Gruden To St. Louis?

For those of you who are suckers for the rumor mill like me, you have probably already heard this. For anyone who hasn’t heard, a report surfaced Tuesday that if the Chargers fire GM AJ Smith after this season, that Stan Kroenke would bring him in as the next Rams GM and head coach Jon Gruden would come along with Smith and be hired as the next St. Louis head man.

I know that’s a lot to digest. I tend to be skeptical most of the time when these things come out, but I think this might actually be possible. Several sources chimed in saying they thought it was possible, and those sources have also said Gruden fully intends to return to coaching in 2012. By no means am I saying to expect this scenario to play out, but it certainly is something to watch for after the season is over. Plenty of dominoes have to fall for something like this to happen, but just keep it in mind as the offseason begins.

As far as my thoughts on the situation, obviously I would love Gruden to be our next coach. The man is a proven winner and brings instant credibility to this franchise. As far as Smith goes, I can’t say I’m a huge fan. He has had a recent history of butting heads with his players, and his draft record has been less than stellar recently. With that being said, I would still take this deal if it happens. Smith has been a very good GM over his career in the past, and a new landscape here in St. Louis could be just what he needs. Plus, Gruden is likely enough to entice some free agents to town, which would make Smith’s job easier. This is one of those things that’s fun to think about, and that’s exactly what we need here in St. Louis after this awful season.