Linehan alters his schedule for funeral

[RamWraith]

By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Thursday, Jan. 24 2008

In two weeks' time, Rams coach Scott Linehan went from expecting to coach a
team at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., to not even attending the workouts for
college draft prospects.

When team owner Georgia Frontiere died Friday following a long fight with
breast cancer, Linehan knew where he had to be — in Los Angeles for the funeral
services.

“Business is business,” Linehan said Wednesday from Los Angeles. “But I was
going to be here.”

Linehan felt it was important to pay his respects to Frontiere, who hired him
as Rams coach two years ago.

“She was around a lot my first year (in St. Louis),” Linehan said. “That
enabled me to get to know her. Obviously, she’s the owner who hired me to my
first head-coaching job in the NFL, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

For coaches who merely attend the Senior Bowl practices — and don’t coach a
squad — the week’s work is done by Thursday afternoon. Plus, it’s not easy to
fly from Los Angeles to Mobile. So Linehan has stayed in LA, letting his
coaching staff and Rams scouts handle the Senior Bowl evaluations and
interviews.

When he returns to St. Louis, Linehan said practice tapes of every player who
attended the Senior Bowl will be at his disposal. Between assistant coaches and
scouts, every Senior Bowl participant will be interviewed in Mobile by the
Rams. Linehan can pick their brains if he’s interested in a particular prospect.

Linehan doesn’t believe he will be set back much — if at all — in his draft
preparation by missing Senior Bowl week. And in terms of the Rams’ first-round
pick — No. 2 overall — very few of the elite prospects were in Mobile anyway.

Meanwhile, Linehan still has two assistant coaches to hire — an offensive
coordinator and a secondary coach. He had planned to speak with at least a
couple of potential candidates at the Senior Bowl, which in many ways is a job
fair for NFL assistant coaches looking for work.

Linehan has spoken with some candidates on the phone and may interview a
candidate or two in person on the West Coast before he returns to St. Louis. So
far, the only coordinator candidates to undergo formal interviews have been
Cincinnati quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese and former Atlanta offensive
coordinator Hue Jackson.

Linehan has spoken with a couple of other candidates more than once on the
phone. But the candidate list is dwindling. Norm Chow, the former Tennessee
Titans coordinator whom Linehan had spoken with on the phone, has taken a
college job with UCLA. Cam Cameron, whom Linehan also spoke with on the phone,
appears headed for the Baltimore Ravens.

Linehan conceded that because of the trip to LA for Frontiere’s funeral, the
hiring of a new coordinator could be pushed back into Super Bowl week. With
team president John Shaw and president of football operations-general manager
Jay Zygmunt still on the West Coast, Linehan said he will have additional
planning meetings with them over the next day or two.

[Tony Soprano]

.
He could've sent his wife and kids and he could've flew out and flew back 5-6 hours later.

I think he's trying to build a relationship with someone that will be deciding on his future next year (someone
with the last name of Rosenbloom).

His time there moved several things back and his concerns should be on the football team. What a mess in St. Louis

[mde8352gorams]

I think it's perhaps a blessing in disguise that Linehan is missing the Senior Bowl workouts. My reasoning is that he is a lousey evaluator of talent. John Shaw, I believe had announced after the season ended that personnel decisions were being taken away from him. I haven't heard much these days about Tony Softli, but isn't that his job?

I agree that Linehan must attend a funeral for the person who was responsible for his hiring. He needs to focus on hiring an OC and Secondary Coach. Let's hope he doesn't screw that up.

We have an exciting off-season to anticipate with Free Agency and the #2 pick in each round of the draft.

Go Rams!

[jquarando]

.
He could've sent his wife and kids and he could've flew out and flew back 5-6 hours later.

I think he's trying to build a relationship with someone that will be deciding on his future next year (someone
with the last name of Rosenbloom).

His time there moved several things back and his concerns should be on the football team. What a mess in St. Louis

Ever tried flying out of mobile? Why dont you go to AA.com and get a trip. I bet you have to go thru DFW and flights out of mobile prolly arent happening every hour. Im guessing about 2 or 3 flights a day. Its funny how people get mad at linehan and says his priorities arent with the team. Sometimes you have to put family above other things and like the article said he had the whole scouting department there and not a single #2 pick was there. He can rely on the scouting department to help determine the 3rd round and up picks.

[PHAT-MONEY]

we can't blame linehan for what has happend, we will get the right people that want to be here.

[Tony Soprano]

.
Georgia is not family to him and she'd want the Ram's coach to put his energy into the team.

If this was his Grandma, he should be able to stay out there 7-14 days.

[KoaKoi]

I agree with you Tony that he may be courting goodwill from Carroll's kids..., but this was the owner's memorial and he's the Head Coach. There'd probably be more flack if he didn't attend in place of the senior bowl. As for there being a mess? Yeah, I agree there too as I'm not a huge fan of the front office. Matt Millen disappointed in them, no, but a different ideology would be welcome.

But seriously, do you really think Georgia would've wanted him to put his energy into the team rather than pay respects to her? really? Maybe I'm a born cynic, but I don't think that publicity hound would've wanted it any other way. Now I'm not a Georgia hater like some other Rams fans are (too young to remember how she destroyed so many good things about the team my dad tells me), but I don't think her thoughts for the team were that 'pure as snow.'

As long as Softli and his staff got a chance to evaluate these seniors, I'm fine with the result.

By the way, I hear a lot of detractors talking about how the 2nd overall pick in the draft wasn't going to be in Mobile anyway.... but what about all those other, apparently trivial, picks such as the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th round picks? Let's not forget how important each and every Rams pick is going to be for this 3-13 team. Every NFL team needs good depth, and you don't get those guys in the 1st round.

[moloch41]

we can't blame linehan for what has happend, we will get the right people that want to be here.

Well, we didn't blame him for all the stuff that went wrong during the season, so why should be blame him for the bungling that's going on in the offseason thus far...

[KoaKoi]

Ha ha ha ha...

[laram0]

I think it's perhaps a blessing in disguise that Linehan is missing the Senior Bowl workouts. My reasoning is that he is a lousey evaluator of talent.

We have an exciting off-season to anticipate with Free Agency and the #2 pick in each round of the draft.

Go Rams!

Lousy evaluator of talent? Based on what?

[mdram]

The whole thing is a mess because the head has been cut off of the rams organization.
Shaw I think will be history once the team is sold. I think Rosenbloom will keep minority ownership but would love to sell it to K.
Everybody is going to be stumbling around for the next year until things are resolved.

This is where you hope the leadership of the players come forward and take over the team.

[ramsplaya16]

.
He could've sent his wife and kids and he could've flew out and flew back 5-6 hours later.

I think he's trying to build a relationship with someone that will be deciding on his future next year (someone
with the last name of Rosenbloom).

His time there moved several things back and his concerns should be on the football team. What a mess in St. Louis

You've got to be kidding me, so your telling me that if your boss died, you wouldent go to the funeral? Big flippen deal he missed the senior bowl, we still have scouts going and probably other personal there. He can still go to the scouting combine and go travel to the college campus and evalutate the players when they hold them. I mean come on, its only the beginning of the off season, and this isn't even the most important event in the offseason, have some sympathy and let him attend a funeral, also he said Georgia as around him a lot in his first year so maybe he did have a good relationship w/ her I guess we won't know.