(The Rams Tailgate Show) -- When the decision was made, it came swiftly, and with no surprises. In his first major decision since becoming owner of the Rams during the 2010 season, Stan Kroenke fired general manager Billy Devaney and coach Steve Spagnuolo on Monday morning and officially began the process of finding replacements.
In a statement, Kroenke said, "This was a difficult decision for many reasons. We have tremendous respect for Steve and Billy as people and football professionals. No one individual is to blame for this disappointing season and we all must hold ourselves accountable. However, we believe it's in the best interest of the St. Louis Rams to make these changes as we continue our quest to build a team that consistently competes for playoffs and championships."
Said Kevin Demoff, the Rams' vice president of football operations and chief operating officer, "We need to find new leadership. We have a chance to change the direction and the vision of our football team, not that it was completely wrong. I think in many ways, in fact I know in many ways we're a better organization for the time that Steve and Billy were both here. They improved this organization in many ways, but at the same time, you want to find people who can take us to new heights and people who can return us to what this franchise can be."
Spagnuolo told the team of his fate in a 10-minute meeting Monday morning.
For many players who came to the Rams or stayed with the team because of Spagnuolo, it was especially difficult.
When Spagnuolo was hired in 2009, cornerback Ron Bartell was about to become a free agent. Bartell had offers from other teams, including New Orleans, but opted to re-sign because of the head coach.
"This is tough because he's one of the main reasons why I came back and my belief in him," Bartell said. "I thought he was a helluva coach then and still think he's a helluva coach now. But the results are what they are. He had a rough go this year with all the injuries, the lockout, guys down left and right.
"They were held accountable today, and we (players) will be held accountable pretty soon, I'm sure."
As for the future, defensive end Chris Long said, "We do have some pieces in place to turn this thing around. We have a franchise quarterback (Sam Bradford) that I believe can be the guy. We just have to build around him. We have some pieces on defense. So, we need to take that nucleus and go. For the next leader, there's good guys in this locker room that whoever that guy is, he's going to have something to work with."
Concluded linebacker James Laurinaitis, "I have a ton of trust in Mr. Kroenke in what he's going to do and the direction he wants to go. That's not just a political answer, that's the truth. He has a direction he wants to go with this thing, and we've all the faith in the world in him to make those decisions.
"Mr. Kroenke is going to move this thing forward. The leaders on this team will be ready to go along with it."
NOTES, QUOTES
-Rams executive Kevin Demoff denied a report that former Titans coach Jeff Fisher, whose agent, Marvin Demoff, is Kevin's father, already has an interview scheduled for this week.
However, Kevin Demoff acknowledged, "My father was in town with the rest of my family over the weekend for the game. He and I spoke today about the process for talking to Jeff, and what Jeff is looking for and what Jeff is interested in. I think that will move quickly. Obviously, I think like everybody else who's going through a search, he's someone who's a potentially attractive candidate. But I think the one thing to caution is everybody assumes that because my father represents Jeff Fisher that we're a natural fit. His job is to represent Jeff Fisher, our job is to find the right head coach for the Rams.
"If those two intersect, that would be fantastic. If they don't intersect, we'll each do the right job for our respective clients and for our respective organizations and we'll move forward. But I don't think that it's a foregone conclusion that because I happen to know someone that knows Jeff well, that I know Jeff well, that Jeff's going to be our head coach. I know that makes for great conjecture, great Internet fodder and stokes the rumor mill, but it's completely unfounded."
-When asked about the firings of coach Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney, Demoff said, "I think our message to fans was: This is unacceptable, and the status quo was unacceptable. You can't go 2-14, you can't be 10-38, you can't be 15-65, whatever the numbers are and tell our fan base that's OK. Our fans deserve better.
"We have wonderful, passionate fans. We've tried to grow our fan base in the St. Louis region. We've tried to get people into the Edward Jones Dome, but we know we've got to put a winning product on the field. I don't think you make decisions for the fans, but you certainly have to take their sentiment into account, and by all means we owe them a better product than where we've been.
"That's not to say that it's any one person's fault. As an organization, we have to do better. We have to do better as an organization on the business side. We have to be better on the football side. Our goal is to deliver a winner to St. Louis on and off the field, and we remain committed to that. I think one of the things people wanted to see was, how decisive we would be, how quickly we would act, and hopefully today's message shows that we're serious about getting this right and we're serious about building a winning tradition in St. Louis."
-Until a new general manager/personnel director is hired, vice president of player personnel Mike Williams will be in charge of personnel with the Senior Bowl and all-star games approaching. Williams will be considered for the job vacated by Devaney.
-The two top seeds in this year's playoffs, Green Bay and New England, will both play at St. Louis next season. The Rams' other home opponents will be Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Minnesota, Washington and the New York Jets. St. Louis will travel to Arizona, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Miami.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
PLAYER NOTES
-RB Steven Jackson, who injured his biceps in Sunday's game against San Francisco, said Monday he was fine and that it was a minor nerve issue. Jackson admitted it was scary at first because his arm went numb.
-OT Rodger Saffold said he is ahead of schedule in his rehab from November surgery on a pectoral muscle. Saffold said he was told he should be OK within four or five months from the surgery.
-CB Justin King has his arm on a sling after undergoing shoulder surgery last week.
-LB James Laurinaitis revealed he almost didn't play against Pittsburgh on Dec. 24 after waking up sick at 3 a.m. Laurinaitis said he was fine when he went to sleep. After waking up ill, he had IVs and even medicine chemotherapy patients take. "It was awful," Laurinaitis said.
-QB Sam Bradford said he's hopeful offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who is the only assistant on the Rams staff under contract for 2012, will return under the new head coach. If McDaniels leaves, unless the Rams return to the West Coast offense from his rookie season, Bradford will be learning his third offense in three seasons. Bradford said, "But if we do get a new offensive coordinator, I'll embrace it like I have the last two years and get to work and try to learn it as quickly as possible. Obviously, it's frustrating. Ideally, you'd like to be going into year three of the same system, but that's not possible. But if there is a change and there is a new offense to learn, it will be learned and I'll be ready to roll."
REPORT CARD VS. 49ERS
PASSING OFFENSE: C - Kellen Clemens completed less than 50 percent of his passes, but he brought the Rams to within one touchdown with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 36-yard scoring play to WR Brandon Lloyd. Clemens also scored the Rams' first touchdown of the game on an 18-yard run. With the Rams threatening to tie the game, Clemens injured his ankle on a second-and-10 sack from the 49ers' 33-yard line. Tom Brandstater became the fourth Rams quarterback to play this season after Clemens was injured, and he threw incompletions on the first two passes of his pro career.
RUSHING OFFENSE: B - Against a team with excellent run defense, RB Steven Jackson averaged 4.8 yards per attempt and totaled 76 yards on 16 carries. Cadillac Williams scored on a 1-yard run, just the third rushing touchdown against the 49ers this season.
PASS DEFENSE: C-plus - QB Alex Smith was 21-for-31 and had a passer rating of 98.7 with no interceptions. Smith scored on an 8-yard scramble, and he found TE Vernon Davis eight times for 118 yards. Michael Crabtree scored on a quick hitch that went 28 yards when he broke two tackles.
RUSH DEFENSE: B - The Rams stopped Frank Gore, but they did allow 76 yards on 16 carries to Kendall Hunter. Most important, a run defense that had been gashed for big plays this season gave up a long run of 13 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D - K Josh Brown hit 48- and 49-yard field goals, and the coverage teams didn't give up big plays. However, the Rams were totally fooled on a fake field goal when K David Akers hit a wide-open Michael Crabtree for a 14-yard touchdown.
COACHING: B - In what turned out to be his final game as the Rams' head coach, Steve Spagnuolo had his team fighting until the end, overcoming a 34-13 deficit and having the ball with a chance to tie. However, the team failed to win for the 38th time in 48 games during his three seasons, and the following day, Spagnuolo was fired.