St. Louis Rams talk to Shurmur, Flajole

[THOLTFAN81]

By Jim Thomas
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

MOBILE, Ala. _ Rams general manager Billy Devaney confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that the team has talked to Pat Shurmur and Ken Flajole about staff positions on new coach Steve Spagnuolo’s staff.

Shurmur, who is quarterbacks coach at Philadelphia, is being considered for the offensive coordinator position. Flajole, linebackers coach for the Carolina Panthers, is being considered for the defensive coordinator position.

Devaney said neither candidate is in Mobile, Ala., for the Senior Bowl. Devaney also added that the Rams were “a long way away” from naming their coordinators. Devaney and Spagnuolo arrived in Mobile around noon and almost immediately were holed up in the team hotel interviewing staff candidates.

Like Spagnulo, Shurmur was part of Andy Reid’s original Eagles staff in 1999, and they worked together for eight years until Spagnuolo left following the 2006 season to become defensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

Flajole was part of Bob Stull’s original staff at the University of Missouri in 1989, a staff that included Reid.

Reached earlier Tuesday, Shurmur said he couldn’t talk yet.

[HornIt]

The Gaston Gazette is reporting that Flajole is now the Rams new DC.

Trgovac plans to return as Panthers defensive coordinator

NFL
January 20, 2009 - 6:46 PM
Steve Reed
CHARLOTTE - Defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac said Tuesday he plans to re-sign with the Carolina Panthers for another season.


He's expected to do so within the next few days.


"I'm excited," said Trgovac, during a short breaking from scouting at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.


Trgovac, along with a number of other assistant coaches, was offered a one-year contract by the team and has told them he will return. Trgovac's name had been linked to an opening on the Jacksonville Jaguars staff as defensive coordinator.


"I'm eager to come back. Things didn't go as well as we wanted late in the season, but we'll get those fixed and we'll go from there," Trgovac said.


However, Trgovac will be working with two new assistant coaches.


Linebackers coach Ken Flajole has left to join the St. Louis Rams as their new defensive coordinator, while Sal Sunseri has joined the University of Alabama staff, reuniting with Nick Saban, whom he coached with in 2002 at LSU.

The Panthers are already in the process of interviewing potential replacements to fill those roles.


"Anytime you lose two quality guys it's always tough," Trgovac said. "But we're down here talking to people and we'll move on."


On offense, the Panthers lost quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy last week to the Denver Broncos, meaning three members of coach John Fox's staff have left.


The Panthers have offered most of the rest of their assistant coaches one-year contracts to return and the vast majority are likely to sign, or have already signed to return, according to league sources.


Trgovac declined to talk about Julius Peppers' announcement on Saturday that he doesn't want to sign a long-term contract with the Panthers.

[Curly Horns]

I wonder how many of these rumors we are going to readvabout before we know for certain?