NY Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will be the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams.
The Rams and Spagnuolo are currently negotiating the terms of his contract and indications are that we can expect the announcement of the hiring later today.
At this time no news conference is planned for Saturday at Rams Park.
Spagnuolo, 49, was the Giants defensive coordinator in 2007 and 2008 and came up with the game plan that resulted in five sacks of Tom Brady and a shocking upset of the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Before that, Spagnuolo learned his trade under acclaimed Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, working as an Eagles defensive assistant from 1999-2006. Spagnuolo came out of the Philadelphia experience with a variety of multiple defensive formations and blitz packages that he put to great use with the Giants.
Rams GM Billy and Spagnuolo have been friends for many years and that relationship obviously created a trust factor that helped Spagnuolo feel comfortable about taking the Rams job.
Spagnuolo served as a player personnel intern for the Washington Redskins in 1983, during Devaney's time in D.C. as an aide to GM Bobby Beathard. And Spagnuolo was a scout in San Diego in 1993, working for Devaney, then the Chargers' assistant GM.
Spagnuolo wowed the Rams' brass with a presentation in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Spagnuolo has earned a reputation for being a terrific motivator, and was able to maintain the quality of the NY Giants defense this season despite the retirement of DE Michael Strahan and a season-ending knee injury to DE Osi Umenyiora.
Spagnuolo was born in Whitinsville, Mass. and attended Grafton High School, where he is a member of the schools athletic Hall of Fame. Spagnuolo earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Springfield College and a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts. He is a member of the Springfield College Hall of Fame. He's married; wife's name is Maria and she's a native of Philadelphia.
UPDATE: The NFL Network is reporting that Spagnuolo and the Rams have agreed on a four-year contract worth $11.5 million.