Rams talk to candidate for front office

By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
01/24/2006

The Rams were doing more Tuesday than hiring a defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. Clyde Powers, the director of pro player personnel in Indianapolis, interviewed for a similar position with the Rams.

Powers, 54, is a native of Pascagoula, Miss., who was an all-Big Eight cornerback for Oklahoma in the early 1970s and played six seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants and Kansas City.

Powers has spent the past 23 seasons working in the Colts' personnel department. The Rams received permission from the Colts to speak with Powers earlier this month.

Repeating a theme, team president John Shaw told the Post-Dispatch on Friday that he will do whatever is deemed necessary to upgrade the Rams' personnel department, particularly the area of pro personnel.

Two will join Haslett

Newly named defensive coordinator Jim Haslett plans to bring two former Saints assistants with him to St. Louis: Rick Venturi and Willy Robinson.

"I think it will be an easy transition, because Rick and Willy both know the defense I ran in Pittsburgh," Haslett said Tuesday.

Venturi, 59, has been with the Saints since 1996. He has coached both linebackers and defensive backs over the course of his NFL coaching career, but also worked as a defensive coordinator with New Orleans, Indianapolis and Cleveland.

Robinson, 49, held the title of senior defensive assistant-secondary this past season, his only year with the Saints.

Kollar to Buffalo

Haslett and new Rams head coach Scott Linehan will need a new defensive line coach, because Bill Kollar has agreed to join Dick Jauron's staff in Buffalo as the Bills' defensive line coach.

Kollar has been with the Rams for the past five seasons. His players always seemed to be in demand in free agency, with ends Grant Wistrom and Bryce Fisher signing with Seattle, tackle Jeff Zgonina signing with Miami, and tackle Brian Young signing with New Orleans in recent seasons.

Holy shnikies! Are we actually going to start a pro personnel department. If that be the case, this organization is really turning itself around from this years mess.

It looks like they are really trying to make a difference and change the face of our rams good thing ... I just hope it doesn't take too long to gel , with some of our players getting older , but that could be a good thing as well ... Happy on how things are so far ...