Rams report, 2/8: QB coach hired

* Coaching staff update. The Rams have unofficially officially named Frank Cignetti, Jr. as the team's new quarterbacks coach. After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1988, he was a positions coach (WR, DB, QB) and offensive coordinator there over a 9-year run. He was the Saints QB coach from 2000-01. Aaron Brooks' first full pro season was in 2001: 3800 yards, 26 TDs, 22 INTs, sacked FIFTY times. Passer rating of 76.4. Cignetti was Fresno State's OC from 2002-05, right after David Carr graduated. Fresno went to bowls all four of those years, scoring 27 points per game in '02, FORTY ppg in '04 and 37 in '05, which was Tom Brandstater's freshman year. Paul Pinegar was starting QB all four years, throwing for 2,900 yards in '02 and 3,300 yards in '05, with 30 TDs and 15 INTs. Following that, Cignetti was OC at North Carolina for a year, 49ers QB coach for a year, California OC for a year and University of Pittsburgh OC for two years. He was OC at Rutgers last year. Trent Dilfer and Alex Smith split starts for the 49ers in '07. Dilfer barely completed 50% of his passes and threw 12 picks vs. 7 TDs for a 55 QB rating. Smith only hit on 48% of his throws for 2 TDs, 4 picks and a 57 rating. Cal scored 32.6 ppg in '08, led by QB Nate Longshore and Jahvid Best at RB. Pitt scored 32 ppg in '09, 26 in '10, with Jonathan Baldwin making 110 catches. Rutgers averaged 26.4 ppg last season, up from not even 21 the year before. (Cal's production increased 3 ppg after Cignetti arrived, but Pitt's dropped 5 pts.)

Cignetti does not look like a quick fix to me, but Sam Bradford shouldn't need a quick fix. He's worked with excellent passing offenses at Fresno and Cal and got Aaron Brooks' career off to a decent start. And offenses tend to improve after he arrives. League insiders assure us that Cignetti is an excellent hire. I don't see that water-to-wine moment that we fans look for when trying to figure out if a coach is any good, but Cignetti looks like a successful offensive coach with good credentials. I'll assign this hire a grade of B.

I make (constant) fun of the Jeff Fisher Friends and Family Plan, but by the time I get all the coaching bios rounded up on the blog, what we'll see is a well-constructed staff made up of coaches with plenty of experience at their specialties. I'm not sure the Rams have had a staff as qualified as Fisher's first staff is shaping up to be since about 1999.

 * Todd McShay's latest mock draft on ESPN.com has the Rams taking USC tackle Matt Kalil with the #2 pick. Robert Griffin III goes 4th to Cleveland; Justin Blackmon 6th to Washington. Mock drafts traditionally don't project trades, but when McShay projects the Redskins, it's with the "if they don't trade up" disclaimer.

I am going to be on the Kalil bandwagon until I see enough of Justin Blackmon at the NFL Combine to be convinced he isn't Michael Crabtree, or until the Rams trade down. If the Rams draft a WR second overall and he is no better in his third season than Crabtree was in his this year, then he is a bust.

Crabtree came to the 2009 Combine heralded as the next Larry Fitzgerald because of his size and skill. Then he "shrunk" two inches from his college listing. And, of course, he had foot surgery after his senior season and couldn't run at the Combine. The 49ers ended up drafting a WR of average height without special speed. If Justin Blackmon "shrinks" two inches at the Combine like Crabtree did, he'll be 5'11". He needs to come in no worse than his advertised 6'1" height and run no worse than a 4.5. Then I'll think about it.

* Former Ram available: Zach Diles' contract with the Colts has been terminated. Hey, Jeff Fisher coached against him a couple of times a year; we'll have to see if he has any interest.

* Former Ram coach not available: Al Saunders was replaced as Raiders' offensive coordinator but will remain with the team as a "senior assistant". Perhaps "senior assistant in charge of smoke routes"?

* Current Ram not quite available: the league has rejected the contract the Rams gave Jovan Olafioye on Monday. I cannot find the specific reason. Howard Balzer describes it as a "technicality" that should be resolved quickly. Maybe you have to be in the league so many years before you can demand candy bowls filled with only green M&Ms.

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