The Los Angeles Rams officially welcomed Sean McVay as the new head coach after six seasons with the Washington Redskins. Despite making history as the youngest head coach in NFL history, McVay quickly rose to prominence amidst an offseason chalk-full of vacancies.
McVay impressed waves of potential suitors, even drawing comparisons to former head coach and mentor, Jon Gruden. However, now that the welcome mat has rolled out, it is time for McVay to get right to work in building a positive sustainable culture within the Rams organization, beginning with the coaching staff:
“Before we can become a winner, we have to act like winners,” McVay said. “It’s not about me. It’s about surrounding yourself with great people.”
McVay has already gotten a head start on that task by hiring perhaps this year’s most highly-coveted defensive coordinator in Wade Phillips. Of course, another concern has been whether or not he feels the roster personnel is up to par with his vision. However, the young head coach said he is excited about the current roster and is looking to adjust his scheme accordingly:
“Getting a chance to look at our personnel, I think you see great players in key spots. You know you look at an Aaron Donald, a First Team All-Pro player. He’s wired, he’s all about the right stuff. You see an Alec Ogletree in the middle and I see guys like Quinn and what he’s done over the course of his career,” McVay said. “And then you look at the offensive side of the ball, you see exciting traits in Jared Goff, you see Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin. These guys up front can do a lot of different things, so I see a lot of key pieces in place that give us a chance to compete.
McVay’s experience with Kirk Cousins certainly bodes well for not only Goff, but fans hoping he can improve under the right system. The rookie quarterback struggled mightily in his seven starts last season, so a drastic change to the coaching staff could be just what he needed.
