Los Angeles Rams Rumors: Josh McDaniels Tops Head Coaching Search List As Team Believes He Can Help Jared Goff
On Monday, the Los Angeles Rams made the decision to fire head coach Jeff Fisher following a 42-14 shellacking at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon. In five seasons as the team’s head coach, Fisher led the Rams to a 31-45-1 record, including a 4-9 mark through 13 games during the 2016 NFL Season.
Los Angeles only had three days to prepare for the team’s first game without Fisher as the Rams faced their division rival Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. The organization made the decision to name special teams coach John Fassel as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Fassel is the son of former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel.
“Kickoff is in 72 hours. I’ll be ready.”
John Fassel speaks for the first time as #Rams Interim Head Coach???? | https://t.co/XjXg3m2uJr pic.twitter.com/KIJcZ43j2W
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 13, 2016
In his first game as the head man, Fassel was unable to lead Los Angeles to victory as the Seahawks defeated the Rams by a score of 24-3. The Rams actually had multiple chances to take an early lead, but wide receiver Michael Thomas dropped a surefire touchdown as he got behind the Seahawks’ defense. A few plays later, Goff made a horrible throw to a wide-open Brian Quick, which would’ve also gone for a touchdown as the Rams were forced to turn the ball over on downs.
Thursday Night Final #LAvsSEA #TNF pic.twitter.com/2MnDCFfzsA
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) December 16, 2016
The Seahawks would open the scoring on the ensuing drive after Russell Wilson and the offense embarked on a 13-play, 93-yard drive that resulted in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to tight end Luke Willson.
On the Rams’ next possession, Fassel called for a fake punt on fourth down, but punter Johnny Hekker underthrew his target, which gave the ball to the Seahawks in prime field position. Seattle would settle for a 48-yard field goal by kicker Steven Hauschka to give the Seahawks a 10-0 lead.
The Rams would get on the board just before the half with a Greg Zuerlein 36-yard field goal to cut Seattle’s lead to 10-3. Unfortunately, Los Angeles wouldn’t score in the second half as the Seahawks would put 14 points on the board to put the game away.
As was the case under Fisher, the biggest problem for the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night was the inability of the offense to make plays when needed. Goff has really struggled since taking over as the starting quarterback, and the Rams’ offensive line has struggled to protect the No. 1 overall pick and open holes for running back Todd Gurley.
The offensive struggles are a big reason why most experts believe the Rams will hire an offensive coach this offseason.
As reported by the Inquisitr, the Rams have already been connected to five different names as potential head coaches. One of those coaches is New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, and Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman is reporting that the Rams have their sights set on McDaniels as the team’s next head coach.
Will the @RamsNFL job appeal to Josh McDaniels? What about Jim Harbaugh? @WillBrinson discusses with @Toucherandrich https://t.co/iE7col6D3G
— CSN New England (@CSNNE) December 13, 2016
The only problem is that Freeman says that he’s been told that McDaniels is in “no hurry” to become a head coach again and is willing to wait until the perfect opportunity presents itself. A lot of it will depend on how much McDaniels believes he can get out of Goff, who many believe isn’t the franchise quarterback that the Rams drafted him to be.
Will the Los Angeles Rams be able to persuade McDaniels to come to Southern California? Or will Josh McDaniels end up coaching elsewhere in 2017?
Let us know in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Jim Rogash/Getty Images]
