Rams Reminiscing: Cardinals Coach Jonathan Gannon Credits Time in St. Louis for Arizona Hire
The Los Angeles Rams now have a new head coach to deal with in the NFC West after the Arizona Cardinals hired former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
But though Gannon now joins the Cards in a continuous rivalry with the rest of the NFC West, he admitted during his introductory press conference on Thursday that his time in the Rams scouting department when the team was in St. Louis is something that he credits for landing him his first gig as an NFL head coach.
"I was on the personnel side for three years and it gave me a different view of the game," Gannon said. "It gave me a bird's-eye view of how that operation runs, why the personnel and the scouts that are going on school calls are so vital to a team's success because I did that. I feel like I learned how to evaluate players as I was going through that process."
After serving as a defensive quality control assistant for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, Gannon left the sidelines to head to the press box and work as a college scout in St. Louis in 2009. His role flipped again in 2010, as he began pro-level scouting for the team in 2010 and '11 before heading back to the coaching ranks with the Tennessee Titans in 2012.
The Rams have someone new to deal with twice a year, but Gannon seems like he'll always have a soft spot for his time with the franchise.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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