Taking Rams by the horns

To them, Spagnuolo is the local guy who hit it big, doing it the right way. He’s the coach who grew up in Whitinsville, attended public high school in Grafton, attended Springfield College, earned his master’s degree in sports management from UMass-Amherst, then diligently worked his way up the coaching ranks - in college and the pros, in the United States and Europe - before landing one of the most coveted jobs in football: NFL head coach.

Spagnuolo was hired to lead the St. Louis Rams in January, and true to the three-decade process he followed to land his first head coaching gig, he arrived with a plan.

On the lookout for hungry players, he first watched the last 4-5 games of the 2008 season, when the Rams were already eliminated from playoff contention.

“Even though they had struggled to a 2-14 season,’’ said Spagnuolo, “I saw a team that continued to play hard in all of those games, and that’s a credit to the staff that was here before and also a reflection of the players that are here. I feel like if you at least have that, and can do some of the right things in building around that, then you have a chance.’’

Spagnuolo, 49, has already proven that unexpected things can happen when the right ingredients come together, for few had given the Giants a chance in that Super Bowl.

But thanks to a magnificent defensive effort that pounded Tom Brady, and coaching wrinkles such as using ferocious end Justin Tuck in a two-point stance next to the nose tackle, the rush-minded Giants pulled off the shocker. It’s a performance most often associated with Spagnuolo’s name - he was in his first season as defensive coordinator - and one that put him on the fast track to becoming a head coach.

To Spagnuolo’s credit, however, he has deflected the praise.

In an era when coaches often receive more acclaim - and blame - than they deserve, Spagnuolo has maintained the victory was “about the players.’’

“We had a bunch of guys on that day that decided they weren’t going to be denied,’’ he said. “I was just blessed to be a part of it.’’

Now the challenge is finding a similar formula in St. Louis.

“We’d like to have a bunch of guys that are physical and aggressive and that play with a lot of character,’’ he said. “I believe you can do that. I believe you can be a class group of football players and still go out and be nasty on the field and play physical and play tough.’’

Key questions facing the Rams: Can quarterback Marc Bulger rebound? Can a reconstructed offensive line with No. 2 overall draft pick Jason Smith as one bookend hold up in pass protection and create more running room for Steven Jackson? Can a previously undersized defense led by playmaking safety O.J. Atogwe add some beef and become more physical? And will the franchise being up for sale be a distraction?

Then, of course, there is the question of how Spagnuolo will fare as a head coach.

Coaching has been in Spagnuolo’s DNA as far back as the eighth grade. As a member of Grafton High’s football team, he played in the Central Mass./Western Mass. Super Bowl at Springfield College. It was reinforced to him that Springfield wasn’t just the city where basketball was born - it also is where the careers of successful physical education teachers and coaches were hatched.

Enrolling at Springfield and playing under football coach Howard Vandersea turned out to be his springboard into the profession.

“He was way ahead of his time in regards to practice organization, technique, and details,’’ said Spagnuolo. “That was when my football knowledge kind of grew 10 times. I know guys who I played with at Springfield and are coaching now, and we still use a lot of the same things Coach Vandersea did in the mid-1970s and late 1970s.’’

A Springfield connection ultimately landed Spagnuolo his first NFL experience, with alum Charley Casserly, then the Redskins assistant general manager, hiring him as a personnel intern in 1983. That’s also when Spagnuolo met current Rams GM Billy Devaney, who was on the ’Skins personnel staff and later hired Spagnuolo as a scout with the Chargers in 1993.

But most of Spagnuolo’s career was in the college ranks, with stops at Lafayette, Connecticut, Maine, Rutgers, and Bowling Green in the ’80s and ’90s. Two stints in NFL Europe reopened the door for him in the NFL, with the Eagles under Andy Reid in 1999.

Spagnuolo has taken a little piece from every coach he’s worked with. When he was a graduate assistant at UMass, for example, he watched Jim Reid and saw how far a passion for the game could take someone. From NFL Europe coach Jack Bicknell, it was “tremendous loyalty to staff and players, which he always got back in return.’’

For a moment last week, Spagnuolo took a trip down Memory Lane, reflecting on each and every one, before recalling his days as a youngster playing sports at Plummer’s Park in Whitinsville and visiting the popular residences at UMass’s Pufton Village.

It might be one of the few times Spagnuolo allows himself to look back, because he’s full force ahead in a job toward which he’s long been working.

You can't call him Al

Tired of the questions yet regarding Big Al?

“[Laughs] We are tired of hearing it, because he’s a Redskin now. We’re going to miss him as a teammate and everything he brought to us, but it isn’t the first time that a high-impact player has left a team.’’

How do you envision the Titans filling that void?

“We don’t have anyone like him, so you can’t replace him in a physical way. One thing I do know is that all of us working together can try to equal up to that one guy. We aren’t a selfish group. People aren’t expecting us to do too much, but at the same time, they might not realize what kind of people we have in the locker room.’’

From the sound of it, the team plans to rotate linemen in and out, with Kyle Vanden Bosch, Jevon Kearse, Jacob Ford, David Ball, and William Hayes the top ends, and yourself, Jovan Haye, and Jason Jones the top players at tackle. Your thoughts on the group?

“One thing that stands out is that a lot of us have been cut and nobody wanted us at one point. So I think it’s about what’s inside of all of us when we get out there. We’re just a bunch of guys that is going to bring it, because we feel we have nothing to lose.’’

You certainly fall into that category. You had been with Miami, San Francisco, and Carolina and were looking for work when the Titans brought you in . . . only because Haynesworth was suspended.

“Once I got here with Coach [Jeff ] Fisher and [defensive line] coach [Jim ] Washburn, I told them all I wanted was a chance. I know they hear that all the time. I’m just glad they took a gamble on me. My mind-set was just to make it hard on them to let me go. It’s paid off.’’

Is the Vince Young situation becoming a distraction for the team?

“No, it hasn’t been a distraction at all. He’s our teammate. I’m not saying that because I feel I have to. He’s a grown man and he’s going to make his own decisions. At the same time, we’re behind him. You can’t fault a guy for wanting his position back.’’

What have you seen from the offense that might look different from last year?

“Everyone is doing their thing, it’s not just one guy, and I think that will make everyone better. Just more weapons around.’’

Keeping them in line can be a big advantage

While some teams have made changes with an eye toward improvement - such as the Eagles with the additions of Jason Peters and Stacy Andrews - the general goal for most is to retain the same personnel.

“The obvious part is the familiarity,’’ said Patriots left tackle Matt Light, who is part of a unit that returns intact. “It’s not impossible, but it’s a heck of a learning curve trying to get used to playing next to another guy and all the mistakes that come with that.

“When you’ve been able to keep a group together, you are able to get through camp so much easier. You’re able to install things quicker, unless we somehow have football amnesia.

“Then you start working on all the little things, you can fine-tune in those areas. You get so much critique from season to season and you keep building on that stuff. When you have a new guy that comes in, or there is a rotation or some kind of mix-up, it takes a while to jell again.’’

In the AFC, the Broncos, Chiefs, Colts, Jets, Steelers, Texans, and Titans join the Patriots in returning their top offensive line personnel.

In the NFC, it’s the Cardinals, Cowboys, Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Panthers, Saints, and Seahawks. The Buccaneers will qualify if left guard Arron Sears, who has remained away this offseason in a bit of a mystery, returns from personal issues.

Etc.

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.