Every terrible part of the Rams' laughable Steve Spagnuolo era

There is no question that the Los Angeles Rams are both lucky and grateful for the superb performance of Head Coach Sean McVay. Since accepting the position as head coach, McVay has led the Rams to a record of 80-52. That included winning the NFC Championship Game twice and a Super Bowl once.

But it was not that long ago that wins were very difficult to come by. When the Rams played in St. Louis, Missouri, the team chose a rising coaching star who had proven to be a master of the defensive side of the football with the New York Giants. But as soon as the St. Louis Rams hired Steve Spagnola as the new head coach in 2009, it was clear that coaching an entire football team was not his forte.

Coach Spagnuolo led the team for three seasons and could only end up with a 10-38 record. It was a painful period to be a Rams fan, particularly knowing that the team had won Super Bowl XXXIV just years earlier. In 2009, the Rams were particularly ineffective, winning just one game as veteran QB Marc Bulger struggled in his last NFL season to find his former magic.

The following season, the Rams drafted QB Sam Bradford with the 1st overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. It was a horrible year to need a quarterback, as that was the same draft class that introduced QB Tim Tebow to the NFL. Bradford did rally the Rams to a 7-9 record. But he was injured in his second season, forcing the Rams to trial multiple quarterbacks who struggled. The Rams finished 2011 with a record of 2-14.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the Coach Spagnuolo era for the Rams was the wasted prime years of running back Steven Jackson. Over the three years of Spagnuolo's tenure, Jackson rushed for 3912 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Unfortunately, Jackson did not get much help on offense. The Rams' offense ranked 30th, 24th, and 30th, respectively, under Coach Spags.

The table was not set for success for the St. Louis Rams from 2009 through 2011. The team was forced to draft a quarterback from a weak QB class. The team was struggling when Coach Spags took over, and made no progress in improving anything. Perhaps worst of all, the team wasted the best years of RB Steven Jackson and did not surround him with enough talent to win in the postseason.

Rams fans have it pretty good right now. But that was not always the case. But don't feel bad for Steve Spagnuolo. He was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Chiefs have been rather successful ever since.

As always, thanks for reading.

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