Linehan fired after Rams fall 31-14 to Bills

Rumored coaching change a reality after another St. Louis loss

The Scott Linehan era in St. Louis came to an end after a 31-14 loss to Buffalo Sunday left the Rams at 0-4 for the second straight season. Linehan had an 11-25 record with the Rams.

Defensive coordinator and former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett has been named the interim head coach.

Linehan made several lineup changes for his final game as coach of the Rams. Most notably, Linehan benched Marc Bulger, the highest-paid player in franchise history, in favor of 38-year-old backup Trent Green. Earlier in the week, the Rams also cut ties with starting cornerback Fakhir Brown.

The quarterback change appeared to work well in the first half, as the Rams looked energized on offense for the first time all season.

Rookie wide receiver Donnie Avery took a jet sweep 37 yards for a score in the first quarter, giving the Rams a 7-6 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Steven Jackson ran 29 yards for a touchdown, putting the Rams up 14-6. A missed field goal late in the half would have given the Rams a 17-6 lead heading into the break.

Jabari Greer intercepted Trent Green’s first pass of the fourth quarter and ran it in for a score to give Buffalo a 20-14 lead. The Bills never looked back from that point.

Steven Jackson rushed for 99 yards in the first half, but the Rams abandoned the run in the second half as Jackson ended the game with 110 yards.

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The defensive front looked solid in the first half but struggled in the second half, giving up a 22-yard touchdown run by Fred Jackson. The secondary gave up several big plays as well, including a 39-yard touchdown strike from Trent Edwards to Lee Evans.

Wide receiver Dane Looker and tight end Randy McMichael were both injured during Sunday’s game.

The Rams will have two weeks to get comfortable under Haslett’s guidance as they have a bye week coming up. Their first game with Haslett as coach comes October 12 at Washington.

By Scott Vicker
ProFootball-fans.com St. Louis Rams Correspondent