St. Louis Rams Hire John Fassel As Special Teams Coach
Although much of the talk on Tuesday was focused on the Rams’ hunt for a general manager, the team has begun fleshing out the final parts of its coaching staff with a bit of an odd choice.
Oakland Raiders special teams coach John Fassel had outstanding seasons with the club in both 2009 and 2010. 2009 saw the coverage units excel in pinning opponents with difficult field position while 2010 featured then rookie Jacoby Ford returning three kicks of touchdowns. Ford’s return abilities combined with two of the league’s best kickers in Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler make for a special teams coach’s dream in terms of personnel at his disposal.
As for 2011, the Raiders were abysmal to put it mildly. Ford still had one return for a score while the kickers still did their parts, but the coverage units were atrocious. Oakland allowed three returns for scores last season and finished 27th in kick coverage while taking dead last in punt coverage. Lechler’s big leg is notorious for out-kicking the coverage at times, but that type of ranking is more than just a punter gone wild.
The other coaching positions assumed to be filled thus far include Paul Boudreau as the team’s offensive line coach, Mike Waufle as defensive line coach, and Blake Williams (Gregg Williams’ son) to coach the linebackers. Also Rob Boras is thought to be hired as tight ends coach and Tim Walton to a defensive spot, most likely assistant defensive coordinator-passing game. Ray Sherman is believed to be the wide receivers coach, but nothing has been finalized.
Now that the Rams have basically put the finishing touches on their staff, they remain the only franchise without a general manager. They will have their pick of the litter at this point and should be inclined to make a choice sooner rather than later with the true offseason quickly approaching.
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