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

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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 strong 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.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press