Spagnuolo is ready to 'beg, borrow, steal'

By Jim Thomas

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Sunday, Feb. 15 2009

Coach Steve Spagnuolo hadn't even reached his seat at Thursday's greet-and-meet
with the media when he issued a cautionary note about the status of his first
Rams playbook.

"We're still working on the scheme," he said. " I know there's going to be
thoughts: 'What are we going to do? What are we going to do on offense? What
are we going to do on defense?'"

For now, Spagnuolo has more pressing things on his plate, most notably the
start of the free-agency period in less than two weeks, and the NFL Scouting
Combine next week in Indianapolis.

The Rams also must make some tough decisions on their own personnel.

Who to keep? Who to cut? Who to restructure? That process started Friday with
the release of veteran strong safety Corey Chavous.

Even so, most Rams fans and media already have an idea of what Spagnuolo stands
for defensively. As defensive coordinator for the New York Giants the past two
seasons, Spagnuolo orchestrated aggressive, hard-nosed units. He wasn't afraid
to take chances, and he certainly wasn't afraid to blitz.

"You'll see that in the defense," Spagnuolo said. "But one of the good things
about hiring a new staff is there's a lot of other ideas that come into play.
So I certainly don't think that we had all the answers in New York."

It just looked that way much of the time, particularly in last year's Super
Bowl, in which the Giants stymied the potent New England offense for a stunning
upset.

Nonetheless, Spagnuolo added, "You beg, borrow and steal. Now we can just beg,
borrow and steal, and do it officially (from the members of his newly assembled
coaching staff). That's all you do in the league is you steal good ideas from
other people. That's what we're doing."

For example, new Rams defensive coordinator Ken Flajole was part of the highly
successful Carolina defense before coming to St. Louis. Spagnuolo is an
unabashed admirer of Carolina's defensive-oriented head coach, John Fox. So it
wouldn't be surprising to see the Rams add a few wrinkles from the Panthers'
defensive playbook.

On the other side of the ball, new offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur comes from
the "West Coast" scheme of the Philadelphia Eagles. When the casual fan thinks
of the West Coast offense, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking: pass
first, then run.

And that doesn't seem to mesh exactly with Spagnuolo's stated desire for an
aggressive running game.

"Philosophically, Coach Spagnuolo and myself, we're very similar," Shurmur
said. "The Rams' offense is going to be a team that can run the football. We're
going to make an effort to run the football, and protect the quarterback when
you throw it. It's very rare that a quarterback on his fanny can do anything
good with the ball.

"And you can't turn it over. All that being said, we're going to try to win the
game. Do what we have to do to win football games."

So there's a pragmatism involved on offense and defense. And Spagnuolo also has
shown early signs of flexibility. Whether it's offense, defense or even special
teams, he's not going to force his philosophies or preferred scheme on players
and coaches if it's not a fit.

And right now, he's far away from even knowing who some of his players will be.

"We'll create an offense and defense once we find out who we've got and how
they fit, and try to do the right thing," Spagnuolo said. "We're chipping away
at (the playbook). ... But we're tweaking and mixing and matching. Pat's doing
it on offense. Ken's doing the same thing on defense. Tom (McMahon) is knocking
it out with Derius (Swinton) on special teams. So we're a ways away from having
it."

Valero retained, McMahon named special teams coach by St. Louis Rams

By Jim Thomas

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Art Valero is the second holdover coach from the Rams’ 2008 staff to be retained by new coach Steve Spagnuolo. But he has a new job description. Valero, who coached running backs last season, will assist Steve Loney coaching the Rams’ offensive line in 2009.

Valero, 50, has coached either running backs or tight ends in his seven NFL seasons with Tampa Bay and St. Louis. But 15 of his 20 seasons at the college level were as an offensive line coach.

Meanwhile, the team has named Tom McMahon its special teams coordinator. McMahon, 39, had been the assistant special teams coach for the Atlanta Falcons the past two seasons _ his only prior NFL coaching experience.

Also, the Rams officially announced the previously reported hirings of Sylvester Croom as running backs coach; Rock Gullickson as strength and conditioning coach; Brendan Daly as defensive line coach; and Matt House as defensive quality control coach.

Chuck Faucette, the Rams’ assistant strength and conditioning coach last season, has interviewed for the same job on Spagnuolo’s staff.

The additions of Valero and McMahon make it 15 hires for Spagnuolo in 16 days since he was hired on Jan. 17. Spagnuolo has only a couple of hires left to complete his staff.

Rams have plenty of choices available to them in NFL draft

By Jim Thomas

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Sunday, Jan. 25 2009

The underclassmen have declared, and their names thrown into the hopper. The
Senior Bowl has come and gone, and the NFL Scouting Combine is next up.

For now, there is no clear-cut No. 1 in the 2009 NFL draft. But some names are
working their way to the head of the class. Names that the Rams must time,
test, interview, examine, discuss and otherwise sort through before making the
No. 2 overall pick — behind Detroit — on April 25. It's only a $50 million
investment.

The two months of free agency that precede the draft could change the Rams'
needs. But for now, what will it be at No. 2? Offensive tackle? Linebacker?
Wide receiver? Or even, quarterback?

At the moment, players at those positions appear most likely to occupy the top
five to 10 spots on draft day.

With left tackle Orlando Pace's great career winding down and right tackle Alex
Barron completing another so-so season, you could make a case that offensive
tackle is the Rams' greatest need. General manager Billy Devaney's oft-stated
goal is making the Rams bigger, stronger, and more physical on both sides of
the ball. What better place to start than the tackle position?

"It's a big need position," said longtime scout Tom Marino, now an NFL analyst
for Scout.com. "It's one of the three, four most critical positions around,
that left tackle. And they've got to find one."

Virginia's Eugene Monroe, Alabama's Andre Smith, and Mississippi's Michael Oher
are all potential top 10 picks at the tackle spot. Oher was the only one of the
three to participate in the Senior Bowl. Smith wasn't eligible to participate
because he came out as an underclassmen.

"As far as just pure athleticism, Oher's as good as there is in this draft,"
said an AFC personnel executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "But
is he going to be tough enough? Is his heart going to be totally into football?"

Monroe probably could have benefited from attending the Senior Bowl. He
finishes blocks better than Oher, according to the AFC executive, and is more
tenacious down field. "But there's still some reservations about his ability to
maybe anchor a power rusher, or do those kinds of things," the executive said.

As for Marino, if he was picking for the Rams and was told to pick a tackle,
he'd go with Monroe. "This guy is by far the best of the offensive linemen,"
Marino said. "He's got great feet. He really understands the game. His pass
protection is very good. He's got range. There's nothing I didn't like about
him."

And what of Smith, the 6-foot-4, 340-pound behemoth from Alabama? He was
suspended for the Sugar Bowl, reportedly for improper dealings with a sports
agent. No one questions his size, strength, and aggressiveness. But some wonder
if he's quick enough in pass protection to be an NFL left tackle.

"When you compare his feet to, say, the kid at Mississippi (Oher) or the kid at
Virginia (Monroe) he's a tad below those guys when it comes to foot quickness
and that sort of thing," the AFC executive said. "He's a grinder kind of
offensive lineman. He's a guy that can lock on you, and he'll go ahead and
finish you off."

Saying that, Smith's skill set might make him better suited to a team with a
power-running offense, or as a right tackle. But if that's the case, and Smith
is indeed best suited to right tackle, it would not be wise to expend a No. 2
overall pick on that position.

Similar logic comes into play at linebacker, where Rey Maualuga of Southern
California and Aaron Curry of Wake Forest both could be top 10 picks. No one
doubts Maualuga's ability to play the run, and provide a physical presence in
the middle.

But there are differing opinions by scouts on whether Maualuga will be good
enough in coverage to be an every-down linebacker in the NFL.

"You might think of him as a run stopper guy, but I thought he showed enough
athleticism and everything (at the Senior Bowl) where he could probably be an
every down player," said the AFC executive.

But if you don't think that way, No. 2 overall is too high for a middle
linebacker who's a run specialist.

"Maualuga is pretty much an inside guy,'' said a veteran NFC scout. "And he's
not real good in coverage. He's got physical tools, but you can get those guys
(later in the draft)."

Curry has excellent size (6-2, 246) and range. Although he hasn't received the
hype of a Maualuga or a James Laurinaitis of Ohio State, many scouts rank him
as a better NFL prospect.

"Curry is real good," Marino said. "I mean, he is really, really good. He's
going to play for a long time. To me, when he gets to baggage claim, he starts
for them."

In other words, Curry's an instant starter for whoever drafts him.

"I love Curry," said the AFC executive. "I would be shocked if he's not one of
the better linebackers in the league within a couple years."

But from a Rams standpoint, because Curry isn't a middle linebacker, would it
make sense for them to draft him? Particularly with Will Witherspoon scheduled
to make the switch from the middle to weakside linebacker next season.

Other defensive players that might be top-five or top-10 prospects are Ohio
State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, Boston College nose tackle B.J. Raji and
defensive ends Everette Brown of Florida State and Brian Orakpo of Texas.

Even with the Rams' obvious needs at offensive tackle, the NFC scout would try
to go for defense in the first round if he were calling the shots in St. Louis.

"Their defense is so far down. I mean they're not even close to being good,"
the scout said.

And what about the skill positions?

At wide receiver, Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree projects as a top-five pick.
Missouri's Jeremy Maclin and Florida's Percy Harvin could push their way into
the top 15. Some think Maclin could even squeeze into the top 10.

At quarterback, Matthew Stafford of Georgia and fast-rising Mark Sanchez of
Southern Cal both have top 10 potential.

"A guy like Crabtree would be a sexy pick," said the NFC scout. "He's a
big-time down-the-field receiver. He'll come in and be good. He's legit. Just
listening to the Rams' scouts, I guarantee you the people there are going to be
pushing for Crabtree.

"Which is the same thing that Matt Millen did for all those years (in Detroit).
'Hey, let's get the receiver.' What happens so many times is you want that big
offensive playmaker."