THE UNIVERSITY DAILY IGANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
SPORTS
NFL
5B
Jim Hastett speaks at a news conference naming him the interim head coach of the St. Louis Rams on Monday in St. Louis. The winnless Rams fred coach Scott Linehan on Monday, the day after a fourth straight lopsided loss to start the season. The Rams lost at home to the Buffalo Bills 14-31 on Sunday. Haslett, rams defensive coordinator, will replace Linehan on an interim basis, rams spokesman Rick Smith said. Haslett had been the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2005, where he led the team to a 45-51 record before being replaced by Sean Payton.
Def. coordinator named Rams' interim coach
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Jim Haslett won a division title and had a 10-6 record in his first year as an NFL head coach, then produced only one winning record in his last five seasons with the New Orleans Saints before being fired in 2005.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Haslett believes he's a lot better equipped for the job the second time around as interim head coach of the St. Louis Rams. Game day management, personnel decisions, handling adversity — he's ready for it all after the Rams fired Scott Linehan
Monday and handed over game-day authority to their former defensive coordinator.
"I always thought second-time head coaches, if you look at the track record, are better coaches because of the experiences they went through the first time," Haslet said. "Just look at the guys who have second opportunities, and most of them have been successful."
Role models for Haslett, 52,
include the Patriots' Bill Belichick
and the Colts' Tony Dungy. Big
names now, but Belichick was
fired by the Browns and Dungy
was let go by the Bucs.
"You learn things about players, how they react to situations," Haslett said. "Probably the biggest thing, how you would handle things. There's a number of things, I have a list."
Owner Chip Rosenbloom chose Haslett despite a disappointing start by the defense, ranked 31st out of 32 teams.
Haslett gets at least a 12-game audition, with a shot at removing the "interim" tag next season.
Haslett was 45-51 with the Saints, developing a fierce rivalry with the Rams when both teams were in the NFC West. He got his pink slip after a 3-13 showing under extremely adverse conditions, running a team also dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He joined Linehan's staff in 2006, believing it would be a steppingstone to another head coaching job.
"You like to think so, but right now I'm worrying about this year," Haslett said. "Coaches live year to year anyway. Hopefully, we can turn this thing around."
"I think that after meeting with Jim, he's the man that can turn this team around," said owner Chip Rosenbloom, who gave Haslett a say in personnel matters.
Even though the Rams have lost 17 of 20 and have allowed 30 points in seven straight games, the mediocre state of the NFC West gives him some hope. The Cardinals and 49ers are tied for the lead at 2-2.
"In this division, you never know," Haslett said. "I promise you they'll play hard. They will play hard or they're not going to be here.
"We're going to give it everything we've got and we'll try to keep the mistakes to a minimum."
Haslett knows a few wins will do wonders for team morale. He
realizes there will be mistakes, and when they happen he wants players to be tough-minded and shrug them off.
"Something bad will happen every game, but that's the National Football League," Haslett said. "How you overcome it, how do you handle adversity, how do you handle crowd noise on the road, how do you handle a fumble, how do you handle things?
"Right now, we're not going very well but we're going to work on that and try to fix that because adversity does hit in the NFL."
NFL
Former Jaguar left paralyzed after shooting, loses leg
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE. Fla.
JACKSONVILLE. Fla.
Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, shot while sitting in a car outside an apartment complex earlier this month, is paralyzed below the waist and his left leg was amputated, his doctor said Monday.
Collier was on a ventilator for about three weeks and has no memory of the shooting, said Andy Kerwin, a surgeon for the University of Florida at Shands Jacksonville hospital.
"His overall condition has improved greatly," Kerwin said. "We expect him to be discharged soon."
Kerwin said Collier suffered 14
bullet wounds to the back, left groin, left legs and right buttock. In addition, a bullet severed his spinal cord, causing the paralysis. The amputation was the result of damage to his left leg and groin, where blood clots formed. Five bullets alone were removed from his urinary bladder and the 26-year-old player also had bouts of pneumonia, infections and renal failure.
Still, his condition has been upgraded to good from critical.
Collier will undergo physical therapy to learn how to move from his bed to a wheelchair. He will never walk again, the doctor said.
Collier's agent jeff jankovich said the player's family wanted to
sure Collier understood what had happened to him before releasing details to the public. He said they even kept the Jaguars in the dark.
Collier and former teammate Kenneth Pettway were waiting for two women outside an apartment complex early Sept. 2 when a gunman fired into the vehicle, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office. Pettway was not injured.
"He has extreme grief for a lifetime of dreams he won't be able to fulfill," the agent said.
The motive behind the attack on Collier is unknown, but investigators said earlier he appeared to be targeted. Police have made no arrests in the shooting.
Jankovich refused to say specifically when Collier would be released, citing security concerns.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio and several players attended the news conference.
"It's a tragedy this young man was caught up in this violence." Del Rio said. "It's a great tragedy for a young man who had such a promising future."
Offensive tackle Tony Pashos said the attack on Collier has been difficult for his teammates. "I think about him a lot," he said.
Collier was in his third year with the NFL after graduating from Valdosta State.
He was the third NFL player shot
in the past 18 months, Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor was fatally shot during what police said was a botched burglary attempt at his Miami-area home in November.
Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed when his rented limousie was sprayed with bullets minutes after leaving a New Year's party at a club in 2007.
NASCAR
NASCAR Gordon and Allmendiger go top 10 at KS Speedway
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It would be easy for ailing Jeff Gordon or unemployed AJ Almendinger to take a leisurely Sunday drive around Kansas Speedway.
But Gordon is racing for a championship, Allmendinger is
With so much on the line, both delivered solid performances — Gordon was fourth. Allmendinger was a career-best ninth.
Gordon is winless this season, and his last victory was almost a year ago.
Associated Press
racing for a job.