The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Deadman's picture

    Linehan has coached his second-to-last game

    It astounds me, but my 'Please Fire Linehan' post from two weeks ago is still getting the most traffic on my blog. It seems people care a lot more about a crappy football coach on a crappy football team than the potential collapse of the stock market and U.S. economy ... Seems about right to me!

    Since people are so interested, I figured I'd milk the topic with another post. So, here it goes: My prediction is that Coach Scott Linehan either resigns or is fired this week. *(See revised note/prediction below)*

    For the third straight Sunday, the St. Louis Rams were totally embarrassed, with division rival Seattle Seahawks doing the damage this time (final score: 37-13). Coaching changes mid-season don't happen often, and my prediction is fueled more by wishful thinking than actual conviction, but I just can't see how the relatively new ownership (they inherited the team from their mother) can allow this travesty to continue.

    Before this latest debacle, the Rams had let up a per-game average of 40 points and scored 8 points. They've gained 184 yards per game while letting up 482 yards on defense (this week was virtually the same story).  They have highly touted coordinators on both sides of the ball - Jim Haslett on defense and Al Saunders on offense - but I seriously believe the team would lose to many Top 25 Division 1 college teams.

    Some of my St. Louis friends and family want Linehan to stay because they think this year is a lost cause and that his atrocious coaching will provide the most likely path to the No. 1 pick in next year's NFL Draft. But I could care less whether we get the no. 1 or no. 3 or no. 5 pick; One player alone is not going to make a difference, and our draft picks have been awful anyway.

    I just want to be able to watch watchable football again ... and that's just not gonna happen with Linehan at the helm.

    *[Updated note (9/22): I forgot this next Sunday is the last game for the Rams before their bye week (against the 3-0 Bills, gulp). If any changes are going to be made mid-season, that would be the most likely week to do them. So this is my new prediction: Linehan gets one more game, and then the bye week becomes the bye-bye week as the coach either resigns or is fired.)

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