Head coach search underway

Here's Bill Devaney's "shopping list" so far for the Rams' head coaching quasi-vacancy:
* Winston Moss. The Green Bay LB coach has already interviewed, and according to NFL
Network's Adam Schefter, was so impressive, he'll advance to the second round of interviews.
So that's an intriguing development.

Can I ask why the ST. LOUIS sports media can't come up with this information? Should Adam
Schefter really have a better "in" than all of our local guys? Are our local writers attached
to the wrong insiders? Are they shut out? Are they lazy?

* Jim Fassell. The former Giants HC will interview Thursday.

Add the Rams message boards to the list of message boards over the years to have a
NO! NOT FASSELL! thread. Thumbs down to the self-centered Fassell from the very beginning.

* Leslie Frazier.
* Rex Ryan.
The two prominent defensive coordinators at Minnesota and Baltimore may, though it is difficult
to know definitively, have already advanced to the second round of interviews. Neither has interviewed with the Rams, but both have interviewed with Devaney, last year in Atlanta. Or maybe he just sat in while Atlanta's actual GM interviewed the two. That much has never really been made clear. Frazier's interview is now expected to happen this week, while Ryan may interview on Sunday, after the Ravens have played Tennessee this Saturday.

* Todd Bowles.
* Ray Sherman.
Bowles, the Miami secondary coach and former Redskin DB, and Sherman, the Cowboys receivers coach, are less prominent names to have popped up early in Devaney's search. Interviews with both are expected to happen this week.

I appreciate that Devaney isn't sticking to the general consensus by tabbing Bowles and Sherman, but I also have no idea what's making either an attractive candidate. Has Miami's secondary been that terrific under Bowles? What about Dallas' wide receivers? Sherman sure doesn't show much ability to rein in big personalities, does he? Who's the best young player either has developed? Patrick Crayton? And didn't Roy Williams regress even worse once the Lions traded him to Dallas?

* and, of course, Jim Haslett, on the strength of that great 0-10 finish.

Reported interest:
* Arizona offensive line coach Russ Grimm.
* Tennessee offensive line coach Mike Munchak.
* Tennessee DC Jim Schwartz is also supposed to be a candidate after the Titans exit the playoffs.
* There is supposed interest in Steve Spagnuolo and Jason Garrett, though no word that any contact to interview either has been attempted.

What about:
* Eric Mangini? Haven't heard that the Rams have made even any effort to contact him. He will probably be named Cleveland's HC before the Rams even get off their 2nd coaching interview.
* Mike Shanahan? He's said to understandably want some time before he talks to anybody to weigh his options. Chip Rosenbloom has publicly claimed that money is no object in this next head coaching hire. Yet, most of the big-ticket guys are barely even being considered in this job search, including Josh McDaniel at New England.
* Ron Meeks? With the Colts' season over, I'm going to be very disappointed if the Rams don't show interest in their former secondary coach. He's going to get interviewed by other teams and I'd be flummoxed if he wasn't a candidate here after doing good work here.
* Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer don't appear to be interviewing anywhere. Cowher's already turned the Jets and Browns down flat. Marty seems to be in consideration more for front office/team president roles, though not here in St. Louis by a long shot. Neither man appears to be as significant a coaching candidate as I'd thought they'd be.
* Scott Linehan? Just kidding.

I do like that Devaney's planning to interview offensive line coaches, secondary coaches and former LBs and DBs. Chuck Knox and Jim Hanifan were o-line coaches. (Hanifan was good enough to get the Big Dead one of their rare winning seasons here in 1984). Don Shula and I believe Chuck Noll were LBs, and Mike Singletary's already off to a strong start in San Francisco. Defensive backfield is even a richer vein for great head coaches: Tom Landry, Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher among others I can think of off the top of my head.

So there's some good things about Devaney's coaching search. My biggest complaint is that the Rams for the most part aren't even getting their noses in there to compete for the top names.