"In the earliest days of the Rams' lengthy search for a general manager, Atlanta's Les Snead asked Kevin Demoff:

"Do you think you can get Jeff Fisher? That's a guy I want to work for. That's the opportunity of a lifetime."

The Rams got Fisher. And now Snead has a job as general manager of the Rams in a lengthy process that included nine candidate interviews and took 5? weeks. As last week wound down, the Rams narrowed their list to two finalists, Snead and Minnesota director of player personnel George Paton.

Multiple sources told the Post-Dispatch on Friday that Paton was the front-runner, but at the 11th hour Paton took a promotion - to assistant general manager - and stayed with the Vikings.

So Snead was offered and accepted the job, and the Rams began contract

negotiations with him Saturday. The contract should be completed within a day or two, meaning Snead formally will be introduced as Billy Devaney's successor Monday or Tuesday at Rams Park.

Demoff, the Rams' executive vice president of football operations, finessed the front-runner issue, saying, "We had two good candidates, we liked 'em both."

But Demoff adamantly denied reports that Paton was offered the job.

"The one thing I want to make clear: George Paton was never offered the job," Demoff said. "How that got misconstrued ... I don't know."

So it's Snead, a native of Eufala, Ala

He's was a tight end for Auburn in the early '90s. And a would-be medical school student. Dr. Snead? That was his plan after graduating from Auburn with a psychology degree. His career path changed abruptly when offered a graduate assistant coaching position in 1994 for his alma mater."