The Los Angeles Rams have opted to open the offensive coordinator position once again alongside head coach Sean McVay with the arrival of Kevin O’Connell.
This is the first time the Rams have had someone in the position since Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was still on McVay’s staff. The Rams are hoping that this could be just what they need to get the offense back on track in the 2020 NFL season.
Los Angeles experienced a significant drop-off last year while McVay took on all the duties that came with the offense. The new approach should help to lessen the load moving forward.
LaFleur feels there are a number of benefits for McVay with O’Connell now in the mix, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official website:
“Number one, it freed him up so he didn’t have to do everything in terms of all our install or all the film review within, whether it’s just with our players. It freed him up to do head coaching duties as well,” LaFleur told theRams.com at the NFL Scouting Combine, when asked about the impact of that partnership. “So I think it was more or less just always being on the same page and and somebody that could relay that message, not only to the other coaches, but to the players.”
LaFleur added that their time together with the Washington Redskins essentially helped make it a seamless process:
“Sean and I had a rapport going back to Washington where we worked together, and so we were kind of trained the same way and grew up at the same time in this profession,” LaFleur said. “So we were always on the same page, and he could always bounce stuff off me and I knew where it was coming from. And I think that just to help get everybody on the same page.”
McVay and Lafleur helped lead quite the turnaround on offense in Los Angeles after this group went from worst to first in scoring in 2017. The sudden resurgence caught the eye of teams around the league and ultimately helped open the doors for promotions on his staff.
It is safe to say that the turnover with McVay’s assistants left him with few options to work with when it came to maintaining his successful approach. Fortunately, he was able to find one in a familiar place after O’Connell made his bones in Washington.
LaFleur’s comments indicate that having an extra another person capable of leading the offense should help pay huge dividends when it comes to developing a new scheme and preparation on a weekly basis. It will be interesting to see if McVay is able to replicate the success they enjoyed with O’Connell.
