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The Kansas City Chiefs were successful in their defense of the Lombardi Trophy. They won the Super Bowl for the second consecutive season, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime of a thrilling, back-and-forth game.
A lot of credit for the team’s success this season has to go to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Chiefs weren’t as explosive on offense as in years past, putting pressure on the defense to perform at a high level. They answered the call each time, resulting in the team’s third Super Bowl in five years.
After the performance, former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill took to X, formerly Twitter, to raise a question. He was wondering why Spagnuolo isn’t generating interest as a potential head coaching candidate as much as other coordinators around the league.
Spagnuolo had one opportunity to be a head coach previously. He was hired by the then-St. Louis Rams to replace Scott Linehan and his interim, Jim Haslett. Spagnuolo lasted three seasons, going 10-38 and being replaced by Jeff Fisher.
The Rams were abysmal under his watch, as they went 1-15 in his debut season and 2-14 in his final season. He was also interim head coach for the New York Giants in 2017, replacing Ben McAdoo for the final four games of the season and going 1-3.
Despite those lackluster results, there are people who believe it is time for Spagnuolo to get another opportunity to be a head coach. One of those people is Rams’ COO Kevin Demoff, who was part of the contingent that hired him to coach the franchise 15 years ago.
“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,” Demoff wrote on X in response to Hill’s post.
When the Rams hired Spagnuolo, he was one of the fastest-rising coordinators in the NFL thanks to helping lead the Giants to victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42. As Demoff pointed out, the Rams were in a brutal spot, as they won only five games in the two seasons before he was hired.
On top of that, they were in the middle of a sale, which eventually led to them moving to Los Angeles. With an older roster and no money to spend on the salary cap, Spagnuolo was in a lose-lose situation.
With the Chiefs, Spagnuolo has shown that he is still one of the best defensive minds to grace the sideline this generation. A few factors are working against him, but any team looking for a defensive-minded leader should give him serious consideration.
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Rams share worrisome Matthew Stafford update ahead of preseason opener
Los Angeles Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has had a "week-to-week" designation throughout training camp as he deals with lingering back soreness. According to ESPN's Sarah Barshop and Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Sunday that Stafford won't participate in Monday's jog-through practice. "He’ll be doing a workout on his own during that time period," McVay said. "He is able to do a little bit more, which is good, and things are progressing well, but he won’t take part in the jog-through because he’ll be doing some other stuff." Stafford also won't take part in Los Angeles' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. Barshop noted that 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett IV, who has never taken a meaningful snap as a pro, "is expected to start for the Rams" in the team's preseason opener against Dallas this coming Saturday. It's unclear if Stafford will be available for the Rams' joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 13. The Rams play the Chargers on Aug. 16 and then end the preseason with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 23. "It’s static throwing," McVay said about what Stafford will do on Monday. "It’s some of the unloaded running on the treadmill. Sometimes it might even be walking. He’s able to do a little lighter cardio and able to do some good core work. It’s more just functional strength surrounding the area, making sure you don’t do anything to set yourself back based on the trajectory he’s doing. We are looking forward to getting him and easing him back into football, hopefully in the near future." It's no secret that the Rams at least considered trading Stafford to either the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders after he turned 37 years old this past February. While the Rams worked out an agreement to keep Stafford as their QB1, the club could part ways with him next offseason if his body betrays him or he looks like a player past his physical prime during the upcoming campaign. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams sixth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Such information suggests Los Angeles may want to consider looking for an upgrade over current backup signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo, who hasn't shown he can be a winning QB1 with any regularity since the 2022 season.
Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo still mulling exit from Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors have died down in recent weeks, but the two-time MVP hasn’t reached a decision on whether he wants to continue playing for the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Monday morning during an appearance on “Get Up.” “Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said. There have been past reports that Antetokounmpo might consider leaving Milwaukee to improve his chances of winning another NBA title. Speculation began to grow after the Bucks were eliminated in this first round of this year’s playoffs and star guard Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles tear that’s expected to sideline him for all of next season. Bucks general manager Jon Horst responded by retooling the team’s roster this summer. He waived and stretched the $112.6M that Lillard had left on his contract for the next two years and used the new-found cap space to sign center Myles Turner away from the Pacers. Horst also added Gary Harris, Jericho Sims and Cole Anthony in free agency and re-signed several of the team’s own free agents, such as Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and Taurean Prince. The aggressive move with Turner was viewed as an important step toward convincing Antetokounmpo that the Bucks could remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. Although there hasn’t been much trade talk over the last month, Charania insists that Antetokounmpo’s situation hasn’t been resolved. “There’s been some very real conversations over the last week or so,” Charania said. “The constant question that Giannis has, though, is can I win a championship with this roster? …He wants to win a second championship, so he’s asking that question over and over.” He added that there are “multiple teams waiting in the wings” to make offers if Antetokounmpo decides he wants out.
Raiders change around depth options ahead of preseason
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