Steve Julio Spagnuolo (born December 21, 1959 in Whitinsville, Massachusetts) is the current head coach of the St. Louis Rams. He was previously the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants from January 2007 to January 2009, and also served for eight years under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles.

[edit] Early years

Born in the Whitinsville section of Northbridge, MA, Spagnuolo moved to Grafton as a youth. After graduating from Grafton (MA) High School, Spagnuolo played wide receiver at Springfield College, and assisted the University of Massachusetts football team while pursuing his graduate degree.^[1]

[edit] Coaching career

Spagnouolo began his NFL coaching career in the Philadelphia Eagles organization in 1999, serving as linebackers and defensive backs coach. He remained there for eight years, learning Jim Johnson's defensive philosophy. It was under Johnson that Spagnouolo cultivated his trademark look, Goatee and buzz cut.

In January 2007, he was hired as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, under Head Coach Tom Coughlin. He also spent a stint under Bill Parcells at Dallas Cowboys organization.

He spent two years in New York, and was the architect of the aggressive defensive strategy against the New England Patriots (the highest scoring offensive team in NFL history) in Super Bowl XLII, which was instrumental in the close victory by the Giants. Following the Super Bowl win and a great deal of praise, Spagnoulo's name was widely circulated for open head coach positions around the NFL.

On February 7, 2008, he took his name out of consideration for the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins, citing the fact that he did not feel ready to be a head coach.^{[citation needed]} People speculated that he did not like the fact that the coordinators were already installed, but he stated he had no problems with them.^{[citation needed]} The same day, the New York Giants made Spagnuolo one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in the NFL with a new three-year contract, worth roughly $2 million a year.^[2]

[edit] St. Louis Rams

Following another successful season in 2008, Spagnuolo's name came up as a replacement for numerous head coaching vacancies once again, including those for the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Detroit Lions,^{[citation needed]} but Spagnuolo later decided to sign with the St. Louis Rams, taking over their head coaching vacancy with a 4-year, $11.5 million dollar contract.^[3] Spagnuolo has hired Pat Shurmur and Ken Flajole to be the Rams' offensive and defensive coordinators respectively.

[edit] Coaching Philosophy

This section is written like a personal reflection or essay and may require cleanup. Please help improve it by rewriting it in an encyclopedic style. (April 2009)

Spagnuolo learned under Philadelphia coach Jim Johnson, and shares the same aggressive, blitz-heavy approach as his mentor. Spagnuolo uses a 4-3 base defense with a heavy emphasis on multiple blitz packages, including corner and safety blitzes. While defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, he often used a smaller defensive line, with three or even four defensive ends to further pressure the quarterback.

This philosophy proved successful, with the Giants leading the NFL in sacks in 2007. During Super Bowl XLII, Spagnuolo's defense sacked Tom Brady five times, the most times he had been sacked in any game that season.

[edit] Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Steve Spagnuolo has served:

• Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2006)
• Tom Coughlin, New York Giants (2007–2008)

Assistant coaches under Steve Spagnuolo who became NFL head coaches:

• None

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official bio at StLouisRams.com