"The same ole sorry-ass Rams."

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING IS A SHAMELESS PROMOTION FOR ONE OF MY OWN.


RE: An Open Letter with a personal twist to the Owner of the St. Louis Rams, a National Football League Team.


Dear Mr. Stan Kroenke:

Your St. Louis Rams team, as you are well aware, is one of the consistently 'sorriest' teams in the National Football League. Since 2004, the Rams are 37-87. Blatant scoreboard facts never lie. That is eight years of autumn Sunday embarrassments. It's not all your fault. You've only been the majority owner of the team for the last 18 plus months. The Rams have been 'sorry' a long time before and after their surprising Super Bowl years of 1999 and 2001.

The above headline quote, "The same ole sorry-ass Rams" was proclaimed in 1995 by a victorious Rams opponent, San Francisco 49er lineman Dana Stubblefield, when asked after another dominating win against the hapless Rams, "Why do the 49ers have their way with the Rams?" Stubblefield, without missing a beat, spouted that now infamous and indelible revealing truth line about the Rams. A loser label is a hard one to shake. Just ask your current players.

This past Sunday, the 49ers again had their way with the Rams. The Niners won 26-0. A humiliating shut-out. Another dismal performance by the Rams against their division rival. After week 13, the Niners are 10-2 and clinched the Western Division of the National Football Conference. Rams are 2-10 and clinched the cellar of the same Division. Two teams going in totally different directions. Yet, last year both the Rams and the Niners missed the playoffs. Both stunk. So, it begs the question, Sir, if both teams stunk last year why are Niners so much better than the Rams this year? Simple answer: leadership. The Niners have "it" in the front office and in rookie Head Coach Jim Harbaugh (see above bottom photo). Capable leadership equates to wins. The Rams don't have "it" anywhere in their management house. Absence of capable leadership equates to losses.

So, Mr. Kroenke, going forward, how do the Rams become and stay competitive year to year? Please excuse my forthrightness but here's my ten point management manifesto to you on how to fix the Rams:

1. Mr. Kroenke, you, must take over full control of his team ala Bob Kraft with the New England Patriots. You're a smart man. You know what works and, more importantly, what doesn't.
2. Head Coach Spagnuola. Defensive coordinators do not make good Head Coaches. Cue up Wade Phillips, Jim Haslett, Mike Singletary and Mike Nolan. Sorry Spags. Time to move on.
3. Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels. Prior to his current position with the Rams, he almost single-handedly destroyed the venerable football power the Denver Broncos as their two year Head Coach. His 'scorced earth' style of managing is similar to General William Tecumseh Sherman in his "March to the Sea". He leaves total destruction in his wake wherever he goes. Will QB Sam Bradford ever recover from his one year with Josh? Time for him to move on.
4. General Manager Billy Devaney. The Boston Marathon is looking for a new GM. Goodbye.
5. Director College Scouting John Mancini. Better suited to follow Uncle Henry into music.
6. Hire Offensive Coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, Pete Carmichael, Jr., as Head Coach. Or, U of Oregon Head Coach, Chip Kelly. Another brilliant offensive mind!
7. No need to hire an Offensive Coordinator for now, see #6.
8. Hire Tedi Bruschi as General Manager. A business major at U. of Arizona, three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots, one of the smartest players ever in the NFL and a musician who has played with the Boston Pops. When times gets tough, Tedi can blow on his sax and mellow things out.
9. Hire Mike Mayock as Director of College Scouting. A graduate of Boston College, ex-NFL'er and THE nonpareil scouting combine guru on the planet.

10. Drumbeat, this is the shameless part of this blog, Mr. Kroenke, hire my son, Danny Corrigan, pictured above while scouting at an OU game, as Mike Mayock's research analyst for finding the very best talent in the draft. Danny is a full time techie in Silicon Valley and a part-time analyst of all things NFL, particularly, the draft. His approach to all things that matter is analytical, algorithmic and cybermetric. He has an uncanny Bill James-like talent for reducing the 'abstruse to apercus', the esoteric to immediate understanding. His contributions to your future success would be instant. You need this technical modern intelligent young man in your organization!

Sir, there are four games left in this season. Your Rams will be lucky to win another game on their schedule. The Rams finish their season at home on January 1 against the same Niners who demolished them this past weekend at Candlestick. The Rams could be 2-14 by season end and assured of yet another top three pick in next year's draft. You cannot afford another crummy draft. If you continue to squander high draft picks which the Rams have done 3 of the last 4 years, whatever remaining fans you retain in the Edward D. Jones Dome in St. Louis will resemble the garbage bag wearing over their heads "Aints" of the 1980 New Orleans Saints fans whose chant was: "Who dat gunna beat dem Saints? How 'bout everybody!"

Mr. Kroenke, you don't win games with "Xs and Os but with Jimmys and Joes". Draft smart, manage better and wins will come.

So clean house, hire the right people and give Danny a chance. Really what do you have to lose? You'll gain everything and will lose that terrible derisive label coined by Mr. Stubblefield in due time.

Please, give me a reason to be a Rams fan again.

Danny's email address is: danielj.corrigan@gmail.com

Thank you.

Gratefully,


Danny's Dad, a St. Louis native son and long suffering Rams follower from afar


In the meantime, Go Cards!


If anybody out there has a forwarding address for Mr. Kroenke, please share this self-serving blog with him. Thanks alot.