Coaching staff rundown: tight ends coach Rob Boras

Rob Boras, previously tight ends coach for the Jagwires, has been interviewed by Jeff Fisher and the Rams for the TE coach position here, and if he doesn't already actually have the job, he's considered the favorite to get it.

Boras coached TEs in Jacksonville the last two seasons. Marcedes Lewis went to the Pro Bowl in '10 with career highs of 58 receptions and 700 yards, but he dropped off drastically this past season, to 39 catches for 460. He held out at the beginning of training camp, which is always a bad omen. Always an inconsistent catcher, he was downright terrible with dropped passes this year and fans accused him of playing without motivation after getting the big contract he was after. The Jagwires aren't exactly swimming in TE prospects, though Zach Miller had 20 catches in '10 before losing most of the '11 season to shoulder and “lower leg” injuries.

Those two years already give Boras more NFL TE coaching experience than the last guy the Rams picked to do the job, but he can also claim six years of service with the Chicago Bears on his resume. Greg Olsen had 60 catches and 8 TDs in '09, 54 and 5 in '08, his second season in the pros. Desmond Clark had three straight years over 40 receptions from 2006-08 under Boras, with 6 TDs in '06. It's neither Boras', Olsen's nor Clark's fault that the Bears brought tight end-hating Mike Martz in to run their offense. Olsen got traded to Carolina; Clark's production dropped off the cliff, leaving Kellen Davis and his 18 catches as the Bears' go-to TE last season. At least he had 5 TDs.

Boras hasn't coached strictly tight ends anywhere else, but he's also been offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at UNLV, and was even head coach for a year at Benedictine University (in the Chicago area).

Most of the entries on Boras' resume look like positives. No, I haven't seen where any of his TEs have been praised for their blocking.Yes, Lewis regressed badly last season, but he also had to work with an overwhelmed rookie QB and got next to no help from an untalented WR corps. Olsen was budding into a star until the Bears brought in Martz. That, and Lewis' huge 2010 season, and the maximizing of Clark's talents tells me that Rob Boras can coach up TEs. He'll certainly have the opportunity to demonstrate impact in St. Louis. B-minus

The difference between Jeff Fisher and Steve Spagnuolo? Fisher picked a tight ends coach with eight years of NFL experience coaching the position. Spagnuolo picked a buddy with two years of experience coaching TEs. In college. Think it showed any?

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