SB Nation St. Louis - St. Louis Rams Still Interviewing Candidates For Head Coaching Job

Steve Spagnuolo To Become New Orleans Saints' New Defensive Coordinator, According To Report

2012-01-19T23:21:25Z

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer is reporting that former St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo is joining the New Orleans Saints as their new defensive coordinator.

Steve Spagnuolo has agreed to join the New Orleans Saints as new defensive coordinator
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) January 19, 2012

Spagnuolo would replace Gregg Williams, who left the New Orleans to become the defensive coordinator for Jeff Fisher in St. Louis.

More: Jeff Fisher Plans To Have Rams OC Hired By Sunday

Spagnuolo has a long history of coaching on the defensive side, and he spent two years as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants prior to his head coaching stint in St. Louis.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

St. Louis Rams Coaching Search: Rob Chudzinksi and Dennis Allen Interview On Thursday

2012-01-12T17:04:29Z

The St. Louis Rams have focused on attracting Jeff Fisher as their next head coach, but they are still pursuing other candidates as Fisher decides between the Miami Dolphins and the Rams. On Thursday, the team will interview two possible replacements for Steve Spagnuolo: Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

Chudzinski helped construct a solid Panthers offense around rookie quarterback Cam Newton that finished No.3 in rushing yards, No. 13 in passing yards, No. 7 in the NFL in total yards and set a franchise record for most yardage in a single season. Chudzinski interviewed for the head coaching position with the Jacksonville Jaguars but lost out to Mike Mularky.

Allen has shaped a strong Broncos defensive unit and helped rookie Von Miller to thrive in his first NFL season. Allen is currently preparing for Denver's playoff game against the New England Patriots, but says the opportunity will not distract him from the immediate task at hand:

"Obviously, I'm thrilled about it, but really, at the end of the day my focus is to try to win a game against the New England Patriots, and that's the only thing that I'm concerned with right now. At the end of the day, we're focused on New England, and we're trying to win this game, and whatever happens after that, that's in somebody else's hands."

Jeff Fisher Could Accept Dolphins' Head Coaching Job On Wednesday, According To Report

2012-01-11T21:17:41Z

Former Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is nearing a decision on what his coaching future will entail, and it appears that he'll be choosing the Miami Dolphins, according to Michael Lombardi of NFL.com. Fisher had previously limited his options down to just the Dolphins and the St. Louis Rams, but it appears that he'll be choosing to join the former.

With Fisher refusing to commit until now, the Rams have continued to seek out possible alternatives should Fisher choose to go to Miami. With that possibility now looking more like a reality, St. Louis will have to look in a different direction as it tries to find a new head coach.

One of Lombardi's sources reiterated one of Fisher's possible concerns with St. Louis, and that's the team's possible relocation to Los Angeles. Lombardi adds that Fisher could announce his decision as soon as Wednesday, so we could have an official announcement on the matter pretty soon.

St. Louis Rams Receive Permission To Interview New Orleans' Aaron Kromer

2012-01-11T20:01:12Z

The St. Louis Rams have asked for and received permission to interview New Orleans Saints assistant coach Aaron Kromer for their head coaching opening, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. Glazer adds that the Rams may interview Kromer in San Francisco while the Saints prepare to play against the 49ers in the postseason this weekend.

Kromer has been with New Orleans since 2008, spending the 2011 season as the Saints' offensive line coach and running game coordinator. He's been a coach for over 20 years, with experience in both college and professional football. Before coaching with New Orleans, Kromer filled a similar role in coaching the offensive line for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At this point, the Rams' coaching search has become a tad chaotic. There are still rumblings that former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher could accept the position, but St. Louis continues to look at other options so clearly nothing is close to being done yet.

Ryan Grigson, Rams GM Candidate, Accepts Position With Colts

2012-01-11T16:06:29Z

On Monday, Philadelphia Eagles director of player personnel Ryan Grigson interviewed for the St. Louis Rams' open general manager position. On Wednesday morning, he accepted the same job with the Indianapolis Colts after interviewing in Indy on Tuesday for the second time. Grigson had spent a total of nine years with the Eagles, with the last two as director of player personnel and the previous four as director of college scouting.

Prior to joining the Eagles, Grigson had been an area and national scout with the Rams during the team's heyday under Mike Martz. Grigson's decision to accept the Colts job narrows the Rams' list, which may now be topped by Tennessee Titans VP of football operations Lake Dawson and Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel Les Snead, both of whom interviewed with the Rams on Tuesday.

St. Louis Rams Receive Permission To Interview Rob Chudzinski

2012-01-11T15:03:24Z

Though conventional wisdom still holds that the St. Louis Rams will be the choice of top target Jeff Fisher, the team must still cover its bases in case that plan falls through. With that in mind, the Rams received permission early Monday to interview Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski for its head coaching position.

Chudzinski was lauded this past year for his work with QB Cam Newton, who many expected to come into the NFL as a raw, unpolished passer, who instead broke Peyton Manning's league record for most passing yards as a rookie. Before coming to Carolina, Chudzinski was the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, and he also called plays for the BCS champion Miami Hurricanes in 2001.

Rams General Manager Search: Lake Dawson And Les Snead Interview With St. Louis On Tuesday

2012-01-10T23:17:11Z

The St. Louis Rams are talking with a pair of general manager candidates on Tuesday, according to the Post-Dispatch. Titans VP of football operations, Lake Dawson, reportedly met with the Rams for four hours Tuesday afternoon.

Tennessee vice president of football operations Lake Dawson arrived shortly after 11 a.m. at Rams Park to interview for the general manager's job with Rams executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff.

Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel Les Snead arrived for his interview at Rams park around 4:45 CT, according to Jim Thomas.

Dawson has been with the Titans since 2007, though 2011 was his first as VP of football operations. Snead has been with Atlanta for 13 years.

Jay Gruden Not Interested In Rams Head Coaching Position

2012-01-10T21:37:47Z

The St. Louis Rams are looking for back up plans if they cannot land Jeff Fisher as their head coach and one of the names that has surfaced is current Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.

Late to put this up, but Rams have asked for permission to interview Bengals OC Jay Gruden.
— Bernie Miklasz (@miklasz) January 10, 2012

Gruden is in his first season as an NFL offensive coordinator after having previously working as a head coach in both the Arena Football League and United Football League. Gruden was able to get a lot out of rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, enough so to help the Bengals make the playoffs as a Wild Card team in the AFC. Unfortunately for the Rams, Gruden does not have interest at taking a head coaching position at this time, according to a report by Jason La Canfora of NFL Network.

Jay Gruden will not be interviewing for head coaching jobs. Very happy in Cincy. Rams and Jags wanted to talk him. #insideslant
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 10, 2012