The St. Louis Rams front office and head coaching position has been in a state of flux ever since the Rams fired GM Tim Devaney and head coach Steve Spagnuolo, and now offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is leaving the team for greener pastures and will join the New England Patriots staff for the 2012 NFL Playoffs, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Rams gave McDaniels permission to seek other opportunities earlier in the week, and after Penn State University hired former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien as their head coach on Friday, the links between McDaniels and the Patriots started to emerge. Here is Schefter's tweet:
Patriots are expected to hire Josh McDaniels as an offensive assistant: will coach in playoffs. Becomes OC in 2012. Mo… say.ly/kCn1etF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2012
The reported move makes sense, considering McDaniels is intimately familiar with the spread offensive scheme in New England and has worked closely with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in the past. Now he gets the opportunity to leave a last place team and jump on board the staff of a first place team looking to make a Super Bowl run, and then gets to take over the reigns on offense in the 2012-13 season. It's a sweet deal for the embattled Rams offensive coordinator, but the move could have lingering effects on the team he leaves behind in St. Louis.
Brandon Lloyd, an impending unrestricted free agent and leading wide receiver on the Rams in the past season, has made it known that his loyalty lies with McDaniels first and the Rams second. Taking away Sam Bradford's top target and the only proven wide receiver on the roster may force the Rams' hand in the 2012 NFL Draft, because it is hard to ask Bradford to be a difference maker when he isn't surrounded by capable receivers and talented play-makers.
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