Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Rams' DC options
By Tim Kavanagh
With the St. Louis Rams have a vacancy at their defensive coordinator position and a recently fired, high-profile candidate on the market, it was no surprise to see the club linked to Rob Ryan, most recently employed as DC of the Dallas Cowboys. The speculation began last week and ramped up over the weekend, though it has not resulted in a hiring nor even an interview, from what we've heard.
Nevertheless, until someone is tapped for this post, we'll continue to hear Ryan (and other high-profile coaching free agents) linked to the gig. For example, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the club could target recent defensive-minded HCs such as Lovie Smith or Romeo Crennel for the job, though Smith would be more likely as he'd run a 4-3 scheme, as the Rams have recently. Another option could be Dick Jauron, who served as DC in Cleveland up through 2012, but whose tenure there is in question as Rob Chudzinski assembles his staff.
In-house, the Rams could consider adding the DC title to assistant HC Dave McGinnis' job description, and DBs coach Chuck Cecil may also be considered, as he served as HC Jeff Fisher's DC back in Tennessee. Another idea is that the Rams would tap a up-and-coming position coach who they could then groom into the role, with the idea that this person wouldn't be looking to leave for an HC gig elsewhere in the near future. Many options remain, but it appears that Fisher and Co. are in no rush to fill the void.
