At the start of the St. Louis Rams' coaching search, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was not really on the list.
General manager Billy Devaney assumed New York would be back in the Super Bowl and didn't think he could afford to wait for Spagnuolo.
"I'm such a great predictor of football games," Devaney said yesterday. "As soon as they were eliminated it was like, 'Wow, let's start this process.' "
Devaney's long-term friendship with Spagnuolo helped speed things from there.
Friendship aside, the 47-year-old Spagnuolo played an integral role in thwarting the New England Patriots' perfect season in last year's Super Bowl and had another successful year this season despite dealing with injuries to key personnel. He quickly won over ownership and agreed to a 4-year contract worth just under $12 million Saturday.
Spagnuolo was enthusiastic about his new position, but stopped well short of a turnaround timetable for a franchise that last went to the playoffs in 2003.
"I'm not going to go there," Spagnuolo said. "We're going to have to start at the beginning here, take it one step at a time, and build on it. It's not about predictions and bold promises; it's about building."
Noteworthy
* Giants coach Tom Coughlin promoted linebackers coach Bill Sheridan to replace Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator.
* Green Bay hired Dom Capers as defensive coordinator. Capers, the former Carolina and Houston coach who spent last season as a special assistant and secondary coach with the Patriots, replaces Bob Sanders, whom coach Mike McCarthy fired Jan. 5.
* Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, but teammate Heath Miller says he is certain Ward will play in the Super Bowl.
* Baltimore pro personnel director George Kokinis, the leading candidate to replace the fired Phil Savage as Cleveland's general manager, met with Browns coach Eric Mangini and team executives. He has not, however, been offered the GM position, a person with knowledge of Kokinis' visit told the Associated Press.
In other Ravens news, running back Willis McGahee is expected to make a "complete recovery" from a fierce, helmet-to-helmet hit in the AFC Championship Game that saw him carted off the field. McGahee returned to his Baltimore home after spending the night in a Pittsburgh hospital recovering from Sunday's collision with Steelers safety Ryan Clark. *
