last season, the Tigers have lost six of their last 10 Big 12 games, a conference slump that has dropped coach Gary Pinkel's overall conference record back to under .500 (32-35). But Pinkel is 28-15 in conference games against unranked opponents, and that includes a 10-1 mark in the last 11. Pinkel is 4-20 in Big 12 games against ranked opponents. The Tigers need to run the ball against Colorado. And it can be done; Mizzou averages 4.9 yards per carry under Pinkel when playing an unranked opponent.

Cardinals Hall of Famer Lou Brock has enlisted Legendary Auctions to sell nearly 100 items from his personal baseball memorabilia collection in an event that will run Nov. 9-18. Available pieces include Brock's 1967 World Series championship ring and the actual base Brock stole in 1977 to break Ty Cobb's record for career steals. Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson sold his memorabilia through Legendary in an auction that netted $500,000. For more info on the Brock collection, call 708-889-9380 or visit www.legendaryauctions.com.

St. Louisan David Lee signed a one-year deal worth $7 million to stay with the New York Knicks. Lee, a restricted free agent, had an option to move over the summer, telling the New York Post that he considered a multiyear offer from the Portland Trailblazers. Lee decided to stay in New York; according to media reports he turned down a four-year, $28 million deal in Portland. "They felt I'd fit in perfectly," Lee told the NY Post. "Believe me, I was flattered. They've got a great team. I was given one night to think it over. I couldn't commit. I was worried about playing time." Lee becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season.

St. Louisan Steve Ralston (Oakville HS) underwent surgery earlier this week to repair a torn right ACL. The New England Revolution midfielder holds multiple MLS records, including most games played and career assists. Ralston, 35, probably will return in 2010 but wants to see how the knee rehab goes. "The guy's playing until he's 40," joked Taylor Twellman, Ralston's teammate and fellow St. Louisan. The Revolution entered the MLS playoffs without Ralston or Twellman (concussion.)