Schotty and Williams Set to Take Over As Coordinators?

It was rumored that newly-hired Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was planning on piecing together a "rock star" coaching staff in St. Louis, but there have been no quotes from the Rams organization to elaborate on what that means exactly.


While Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and former Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer may qualify as "rock stars" due to their undeniable name-recognition, there are certainly questions surrounding their qualifications.


Schottenheimer has been the the Jets' offensive coordinator since 2006, but chose to leave New York after the Jets failed to make the playoffs this season (although, the common consensus is that he was forced to leave).


The Jets offense ranked 25th in NFL (average yards per game) in 2011 and has generally been considered an underachieving unit for the majority of Schottenheimer's tenure there.


Regardless, NFL.com is reporting that Schottenheimer interviewed with Fisher on Sunday morning and is expected to be the next offensive coordinator of the Rams.


If the hiring is confirmed, Schottenheimer will be quarterback Sam Bradford's third different offensive coordinator in as many seasons, which is not an ideal situation for the young quarterback.


On the other hand, while it's not official yet, ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Gregg Williams is expected to join the Rams, which makes sense given Williams' history with Fisher and the fact that Williams is a Missouri native.

Williams, who is taking a lot of heat for the Saints' 36-32 playoff loss against the 49ers on Saturday, is actually the potential hiring that's easier to stomach.


While it's concerning that Williams' defense gave up 36 points and allowed two touchdowns in the final minutes of the game against a stale San Francisco offense, let's not forget that he also has a Super Bowl ring as the Saints' defensive coordinator in 2009.


Also, Fisher has a defensive background and will be leading the St. Louis defense more so than Williams, so he won't have the same amount of control that he had in New Orleans.


It's also worth noting that Williams was Fisher's defensive coordinator from 1997 to 2000 in Tennessee.


While working together, their defenses were solid. During the 2000 season, their defense ranked 2nd in the NFL in fewest points allowed, and they never ranked worse than 15th (1999) in points allowed during Williams' tenure.


So while there are clear question marks regarding both potential coordinators, St. Louis fans will just have to sit tight and defer their judgement to the man who has 17 years of head coaching experience in the NFL.