LA Rams must hire Mike Pettine as LB coach ASAP

Pettine’s the guy

There’s one defensive-minded coach available on the horizon, however, that I think would be an ideal fit for the Rams to scoop up immediately. He’s got 17 seasons of NFL coaching experience under his belt, too. As an added bonus, his reputation around the league is that of being something of a “linebacker whisperer,” a coach who makes good LBs better, mediocre ones good. IMO, he’s just what the doctor ordered for the Rams linebacker coach vacancy sign that’s flashing neon outside Agoura Hills, CA.

And given the Rams recent history of being relegated to lower-round draft choices, plus not putting a lot of stock in drafting LBs in the first place, they are gonna need a guy who can coax more and better play out of the likes of Kenny Young or Justin Hollins.

That guy is Coach Mike Pettine. Most recently, defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers, who was just purged along with their special teams’ coordinator after the playoff loss to Tampa Bay. Pettine was the third straight defensive coordinator to be fired or let go by the Packers without a head-coaching change. Can you say, scapegoat?

As NFL coaching resumes go, you’d be hard-pressed to find many candidates with stronger backgrounds for the job. Pettine has done a little bit of everything in the NFL. He’s an excellent teacher, tutor, and instructor.  He’s made it a point to impart the knowledge he’s gained from the sum of all his NFL experiences in a variety of coaching roles for a variety of teams. He’s been around the NFL block a few times. Seen a lot of football things, knows a lot of football things.

Best known as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2014 to 2015, he spent seven years on the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff and has also served as the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and most recently, the Green Bay Packers.