St. Louis Rams: 5 Coaches the Rams Should Consider for Next Season

St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnulo is on the hot seat.  We all know that.  The Rams have been arguably the worst team in the NFL this season. 

The question is, "Will he still be coaching the Rams next season?"

Rams' owner Stan Kroenke is an avid sports fan. He owns an NBA team and a soccer team. He wants to win. It has to be killing him to watch the Rams play.

I think Kroenke's goal will be very simple: He wants to give this football team the best chance to win. If Steve Spagnulo gives the Rams the best chance to win, I think he stays. If there is a guy out there that gives the Rams a better chance, then Spags has to go.

It's really that simple.

GM Billy Devaney is surely going to get fired, as there are glaring holes in this roster. Devaney has made a mockery of the NFL draft with some of his poor selections, and one might argue he is more to blame than Steve Spagnulo for the Rams' current situation.

Either way, as some people say, the NFL stands for Not For Long.

That is the life of an NFL coach. You have to win or, eventually, you end up right where Spags is at: on the hot seat.

Here are five coaches the Rams should consider for next year.

1. John Gruden

I love John Gruden. I think he is great on television. Love his quarterback camp, where he makes those poor college guys sweat it out studying film they don't understand. It would be a tragedy if he left television, because he is great at that gig.

The only way I'd approve of Gruden leaving television would be to coach the Rams, because they are my team!

Gruden has a 95-81 career record, and he has won a Super Bowl. Even better, he seems to know a thing or two about quarterback play. That would be a good thing for Sam Bradford.

John Gruden would be my first choice as the new coach of the Rams.

2. Bill Cowher

Bill Cowher is a great football coach. Like Gruden, he seems like he is enjoying himself working in television, and he is good at it. Cowher is a proven coach, and he has a great defensive reputation.

Cowher also helped a young Ben Roethlisberger get his career started in Pittsburgh.  That could bode well if he became Sam Bradford's coach.

Cowher has a career record of 149-90. He has been good in the playoffs (12-9), and he has won a Super Bowl.  Bill Cowher would be a terrific choice if the Rams could get him.

3. Andy Reid

Philly fans are screaming for Andy Reid's head. Hey, if you guys don't want him, then the Rams would gladly take him. Reid is a terrific football coach who is the victim of high expectations right now. Philly has flopped this year, and Reid might be the fall guy.

Personally, I think Reid is going to stay in Philly, but you never know.

If the Eagles cut him loose, the Rams should call him immediately. Reid has a 122-79 career record. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, where they lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Reid would also bring some continuity to this coaching staff. Spags coached under Reid, and Spags runs a version of the late Jim Johnson's defense, which was a staple of Eagles' football for years. Reid also runs the West Coast offense, which Sam Bradford ran as a rookie quarterback.

So hiring Reid would give the Rams a superior coach, but it wouldn't totally disrupt the track that the young Rams are on.  If Philly lets Reid go, the Rams should check his interest.

4. Jack Del Rio

Jack Del Rio looks like a big strong dude, and he wears those cool sunglasses. So he has that going for him.

His career record is an unimpressive 68-70, but dig a little deeper and Del Rio is an impressive candidate.  Over a four-year stretch, the Jags went 40-24, making the playoffs twice. He's never had an elite QB, and his record took a dip when he had to count on David Garrard as his starting QB.

Del Rio is a great defensive coach, and he is discipline-oriented. Surely he could get this offensive line whipped into shape, or he would ship them out.

Jack Del Rio is not the hottest name out there, but he is a very good coach. Since Jacksonville fired him this morning, he is available. The Rams should give him a call.

5. Steve Spagnulo

Spags is a good coach. He has been handcuffed by an incompetent GM, and this team was gutted by injuries. I think if Spags is given the chance, he could lead the Rams to a .500 record next year.

Then again, we might be subjected to another year of false starts by the O-line, allowing 200 yards rushing to average running backs and drops by the receivers.

Nobody wants to watch that again.

So, if the Rams can get a "big-name coach" to take the job, they should pull the trigger. With a terrific young nucleus on defense and a franchise QB in place for the next 10 years, this is a very attractive coaching job.

Chances are, somebody will jump at the chance to coach these young Rams up.

If they don't, then the Rams should stick with Spags. The biggest mistake Kroenke could make would be to make a change just for the sake of change. If we can't get a better coach, then let Bradford and the rest of the young players have another year in this system.

I'm rooting for Spags to keep his job, I really am. I just think there is a big-name coach out there, maybe one I'm not even thinking of, that is going to jump at the chance to coach this young team.