On December 13, the Rams finally fired Jeff Fisher after five seasons of mediocrity and an offensive philosophy that didn’t believe in the forward pass. Rumors included signing Jon Gruden for a dump truck full of money or trading for Sean Payton.
They also were set to interview the annual hot coordinator candidates which this year included Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (who has since accepted the 49ers job). Many believed that the Rams needed a big name to excite the fan base because their first season back in LA was such a massive flop.
General Manager Les Snead decided to eschew the big name or the sexy coordinator and instead went with an unknown with very little coach experience and hired Washington offensive coordinator Sean McVay. This choice wasn’t exactly popular and the average fan probably had to Google McVay just to know who he is. It also doesn’t help that he’s only 31 years old and he was only a coordinator in Washington for two years.
This hiring makes him the youngest head coach surpassing Lane Kiffin, and its never good to be in the same sentence as Lane Kiffin. That being said, this hire represents a sea change from what the team did last year in trading all their picks to make a big splash. Management is taking the long view approach and McVay is a low risk gamble that could yield a high reward.
THE CASE AGAINST GRUDEN
As previously stated, the Rams could’ve taken the easy approach and threw gobs of money at a big name like Gruden in order to win the front page of the sports section. The problem with Gruden is that it would’ve probably taken around 60 million and he would’ve also had a deal similar to Pete Carroll where he also had a ton of front office influence. People would consider it logical, after all he has a Super Bowl ring he’s an offensive minded coach, and since he’s been on Monday Night Football he’s also very polished.
On paper it would appear to be a a great fit but considering that it would take roughly 60 million to pry him away from ESPN that would indicate that his heart wouldn’t totally be in it and he’s been away from the game since 2009. That’s a long time and to be a good coach (and or an executive) it has to be damn near a 24 hour a day job. True he’s still young (he’s 53) so it wouldn’t be a Joe Gibbs fear that the game had completely passed him by but its tough to just come out of the booth and start living that lifestyle again. He may have been a Super Bowl winning coach but his post title teams were the victim of late season collapses and laying eggs in the playoffs. He would’ve definitely made some noise but it would’ve just been that, noise.
THE CASE AGAINST SEAN PAYTON
There was a rumor circulating that the New Orleans Saints were looking to trade Sean Payton and it wouldn’t cost that much to get him. Like Gruden, this would’ve made waves considering he too has a ring and the reputation for running a high octane offense. He’s also a coach that could really use a change of scenery considering Brees is on his way out and its clear he doesn’t get along with the front office anymore.
That being said, he also wouldn’t be a good fit for this particular team because they don’t have any real assets on offense. Goff isn’t suddenly going to rise to competency with Payton as his coach and the team doesn’t have the skill players needed to run Payton’s offense. Trading Payton their limited draft resources wouldn’t make that any easier. The Goff trade screwed the team over for several years and trading for a Super Bowl winning coach wouldn’t fix it. In a vacuum Sean Payton would be great but with this team they’d be setting him up for failure.
THE CASE FOR SEAN McVAY
His lack of experience is a major concern especially when fans can remember that the reason Jeff Fisher was hired in the first place was his predecessor Steve Spagnolo was an inexperienced head coach (albeit it one with a ring). Fisher was hired to provide some veteran leadership and while that clearly didn’t happen, going back to a very young head coach is risky. It is true that the vast majority of coordinators or position coaches don’t have experience either the difference here is McVay has only been a coordinator for two years. What is encouraging is that his brief stint with Washington did yield some promising results for the future.
He took an offense that was ranked 25th and elevated them to 10th over all. Granted he had a bevy of talent that LA doesn’t have but he clearly has a better understanding of how to run an offense than anyone Jeff Fisher hired. He also doesn’t carry a massive price tag so if he turns out to be incompetent it won’t be that big of a deal. McVay will also be allowed to grow into the job while Les Snead replenishes the roster when the team eventually gets draft picks back. The Rams are banking on him doing for Goff what he did for Kirk Cousins (don’t hold your breath) and even if McVay could get Goff to a third of what Cousins was, it’ll make that trade look less idiotic. Rams management has to know they aren’t in a win now situation so why bother getting a coach that would be pressured to do just that.
The best thing going for McVay is he’s an unknown quantity. He doesn’t carry any baggage and the Washington players did seem disappointed he was leaving so that bodes well for his character. Ultimately, his success will depend on who he puts on his staff and what kinds of players management gives him to work with. At best he’s the next big time offensive coach and at worst he’s a place holder while the team rebuilds and prepares to move into the new stadium.
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