The team made the announcement Monday, a day after the team wrapped up a 2-14 season that tied for the NFL’s worst.

The Rams made a six-win improvement last season and played for the NFC West title in the finale, but were just 10-38 overall in three seasons with Spagnuolo and Devaney calling the shots. Devaney joined the front office in 2008. In his four years as GM, the Rams were 12-52.

Owner Stan Kroenke fired both men with one year remaining on their contracts, and with fan interest dwindling. The Edward Jones Dome was been about half-filled much of the year.

ST. LOUIS The St. Louis Rams have fired coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney.

The team made the announcement Monday, a day after the team wrapped up a 2-14 season that tied for the NFL’s worst record.

The Rams made a six-win improvement last season and played for the NFC West title in the finale. But they were just 10-38 overall in three seasons with Spagnuolo and Devaney calling the shots.

Devaney joined the front office in 2008. In his four years as GM, the Rams were 12-52.

Owner Stan Kroenke fired both men with one year remaining on their contracts, and with fan interest dwindling. The Edward Jones Dome was been about half-filled much of the year.

The Associated Press

The 2011 St. Louis Rams weren’t playing for a division title this season; they were playing for a chance at Andrew Luck. With a 2-14 record, they were close, but the Peyton Manning-less Indianapolis Colts will get that pick instead. The Rams may have been one of the worst teams in terms of producing fantasy points this season, but did see a couple players succeed. Who are the biggest surprise and disappointments, and which star can say they were the Rams 2011 fantasy MVP?

MVP – Steven Jackson

Jackson didn’t have the best season of his career, but he surpassed 1,000 yards for the seventh straight season. He finished the campaign with 1,145 yards and five touchdowns, while also adding 42 catches for 333 yards and an additional score. Jackson will continue to be a late first or early second round selection next season, but would benefit greatly from a more stabilized offensive system.

Biggest Surprise – Brandon Lloyd

When the Denver Broncos traded one of the best wide receivers from 2010, fantasy GMs had to wonder what was wrong. He averaged nearly five catches a game during the four games he was a Bronco this season, but failed to reach the end zone. In 11 games as a Ram, Lloyd made 51 catches for 683 yards with five touchdowns, becoming one of the top-two fantasy threats for the Rams.

Biggest Disappointment – Sam Bradford

The second year quarterback was expected to make the Rams contenders in the normally weak NFC West, but after playing in just 10 games this season, there had to be serious discussion about drafting Luck if they got the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. After putting up more than 3,500 yards with 18 touchdowns, Bradford regressed in 2011, throwing for 2,164 yards and six touchdowns. There are going to be a couple of top quarterbacks in the draft that could pose a problem to Bradford ever becoming a star in the NFL. If the Rams can’t get Luck, maybe Robert Griffin III could be a solid fit for St. Louis.

For a closer look at All-Injury teams for all major fantasy positions and biggest stars and busts from each NFL team, click here.

More from this contributor:

LeSean McCoy is Top Fantasy Running Back in 2011

Backup Running Backs to make Splash in 2011

Don’t Give up on These Players too Early

Drafting Individual Defensive Players?

Top 2011 Fantasy Football Rookies

Hobson Lopes has been playing fantasy football for more than 10 years and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.

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According to a post-game report today by cbssports.com, St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo says the Rams have:

“character and fight…to build anything, the base has to have a rock-solid foundation and that’s there,” he said.  “We’ve got to wait eight months to play a game, but I’m glad that’s there.”

The question in St. Louis right now is who will be the head coach for that game in eight months?  

That decision is expected to be announced on Monday, according to a report by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who cites league sources.  

In three seasons under Steve Spagnuolo, the Rams went 10-38.  

Hopes were high in St. Louis entering 2011.  

Many picked the Rams to win the NFC West.  Michael Lombardi of the NFL Network asserted that St. Louis would be the league’s breakout team.  

However, the Rams faltered during an 0-6 start before winning two of three, including the season’s biggest win, an upset victory at the Edward Jones Dome over record-setting Drew Brees and the playoff-bound New Orleans Saints. 

But then they lost their final seven contests, including the finale today at home versus NFC West champion San Francisco.  

In Spagnuolo’s defense, however, the Rams players never seemed to quit and the roster was ravaged by injuries throughout the year.

Some notable players lost for the season include Sam Bradford’s top receiving target, Danny Amendola (as well as rookie Greg Salas), the teams’ top three cornerbacks (Ron Bartell, Bradley Fletcher and Jerome Murphy) and both starting offensive tackles (Rodger Saffold, Jason Smith)—among others.

The team also lost three-time Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson for several games before suffering long-term injuries to quarterbacks Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley.

With that said, 2-14 is still 2-14. And 10-38 is still 10-38.  

In the NFL, it’s the bottom line that counts. And the bottom line doesn’t look good for Spagnuolo’s Rams. Expect him to be relieved of his head coaching duties as early as Monday.

According to a report by Albert Breer of the NFL Network, Jeff Fisher is ready to return to coaching. The St. Louis Rams and San Diego Chargers are listed as possible options for Fisher.  

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year round. To check out the rest of his work, go here.  You are also encouraged to follow him here on Twitter.   

 

ST. LOUIS (AP)

Good thing the San Francisco 49ers opened the playbook in the finale.

Record-setting kicker David Akers showed off a strong left arm to match his left leg in a 34-27 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday as Michael Crabtree bamboozled defenders on a perfectly executed trick play for a touchdown.

It appeared to be the icing on a dominating performance that wrapped up the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC and a first-round bye. Instead, it helped build just enough of a cushion against the usually offensive-challenged St. Louis Rams.

Crabtree caught scoring passes from Akers and Alex Smith for the 49ers, whose 24-point fourth quarter lead was in jeopardy before they sealed the victory.

Akers broke the NFL single-season field goal record last week and finished with 44, including five in the first half of the two St. Louis meetings. He missed on a 48-yarder, but clicked from 36 and 42 yards.

Crabtree and Vernon Davis had big days for a team short of pass catchers and Tarell Brown had a pair of interceptions that led to touchdowns as the 49ers (13-3) beat the Rams (2-14) for the second time in five games. The 49ers held St. Louis to just 157 total yards in a 26-0 victory that clinched the NFC West in Week 12 but were hanging on at the finish of the rematch after the Rams scored two touchdowns in just 13 seconds.

Brandon Lloyd caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Clemens, the Rams recovered Josh Brown’s onside kick and Cadillac Williams scored on a 1-yard run with 4:39 to go one play after drawing an interference call on Brown on an underthrown pass from Clemens in the end zone.

The Rams were rescued from the ignominy of landing the No. 1 draft pick for the second time in three years when the Colts (2-14) lost 19-13 to the Jaguars. The Colts hold the tiebreaker based on opponents’ strength of schedule.

The 49ers’ record under new coach Jim Harbaugh is their best since another 13-win season in 1997 under another rookie coach, Steve Mariucci.

The Rams scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, six better than their NFL-low game average, but were down to untested Tom Brandstater and third-and-17 after Clemens injured his right leg on a sack by NaVorro Bowman with 2:46 to go. Brandstater threw two incompletions, the 49ers took over at their own 40 and needed just one first down to seal it – and exhale.

San Francisco seemingly had cemented the win in the final minute of the third quarter on Akers’ first career touchdown pass for a 27-10 lead. The 49ers finished 6-2 on the road, the franchise’s best showing since 1996.

Harbaugh is just the fourth rookie head coach to win 13 games and third by the 49ers, topped by George Seifert’s 14-2 showing in 1989.

Clemens ran for an 18-yard score to give the Rams the early lead. Clemens made his third straight start in place with Sam Bradford (high left ankle sprain) and A.J. Feeley (broken right thumb) both sidelined. Bradford, the top pick in 2010, missed his fourth straight game and sixth overall.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo is just 10-38 in three seasons and his job is in jeopardy coming off a total bust this year on the heels of a six-win improvement last season. Attendance was announced as 55,990, about 9,000 shy of capacity at the Edward Jones Dome, but the stadium appeared no better than half-full and drained quickly in the second half.

The 49ers won without injured wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. (ankle) and Kyle Williams (concussion), and with Frank Gore mostly watching and gaining just 9 yards on seven carries. Crabtree had 92 yards on nine receptions and Davis had 118 yards on eight catches, his second 100-yard game of the year.

Crabtree appeared to be walking off the field with the 49ers in field goal formation but stopped just shy of the sideline and lined up alone, allowing him to amble into the end zone on a 13-yard catch on Akers’ first career touchdown pass in 205 games.

Steven Jackson had 76 yards on 16 carries, a huge improvement over the first meeting against the 49ers in early December when he was held to 19 yards on 10 carries, before injuring his left arm in the third quarter. It appeared Jackson was hurt after dropping a low screen pass and then tackled hard by a pair of 49ers.

The 49ers began drives inside the St. Louis 35 on their first two touchdowns, and capitalized on Terrell Brown’s interception of a flea flicker from running back Jerious Norwood to Clemens on the go-ahead score. Two plays after the pick, Crabtree slipped Josh Gordy’s tackle on a sideline pattern and Quintin Mikell also missed on a 28-yarder that made it 14-7.

Clemens showed some nifty moves while dodging tackles on an 18-yard scramble for the Rams’ first rushing touchdown in three weeks and the early lead, and Smith matched him on an 8-yarder in the final minute of the first quarter. Smith slipped and fell in the pocket but recovered in plenty of time and benefited from Gore’s nice block on linebacker Chris Chamberlain at the goal line.

Notes: Gary Pinkel, who coached the 49ers’ Aldon Smith and the Rams’ Danario Alexander at Missouri, was on the sideline before the game. … The Rams cancelled the usual pregame pep rally and live music outside the stadium because of high gusting winds. … 49ers FB Bruce Miller (left knee) was sidelined in the second quarter, but was in uniform testing it with sprints before halftime.