Rams hire Rob Ryan; Bush to coach LBs

ESPN.com

Oh joy, the Rams have produced another hiring from the Jeff Fisher Friends and Family Plan and have officially hired Rob Ryan to bring his completely underwhelming professional record to Rams Park as the team's new defensive coordinator.

RamView has already recounted the many reasons that make Ryan a less than ideal hire. The reasons to like the hiring: it ends the limbo and committee approach at DC Fisher went with after Gregg Williams' suspension, and Fisher knows more then me. That's about it. Grade for this hiring: D

Tennesseean.com

The Rams have also hired Frank Bush away from the Titans to be the linebackers coach here. Bush was formerly a linebacker for the Houston Oilers but was forced out of the game early in his second season in 1986 due to a narrow spinal canal. He became the Oilers' LB coach in 1992. He won two Super Bowl rings as the Broncos' LB coach from 1995-2003 and coached Big Dead LBs from 2004-06. After a failed two-year run as the Texans' defensive coordinator, he's coached the Titans' LBs the last two seasons. Looks like he's always been a 4-3 coach. Bush developed Karlos Dansby at Arizona. With Denver he developed three-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Al Wilson at Denver and one-time AP All-Pro John Mobley. Detestable pill-popper Bill Romanowski went to two Pro Bowls as a Bush LB. Al Smith made the Pro Bowl for the Oilers in Bush's first year coaching there.

RamView likes the Frank Bush hiring much more than the Rob Ryan hiring. His good past work with veteran LBs gives James Laurinaitis and Jo-Lonn Dunbar opportunities to continue to improve, and his good record developing young LBs will come in handy with the Rams figuring to draft an OLB or two this year. That's a grade A hiring.

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