Is Spags getting a fair shake from us?

[laram0]

I know the majority here want to see Spags fired, myself included.

After taking over the "MESS" that Linehan left this team in. Is it fair to come down so hard on Spags after 3 years? He took us from 1-15 to 7-9 and this season (INJURY PLAGUED) we've fallen back more than 2 giant steps. Are the injury, lockout and tough schedule a good enough excuses to give him 1 more season?

[Jockelite]

This is not the only team being effected by the lockout. There are 31 other teams out there and it just so happens that 30 of them are fairing better at this point. You look at teams like the Giants this year their secondary is also depleted. The Seahawks have the same amount of injuries on their O Line. The Texans have lost their top 2 QBs and starting receiver their star DE and they were without Arian Foster the first few games look how they have fared. Sure the Rams have had a tough schedule... However being noncompetitive in half of those games is inexcusable for any team in the NFL.

Plain and simple after the lockout it is on the coaches to properly prepare a team for the coming season. It is apparent that this did not occur and the results shown on the field are the direct result of this failure. Keeping Spags one more year in my opinion will only delay this team from getting any better.

[fearsome foursome]

I've been wondering the same thing. Thanks for bringing it up. Do we need a good housecleaning or, as most suggest a whole new house from the foundation up. I have been a Spags and Billy supporter ( not McD anymore though). Their philosophy on team building is sound but they have fallen short on actually accomplishing it. Build a solid o-line, get a quality young q-back, and work out from there. Build from the draft and plug in vets with short term contracts. It all makes sense but when things started to fall apart they let a lot of our young talent go to try to fill in holes (like at CB). I think that Devaney knew that this would be their last year and they had to produce now. I would like to give Spags another year with new assistants and offensive coordinator. Pretty unlikely that it will happen though.

[laram0]

This is not the only team being effected by the lockout. There are 31 other teams out there and it just so happens that 30 of them are fairing better at this point. You look at teams like the Giants this year their secondary is also depleted. The Seahawks have the same amount of injuries on their O Line. The Texans have lost their top 2 QBs and starting receiver their star DE and they were without Arian Foster the first few games look how they have fared. Sure the Rams have had a tough schedule... However being noncompetitive in half of those games is inexcusable for any team in the NFL.

Plain and simple after the lockout it is on the coaches to properly prepare a team for the coming season. It is apparent that this did not occur and the results shown on the field are the direct result of this failure. Keeping Spags one more year in my opinion will only delay this team from getting any better.

I firmly believe that our biggest weakness is our offense. Is having a 2nd year QB learning a new offense with a new OC and no QB coach (with no offseason) a good excuse?

[Fettmaster]

I've said it multiple times and I'll say it again. The injuries have nothing to do with horrible in-game management. Last year we stayed relatively healthy, which covered up spagnulol's horrible philosophy. But we still had a losing record in the worst division the history of the NFL. This year, because of the injuries, spags's flaws have been amplified. He's not the answer and never will be.

[Jockelite]

I firmly believe that our biggest weakness is our offense. Is having a 2nd year QB learning a new offense with a new OC and no QB coach (with no offseason) a good excuse?

Sure that could be used as an excuse. However Alex Smith also had to learn a new offense (Again). He is currently having his best season thus far. But yes the offense is the single largest weakness with this team. A large reason why the offense is not working is due to the lack of quality in the O Line play. Even when healthy the O Line greatly under preformed and just flat out sucked. One would expect the coaches to figure out that the O Line play is rendering this Offense useless on many accounts and would adjust to that, however that has not been the case. And no QB coach being brought in is just a bonehead decision IMO.

[Nick]

I think Spags certainly has some reasonable hurdles to point to and say, "Look at the hand I was dealt." But that doesn't change the fact that this is a results-driven league, and regardless of those circumstances, there have been too many very disappointing moments this season that reflect on poor coaching, poor personnel choices, and poor decision making by this staff.

[Varg6]

Sadly, Nick hit the nail on the head. I really wanted to see him be the guy.

[macrammer]

Horrible game management skills or rather, lack thereof, punting to a rookie returner dynamo not once but twice, both time drastically affecting outcome of winnable games, strong conservative approach even at 2 wins and whatever (numerous times) remember the punt against the cards with 3 minutes left and we never saw ball again?? He thought it was 4th and 2 instead of 4th and 1!!!!

He routinely never backs down from assinine calls with during weekly presser, his "defense" has allowed career rushings days for BEANIE WELLS and the ROOKIE from Dallas (Murray) numerous other weekly "a la carte" career days......How many false starts have we had this year?

The injuries and the lockout have certainly posed its challenge for Rams and I am sure other teams as well. If the coaching staff did not pull bonehead moves week and and week out then there could be a chance. This has been the bumling stumbling Rams and Spags owns the complete breakdown of fundamental football. Not the guy I want to be the HC of my football team.

[NJ Ramsfan1]

This is not the only team being effected by the lockout. There are 31 other teams out there and it just so happens that 30 of them are fairing better at this point. You look at teams like the Giants this year their secondary is also depleted. The Seahawks have the same amount of injuries on their O Line. The Texans have lost their top 2 QBs and starting receiver their star DE and they were without Arian Foster the first few games look how they have fared. Sure the Rams have had a tough schedule... However being noncompetitive in half of those games is inexcusable for any team in the NFL.

Plain and simple after the lockout it is on the coaches to properly prepare a team for the coming season. It is apparent that this did not occur and the results shown on the field are the direct result of this failure. Keeping Spags one more year in my opinion will only delay this team from getting any better.

A very good assessment. Everyone was affected to some degree by the lockout, not just the Rams. And when you see other teams achieving degrees of success despite some of the same issues the Rams face, it is an indictment of the coaching staff. I think Spags has some major deficiencies- not always putting his players in a position to succeed, poor clock management, poor decision making, an inability to recognize mistakes, being too conservative, lack of halftime adjustments, poor talent evaluation. He isn't the first "hot" coordinator to prove insufficient as a head coach and he won't be the last.

Speaking to the original question posed by laram0, I feel the criticism given Spags is more than justified.

[Tampa_Ram]

the insane regression this team has made, is all on the coaching staff. Penalties, lack of offense, run defense.

Bottom line is it all comes down to coaching, and our coaching has failed badly.

P.A.S.S.

[RebelYell]

Spags is a great defensive coordinator. Not sure he's head coach material. I like the guy, imagine he's a great guy personally and hope he's successful in the future but I think the realities of the NFL are that you get 3 years and if you don't generate results, you are gone. The Rams will need to sell more season tickets next year and it's unavoidable that if you don't make major changes, you'll sell less season tickets, not more.

[laram0]

So the injuries to key players ( Jackson, Bartell, Amendola, Bradford, Saffold, Clayton etc etc etc) aren't good excuses? We're talking all starters.

[macrammer]

So the injuries to key players ( Jackson, Bartell, Amendola, Bradford, Saffold, Clayton etc etc etc) aren't good excuses? We're talking all starters.

IMO, that is a big NO

[C-Mob 71]

I hate the, "well 31 other teams were locked out too" statement. Do you really think the lockout effected Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees like it effected Sam Bradford?

I'm busy cramming for finals, who wants to go look up how QB's in a new offense did this year?
(Alex Smith may be having his best year, but thats not saying much, and he has a heck of a lot more talent currently around him)