Steve Spagnuolo knew three of his peers had raised the bar for first-year head coaches in 2008.He just didn't grasp how high until experiencing a bumpy maiden season in St. Louis first-hand.
Spagnuolo and first-year general manager Billy Devaney are striving to reach those same heights. Spagnuolo said he has tried drawing on his experience as an assistant under Philadelphia coach Andy Reid, who was 5-11 in his 1999 debut season.
"I knew this would be tough, but that's OK," said Spagnuolo, whose team's lone victory came earlier this month at Detroit. "When you don't win, confidence doesn't come quite as early.
"We're building something here. To their credit, the guys have hung in there thus far. That's not an easy thing to do, especially guys who have been around here for a few years."
Spagnuolo and other laboring neophytes can take solace in this: Positive initial results don't guarantee long-term success. Miami, Baltimore and Atlanta have taken steps back in 2009 with 5-5 records. All would miss the playoffs if the season ended today.
That's a disappointment most of this year's new head coaches already know all too well.
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