Rams fire Linehan, name Haslett his replacement

After experiencing the wild highs and lows of the Mike Martz years, the winless St. Louis Rams opted for cool, calm, reserved Scott Linehan as their next coach.

Monday, they admitted their mistake and fired Linehan after four consecutive lopsided losses to open the season. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, a fiery type and polar opposite in terms of demeanor, was given the unenviable task of trying to revive a franchise that has become an NFL doormat.

The Rams have lost 17 of their past 20 games, most of them routs.

Linehan, 45, was 11-25 in the third season of a four-year contract that paid him about $8 million. The Rams have been outscored 147-43 this season, and have allowed at least 30 points in seven straight games dating to last year.

The move was made heading into the Rams’ bye week and in the early morning hours Monday, several hours after the Buffalo Bills outscored them 25-0 in the second half of a 31-14 victory.

The Rams were 3-13 in 2007 and have lost eight in a row dating to last season. Dissension had been building after unsuccessful stabs by Linehan at a makeover: several new assistants; a remote training camp site; a higher-energy, upbeat delivery by the coach to project confidence and enthusiasm.

Linehan turned to desperation after the Rams were outscored 116-29 the first three games. Quarterback Marc Bulger, the highest-paid player in franchise history, was benched in favor of 38-year-old Trent Green. Starting cornerback Fakhir Brown, a Haslett favorite, was released and there were four other lineup changes.

Running back Steven Jackson ripped Linehan on his weekly radio show for benching Bulger, and there were reports Bulger no longer wanted to play for Linehan. Bulger has not spoken to the media since the benching.

Linehan, who addressed players for about 10 minutes Monday morning before driving away without speaking to reporters, was a quarterback at Idaho whose coaching resume includes two stints as an assistant at his alma mater and one at Washington.

•Smith fined; Boldin resting: Hours after Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt called for the NFL to review a helmet-to-helmet hit by New York’s Eric Smith on Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, the Jets safety was suspended for one game.

Boldin was resting at home Monday, one day after being carted off the field in the Cardinals’ 56-35 loss to the Jets in New Jersey.

Team spokesman Mark Dalton said Boldin was fully mobile and was “resting comfortably at home.” The team released no other information on Boldin’s condition.

Smith also was fined $50,000 for a flagrant violation of player safety rules, the league said.

•Rodgers’ shoulder sprained: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers intends to play against Atlanta on Sunday despite a sprained shoulder.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy and his assistants will spend this week monitoring Rodgers’ progress and preparing rookie backup Matt Flynn to start, just in case.

Rodgers was injured on a scramble in the third quarter of Sunday’s 30-21 loss at Tampa Bay. He stayed in the game and threw a touchdown pass to Greg Jennings, but sat out part of the fourth quarter. Rodgers said after the game he might have separated his shoulder.

McCarthy said medical tests revealed no major structural damage.

•Burress agreement near: The New York Giants and suspended star receiver Plaxico Burress are close to an agreement that will cut his fine for missing a team meeting last week.

Burress still will have to sit out the team-mandated one-game suspension against Seattle on Sunday.

The two sides worked over the weekend on an agreement, Richard Berthelsen, the interim executive director of the NFL Players Association, said.

•Henry cleared to practice: Receiver Chris Henry was cleared to practice with the Cincinnati Bengals, having completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s conduct policy.

The Bengals got a one-week roster exemption for Henry, who will be allowed to practice with the team but doesn’t have to be added to the active roster. The Bengals would have to get rid of a player to make room for him.

•Faulkner dies: Jack Faulkner, a longtime executive with the Rams and coach of the Denver Broncos in 1962 and 1963, has died. He was 82.

He died Sunday night in Newport Beach, Calif., the St. Louis Rams said. Faulkner had a 53-year career in the NFL.

Miscellany

Shock in WNBA finals

Deanna Nolan scored 21 points and Taj McWilliams-Franklin added 19 to help the Detroit Shock reach the WNBA finals for the third straight season with a 75-73 win over the New York Liberty.

The Shock won the best-of-3 Eastern Conference finals and advanced to play San Antonio for the championship. Detroit beat Sacramento in 2006 for its second league title, then lost in five games to Phoenix last year.

•Hoosiers blame Sampson: Indiana University responded to an NCAA charge that it failed to monitor its men’s basketball program by accusing former coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff of withholding information and concealing impermissible recruiting phone calls from compliance officials.

The lengthy report, released in response to a Freedom of Information request from the Associated Press, explained the actions of Sampson and his staff made it almost impossible to detect the alleged violations earlier.

•Blackhawks waive Khabibulin: Chicago Blackhawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin has been put on waivers.

Khabibulin is entering the final season of a four-year, $27 million contract. The Blackhawks signed free agent goalie Cristobal Huet to a four-year, $22.5 million deal in July, giving them two top goaltenders.