Friday, November 25, 2011

Spagnuolo Blamed for Unpolished Turds


As has been the case with every loss since week three, the sports talk forums are filled this week with lynch calls from the mob for coach Spagnuolo.  The calls may be warranted, but I caution from calling for revolution without first knowing who the next leader will be.  Let’s not forget that when the Rams fired Mike Martz for having questionable head coaching abilities, the supposed solution was Scott Linehan.  The fact of the matter is even if Tom Landry were at the helm with Buddy Ryan and Bill Walsh running the defense and offense respectively, this team couldn’t win.  They don’t have enough good players.  Although Devaney inherited a barren roster, at his point he’s turned it over almost completely.  You can't blame the previous administration if the ship's still sinking over three years later.

When the Rams hired Devaney, the franchise told the fan base that there were finally proven football people running the team.  Devaney cut his teeth as a scout with the Redskins under Bobby Beathard and later followed Beathard to San Diego where he became director of pro personnel for the Chargers.  Devaney moved to the Falcons in 2006 where he was the assistant GM until the Rams hired him in 2008.  From the very beginning Devaney stressed the importance of building through the draft.  Take a look at all of his picks.
Donnie Avery, seen here in his most prominent role as a Ram,
was the first receiver taken in the 2008 draft 
(despite being the 15th ranked receiver on Mel Kiper's Big Board).
He did not make the final roster cut for the 2011 team.

2008 (2nd overall pick)
Round 1: Chris Long
Round 2: Donnie Avery
Round 3:  John Greco
Round 4:  Justin King
Round  5:  Roy Scheuning
Round 7:  Chris Chamberlain
Round 7:  David Vobora

2009 (2nd overall pick)
Jason Smith, the 2nd overall pick in 2009,
only lasted one season as the Ram left tackle.
He was demoted to right tackle in his second year.
He's been a combination of injured and inept
in his first three years in the NFL.
Round 1: Jason Smith
Round 2: James Laurinaitis
Round 3: Bradley Fletcher
Round 4: Dorell Scott
Round 5: Brooks Foster 
Round 6: Keith Null
Round 7: Chris Ogbannaya

2010 (1st overall pick)
Round 1: Sam Bradford
Round 2: Rodger Saffold
Round 3: Jerome Murphy
Round 4:  Mardy Gilyard
Round 5:  Michael Hoomanamanui
Round 5: Hall Davis
Round 6: Fendi Onobun
Round 6: Eugene Sims
Round 7: Marquis Johnson
Round 7: George Selvie
Round 7: Josh Hull
Mardy Gilyard was supposed to be a
steal in fourth round of the 2010 draft.
He rarely saw the field last year
and did not make the final roster cut
for the 2011 team.


2011 Draft: 14th Overall Pick
Round 1: Robert Quinn
Round 2: Lance Kendricks
Round 3: Austin Pettis
Round 4: Greg Salas
Round 5: Jermale Hines
Round 7: Mikail Baker
Round 7: Jabarra Williams
Round 7: Jonathan Nelson








Of his 34 draft choices since joining the Rams, only 18 (53%) are still on the team and 10 (29%) are out of the league completely.  Not only has Devaney been unable to identify players that fit his coaches’ systems, he has trouble recognizing NFL caliber players-period.  They’ve already cut half of their draft picks from this year, more than anyone else in the league.  The numbers look even worse when you look at what the Falcons have done since Devaney left. 

When Devaney left to take the Rams job, the Falcons were a mess.  Their hundred million dollar, face-of-the-franchise-quarterback was facing incarceration, and their head coach had walked out on the team.  They turned to the Patriots head of college scouting, Thomas Dimitroff, to take over as their GM.  Dimitroff came in stressing the importance of the draft as a way to build a sustainable contender, just like Devaney.  He selected 34 players over his first four drafts, just like Devaney.  The difference is 29 (85%) of those players are still Falcons, and only three of them are out of the league. 

Those numbers are nauseating if you’re a Rams fan, especially considering the fact that the Rams drafted in the top two, three out of four years.  I understand that the draft is no exact science, but that is a gargantuan disparity.  That’s the difference between drafting a team into a Super Bowl contender overnight and drafting a team that’s not even competitive after four years.  That’s why Devaney has to go as GM.  In fact, the entire scouting department needs to be reviewed.

In June of 2010, the Rams promoted John Mancini from his Midwest College Scouting position to Director of College Scouting.  Mancini graduated from The State University of New York at Plattsburg, a small college in upstate New York, with a degree in business management.  He started working with the Rams in 1995 as a ticket broker.  In 1997, he became a scouting assistant.   In 2001, he became a full time scout. 

Mancini never played or coached at a professional or Division I level.  He doesn’t appear to have any real football experience prior to 1997.  What’s also strange is that he was promoted to head of College Scouting after Devaney's hiring.  You’d think Devaney’s first move, as a man brought in to fix the draft, would be to clean house in the scouting department and fill the positions with his own guys.  Instead, he appoints a relatively inexperienced leftover from a failed era to run all of college scouting.  I don't understand that at all.  

Steve Spagnuolo might not be a good coach.  He’s 10-32 as the Rams head coach and that’s nearly impossible to defend, but Billy Devaney's 12-46 is no easier.  Maybe Devaney and crew are drafting good players and the Spagnuolo staff simply isn’t coaching them well, but nearly one-third of Devaney’s picks weren’t good enough to find a role anywhere in the league.  If someone like Cower, Gruden, Fisher, or Reid is available, that’s great, I’d love to bring in someone that is proven as a winning head coach.  I just don’t think it’s wise to fire a coach and start over in the continuity department unless you know for sure you can get someone significantly better, especially when it’s clear that there are bigger problems further up the ladder.