"He concedes it might be wishful thinking, but coach Jeff Fisher said Thursday the Rams hope to have their general manager search wrapped up and their coaching staff complete by the end of next week.

"We've been very, very busy in the last two weeks trying to put together the best possible (coaching) staff we can," Fisher said. "We're getting closer. We still have a number of vacancies. And as has been reported, Kevin (Demoff) and I have been interviewing general manager prospects. That process is going very well. I'm very excited about some of the guys we've talked to at this point."

The Rams have formally announced the hiring of only three coaches: offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and assistant head coach Dave McGinnis.

"They've started familiarizing themselves with our roster," Fisher said. "They're also helping and they're participating in the (coach) interview process with me. When you're going to hire an offensive or defensive assistant, there must be a comfort level at the coordinator position. That's why the process takes so long."

Several other hirings on Fisher's first Rams staff have been confirmed but not announced: offensive line coach Paul Boudreau, defensive line coach Mike Waufle, special teams coach John Fassel and tight ends coach Rob Boras. In addition Brandon Fisher (son of the head coach), and Blake Williams (son of the defensive coordinator) will join the staff, although their exact job titles aren't known.

There might be another coach's son on the staff in Paul Boudreau Jr., and veteran Ray Sherman appears to be in line as wide receivers coach. Fisher declined comment on any of the confirmed hires or potential hires until they become finalized. And for now, most of his attention is elsewhere.

"What we've done, we've shifted gears," Fisher said. "I feel good about the direction the (coaching) staff is headed and the people we have in place. But we've now shifted our focus to that of the general manager, just from a timing standpoint. We'd like to complete the coaching staff probably by the end of next week. It may take another week.""