IN BRIEF
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo and GM Billy Devaney were fired Monday, one day after the Rams wrapped up a 2-14 season tied for the NFL's worst. Kevin Demoff, vice president and chief operating officer, said owner Stan Kroenke made the decision Sunday night.
Demoff said a report that former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher had already been scheduled for the first interview was “100 percent false.” But he added that Fisher was a “potentially attractive candidate.”
Demoff expects the search for both positions to be concluded in the next few weeks and said it didn't necessarily matter which position was filed first. Former coach Dick Vermeil and Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk will be consultants, and Demoff said Kroenke “will be heavily involved.”
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is the only assistant coach under contract through next season.
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are dumping coach Raheem Morris, although not necessarily their determination to win with one of the NFL's youngest teams.Morris was fired Monday after three seasons that raised questions about ownership's commitment to winning because the club has resisted spending large amounts of money in free agency.A 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday's season finale was the 10th straight following a 4-2 start.Morris went 17-31, including a 10-6 mark in 2010, when the Bucs narrowly missed the playoffs. His entire staff of assistants was dismissed, too.
NEW YORK — The NFL has set the order for April’s draft for non-playoff teams, with the Indianapolis Colts owning the No. 1 overall pick.Behind Indianapolis is St. Louis, which also went 2-14 but against a more difficult schedule, earning the Colts’ the chance to pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, considered the top prospect at the position in many years.
