Say all you want about Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ amazing secondary, but the Chiefs wouldn’t have their second straight Super Bowl win — and their third in five years — without the efforts of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Spags was especially in his bag in the biggest game, throwing stuff at Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers that they had no way to expect.
The Chiefs blitzed on 27 of their snaps. They played man behind it on 23 of them. You only do that if you are preposterously confident in the abilities of your defensive backs to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage, and plaster them all over the field. pic.twitter.com/sa3ulCCjTm
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 13, 2024
From 2009 through 2011, Spagnuolo was the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, and that didn’t go so well — he compiled a 10-38 record in those three seasons. But Kevin Demoff, currently the COO of the Rams, who started that role in 2009, thinks that Spagnuolo got a bit of a raw deal back then, and is more than deserving of another chance.
It is well past time to see Spags get another head coaching opportunity.
The team & organization he inherited in STL was a mess, nobody could have had success. Yet he changed the culture/staff & players believed. An amazing human deserving of the real shot we couldn’t give him https://t.co/d82dXjC3W4
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) February 13, 2024
To help expand why:
1) Hired in January 2009 and team was put up for sale in spring 2009
2) Inherited team that went 3-13 in 2007 and 2-14 in 2008
3) Inherited salary cap mess in final salary cap year of CBA with restrictive rules and aging roster https://t.co/OHHVxGmmHe
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) February 13, 2024
4) We outperformed expectations in 2010 only to have a lockout in 2011 and have no offseason to build upon that success
5) Hired a terrific OC in Josh McDaniels in 2011 who didnt meet players or install offense until training camp. That hampered Sam Bradford tremendously https://t.co/4VWVNl1OZH
— Kevin Demoff (@kdemoff) February 13, 2024
That’s a remarkable statement for any executive to make, but the Rams were in a bad way back then from a personnel perspective, and sometimes, you find yourself in a situation that just doesn’t work.
Spagnuolo didn’t have any opportunities in this head coach hiring cycle, but as he said last week, he wouldn’t shy away from the right situation.
“I would love doing it, just because I think you always want another chance. And I Love having a whole team. But listen – I’m blessed. I work for a great coach – a Hall of Fame head coach. I’ve got great players. I’m enjoying it right now, and I’m okay with continuing to go to Super Bowls.”
Fair enough, but it would be nice for the NFL’s best defensive mind to get one more shot at the biggest possible job.
