Rams fire equipment manager

[bifford64]

I've wondered why the helmet bumpers on non Riddell helmets always had the old RAMS typeset, even after they modified their logos. Would it be as simple as the longtime equipment manager's preference?

On a related note, I love the Rams with the white pants (either home or away). I'm not a fan of the gold pants.

[BBTV]

Seriously though - is it possible that an "old timer" just might not be up on all of the new emerging equipment technologies, or have the knowledge (or desire to learn) about things like the new helmets? I don't really know what an equip manager does, but I've read all of the Joe Skiba (sp?) interviews on UW, and it seems like they really need to know their stuff.

It's possible, but "equipment" hasn't been that notable a problem

How do you know this?

[rams80]

Seriously though - is it possible that an "old timer" just might not be up on all of the new emerging equipment technologies, or have the knowledge (or desire to learn) about things like the new helmets? I don't really know what an equip manager does, but I've read all of the Joe Skiba (sp?) interviews on UW, and it seems like they really need to know their stuff.

It's possible, but "equipment" hasn't been that notable a problem

How do you know this?

1) The Rams didn't actually have an abnormal number of injuries this season, and those they had were not equipment related.

2) There weren't equipment related screw-ups or misplays on the field this season.

[BBTV]

Seriously though - is it possible that an "old timer" just might not be up on all of the new emerging equipment technologies, or have the knowledge (or desire to learn) about things like the new helmets? I don't really know what an equip manager does, but I've read all of the Joe Skiba (sp?) interviews on UW, and it seems like they really need to know their stuff.

It's possible, but "equipment" hasn't been that notable a problem

How do you know this?

1) The Rams didn't actually have an abnormal number of injuries this season, and those they had were not equipment related.

2) There weren't equipment related screw-ups or misplays on the field this season.

You really don't know if either one of those is actually true (just like I don't know that they're false.)

You don't know if the 3/4" screw-in spikes actually got sent to Detroit instead of Cleveland, or if players were frustrated waiting for something because the old man was either slow or couldn't manage the logistics of acquiring it, or if a helmet-speaker malfunctioned because it wasn't maintained properly, or if he just flat out didn't get along with the players and they didn't like dealing with him.

It's possible that he was perfect and they just did him wrong... I'm just saying that it cannot be assumed that is what happened.

[illini1]

Both, perhaps. But, I would be willing to guess it was Spags that wanted a new equipment guy. Many head coaches prefer having an equipment manager that worked with them at a previous stop. I wouldn't rule out the new Rams head guy being a former assistant EM with the Giants.

Joe Skiba to the Rams?

[Gothamite]

1) The Rams didn't actually have an abnormal number of injuries this season, and those they had were not equipment related.

2) There weren't equipment related screw-ups or misplays on the field this season.

You really don't know if either one of those is actually true (just like I don't know that they're false.)

Actually, we do. He's making statements of fact, easily verifable. As someone who follows the Rams, I'll take his word for it until somebody can provide evidence to the contrary.

You don't know if the 3/4" screw-in spikes actually got sent to Detroit instead of Cleveland, or if players were frustrated waiting for something because the old man was either slow or couldn't manage the logistics of acquiring it, or if a helmet-speaker malfunctioned because it wasn't maintained properly, or if he just flat out didn't get along with the players and they didn't like dealing with him.

It's possible that he was perfect and they just did him wrong... I'm just saying that it cannot be assumed that is what happened.

Now that's very true - there might well have been something behind the scenes. What rams80 said was that any potential off-field problems didn't spill over onto the field in a noticeable way.

[Gothamite]

And FWIW, Hewitt's side of the story is now public.

[sacker12]

I figured I was on the right track on the reason why he was fired. I knew it had something to do with Spags not liking the way he did his job.

[tubby34]

According to Kyle Turley, the players were against this guys firing. Apparently at a concert he was performing at they held a fundraiser (i caught the end of the interview).

Check out 790theticket.com for the recording of the interview, but I heard him call Spagnolo a bad coach.

He also said he heard a rumor about a top 5 NFL all time QB smoking doobies before a game to help read defenses---so worth a listen atleast. Don't want to play spoiler however it didn't shock me that much.

[dfwabel]

According to Kyle Turley, the players were against this guys firing. Apparently at a concert he was performing at they held a fundraiser (i caught the end of the interview).

Check out 790theticket.com for the recording of the interview, but I heard him call Spagnolo a bad coach.

He also said he heard a rumor about a top 5 NFL all time QB smoking doobies before a game to help read defenses---so worth a listen atleast. Don't want to play spoiler however it didn't shock me that much.

No need for spoilers when you hear the podcast hours after the show.

Yes, in that interview, Turley claimed that Marino was rollin' before games. Meanwhile on the same show, John Clayton, who used to work in Pittsburgh while Marino was in college refuted drug usage as it was an alleged reason why Marino slipped in the '84 draft.

Turley also said that he has puffed with active coaches in the league but failed to give their names. Meanwhile, Wade Wilson fails a drug test for PEDs as a coach and gets suspended while using HGH for Diabetes, yet I am supposed to believe that an NFL coach went all "Ron Washington" and did not get suspended in the same time period?

[MOcat]

It sounds like the equipment manager did nothing wrong, but it was just Spags wanting to get his own guy in there. Spags definitely sounds like the a**hole in the situation, but there are coaches all around the country like that. It is important in the NFL for the coaching staff and the equipment staff to be on the same page. It sounds like this was best for both parties.

I think the worst part about it is that he thinks it is because Spags wasn't happy that he was so close to the players. If anyone in an organization should be close to the players, it is the equipment manager (probably after the head trainer). This just sounds like Spags wanting to show how much power he has.

And I also disagree with someone that said most head equipment managers in the NFL sit around and do nothing. Most NFL teams have maybe 2-3 assistants and maybe an intern. There is a lot of work that is to be done for only five guys to take care of it.

[rams80]

According to Kyle Turley, the players were against this guys firing. Apparently at a concert he was performing at they held a fundraiser (i caught the end of the interview).

Check out 790theticket.com for the recording of the interview, but I heard him call Spagnolo a bad coach.

He also said he heard a rumor about a top 5 NFL all time QB smoking doobies before a game to help read defenses---so worth a listen atleast. Don't want to play spoiler however it didn't shock me that much.

No need for spoilers when you hear the podcast hours after the show.

Yes, in that interview, Turley claimed that Marino was rollin' before games. Meanwhile on the same show, John Clayton, who used to work in Pittsburgh while Marino was in college refuted drug usage as it was an alleged reason why Marino slipped in the '84 draft.

Turley also said that he has puffed with active coaches in the league but failed to give their names. Meanwhile, Wade Wilson fails a drug test for PEDs as a coach and gets suspended while using HGH for Diabetes, yet I am supposed to believe that an NFL coach went all "Ron Washington" and did not get suspended in the same time period?

Not to dispute Turley's claims or anything, but Turley is also one of the poster boys for "one too many blows to the head" in his NFL career.

[BBTV]

1) The Rams didn't actually have an abnormal number of injuries this season, and those they had were not equipment related.

2) There weren't equipment related screw-ups or misplays on the field this season.

You really don't know if either one of those is actually true (just like I don't know that they're false.)

Actually, we do. He's making statements of fact, easily verifable. As someone who follows the Rams, I'll take his word for it until somebody can provide evidence to the contrary.

Disagree.

1) whether or not the number of injuries was abnormal or not is fact, I'll concede that. However it's not possible to say for sure that they weren't equipment related. Sure, any intelligent person could reasonably assume whether or not an injury was due to having the wrong spikes, mis-sized shoulder pads, or wearing a fan "autograph" helmet as opposed to a real one with padding, but it's not possible to say with 100% certainty unless you're in the 'room. He's probably right though.

2) How could anyone who's not with the team possibly know this? It's very possible that there were screw-ups that simply weren't obviously attributable to mis-sized or poorly maintained equipment. A fumble could have been due to a guy being issued the wrong gloves, a guy couldn't dive and stretch to catch a pass because his jersey or pants were tailored too tight, etc. Again, the chances are that he's correct, but to say that anyone not down there with the team can make these statements as fact is wrong.

[Gothamite]

Okay, here's some more details.

Confirmation that he wasn't fired for cause - Spagnuolo offered to write him a reference. Seems as though Spags is just a control freak. He might have wanted "his guy" in the position, or at least someone who wasn't so closely identified with the team (and consequently, that he can't push around as easily).

Keeping in mind that this is only one side of the story:

"(Spagnuolo) is a hard person to deal with," Hewitt said. "He's just very hands-on. Controlling. It's an everything has to go through him kind of deal."

According to Hewitt, that included jersey numbers for players. For an example, Hewitt cited running back Chauncey Washington, who was signed to the active roster three weeks into the regular season but spent most of the year on the practice squad.

Washington wanted jersey No. 33, but Hewitt had to go through Spagnuolo for approval. The procedure was as follows: "The player wants jersey No. 33. We have 31, 33, and 38 open, please advise me."

and

Then there was the "events' of Game 7 last season, a warm late October contest at Tampa Bay. With about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, running back Steven Jackson called for Hewitt on the sidelines.

Jackson uses a "sticky" towel known as Gorilla Grip and wanted Hewitt to rub the towel on his hands. Hewitt said Jackson asked him to sit down on the bench while using the towel. The day after a wrenching 18-17 loss to the Buccaneers, Spagnuolo summoned Hewitt to his office. According to Hewitt, Spagnuolo wanted to know why Hewitt was sitting on the bench near the end of the game.

"He said, ?You were sitting on the bench like you were getting a suntan on vacation,' " Hewitt recalled.

Hewitt explained what he was doing but said Spagnuolo replied that he didn't want to hear excuses, and didn't want to see the equipment staff sitting on the bench during games.

Again, this is only one side of the story. Take it for what it's worth.

[scottysprings]

Then there was the "events' of Game 7 last season, a warm late October contest at Tampa Bay. With about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, running back Steven Jackson called for Hewitt on the sidelines.

Jackson uses a "sticky" towel known as Gorilla Grip and wanted Hewitt to rub the towel on his hands. Hewitt said Jackson asked him to sit down on the bench while using the towel. The day after a wrenching 18-17 loss to the Buccaneers, Spagnuolo summoned Hewitt to his office. According to Hewitt, Spagnuolo wanted to know why Hewitt was sitting on the bench near the end of the game.

"He said, ?You were sitting on the bench like you were getting a suntan on vacation,' " Hewitt recalled.

Hewitt explained what he was doing but said Spagnuolo replied that he didn't want to hear excuses, and didn't want to see the equipment staff sitting on the bench during games.

Again, this is only one side of the story. Take it for what it's worth.

Spagnuolo sounds exactly like this douchebag soccer coach I had back in middle school and high school. I can't stand people with an overblown sense of self-importance.

[yh]

All of you two-bit speculators need to step aside and let someone with local connections fill you in on what's going on. It's not a well-kept secret that the Rams headquarters (which are a quarter mile from my former office) have a lot of state-of-the-art surveillance equipment on site. One of the gizmos they possess is a cancer detector. Unknown to Hewitt, he set the thing off. Cancer tends to drive the health insurance premiums way up for employers who offer that type of coverage. Because Hewitt chose to live the kind of carefree lifestyle that put his desire for cancer-attracting activities in front of his professional obligations then he deserves to be F-I-R-E-D. Life's hard. Get a helmet. Ooh, see what I did there?

[omnivore]

Lame that the coach did it how he did it. I think that's the messed up part. I don't think he's not entitled to do what he wants, just seems like a cold way to go about it.

[missouri tigers]

Then there was the "events' of Game 7 last season, a warm late October contest at Tampa Bay. With about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, running back Steven Jackson called for Hewitt on the sidelines.

Jackson uses a "sticky" towel known as Gorilla Grip and wanted Hewitt to rub the towel on his hands. Hewitt said Jackson asked him to sit down on the bench while using the towel. The day after a wrenching 18-17 loss to the Buccaneers, Spagnuolo summoned Hewitt to his office. According to Hewitt, Spagnuolo wanted to know why Hewitt was sitting on the bench near the end of the game.

"He said, ?You were sitting on the bench like you were getting a suntan on vacation,' " Hewitt recalled.

Hewitt explained what he was doing but said Spagnuolo replied that he didn't want to hear excuses, and didn't want to see the equipment staff sitting on the bench during games.

Again, this is only one side of the story. Take it for what it's worth.

Spagnuolo sounds exactly like this douchebag soccer coach I had back in middle school and high school. I can't stand people with an overblown sense of self-importance.

Wow, Spagnuolo to me, always seemed like a level-headed and extremely professional head coach, (from what I see in interviews). that being said I'm sure that a person who had as long of an association with the Rams had to have some significant reason for being fired.

[rams80]

Okay, here's some more details.

Confirmation that he wasn't fired for cause - Spagnuolo offered to write him a reference. Seems as though Spags is just a control freak. He might have wanted "his guy" in the position, or at least someone who wasn't so closely identified with the team (and consequently, that he can't push around as easily).

So that's why the Rams let Atogwe go and replaced him with a pack of safeties who collectively cost more, yet are not as good as him, but do have playing experience with the Giants.

Then there was the "events' of Game 7 last season, a warm late October contest at Tampa Bay. With about five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, running back Steven Jackson called for Hewitt on the sidelines.

Jackson uses a "sticky" towel known as Gorilla Grip and wanted Hewitt to rub the towel on his hands. Hewitt said Jackson asked him to sit down on the bench while using the towel. The day after a wrenching 18-17 loss to the Buccaneers, Spagnuolo summoned Hewitt to his office. According to Hewitt, Spagnuolo wanted to know why Hewitt was sitting on the bench near the end of the game.

I dunno you stupid git, I want to know why you thought an 11 point halftime lead was so safe in the modern NFL that you literally had the offense stop trying to move the ball in the second half.

"He said, ?You were sitting on the bench like you were getting a suntan on vacation,' " Hewitt recalled.

Much like you when you're supposed to be deciding what the Rams do on offense *Statler and Waldorf laugh*

Hewitt explained what he was doing but said Spagnuolo replied that he didn't want to hear excuses, and didn't want to see the equipment staff sitting on the bench during games.

And I don't want to see you coach the Rams into losing winnable ballgames Steve, but that's not stopping you either.

--------------------------------------

Seriously, the Tampa loss should have been one of those "fireable offense" games for the coaching staff.