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TThe winless St Louis Rams fired head coach Scott Linehan and replaced him on an interim basis with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.
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The Buffalo Bills trounced St Louis 31-14 Sunday, the Rams' fourth straight loss. Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom said it was with a "heavy heart" that he had to fire Linehan.
"We made the decision that a good man has to lose his job today," Rosenbloom said. "He took 100 per cent responsibility for the failures of this organization.
"But we're all culpable. We all share in the responsibilities of losing games. That includes other coaches, the players, the administration and the ownership."
Linehan, 45, had an 11-25 record during his two-plus seasons as the Rams coach. St Louis has suffered lopsided losses each week this season while getting outscored 147-43.
The 52-year-old Haslett joined the Rams in 2006 after six seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, where he compiled a 45-51 record.
He led the Saints to the NFC West title with a 10-6 record in his first season in New Orleans.
"This is not really the way you want to become a head coach, at somebody else's expense," said Haslett. "I felt Scott did about as good a job as [possible]. He tried everything. Obviously, it didn't work out."
Haslett said he would give his best effort "to try to get this thing turned around."
He hinted he would insert quarterback Marc Bulger back into the starting line-up. Bulger, a two-times Pro Bowler, was benched in favour of backup Trent Green.
"Marc's a heck of a football player," he said. "He's one of the top quarterbacks that's played if you look at his numbers over the years. He's an upper-echelon quarterback."
"I'll sit down with the offensive staff and we'll decide what's best for this team."
Rosenbloom said he empathized with Linehan, who had been sharply criticised by the fans and the media.
"Scott will have a future because under different circumstances he will be successful," he said. "The kind of pressure that he's been under has not been reasonable, just from a humane level. My heart goes out to him."
Reuters
More StoriesScott Linehan slideshow
Round-up: Favre throws career-high six TDs
The Buffalo Bills trounced St Louis 31-14 Sunday, the Rams' fourth straight loss. Rams owner Chip Rosenbloom said it was with a "heavy heart" that he had to fire Linehan.
"We made the decision that a good man has to lose his job today," Rosenbloom said. "He took 100 per cent responsibility for the failures of this organization.
"But we're all culpable. We all share in the responsibilities of losing games. That includes other coaches, the players, the administration and the ownership."
Linehan, 45, had an 11-25 record during his two-plus seasons as the Rams coach. St Louis has suffered lopsided losses each week this season while getting outscored 147-43.
The 52-year-old Haslett joined the Rams in 2006 after six seasons as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, where he compiled a 45-51 record.
He led the Saints to the NFC West title with a 10-6 record in his first season in New Orleans.
"This is not really the way you want to become a head coach, at somebody else's expense," said Haslett. "I felt Scott did about as good a job as [possible]. He tried everything. Obviously, it didn't work out."
Haslett said he would give his best effort "to try to get this thing turned around."
He hinted he would insert quarterback Marc Bulger back into the starting line-up. Bulger, a two-times Pro Bowler, was benched in favour of backup Trent Green.
"Marc's a heck of a football player," he said. "He's one of the top quarterbacks that's played if you look at his numbers over the years. He's an upper-echelon quarterback."
"I'll sit down with the offensive staff and we'll decide what's best for this team."
Rosenbloom said he empathized with Linehan, who had been sharply criticised by the fans and the media.
"Scott will have a future because under different circumstances he will be successful," he said. "The kind of pressure that he's been under has not been reasonable, just from a humane level. My heart goes out to him."
Reuters