[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[Joe Pendleton]

RIP.. the Architect of "Air Coryell" and Dan Fouts.. absolute Legend

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Zampese

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[Joe Pendleton]

man, thanks @Elvis .. just hearing those old voices (Legends both), it gave me "chicken skin"

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

My first memory (i think) of Zampese was a LA Times article talking about Zampese telling a young Jim Everett to "let it go" during camp as in throw the ball, it's a timing offense, do things on time, etc.

That Zampese offense was the first exciting Rams passing attack i'd ever seen as a fan. Martz/GSOT was a disciple and descendant of Coryell/Zampese. I think Ernie was on Martz's staff at some point, maybe as a consultant. I know his son Ken was.

It's kind of amazing to think an old school run first coach like John Robinson put Zampese in charge and let his Rams really throw the ball...

[Elvis]

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

Those X’s and O’s OK for Coach Z : Rams: Offensive coordinator Zampese says he’s not interested in becoming a head coach.

BY CHRIS DUFRESNE
JAN. 11, 1990
TIMES STAFF WRITER

Ernie Zampese, a prominent chain-smoker and Ram offensive coordinator, gets some of his best ideas during noon-time runs between cigarettes.

Zampese runs. Zampese coughs. Zampese thinks. Zampese doesn’t wear socks when he jogs. He doesn’t know why. Zampese isn’t one for conventional thinking, which may explain the success of his pass offenses and an insatiable desire to remain anonymous.

A few years ago, when Zampese was coordinating passing shows for Dan Fouts in San Diego, the Houston Oilers asked permission to speak with Zampese about their head-coaching position.

Zampese said no. The Oilers hired Jerry Glanville. Indianapolis called once, too. Zampese said no. The Colts hired Rod Dowhower.

Zampese’s name has popped up again recently in connection with the Falcons’ opening in Atlanta. Read Zampese’s lips.

“I’m not going to waste their time and mine when I know I’m not going to do it,” Zampese says.

Why Zampese is considered for head-coaching positions isn’t a surprise. In four seasons as the Chargers’ coordinator in the early 1980s, his teams led the league in offense four times. Nice percentage. After he signed on in Anaheim, the Rams’ passing offense jumped from 27th in 1987 to third in 1988. They finished fourth this season.

Zampese, 53, who honed the skills of Fouts, has molded a near replica in Ram quarterback Jim Everett. An artist’s work is never done.

Why Zampese keeps turning down head-coaching positions, just days removed from a decade that preached that greed was good, begs further inspection.

Zampese tried it once, back at Hancock College in the 1960s. John Madden got him the job. Zampese put on a whistle, lowered his voice, barked out orders and detested every pep talk and press luncheon.

Zampese came to a conclusion.

“I wasn’t good at it,” he said.

So he became an assistant coach, a lifer, a man who has turned down million-dollar coaching offers for the chance to be left alone in his intricate world of X’s and O’s.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, he doesn’t have any ambition,’ ” Zampese said Wednesday, “And that’s BS. I love what I’m doing. It’s a big responsibility, and I love it. Why should I do something that maybe I’d be unhappy doing?”

If a million reasons don’t come to mind, a million dollars does. That kind of dough can keep a guy swimming in running socks, but what’s the use if you don’t wear them?

“I love it here,” Zampese said. “I loved it in San Diego. My kids are all here. My grandkids are here. My mom and dad still live in Santa Barbara; he’s 84, she’s 73. Hell, I’m happy. We’re not big spenders, we live modestly. If we want to take a three-day trip to Las Vegas, we do it, and spend whatever money we think we want to spend. We’re not big travelers.”

The drive from El Toro, where the Zampeses live, to Anaheim isn’t the greatest, but Zampese beats the traffic by leaving at 5 a.m. You can never get to an opponent’s film too early, and he has the bags under his eyes to prove it.

To Zampese, there is no better situation in the world than Anaheim. All Zampese asked for was the tools, and the Rams have provided, handing him the likes of Everett, Henry Ellard, and Flipper Anderson. Zampese brought a few of his own from San Diego, fullback Buford McGee and tight end Pete Holohan.

As a strategist, Zampese is a master craftsman, teacher and a tinkerer--a legendary perfectionist and eccentric. Zampese used to drive Everett crazy by jangling coins in his pocket during meetings.

“Now he keeps three pens in his hands and rotates them in meetings,” Everett said. “He keeps the rhythm of the meetings upbeat. But I enjoy that sound, because it means we’re still playing.”

Zampese says he’s at his best when he’s locked in a room with a pad, pencil, and film of the next opponent.

“Just put me in a back room someplace,” he says. “I like that part of it. I like to change things, but not change them. I like to change the looks of things.”

The day after Flipper Anderson had set his single-game reception record against New Orleans, catching 15 passes for 336 yards, Anderson emerged from the film room and announced that he had been scolded by Zampese for running sloppy patterns.

“Ah, Flipper blew that out of proportion,” Zampese said. “I didn’t yell at him. But there were some routes he didn’t run well.”

Zampese doesn’t need to yell at his players. If you’re not performing up to par, you find out soon enough.

“He doesn’t say a lot, but he’s a demanding guy,” said Holohan, on his second tour of duty with Zampese after seven years in San Diego. “If you’re not doing your job, you may find yourself not as involved in the next game plan.”

Zampese doesn’t accept lazy efforts, especially at practice. His passing offense is based on precision, timing and trust. Zampese stands behind Everett at practices and demands he let the ball go before the receiver breaks.

“We tell him to turn it loose,” Zampese said. “A lot of times the receiver has his back to him and there’s a defender staring right at him. It looks like he’s throwing the ball right to the defender. If the receiver doesn’t do what he’s supposed to do, it’s an interception.”

If you don’t practice for Zampese, you don’t play for him. There’s too much at stake.

“This offense has to have full-speed practices,” he said. “You can’t do it half-speed and then do it on Sundays.”

Zampese loves football, the strategies and matchups. He thrives on game-day pressure. Some moments can’t be duplicated, such as last week’s call in overtime against the New York Giants that sent Anderson deep for a touchdown pass and the Rams to San Francisco for this week’s NFC title game.

Zampese sent the game-winning play down from the press box, knowing the risks of passing with his team already in field-goal range at the 30.

“I didn’t think we’d get a touchdown out of it,” he said. “But we were thinking about getting close. I thought it was going to be a good play.”

Zampese loves every aspect of the game except the prospects of becoming a head coach. It’s not that he can’t take the pressure.

“It’s the same on assistants,” he said. “If the head coach gets fired, you’re fired. You should come upstairs and call plays in a game sometime, and see if there’s a little pressure.”

What’s not to like about being a head coach?

“Every phase of it,” Zampese explained. “Handling the media. I’d hate to walk into a room full of reporters. I really didn’t want to stand up in front of a whole team before. I’ve done it, and I could probably do the other (be a head coach) if I really wanted to do it. I’m not a real motivating talker, that’s not my style. I mean, I’m dull. It’s true.”

Zampese pours all his flash into the playbook. Everything he does is for the benefit of the team.

“I’ve never seen a man so into his business without an ego,” Everett said. “He has so much insight it’s unbelievable.”

Just don’t call him about that job opening near you. Save the quarter. The answer is no.

[Joe Pendleton]

great read!