April joins Rams special teams

Bobby April's journalism career ended before it began.

He isn't necessarily brokenhearted.

The Steelers' special teams coach in 1994 and '95, April recently accepted the same position with the St. Louis Rams and left realnfl.com after last week's Super Bowl.

A football coach by trade, the 47-year-old April never considered himself much of a journalist despite writing columns for former New Orleans Saints executive Terry O'Neil's Web site.

'I'm not a journalist or anything. ... I don't know how my journalism skills turned out,' April said. 'I have gained a whole new perspective for the sport from that (media) side.'

April took the correspondence writing job because O'Neil, a Saints salary cap consultant during the Mike Ditka regime and friend of April's, asked him as a favor.

'Terry and I had a real good working rapport. We knew each other well from working together with the Saints and stayed good friends after the Saints,' said April, who left the Steelers after the 1995 season to join the Saints in the same capacity and become geographically closer to his parents in New Orleans. 'He kind of told me what he wanted to do.

'It was great to broaden my horizons. The press is such an integral part of the game.'

April, though, is pleased to become an active coaching member again.

The reason April took a year off was because, when the Saints fired him, he still had one year remaining on his contract. He spent that time with his family.

'That was a much worthier purpose than trying to make sure we got the kick off in 2.1 seconds,' April said, referring to his usual duties of coaching punt coverage. 'I'm looking forward to going back. I just took the year off because I had the opportunity.'

He had the job offers, too.

'He is generally regarded as the best special teams coach. ... He had 12 offers last year,' O'Neil said. 'Bobby is a guy who's headed for big things in football.

'He's a great friend more than anything else.'