Spagnuolo not thinking about his future

Even if he doesn’t admit it, Steve Spagnuolo knows he’s on borrowed time.

Following another disastrous loss on Monday night in Seattle, the head coach for the St. Louis Rams met the media Tuesday afternoon and faced questions about his future.

Spagnuolo has always been one to call the National Football League “a results-driven league.” Unfortunately for Spagnuolo, with only 10 wins in three years, the results have not been there. Despite the lack of success and three head coach firings already this season, Spagnuolo said he has not thought about his coaching future.

“My focus is on Cincinnati,” Spagnuolo said of the team's next opponent. “That’s how I operate. That’s the way you do it in this league. To think beyond that is an injustice to the people you’re working for.”

Kansas City cut ties with its coach, Todd Haley, on Monday – hours before the Miami Dolphins fired Tony Sparano as their head coach. Earlier this season, Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio became the first coach to get the axe.

Like the Rams, the Chiefs have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season – namely starting quarterback Matt Cassell and running back Jamaal Charles. Even that built-in excuse didn’t save Haley’s job, a season after he guided the Chiefs to an AFC West title.

Expectations were high for the Chiefs after winning the division and they were high for the Rams following last year’s seven-win campaign that had them one victory shy of the NFC West crown. Every team deals with injuries, but they have especially hit the Rams hard this year. They have placed 10 cornerbacks on injured reserve – although Chris Smith was released and re-signed three months later – and have 14 players on IR. Despite the revolving door in the secondary and on the offensive line and the fluidity of the roster, Spagnuolo has not used the injuries as an excuse for not winning.

“It’s a steep, steep hill to climb,” he said Tuesday. “I’m sure there are other teams in the league facing similar situations. Unfortunately, we’ve had them at two critical positions – cornerback and offensive line. We’re finding it very difficult to overcome it, but when we play Sunday, we’re going to have to find a way to. I focus on finding solutions, rather than why it’s the way it is or what it could have been.

“If had (an) explanation, I would have solved it a long time ago. Only the good Lord knows. None of the guys plan on getting hurt. Everybody’s preparing to be healthy. People will go back, is it the lockout, is it this or that. I don’t know. There’ll be studies on it, I’m sure. Every team will do it. We’ve have our fair share of (injuries), but when they all come at the same position, that’s what makes it challenging.”

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has made some inexplicable play calls this season and is somehow an early candidate to replace Haley in Kansas City, acknowledged that injuries have been a factor in producing the league’s worst scoring offense.

“I would think we’d be more productive than we’ve been,” he said last Thursday. “There’s no excuses. We just haven’t done a great enough job of doing the things that we needed to do to be successful in games and you never run from that. Who knows what would have been had some of these guys not gotten hurt? Maybe we’ll find out down the road.”

That road may soon be lined with a new coaching staff.