Former Miami offensive coordinator Scott Linehan was introduced as the St. Louis Rams new head coach today at Rams Park in Earth City.
Linehan emerged as the favorite after a strong first interview about two weeks ago. He impressed Shaw and the rest of the Rams’ brass with his ideas for a potential coaching staff and the organization as a whole then and did not disappoint in his second interview on Monday.
After Shaw made his recommendation following the completion of interviews of the rest of the candidates (Cam Cameron and Ron Rivera), Linehan was taken to Arizona to meet with owner Georgia Frontiere on Wednesday night. With her approval, Linehan was named the 22nd coach in the history of the organization Thursday afternoon.
Linehan takes over a team that finished 6-10 and ranked among the league’s worst in terms of defense and special teams. With that in mind, it might have come as a surprise that St. Louis chose to go with an offensive coordinator, but after interviewing Linehan and speaking with a number of trusted people around the league, Shaw altered his course slightly.
The Rams originally seemed poised to make a run at a defensive-minded coach with the hope that he could bring in a talented offensive coordinator to handle that side of the ball. But Linehan’s plan for the entire franchise, including both sides of the ball and special teams was so impressive that Shaw began to rethink his strategy.
