The Los Angeles Rams wasted no time in ushering in some serious turnover to their coaching staff following a disappointing finish to the 2019 NFL season.
The departure of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, special teams coordinator John Fassel and running backs coach Skip Peete have left a few rather notable voids alongside head coach Sean McVay. While the Rams have since replaced Phillips with Brandon Staley as the new defensive coordinator, the biggest change for quarterback Jared Goff will be the arrival of offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell.
There is no denying the impact that the previous coaches have made in helping this franchise turn its fortunes around. Although there is plenty of speculation regarding all the changes, Goff has openly optimistic about the direction this team is going in.
Goff is admittedly looking forward to getting to work with all the new faces, via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times:
“You love what Wade did for us. You can’t ever look past that,” Goff said. “You’re so grateful for what he did. And losing Bones is tough, and Skip. … But it is exciting. You see the fresh faces.”
Goff feels bringing in O’Connell could be just what this group needs to get back on track after an up-and-down 2019 season:
“Adding a guy like him — he can add a lot of value and add a lot perspective,” Goff said. “It will be great.”
While undergoing such a significant change to key positions on the coaching staff is hardly ever ideal, Goff has become quite accustomed to making adjustments thus far in his career. After all, he has already been through the process when McVay replaced Jeff Fisher as the head coach following a disastrous rookie season.
The resurgence on offense after McVay’s arrival put this team on notice and it was not long before teams around the league took an interest in his staff. As a result, some of his former colleagues such as Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson were ultimately poached by other teams.
It is safe to say that the coaching carousel can have a serious impact on the development of a franchise quarterback like Goff. He and McVay were still able to recover and lead one of the NFL’s most talented offenses up until their 9-7 finish in the 2019 campaign.
Despite their struggles, expectations still remain as high as ever in Los Angeles and the onus will fall on O’Connell to fill a much-needed void.
