It’s the start of a coaching overhaul for the Los Angeles Rams as they’ve got a new offensive coordinator in Mike LaFleur joining Sean McVay.
LaFleur is replacing Liam Coen, who went back to the University of Kentucky, and will now be charged with helping McVay bring the offense back to life. The Rams ranked as one of the worst yardage and scoring teams in the league during the 2022 season, so there’s quite the hill to climb for LaFleur and company.
However, LaFleur will have plenty of new weapons to utilize starting with Matthew Stafford. The offensive coordinator hasn’t gotten a chance to work directly with Stafford yet, but already thinks highly of the quarterback, via Cameron DaSilva of USA Today:
“Matthew, even in his time in Detroit, you’d be in awe at a lot of the stuff that he can accomplish on that field,” LaFleur told reporters on Tuesday. “Even when he was in Detroit, just knowing what his teammates and the coaches felt about that guy, and then being able to actually get a little bit more insight when he came here, just by again knowing Raheem (Morris), knowing Sean and how highly regarded they feel of Matthew, so it’s going to be fun. A lot of times, coaches can teach players a lot of things but in more instances, players can teach coaches a lot of things too. So I’m excited to get working with him, learn from him, and whatever I can provide for him, I’m going to do. I can’t wait to start building that relationship with him.”
During his time with the New York Jets, LaFleur was limited in the passing game working alongside Zach Wilson so going from him to Stafford must be a breath of fresh air. Unlike Wilson, Stafford can make just about every throw on the field which gives LaFleur some more flexibility and creativity when it comes to designing plays. Stafford is well-known for his willingness to throw downfield and into tight windows which can often lead to trouble, so hopefully LaFleur is able to help him in this area.
While Stafford was unable to finish out last season due to injuries, he should be 100 percent healthy for 2023 and will be looking to return to form. Although McVay will retain playcalling duties, LaFleur should have a large say in redesigning the scheme to maximize both Stafford and the rest of the offense.
