Prioritizing Rams' coaching candidates

Prioritizing Rams' coaching candidates

By RYAN KARTJE / STAFF WRITER

On Monday morning, weeks before the annual firing spree of Black Monday, the NFL coaching carousel suffered its first casualty. Jeff Fisher became the first coach fired this season, cut loose a few days before he could take his rightful place as the losingest coach in league history.

As the Rams spiraled into a lost season, Fisher’s firing was inevitable. The timing of his firing certainly isn’t ideal for the on-field product. But as far as the future is concerned, the organization has plenty of time to find the right fit and frame itself as the best job available. No team is better positioned to get the coach it wants.

Barring some major surprise, here are the other teams that could have a coaching opening: Jacksonville, San Diego, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Buffalo. Of those, only the hapless Jaguars’ gig is guaranteed to be open. Outside of the lure of working with Andrew Luck, none of those other jobs has much on the potential of being the Rams coach.

Which means the Rams should have their pick of available candidates. It’s a powerful position to be in, one the franchise, with its multi-billion dollar stadium/palace on the way, can’t afford to screw up. So how should the Rams prioritize their available candidates?

(Note: This is not a wish list, and thus, won’t include the likes of Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, who both have categorically denied any interest and, face it, are never going to take the Rams job.)

• David Shaw, Stanford head coach: A widely respected college coach who has kept up Jim Harbaugh’s success at Stanford, Shaw’s name has been bandied about for a while as an NFL candidate, but he has always rebuffed any advances. Los Angeles may be the perfect opportunity, and if he doesn’t take it, he may never leave the college ranks. It’s a long shot, but I’d make the first call to him.

• Kyle Shanahan, Falcons offensive coordinator: The best of the available hot-shot coordinators, Shanahan has revamped the Falcons’ offense to cater to the strengths of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Ryan’s similarities to Jared Goff would make Shanahan the best possible option to groom the Rams’ young quarterback, which should be a top priority. Perhaps he’d bring his dad, Mike, and his Super Bowl ring along, too.

• Josh McDaniels, Patriots offensive coordinator: He may be the most likely coach to be intrigued by the Rams’ job, given his year as the Rams’ offensive coordinator following his firing as Broncos coach. McDaniels is a great offensive mind, having trained under Bill Belichick, but in his first go-round in Denver, he rubbed some players the wrong way. In Los Angeles, that might not fly. But he should most definitely get an interview.

• Darrell Bevell, Seahawks offensive coordinator: Kind of surprised by the lack of love for Bevell, who has interviewed for basically every available job the last two years. He was a quarterbacks coach in Green Bay, which has worked out pretty well for other assistants across the league. Working under Pete Carroll, he could bring a Carroll-esque approach to whatever job he could take this offseason.

• Teryl Austin, Lions defensive coordinator: Of the available defensive coaches, Austin may be the most likely to get a job this offseason, after interviewing for a handful of jobs last year. Detroit has dealt with injuries this season and the defense has taken a hit, but Austin is well regarded as a motivator and leader. His defensive scheme could also fit the Rams’ personnel well.

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