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Rams Inside Slant
So much of what an NFL team does is tied up in player acquisition. In this age of the salary cap, which means frequent changes on rosters, making the right decisions are even more important.
So, it stands to reason that coaching takes on more importance. How players adapt to new systems, especially younger players, is paramount for success, and it is the coaching that makes it happen.
With the obvious emphasis on winning, coaching moves in head men and assistants mean a domino effect of other changes. Having a coaching staff on the same page is as important as the players.
No team is immune. After the Rams' 12-4 season in 2003, defensive coordinator Lovie Smith was hired as the Bears' head coach. Going with him was linebackers coach Bob Babich. Offensive line coach Jim Hanifan retired, and special teams coach Bobby April also moved on.
Rams coach Mike Martz is pleased with how the new coaches have come together quickly: defensive coordinator Larry Marmie, linebackers coach Joe Vitt, line coach John Benton and special teams coach Mike Stock.
Said Martz, "There's a chemistry with a staff that happens just like what happens with a football team. A lot of times it has nothing to do with their coaching ability or their ability as a teacher. Their personalities kind of blend. With some of the new coaches on defense it's a unique chemistry. We had a good chemistry in the past here, there was a very good chemistry with Lovie and Bob and some of the guys that have been here, with different coaches that have come through in the last three years. With Larry now and also with Joe Vitt, who I've coached with before; then you add John Benton to the offensive side of the ball, who we had intimate knowledge of. My son played for him in college so I knew him very well. He's been to a lot of our camps so he's very familiar with what we do; were familiar with him.
"Then Mike Stock. I'll tell you what, when you go looking for a coach you get all these calls when have a position available. You have to be careful with that because if you hire off a good recommendation there's good news and bad news to that. But from people that I know very well -- John Cooper, Dick Selcer -- people that I have great respect for were so high on Mike. I didn't know Mike. We brought him in and interviewed him, and it was clear his personality, his knowledge, his attention to detail; those are all the things we were looking for and he's a great fit. Personality-wise from a teaching standpoint, the chemistry of the whole staff is terrific right now. It's a lot of fun to be part of it."
Notes, Quotes, Anecdotes
--The Rams are still looking for depth on the offensive line, especially at tackle, after the decision was made not to sign Jeff Hatch for health reasons.
A contract agreement had been reached with Hatch, who was originally a third-round pick by the Giants in 2002. However, the contract was contingent on Hatch taking a physical because he had missed his rookie season with a back injury and subsequent surgery.
The results of the physical made Hatch too high a risk in the Rams' eyes, so the contract was not executed.
--Rams second-year linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa credits some of his success as a rookie to the leadership of safety Aeneas Williams, who turned 36 in January.
"The thing with Aeneas is he's pretty much a coach on this team," Tinoisamoa said. "He's the man around here. And he wasn't afraid to tell me: you have to do this, this is what we expect of you, this is what we expect from you. He only expects the best. When he used to tell me things, I had seen how hard he works so I had to respect that and listen. If he said this is how you do it, then that's how I'm going to do it. Everyone needs someone like Aeneas on their team or you're not going to be too successful.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"There's a void, but Jim's here quite a bit. We've asked him to be here as much as he wants to be here. Jim will always be a part of this. He'll be at camp, during the season, during the week of practice, we'd love to have him at practice. It's not like Jim isn't here anymore. He's around. He's not in all the meetings, but we still feel his presence." - Rams coach Mike Martz on "retired" offensive line coach Jim Hanifan.
So much of what an NFL team does is tied up in player acquisition. In this age of the salary cap, which means frequent changes on rosters, making the right decisions are even more important.
So, it stands to reason that coaching takes on more importance. How players adapt to new systems, especially younger players, is paramount for success, and it is the coaching that makes it happen.
With the obvious emphasis on winning, coaching moves in head men and assistants mean a domino effect of other changes. Having a coaching staff on the same page is as important as the players.
No team is immune. After the Rams' 12-4 season in 2003, defensive coordinator Lovie Smith was hired as the Bears' head coach. Going with him was linebackers coach Bob Babich. Offensive line coach Jim Hanifan retired, and special teams coach Bobby April also moved on.
Rams coach Mike Martz is pleased with how the new coaches have come together quickly: defensive coordinator Larry Marmie, linebackers coach Joe Vitt, line coach John Benton and special teams coach Mike Stock.
Said Martz, "There's a chemistry with a staff that happens just like what happens with a football team. A lot of times it has nothing to do with their coaching ability or their ability as a teacher. Their personalities kind of blend. With some of the new coaches on defense it's a unique chemistry. We had a good chemistry in the past here, there was a very good chemistry with Lovie and Bob and some of the guys that have been here, with different coaches that have come through in the last three years. With Larry now and also with Joe Vitt, who I've coached with before; then you add John Benton to the offensive side of the ball, who we had intimate knowledge of. My son played for him in college so I knew him very well. He's been to a lot of our camps so he's very familiar with what we do; were familiar with him.
"Then Mike Stock. I'll tell you what, when you go looking for a coach you get all these calls when have a position available. You have to be careful with that because if you hire off a good recommendation there's good news and bad news to that. But from people that I know very well -- John Cooper, Dick Selcer -- people that I have great respect for were so high on Mike. I didn't know Mike. We brought him in and interviewed him, and it was clear his personality, his knowledge, his attention to detail; those are all the things we were looking for and he's a great fit. Personality-wise from a teaching standpoint, the chemistry of the whole staff is terrific right now. It's a lot of fun to be part of it."
Notes, Quotes, Anecdotes
--The Rams are still looking for depth on the offensive line, especially at tackle, after the decision was made not to sign Jeff Hatch for health reasons.
A contract agreement had been reached with Hatch, who was originally a third-round pick by the Giants in 2002. However, the contract was contingent on Hatch taking a physical because he had missed his rookie season with a back injury and subsequent surgery.
The results of the physical made Hatch too high a risk in the Rams' eyes, so the contract was not executed.
--Rams second-year linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa credits some of his success as a rookie to the leadership of safety Aeneas Williams, who turned 36 in January.
"The thing with Aeneas is he's pretty much a coach on this team," Tinoisamoa said. "He's the man around here. And he wasn't afraid to tell me: you have to do this, this is what we expect of you, this is what we expect from you. He only expects the best. When he used to tell me things, I had seen how hard he works so I had to respect that and listen. If he said this is how you do it, then that's how I'm going to do it. Everyone needs someone like Aeneas on their team or you're not going to be too successful.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"There's a void, but Jim's here quite a bit. We've asked him to be here as much as he wants to be here. Jim will always be a part of this. He'll be at camp, during the season, during the week of practice, we'd love to have him at practice. It's not like Jim isn't here anymore. He's around. He's not in all the meetings, but we still feel his presence." - Rams coach Mike Martz on "retired" offensive line coach Jim Hanifan.
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