St. Louis Rams fans clamoring for a new, more aggressive offensive coordinator received a special New Year’s gift Wednesday when Brian Schottenheimer resigned from the Rams to become the new offensive coordinator for the University of Georgia football team.
Welcome to #DawgNation Brian Schottenheimer! pic.twitter.com/Nua0qzVnR0
— Georgia Football (@FootballUGA) enero 7, 2015
Schottenheimer has been in St. Louis for the last three seasons and has always been a controversial figure, not for his attitude or demeanor, but for his short-pass-filled, conservative game plans that kept scores close and resulted in losses when the defense didn’t play its best football. Schottenheimer is the son of Marty Schottenheimer, whose own NFL legacy was hampered by conservative playcalls and strategies in big games, especially the playoffs. According to NFL.com’s Greg Rosenthal, Schottenheimer’s return to the Rams in 2015 was not exactly a sure thing.
Just wild speculation but this sure feels the Rams encouraging Schottenheimer to pursue other jobs instead of firing him. — gregg rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) enero 7, 2015
In a statement Wednesday, Schottenheimer said. “This is a great opportunity to become a Georgia Bulldog for both my career and my family. I’m thrilled to be part of an elite program with such national tradition and a great staff already in place. I look forward to working with young men and being a positive and significant influence on their lives as we develop them athletically, academically and socially.” ESPN’s Mike Sando threw a little dirt in the wound, citing Schottenheimer’s career record as offensive coordinator for the Jets and the Rams.
Brian Schottenheimer as #NFL OC by QB W-L: Sanchez 27-20, Pennington 11-13, Bradford 10-12, Favre 9-7, Clemens 8-10, Davis 3-5, Hill 3-5.
— Mike Sando, ESPN.com (@SandoESPN) enero 7, 2015
The Rams now begin the search for a new offensive coordinator. According to Rams General Manager Les Snead, Head Coach Jeff Fisher will be primarily in charge of finding Schottenheimer’s replacement.
“I think you’ll see with Jeff, his philosophy has always been with a coaching change, or coaching hire to be made, ‘Hey, let’s be patient. Let’s go through it,’” Snead said in a statement on the Rams website. “I think that’s what you’ll see.”
What you might also see is the Rams scoring a lot more points.
The Rams’ streak of coaching shake-ups continue for the fourth consecutive season. Under Fisher, the Rams have changed a defensive or offensive coordinator every season since 2011.
