It didn’t take very long for Sean McVay to make a name for himself in the NFL as he led the Los Angeles Rams to a playoff berth in his first year as head coach.
McVay was able to resurrect a dismal Rams offense, installing more play-action concepts and playing complementary football that left opponents guessing on each snap. An offensive wunderkind, teams around the league quickly took notice and tried to replicate his success by poaching members off his coaching staff.
Since taking over the head coaching job, McVay has been able to lead the franchise to two Super Bowl appearances and a thrilling win in Super Bowl LVI. He blew any expectations out of the water and is now widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league.
Before he was hired, though, there were people with ties close to the organization who were against the hire. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff recounted a story about Marshall Faulk being against hiring McVay, via The Athletic’s new podcast ‘The Playmakers’:
“Marshall was the perfect person because he was explaining to me why we had needed a veteran offensive mind to be the head coach,” Demoff said. “And he was happy to go to dinner with this 30-year-old, but he thought that was stupid, and that we were stupid.”
While Faulk had his doubts, McVay won him over with his football mind and IQ:
“At dinner, the two of them got going and they hit it off immediately. They’re talking the whole time. I remember walking out and Marshall told Stan [Kroenke], he goes, ‘You let that guy leave tomorrow, you’ve made a huge mistake. That’s your guy.’”
Faulk knows a thing or two about scoring at the NFL level as he was one of the most prolific running backs during his time. For McVay to win him over in convincing fashion in just one dinner should speak volumes about his football philosophy as well as his leadership ability.
Los Angeles made a gamble hiring such a young head coach, but McVay has succeeded beyond imagination. However, he faces his toughest challenge yet as he tries to guide a rebuilding roster back to the promised land.
Les Snead reveals snowstorm prevented them from interviewing Kyle Shanahan for head coaching position
Although McVay ultimately landed with Los Angeles, the franchise was eyeing other candidates for the position. Kyle Shanahan was on their short-list for the job, but Les Snead revealed a snowstorm prevented them from ever interviewing him.
