Possible head-coaching candidates for Rams
— -- Firing Jeff Fisher with three games remaining gives the Los Angeles Rams ample time to identify and pursue their next head coach.
They will be looking to improve an offense that ranked 31st in touchdowns scored (137) during four-plus seasons under Fisher. They will want a coach who buys into rookie quarterback Jared Goff. If their next coach possesses the credentials to move the needle in the cluttered Los Angeles market, all the better.
The Rams could make other changes to their leadership, which could in turn affect how a coaching search might proceed.?And there could be other considerations. Three of the stronger current candidates -- Jim Schwartz, Steve Spagnuolo and Scott Linehan -- could be excluded for the wrong reasons. Spagnuolo and Linehan were Rams head coaches previously, while Schwartz has a long association with Fisher from their days together in Tennessee.
In the meantime, here's a quick look at six potential candidates with offensive pedigrees:
Josh McDaniels
How a candidate will operate within an organization's walls can be one of the great unknown variables when a team hires a new coach from the outside. Since McDaniels was the Rams' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2011, some team officials would have a better feel for him. McDaniels lasted only 28 games as the Denver Broncos' head coach in 2009 and '10. How much has he grown from that experience?
"Josh McDaniels came out on fire in Denver with a 6-0 start and his ego ended up being his downfall," a former McDaniels associate said. "Looking back, Josh says, 'I did that to myself.'"
McDaniels obviously benefits from his association with Tom Brady, but that should not disqualify him. The same was said for Adam Gase when he coached Peyton Manning; Gase is off to a promising start in his first season as a head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and every offense he has run has improved.
"McDaniels is youthful, smart, understands the cap and has done it before, which could make him head and shoulders above the other candidates," a veteran NFL coach said.
Kyle Shanahan
The Falcons are averaging a league-leading 32.9 points per game, which may or may not say anything about what kind of head coach Shanahan would be. His father won two Super Bowls coaching the Denver Broncos, a pedigree that could work in Shanahan's favor.
David Shaw
Shaw had NFL coaching experience with Philadelphia, Oakland and Baltimore before Stanford hired him as offensive coordinator (2010) and then head coach (2011). He is from San Diego and obviously knows the California landscape well. He would also come to the Rams fully familiar with the Rams' franchise quarterback after competing against the Goff-led California Bears in the Pac-12.
"Shaw would be excellent," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "He would put in a steady program with rules and order, and he would connect well with the players, and he would be dynamic enough. He would bring balance and discipline to a team with a lot of 15-yard penalties."
Jim Bob Cooter
Matthew Stafford has 41 touchdown passes with nine interceptions and a 15-6 starting record in 21 games with Cooter as his coordinator. Stafford had 32 TDs with 21 INTs and a 10-11 record in his 21 previous starts. The Rams would not be in their current predicament if former franchise quarterback Sam Bradford had made such a jump. Injuries played a key role in preventing the team from finding out what Bradford's trajectory could be, but still, why not investigate Cooter?
The Lions haven't gotten appreciably better from a personnel standpoint over their past 21 games. The offensive line has improved, but key contributors such as Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson have departed. Cooter, 32, is in only his second season as a coordinator.
Rob Chudzinski
The Rams interviewed Chudzinski and current New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen for their head-coaching vacancy in 2012, when Fisher became the choice. Chudzinski's name also surfaced when the Rams were looking for an offensive coordinator to replace Brian Schottenheimer in early 2015, but the Colts denied permission.
Jim Harbaugh
Harbaugh is a big name and has an impressive win-loss record, and a recent NFC West pedigree make him a natural consideration. But the Rams also have an up-close feel for Harbaugh's reputation as a coach who can be a challenging force within the building.