The 2023 season marks a different campaign for Sean McVay as the Super Bowl expectations don’t exist this time around for the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams roster is full of raw and inexperienced talent, a far cry from the veteran-laden teams they’ve fielded since McVay’s arrival. The franchise hit a modest reset in the offseason, and it will be up to McVay to rebuild the program back to championship standards.
While Los Angeles isn’t expected to compete for another title, McVay discussed what success will look like for them in 2023. “Well, I think continuous improvement. I think being able to see that growth, see how we handle a 17- game season. Because the reality in this sport is you’re going to be able to have to navigate through a storm and being able to do that I think is going to be one of the separators. And how that is reflected isn’t exclusive to wins and losses, but you’re either coming out of one, you’re either going into one or you’re either in the midst of going into it again.
“So those are the things that I want to be able to see us do. And I think in a lot of instances, it’s making sure that there’s that daily reflection on, alright, are we doing those things? And I think inevitably, a lot of the things take care of themselves and then we got to go execute and make the plays and be able to enjoy the challenges that are on the horizon for us. But it’s a one day at a time approach and I think that’s served us well in the years that we’ve been able to get good results, but I want to see the consistent improvement and the growth and come together as a team the right way.”
Fans have accepted the reality that the Rams won’t be championship contenders, but McVay outlined what they should expect to see throughout the year. “I think what they can expect is that we still have a bunch of great leaders on this team that have modeled the way with the way that they play, the way that they prepare. I think you’re going to see guys that play disciplined, smart. I think they’ll play with an energy and a passion and I think you’ll see a team that’s connected, but we got to go do it. We’ve got to be able to continue to build.
“We haven’t even had a single practice yet, but what I told the team that I think’s really important is that we pick up where we left off in the offseason program. There was no doubt about it, in the short amount of time there was improvement. Now if we just go back to the beginning, you can’t afford to be able to take steps back. We got to be able to pick up where we left off. You do want to try to be smart with the performance in terms of how can we be as healthy as possible? That was obviously something that was a challenge to navigate. Sometimes we can control it, sometimes we can’t, and being able to make sure that our plans and our daily movements are in alignment with ultimately helping these guys reach and realize their highest potential and enjoy it with a good edge about ourselves. That’s what you’re going to see.”
As of now, experts are predicting the Rams will win about six games and McVay acknowledged that people don’t expect much from them. “Whatever I say, I’m going to get in trouble right now. They don’t believe in us.”
While the expectations are nowhere near what they have been, McVay seems to be taking things in stride and it will be interesting to see how the Rams respond.
