The Risk is Paying Off
Hiring a 30-year-old offensive coordinator to be the next head coach of an NFL team is rare. In fact, it’s downright risky. The last time a team hired a head coach that young was when the Oakland Raiders hired Lane Kiffin, who was 31 at the time. Kiffin was fired after just a year and a half. It’s safe to say that Sean McVay is no Lane Kiffin.
There is a reason why the Los Angeles Rams hired the 30-year-old McVay, and that’s because he is a football genius. For starters, to go 11-5 and win your division in your first year is downright impressive. There’s more to the story than just wins and losses. It involves a photographic memory and overall love for the game.
In a segment with the Simmons & Lefkoe show, McVay was challenged to remember plays from his days in Washington. These were not just any ordinary plays. McVay can name every single play he has ever called no matter how big the stage. Don’t believe me? Check out the video.
Rams HC Sean McVay literally remembers every play of his coaching career
pic.twitter.com/r9gC2mcajM — Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2018
It’s not only his memory that is impressive. His ability to maximize the most out of his talent is something that is only reserved for the great coaches in the game like Bill Belichick and Andy Reid. The perfect example to prove this is Todd Gurley.
The Fix
Despite coming off of a breakout year in 2015, Todd Gurley took a step back in 2016, and it was baffling to watch. Gurley was a three-down back which had all the talent in the world, but it did not translate on the field. Here were Gurley’s 2016 stats.
278 attempts, 885 yards, 6 touchdowns.
43 receptions, 0 touchdowns.
What happens when Sean McVay comes to town? Gurley not only excels but becomes one of the best running backs in the league. Here were Gurley’s stats in 2017.
279 attempts, 1,305 yards, 13 touchdowns.
64 receptions, 788 yards, 6 touchdowns.
Was it a coincidence that Gurley’s numbers went up when McVay started calling the plays? I think not. McVay has generated so much respect from the league in such a short amount of time. It’s come to a point where the Rams are being mentioned in Super Bowl talks and being honest; the Rams deserve to be in the discussion.
With Sean McVay in charge, the NFL might have to make room for one more genius in the league.