If you’ve ever watched the NFL combine broadcast, you’ve probably noticed how many coaches and general managers are sitting together in the seats at Lucas Oil Stadium. Just about every team’s head coach and top personnel evaluators spend the week evaluating the draft’s best prospects in Indianapolis as they go through on-field drills.
If you watch this year’s combine, though, you won’t see Sean McVay seated next to Les Snead as offensive linemen run the 40-yard dash – or as wide receivers snag deep passes from the quarterbacks in attendance. That’s because McVay is reportedly only spending one night in Indianapolis this year, fulfilling his media obligation before heading back to Los Angeles, according to NFL Media’s Mike Silver.
The reasoning? He wants to continue working with hew new coordinators, of which he has three.
Sean McVay's only spending one night in Indy, and his new coordinators aren't going to the combine at all. The @RamsNFL are all business during this offseason of transition. From earlier on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/030pWt6Ie7
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 19, 2020
Offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley and special teams coordinator John Bonamego will all stay back at the Rams’ headquarters, too, preparing for the upcoming season – their first in Los Angeles.
It was previously reported that McVay would only attend the opening days of the combine, but spending just one night in Indianapolis is certainly out of the ordinary for a head coach. It may seem like a big deal to some, but it says two things.
One, McVay is putting a big emphasis on the Rams’ scheme and preparation for the 2020 season. And two, it shows just how much trust Snead and McVay have in each other.
Here’s what Silver said about the decision, saying it shows a level of urgency by McVay and the Rams as they look to bounce back from a disappointing 2019 campaign.
“Sean McVay is only popping in for one night, as I understand. He’s going to show up, do his media obligation and head back to Southern California to grind it out with his coordinators,” Silver said. “I think this gives you an idea of how urgent Sean thinks this situation is. Obviously the 49ers have become the juggernaut in that division. We’ve talked already about Seattle and going and getting Greg Olsen and what they believe they have going there. Kyler Murray gives the Cardinals some juice, and the Rams – who were coming off a Super Bowl going into last season – are suddenly having to rev it up and figure out a way to compete in the NFC West.
“There are a lot of ideas being exchanged and the environment’s been really good – a lot of coaches speaking very freely of how they view things. But as far as the combine, when the rest of the NFL is stuck in Indianapolis in a cesspool of energy and conversation, the Rams are going to be hunkering down – Sean McVay, at least, and his two new coordinators.”
Seeing prospects live at the combine certainly helps the evaluation process. However, it’s not essential to be there to watch the 40-yard dash or to see a cornerback run the three-cone drill. McVay and the coordinators can watch all of that on TV back in Los Angeles without missing so much as a single drop by a running back on a wheel route.
What McVay will miss out on, though, is the all-important interview process. Meeting with prospects at the combine is one of the great benefits of being in Indianapolis, and McVay’s opportunities to sit down with some of the Rams’ top targets will be limited. Front office members, scouts and assistant coaches will presumably be handling the bulk of that work this year for L.A.
Of course, the Rams will still have the chance to meet with 30 prospects of their choice leading up to the draft – often called “top-30 visits.” That’s when coaches and personnel evaluators learn the most about a prospect, rather than the 18-minute interviews teams are allowed to hold with a maximum of 45 players at the combine.
So is it bizarre that McVay is essentially skipping the combine? Sure. But is it something to be concerned about? No, not really. He’ll still meet with prospects before the draft, he’ll still see them go through drills on the combine broadcast, and he’ll still share some insight on the Rams during his press conference in Indianapolis.
McVay just feels it’s more important to spend the week working with his new coordinators on developing a game plan for 2020, leaning on Snead and the rest of the team’s talent evaluators to handle the duties in Indianapolis.