High Drama Low Expectations fuel Drama in Rams' Locker Room

[MauiRam]

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/05/2008

What? No football this Sunday? The Rams are on their bye week? I'm not sure what to do with myself.

If professional sports exist primarily to keep our minds off more serious things, the Rams have been terrific this year. Just when we needed it, too. Just as banks began to collapse, our retirement savings began to disappear and the politicians decided to use our money to bail out Wall Street, the Rams fired head coach Scott Linehan.

It was soap opera stuff.

The defensive coordinator, Jim Haslett, was named head coach. Except for the fact that he coordinates the worst defense in the league, it wasn't much of a surprise.
In fact, I went to Rams headquarters last year to watch Linehan explain away another loss. After Linehan addressed the media, Haslett talked to us. I wrote, "If Linehan were Julius Caesar, Haslett would be Cassius. 'Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look.'"

Even after a disastrous season, I kind of liked Linehan. So I was heartened this summer when the stories from training camp were mostly upbeat. The team was looking good. The top draft choices were everything that people expected. Most importantly, Linehan had undergone a transformation.

My friend and colleague Bernie Miklasz wrote about that transformation. "Linehan's offseason maneuvers were bold. He shook up his coaching staff, adding seven new assistants and casting aside some former associates."

But then the team lost its first couple of games. Miklasz and Bryan Burwell, another colleague and friend, began demanding that Linehan be fired. At first, he was just a bad coach. Then we readers began to see Linehan's true character. Miklasz wrote, "Linehan has been all about Linehan for quite some time now. Last offseason, Linehan fired seven assistants, but that's only because upper management refused to allow the coach to fire his entire staff."

What a cad. Firing old friends.

Day after day, the pummelling continued.

Then the Rams lost their third game. I could hardly sleep. When, oh when, would ownership step forward and do the right thing?

Clearly, everything had come down to Game Four. If the Rams lost, Linehan would probably be fired. If they won, he'd almost certainly save his job.

What did he do? He benched quarterback Marc Bulger! The Linehan apologists (when you could find any) argued that we ranked 31st in offense in a 32-team league. We had to change something. The rest of us shook our heads. We'll see, we said.

The Buffalo Bills came to town. They had won their first three games, but still, they're not thought of as a powerhouse. Then again, they were playing the Rams. All around the region, fans sat down in front of their televisions to watch the Rams lose so Linehan would get fired.

At halftime, the Rams were winning 14-6.

I can only imagine the pep talk Haslett gave his defense.

"What in the name of heck are you girls doing? Six points? Six lousy points? You know what this game means. If we win, I'm still an assistant coach. If we lose, I'm a head coach. You are the worst defense in the league. You are 32nd out of 32 teams, all right? Now I want you to go out there in the second half and play like the worst defense in the league. Is that clear?"

"YESSIR!"

"What are you yelling about? I don't want to hear or see that kind of enthusiasm. One more time then. I want you go to out there and play like the worst defense in the league. By the end of the game, I want Buffalo to have 30 points. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, I guess." "Whatever." "If you say so, dude."

"That's better. Let's go out there and git 'er done."

And they did. By the time the game was over, Buffalo had 31 points. The Rams were held scoreless in the second half. So it ended 31-14.

Linehan was fired.

Has anything like this ever happened before? A defensive coach gets jumped to head coach because his defense played so poorly?

The Rams have been a godsend this year. When we needed something to get our minds off our troubles, the Rams were there for us. What a shame we negotiated a deal in which the team can leave in 2015 if the stadium is not in the top 25 percent of all stadiums. I'll miss them.

In the meantime, if I were Haslett, I'd keep an eye on Al Saunders. He's the offensive coordinator. If the offense lays down for the rest of the year, he might get the top job.

[UtterBlitz]

In the meantime, if I were Haslett, I'd keep an eye on Al Saunders. He's the offensive coordinator. If the offense lays down for the rest of the year, he might get the top job.

Drama, drama, drama.....so many distractions and personal agendas are in play here.

I do wonder what happened in the locker room at half time.

[BrokenWing]

There was so much conjecture in the story it made my eyes bleed.

[GreatestShow99]

Drama Queen

[moloch41]

Needs more monkey.

[HUbison]

Who wrote this?

[MauiRam]

Who wrote this?

High drama, low expectations fuel saga in Rams' locker room

Bill McClellan
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/05/2008

STLtoday - High drama, low expectations fuel saga in Rams' locker room

[GreatestShow99]

I used to watch him on a show called Donnybrook when I lived in St. Louis. He looks like a drunkard...and writes like one.

[GreatestShow99]

He's a Cubs and Bears fan, btw. So that figures too.

[tomahawk247]

did Jim Haslett also have a word with Trent Green about throwing a pick-6?

i doubt it

[SFCRamFan]

"Bill McClellan
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH"

I read the Post often and this clown is always on my no-read list....

[rNemesis]

did Jim Haslett also have a word with Trent Green about throwing a pick-6?

i doubt it

who cares? ( even though I hated it). He is not the starting QB anymore...