Los Angeles Rams: Head coach Sean McVay’s pursuit of excellence
However, McVay’s young age hasn’t shown to be a liability for the Los Angeles Rams. After leading the team from a 4-12 finish to an 8-3 record in 2017, McVay became an early favorite to win coach of the year.
McVay’s motto of ‘chasing excellence every day’ has been instrumental in the Rams’ ascent.
It is present everywhere. In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, McVay tells Jeff Reinebold, “We’re consistent with that message.” “The way our players have embraced that has been excellent.
“Especially in this league, you can have a tendency to look ahead, but really it’s about one taking one day at a time, one game at a time.”
Never fall for it. While it may seem prudent to take things day by day or game by game, McVay has his team attacking every training session with the same intensity he brought to his hiring interview. The Rams took a chance on a coach who had only served as an offensive coordinator for three NFL seasons, with the Washington Redskins.
“When we didn’t get the result we wanted against the New York Giants [missing out on the playoffs] to end last season, my agent called me right after and said a couple of teams are interested in interviewing you,” says McVay.
“It was the first time I truly put myself in the frame of mind to go out and compete and get that job. Leave with a bold demeanor.
“I had the opportunity to get down with the Rams in particular, and I got along extremely well with general manager Les Snead and vice president Kevin Demoff. It just seemed to fit right.”
And it has demonstrated this. During the interview process, McVay met with quarterback Jared Goff, for whom the Rams traded a first-round pick this year and a second- and third-round pick in 2016 to select him first overall. That meeting has proven to be especially helpful.
In 2016, Goff finished with a passing rating of 63.6, a completion percentage of just 54.6, and five touchdowns to seven interceptions. Goff lost all seven of his starts. However, under McVay’s direction, Goff is presently completing 61.8% of his throws, has eighteen touchdowns to only five picks, and has a rating of 98.6.