In St. Louis, Bryan Burwell notes after an initially quiet start to his tenure, Rams Owner Stan Kroenke "is starting to let you see the rather obvious differences between having a millionaire and a billionaire owner at the helm." In the pro sports ownership business, millionaires are "forced to play in the shallow end of the pool." Billionaires such as Kroenke "can play anywhere they darned well please." Burwell: "If you ever see him take an economic shortcut, it is by whim, not necessity. And in his first major decision as Rams majority owner, we're seeing that Kroenke is guiding his ship immediately into mighty deep waters in his strong pursuit of this year's 'it' head-coaching candidate -- Jeff Fisher." Fisher is "one of those win-win sort of transactions that rarely comes along in sports." In the "short term, Fisher sells tickets." In the "long term, if Fisher delivers on his promise to create a championship turnaround, those grateful customers turn into satisfied ones and all those empty seats in the Dome are gone forever" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/11).
ROLLING THE DICE: In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette notes Jaguars GM Gene Smith, with "approval of new owner Shahid Khan, is rolling the dice again by hiring" Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as head coach. It is "still a gamble" because Mularkey "has a resume that is unquestionably a mixed bag." Mularkey, in his "only head coaching stint in Buffalo, resigned after just two years." Looking at Mularkey's "overall body of work, there's no question that Gene Smith is banking on him developing [QB Blaine] Gabbert the way he brought along" Falcons QB Matt Ryan (JACKSONVILLE.com, 1/11).
MEET THE CANDIDATES: In Chicago, Dan Pompei notes six days have passed since the Bears fired GM Jerry Angelo, and the team "has yet to interview a candidate to replace him." The only "known candidate the team requested to interview, Eric DeCosta, elected to stay" in his roles as Ravens Dir of Player Personnel. It is "likely the team would have tried to interview Reggie McKenzie if he had not accepted the job as GM of the Raiders." Among the "outside candidates who are believed to be in the mix are Packers college scouting director John Dorsey, Eagles personnel director Ryan Grigson, Chargers personnel director Jimmy Raye, Giants college scouting director Marc Ross, Falcons personnel director Les Snead," and there "likely are others as well." Pompei notes Bears Dir of Player Personnel Tim Ruskell "also remains a possibility" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 1/11).
MOVING IN A NEW DIRECTION? In California, Gregg Patton writes announcing Chargers coach Norv Turner and GM A.J. Smith "would keep their jobs was like throwing raw meat to snarling lions." One scenario, in a "twisted sort of way, is that team president Dean Spanos didn’t mind angering the fan base and risking further erosion of game attendance, since the long-range plan is, indeed, moving the team" to L.A. The team this week "withdrew its request to San Diego to put a new stadium referendum on the November ballot, citing an inability to find a development partner." Patton: "No stadium deal. Declining interest in the team. The two excuses the Chargers will use in pulling up stakes?" (Riverside PRESS-ENTERPRISE, 1/11).
