The Los Angeles Rams announced their 2017 spring and summer plans, and some surprising excitement ensued, thanks to the presence of one of their offseason acquisitions: Rookie head coach Sean McVay.
The 31-year McVay already is being labeled a miracle worker of sorts for the work he’s done as offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins in 2015-16. So when the Rams convene April 10 for offseason workouts and use April 25-27 for a volunteer minicamp given to them because they have a new head coach, they could be embarking on something special.
He’s already the top pick in the offseason coaching “draft,” according to some.
Turfshowtimes.com reminded Rams fans of some of that fanfare over McVay, long before Jeff Fisher proved 2016 would be his last with the franchise.
The site quoted Sports Illustrated’s MMQB in talking about the wonder that was McVay:
In 2015, Gruden quietly handed play-calling duties to McVay. Kirk Cousins was the new starting QB after spending the entire offseason working behind Griffin. (A lot of wasted practice reps those turned out to be.) In the second half of the season, Cousins threw for 2,212 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions (passer rating: 126.1). Washington surged to an NFC East title.
What stood out again and again on film was how few plays the quarterback himself had to actually create. Washington’s system, with its array of formations, intertwined route combinations and zone running game married to play-action, was often defining the plays for him. Schematically, there may not have been a better-designed offense in football. Cousins, to his credit, allowed it to function and prospered under the circumstances.
Thasportsjunkies101.com already is calling the Rams the most improved team in the NFC West, mostly because of the fresh-faced McVay’s hire.
I have been signing the praises of this signing all off-season. I can not emphasize how drastically good this relationship between McVay and the Rams can be. Part of that reason for optimism is in part to how bad things were last season. Things can only go up right?
A new guy is exactly what was needed, and not just a new guy, but a new innovative offensive guru type of guy. After seeing what McVay had a part of in regards to the success of Washington Redskin’s quarterback, Kirk Cousins. It’s hard not to get juicy thoughts thinking of what McVay will do for Jared Goff.
So even if the Rams supposedly made few offseason splashes other than signing left tackle Andrew Whitworth, they appear to be in capable hands because of the steadying influence of the youngest head coach in the history of the league.
McVay may enter the 2017 with a lot of questions, but a lot of people seem confident that he already has the answers.
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