Rams hire Saunders as offensive coordinator

~ St. Louis turned to a familiar face to fill a coaching vacancy.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams hired Al Saunders as offensive coordinator Wednesday, another step in a coaching staff overhaul following a three-win season.

Saunders was fired by the Washington Redskins on Saturday after two seasons in the same position. He'll begin his second stint with the Rams after serving as an assistant under Dick Vermeil in 1999 and 2000, helping the Rams win their first Super Bowl after the '99 season.

Saunders, who signed a three-year contract, will call the plays next season, team spokesman Rick Smith said.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to announce that Al Saunders is our new offensive coordinator," coach Scott Linehan said. "The process took time. We needed to be patient."

The Rams began negotiating with Saunders, who had a year to go on his contract with the Redskins, soon after he was fired.

"When Al became available and we were granted permission to talk to him, it became obvious he was the right man for the job," Linehan said.

Saunders replaces Greg Olson, who has been hired by the Bucs as quarterbacks coach after two seasons in St. Louis. Olson called plays the last six games of the 2006 season, helping them finish at 8-8, but Linehan resumed play calling in the middle of last season.

Earlier in the month, the Rams fired offensive line coach Paul Boudreau, secondary coach Willy Robinson and running backs coach Wayne Moses. All served two seasons under Linehan.

Saunders was associate head coach and wide receivers coach in his earlier stint with St. Louis. He was known for his high-energy style in practice, typically sprinting downfield to offer instant coaching tips to the wide receivers.