Linehan, family hoping to make a home in St. Louis

[RamWraith]

By PAUL SHUGAR
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC


Scott Linehan doesn't know how his first head coaching job will go in the NFL, but his family hopes he does well enough that they get to live in the same place for a few years.

The Sunnyside native has been quite the traveler since he started his coaching career as the wide receivers coach at Idaho University in 1989. Before accepting the head coaching job with the St. Louis Rams on Jan. 20, he coached in some capacity with six different teams and has moved three times in the past four years.

Right now the family's latest move — Linehan and his wife Kristen have three sons, Matthew, Michael and Marcus — from Florida is just one of the many things on the first-year coach's to-do list. He's got a coaching staff to hire, free-agency evaluations to finish, the NFL scouting combine and the ensuing draft to prepare for, minicamps to run and a playbook to create.

For him, finding a new home in St. Louis will have to wait just a little bit.

"We just started looking around," said Linehan in a phone interview last week. "The wife and the boys are still down in Florida living life as they know it. We'll probably wait until the end of the school year to move."

While Linehan admits the nomadic nature of his job is hard on the family, his career benefited. Despite having only three years of NFL experience — two years with the Minnesota Vikings before last season with the Miami Dolphins — as an offensive coordinator, Linehan interviewed for two NFL head coaching jobs this winter.

The Houston Texans also talked to Linehan along with the Rams, who supposedly were looking for a more defensive-minded coach for their offensively explosive team. Instead, Linehan, whose offenses were ranked Nos. 1, 4, and 14, respectively, during his three years as offensive coordinator, was tabbed as the next St. Louis head coach.

The fit appears to be perfect for the offensive-minded Linehan, who is known for making teams better on that side of the ball. The Dolphins were ranked 29th in total offense the year before Linehan joined the team with new head coach Nick Saban. They improved to No. 14 with Linehan calling plays; something he plans to continue with the Rams, who were ninth in total offense during this past season's 6-10 finish.

"One of the things I've always talked about is a relentless, aggressive, up-tempo attitude," said Linehan of his offensive strategy. "If we were playing basketball, I'd say we were playing all 94 feet, pushing the ball up court and pressing.

"We want to be an aggressive team offensively. We've been known for that offensively, but we want to be known for that defensively and on special teams as well."

Linehan knows he faces a tough task. The Seattle Seahawks, the defending conference and NFC West champions, are in the Rams' division. So already he has two tough games, including a road trip to Seattle, awaiting him when the team's schedule is announced.

The trip to Washington will be a homecoming of sorts for the family. Kristen grew up in Roslyn and has family there; Linehan's 82-year-old mom, Margaret, still lives in Sunnyside and he has other relatives scattered across the Pacific Northwest.

He also is aware that just because he got a head coaching job does not mean his moving days are done. Linehan watched Dennis Erickson, who recruited him to play quarterback at the University of Idaho from 1982-86, jump all around the NFL and college football since his first head coaching job with the Vandals.

Erickson coached two pro teams and five different college teams before landing back with Idaho this year. A move the Vandal alumnus was quite glad to see and he said with Erickson's addition "the program just got a whole lot better."

Still, Linehan and his family would prefer his first head coaching job mirror Bill Cowher's career — 14 straight years with the Pittsburgh Steelers — instead of one of his first mentors. Right now, with his career record locked at 0-0, he's just focused on preparing a situation to succeed instead of a situation of failure.

"There's pressure on you with this job if you're a head coach, a coordinator or a quarterback coach or the equipment manager," Linehan said. "You've got a chance to be coaching the best of the best and you're going to be judged on your success or lack of success on Sundays.

"I just look at it as a great challenge."

[Fat Pang]

I don't know why he's not considering LA.

Works for the Shaw.....................

[OldRamsfan]

Again Nice post "RW" Hey I think he will do well if the F.O works with him and helps him down this new road... I never had a problem with the football knowledge of our leaders its one of the best it was just being a leader and not allowing things to out of control...