The Los Angeles Rams have lost several offensive coordinators the past few years as teams at both the NFL and collegiate levels look to replicate the success Sean McVay has had.
The Rams most recently lost Liam Coen to the University of Kentucky, while previous coordinators like Kevin O’Connell and Matt LaFleur landed head coaching jobs. This summer, McVay brought in Mike LaFleur to fill his vacant OC role in hopes of revamping the offense.
Mike most recently came from the New York Jets but is also quite familiar with the San Francisco 49ers after having spent several years there as an assistant. According to Mike Martz of the 33rdTeam, McVay hired LaFleur for his knowledge and expertise on the 49ers scheme:
So, they brought in LaFleur because he has experience running a different offense. McVay hired LaFleur based on the latter’s knowledge of the San Francisco 49ers‘ offensive system.
McVay is going to marry into that system and find out how they do things. How do they succeed year in and year out no matter who the quarterback is? What’s the key to their passing game? He’s getting all of that information with LaFleur.
Perhaps, he’s bringing in a guy with some different ideas about how things can be addressed. LaFleur will be another set of eyes for McVay, and that’s healthy for him. It will help revitalize him because there’s a lot of pressure when you’re the main guy putting it all in there week in and week out. It wears you down. I think that was the case with him to some extent.
Even though their backgrounds are vastly different regarding offensive systems, their focus and how they approach the game are probably similar.
McVay has a reputation for being a pass-happy coach, especially considering he’s got a quarterback in Matthew Stafford who possesses the arm to make almost every throw in the book. With LaFleur on board, it looks like McVay is seeking more balance in his offense, a good sign considering complementary football is something he and the coaching staff preach.
While McVay will continue calling plays, LaFleur should have his say in how their scheme evolves and it’ll be interesting to see what the end result is during the 2023 season.
Cam Akers will be central figure in Rams offense
Fortunately for McVay and LaFleur, they’ve got a dual-threat running back in Cam Akers who can handle a workhorse role. In fact, McVay seems to be planning for Akers to be a central figure in the offense for next season.
