Article updated: 1/2/2012 10:42 AM

After finishing 2-14 this season, St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, left, and general manager Billy Devaney are now looking for work. Both men were fired with one year left on their contracts.   Associated Press/2010 file

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

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.   

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

AP

Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo could soon be fired.  But while they may be able to take his body out of St. Louis, there’s one fairly important part that will be left behind.

Asked by Anthony Gargano of FOX Sports Radio regarding where Spagnuolo will be in 2012, he said “the St. Louis Rams,” without hesitation.

“That’s where my heart is,” Spagnuolo added.  “That’s where my dedication is, and drive.  You know, when I came here, this was never about me. . . .  I was very blessed to share an experience in New York where we won a Super Bowl and have that ring that everybody’s shooting for.  I came here in hopes that the people here would be able to experience that.  So what drives me is being able to bring that for other people, and we hope to continue to do that.”

Spagnuolo described the 2011 season in St. Louis as a “bump along the road, or a bunch of bumps.”  It remains widely believed that Spagnuolo will bumped off after Sunday, even though John Czarnecki of FOXSports.com has suggested that Spagnuolo could stay and G.M. Billy Devaney could go.  In the end, both could go.

And perhaps Spagnuolo will then have that chance to help people in another city experience a Super Bowl victory.

Maybe, unlike St. Louis, a city that has never experienced that.

Maybe, you know, Philadelphia.

That’s all for today.

Read More: Courtney Upshaw (LB – Alabama), Marcus Forston (DL – Miami), Alfonzo Dennard (CB – Nebraska), Jason Smith (OT – STL), Dontari Poe (DL – Memphis), Trent Richardson (RB – Alabama), Aaron Dobson (WR – Marshall), St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams suffered elimination from the NFC playoff race several weeks ago, but the season didn’t have a good feel from the start. At 2-13, fans have been planning and scouting with an eye on top prospects in the NFL draft for quite a while, and SB Nation’s Rams blog, Turf Show Times, has created a mock draft to get fans experimenting with the process. This 2012 mock draft is filled with trades to get extra picks and is underpinned by the concept that the organization will have to target offensive linemen early to overcome disappointing prospect Jason Smith, so it might be better to take a look at the names and get an idea of what positions make sense for the team to go after in the upcoming amateur draft.

First Round:

Jonathan Martin – Offensive Tackle

Alfonzo Dennard - Cornerback

Courtney Upshaw – Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

Second Round:

Trent Richardson – Running Back

Zach Brown – Outside Linebacker

Dontari Poe - Defensive Tackle

Fourth Round:

Marcus Forston – Defensive Tackle

Fifth Round:

Brandon Mosley – Offensive Lineman

Seventh Round:

Aaron Dobson – Wide Receiver

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

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Credit: AP

St. Louis Rams kicker Josh Brown (3) walks away after missing a field goal in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers won 27-0. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

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Read More: jeff fisher, jon gruden, bill cowher, St. Louis Rams

With the 2012 NFL Football Season drawing to a close, Don Banks from SI.com takes a look at the 2012 NFL coaching carousel. According to Banks, the St. Louis Rams may in fact not pursue former head coach Jon Gruden, contrary to various reports.

The Rams are currently 2-13 in the 2011 NFL Season, Spanguolo’s third season with the Rams. The Rams have won a total of 10 games under his watch and again look poised for a No. 1 or No. 2 draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Banks names long-time Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher as a top candidate for the potentially open position:

For starters, Fisher, the onetime L.A. Rams defensive coordinator and USC defensive back, has been represented for years by veteran agent Marvin Demoff, the father of Rams football operations chief, Kevin Demoff.

Though the Spagnuolo firing is not yet certain, it would appear the Rams have a better chance to hire Fisher instead of both Gruden and Bill Cowher, who both appear partial to remaining in a television during the 2012 season.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Most of the talk for the past several weeks has centered on the Indianapolis Colts getting the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft. The St. Louis Rams are suddenly in the running, however, and I believe they need the pick more than anyone at this point.

The Colts have won two consecutive games, and if they can defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17 and the Rams lose to the San Francisco 49ers, then St. Louis will leapfrog Indy for the top spot. This would open up a number of interesting scenarios.

Regardless of which team gets the top pick, it is almost a given that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be the selection. There is uncertainty regarding whether Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will ever fully recover from his neck injury, but if he does, then Luck will be a wasted pick for a couple years.

Because of Manning’s condition I think the Colts would take Luck and keep him rather than trade him. If they get the No. 2 pick, though, then it will likely knock them out of the Luck sweepstakes and allow them to take a player who can help immediately like USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil.

If the Rams ended up with the No. 1 pick, however, they would have a myriad of options. The first thing they could do is to draft Luck and keep him. This would be a bit of a shocking move as the drafted quarterback Sam Bradford first overall a couple years ago, but it comes down to which player the front office prefers.

This would result in the Rams trading Bradford and likely getting a nice return since he has only been in the league for two years. Bradford took a step back in his second season as a professional, but much of that had to do with terrible offensive line play and subsequent injuries he suffered.

If the Rams are happy with Bradford, then drafting Luck and immediately trading him is a possibility. The San Diego Chargers did something similar in the 2004 draft when they selected quarterback Eli Manning, but traded his rights to the New York Giants for the rights to quarterback Philip Rivers and picks that became linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding.

Failing that, the Rams could simply trade the pick to the highest bidder. For a team to move up even a couple spots to the No. 1 pick, it takes a king’s ransom. That means the Rams could get a fantastic complement of draft picks to fill the many holes they have on their team, particularly on the offensive line and on defense.

Ultimately, the Colts are a completely different team with Manning. While they may have been a two- or three-win team without Manning, they could just as easily win 10 games with the same supporting cast next season provided Manning is healthy.

The same can’t be said for the Rams, as they have deficiencies all over the place. I think trading the No. 1 overall pick would be a huge help for St. Louis, as it would give the Rams a bunch of picks to address their many needs.

While taking Luck first overall may be great for the Colts in the long run, no team more desperately needs that pick right now than the Rams.

Comment Below!.

Read More: Philip Rivers (QB – SDC), Chris Long (DE – STL), San Diego Chargers, St. Louis Rams

With the St. Louis Rams sitting at 2-13 and lacking any sense of direction heading into Week 17 of the NFL season, the questions surrounding the future of Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo. Now it appears as if Jon Gruden could be in the mix for becoming the next head coach of the Rams. According to Brad Biggs of the National Football Post, Gruden would become the next head coach if Rams owner Stan Kroenke decided to fire current GM Bill Devaney and replace him with current Chargers GM A.J. Smith. If both are fired, as expected by many NFL experts, Smith is apparently interested in teaming up with Jon Gruden wherever he lands next.

As a defensive-minded coach, Spanuolo has done nothing to stabilize the performance of the defensive unit, perhaps outside of Chris Long’s great season, so he hasn’t given many good reasons to justify his return next year. Although the team has dealt with a rash of injuries, especially in the defensive secondary, GM Bill Devaney has also come under fire for leaving the team without the talent needed to compete. The Devaney-Spanuolo combo just hasn’t worked well enough.

A.J. Smith has been under fire in San Diego for years, as his very talented teams have routinely underachieved. This season Philip Rivers seemed to take a step back, while the team was recently eliminated from an otherwise wide-open AFC West division title race. Despite the failings of Chargers teams over the few years, it is hard to deny the talent A.J. Smith has acquired and assembled out on the west coast.

As the Rams prepare for the 2012 NFL Draft with a premium pick, all that remains to be seen is whether team owner Stan Kroenke will make a fundamental change that has the potential to move the team in a new direction.

Stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the St. Louis Rams be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Visit SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Leave your comments on the news below.

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Justin King became the fourth St. Louis Rams cornerback to
be sidelined with a season-ending injury.

King has a shoulder injury that the team believes may require surgery.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo said Monday that King was in Pittsburgh having the
injury evaluated. King, who made 10 starts, was not active for the 27-0 loss to
the Steelers.

Previously, Ron Bartell, Brandon Fletcher and Al Harris were knocked out for
the year.

Spagnuolo said quarterback Sam Bradford’s status remains day to day with a
high ankle sprain.

What are your opinions.

Read More: St. Louis Rams

In his column today, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King makes the argument that if the St. Louis Rams’ head coaching job opens up this off season, and King expects that it will, it will be the most attractive job to potential candidates, even more so than the opening in Miami or one potentially in San Diego. King’s reasoning is simple: the Rams have a young, franchise quarterback (or something close to it), prime position in this year’s draft, and a massive amount of cap room heading into the next few offseasons.

It remains to be seen whether or not King’s view is or will be shared across the league, but it is a compelling argument nonetheless, and he doesn’t even take into account that the Rams play in arguably the worst, or at least the most volatile, division in football. But those factors that he outlines— Bradford, a high pick this year that could be potentially flipped to a quarterback needy team for a bundle of picks, and tons of cap room— will certainly be central to any pitch made by the Rams to whichever head coaching candidates they zero in on.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of the Rams, head over to Turf Show Times. And for more news and notes from around the league, check out SB Nation’s NFL news hub.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Look, I understand: It’s Week 16 of the NFL season, the St. Louis Rams are a running joke, Sam Bradford is doubtful, and you’ve likely run out of reasons to watch them on TV when you could be doing other things with your Sunday, like speaking in public or killing huge, disgusting bugs or cleaning out your gutters, and your gutters are filled with poison. If learning more Kellen Clemens facts doesn’t do it for you, there’s still one more reason to get excited: Steven Jackson is 34 yards away from his seventh straight 1000-yard season! That’s something mostly Hall of Famers do!

Now you can celebrate Jackson’s brilliant and ongoing career! Or else you can use this as the moment you realize that the Rams have wasted the prime of a Hall of Fame running back’s career! Those two possibilities should cover the entire spectrum of St. Louis Rams fan experience as the 2011 season comes to a close.

Oh, and Danario Alexander isn’t hurt yet. Maybe this is the week he makes awesome catches two games in a row!

Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

By Joel Thorman

– NFL Editor

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Dec 21, 2011 – The St. Louis Rams have had a season to forget and the same can apply to WR Austin Pettis. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the Rams receiver has been suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. 

Pettis’ suspension will start now and he’ll miss the final two games of this season as well as the first two games of the 2012 season. As Brian McIntyre notes, Pettis will lose just over $100,000 in salary because of the suspension. There’s no word on what specifically caused the violation or whether Pettis plans to appeal.

Pettis was the Rams third round pick in April’s draft and has been active in 12 games notching 27 receptions for 265 yards. 

The Rams, and now Pettis, probably feel as if they can’t get this season over with. 

Visit SB Nation’s Turf Show Times for the latest updates on Pettis. 

Read More: Austin Pettis (WR – STL), St. Louis Rams

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Credit: AP

St. Louis Rams’ Austin Pettis, right, loses the ball on a punt return as he is hit by Washington Redskins’ Niles Paul during the second quarter of the NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, in St. Louis. The Rams recovered the ball and Paul was charged with an unnecessary roughness penalty on the play. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

There is the quick update of the day.