Opinion: What Else? Rams don't have much time for coach search

There are a myriad of reasons why the Rams could go in many directions in selecting a new coach. But, perhaps most compelling is the Rams do not have a great deal of time to drag out a coaching search. This is a team which may have major roster issues primarily on offense and they need to hit the ground running in regards to possible free agent signings. They also need people in place for when the scouting combines take place. The Rams and whomever the new head coach is need to get to work as soon as possible to get this offense turned around and that means not only a head coach but key position coaches need to be in place.

In addition to the offense a very important decision needs to be made on Greg Williams and the defensive coaching staff. The Rams do have a good defense and you really do not want to lose that considering how awful the offense has been. Is Greg Williams willing to stay on and work with just any head coach the Rams bring in or would he be more inclined to stay if Jon Gruden is the new head coach?2002 Tampa Bay Bucs Coaching staff

If you look at Dungy's 2001 Bucs Staff it looks pretty much the same. [www.buccaneers.com]
You can go to Buccaneers.com and look up the 2001 staff and compare it to the 2002 staff.

Question is, does Greg Williams and Jon Gruden get along. Hell, its a job! Only 32 teams in the NFL and I don't see Greg Williams name being mentioned for a head coaching position. He's lucky to be in the NFL and not only is he in the league but he's coaching a pretty good defense and he is in Southern California. People know that Williams defense is good and perhaps if he can be part of a winning team he might get a few HC calls in 2018 if he so desires.

So, what we have seen is that Gruden can come in and take on a coaching staff he did not put together and win. The last time he did so, he won a Super Bowl.

I am not sure that the young offensive coordinators being mentioned could entice Greg Williams to stick around. They might, but its more likely that Gruden possibly could. Plus the Rams could induce Williams financially to stick around as well.

Like I said earlier, the Rams need to hit the ground running this 2017 off season because they need help on offense and they need to be in the game for possible free agents come February or March. Those players / free agents need to know who the Head Coach is going to be. Jon Gruden may be an asset in that he may be a very attractive name to free agents.

Rooney Rule. Meaning qualified minority coaches have to be given an interview. David Shaw the head coach at Stanford University, may or, may not be interested but there are others who deserve to be heard as well. The Rams really don't have much time to mess around with this process they have to get it done soon and that is why we heard that the coaching search began in earnest on Friday the day after the loss to the Seahawks. Stanford plays their bowl game December 30th in the Sun Bowl vs North Carolina. I have not heard any definitive statements from Shaw lately on the possibility of becoming a pro head coach in the NFL. If any of you have let us know.

So December 30th and theoretically Shaw is available to talk to the Rams and if he is serious then he has already thought this out and can talk to them.
I expect that Shaw wants to stay at Stanford but he deserves an audience with the Rams. AKA Rooney Rule. Other candidates could include Marvin Lewis of the Bengals, Jets head coach Todd Bowles, who is a very good defensive coach but his Jets offense was as bad as the Rams offense. Another is Offensive Coordinator Anthony Lynn of the Buffalo Bills. They Bills offense by the way was far better then the Rams in 2016. So, there are qualified Rooney Rule candidates out there and they deserve to be heard by the Rams. By rule, NFL teams are only required to interview one minority candidate.

My feeling on this is if David Shaw wants to be the Rams head coach then that is the way to go. He's a great coach and Stanford has been a top program in College football since he took over from Jim Harbaugh. By the way, Shaw is not unfamiliar with the pro game. He was an assistant coach in the NFL for years for the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens.

From David Shaw's Wikipedia page.

His coaching career began at Western Washington University in 1995. In 1997, Shaw began a nine-year run as an NFL assistant coach with stints for the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens.[2]
As the Raiders' quality control from 1998–2000 and quarterbacks coach in 2001, the team won two consecutive AFC West titles and completed a 10–6 regular season.[1]
Shaw was the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens from 2002–2004 and wide receivers coach for the Ravens from 2002–2005, with the 2003 team finishing with a 10–6 regular season mark and winning the AFC North. In 2005, Shaw coached wide receivers Derrick Mason to a Ravens record of 86 receptions and 1,073 receiving yards (the third-highest Baltimore record) and Mark Clayton to a Ravens rookie record of 44 receptions for 471 yards.[1]

So, Shaw understands offense and he's coached quarterbacks.

Jim Harbaugh is making noise that he doesn't want to leave Michigan. I don't personally believe that but, that is what the man is saying.

Kyle Shanahan, the brilliant OC of the Falcons is only 30 and might be considered too young but, I will point out that Gruden was also in his 30s when he became the Raiders coach.

Josh McDaniels has only succeeded with the Patriots as an OC. He flamed out in Denver as the head coach. In fact this is the guy who drafted Tim Tebow.
You may remember his less then memorable stay with the Rams as the OC in 2011. But, he returned to New England and has flourished again under Belichick. I personally don't believe in him but that's me. And the Belichick coaching tree has not excelled once they have their own head coaching gigs. Maybe only the guy with the Texans you could say has done well.

Todd Haley the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers actually could be one of the better candidates for the Rams job. Like Mc Daniels he is a failed former NFL head coach with the Chiefs but he is also the guy who coached Kurt Warner and the Cardinals offense that made it to the Super Bowl versus the Steelers. My impression from my observations of him is he's kind of a grump at times but he knows what he's doing. Maybe similar to Bruce Arians in that way.
He could be a good hire.

So, to sum it all up and since this is my opinion, I think Shaw and/or Jon Gruden may be the two best candidates and Shaw may be the best candidate period in terms of getting this done as soon as possible. But, does Shaw want the job?

Grits