Several of Sean McVay’s assistants have gone on to become head coaches, but he finds it ridiculous to talk about his coaching tree
By now, Sean McVay must expect to lose at least a couple of valuable assistant coaches each and every year. The Rams’ coaching staff is poached annually when other teams seek replacements for the coaches they fire, which is a testament to the job McVay has done assembling his group in Los Angeles.
With Kevin O’Connell expected to become the Vikings’ next head coach and Ejiro Evero heading to Denver to become Nathaniel Hackett’s defensive coordinator, talk about McVay’s coaching tree has begun again this offseason.
McVay finds that conversation “a little ridiculous” because he views those on his staff as co-workers who all have a hand in helping the Rams find the success they’ve had in the last five years. And as difficult as it is to lose coaches year in and year out, he says it creates “positive stress” because it gives him the chance to find other coaches who can fill those roles.
“Number one, I almost think it’s a little ridiculous when you talk about the tree because these guys are co-workers where we positively pour into one another. I just happen to be in the role that I’m in, but whether it’s Kevin, Brandon Staley, Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur, I learned more from then than those guys have from me,” McVay said Thursday. “I think they’ve been instrumental parts of a lot of the things that have been right. Our players are what make this place so special. And then when you have success because you’re around great players and great coaches, that leads to opportunities that I’ve been so fortunate enough to have here and for these guys to be able to grow their careers. It’s one of the most rewarding things. It does create some good, positive stress. But it also opens up opportunities to get exposure to new, special coaches. Two years ago, I didn’t know Kevin O’Connell and Brandon Staley. Matt LaFleur and I go way back, but when I first got here, I didn’t know Zac Taylor. And then you’re talking about the Eric Hendersons of the world, the Thomas Browns. Getting a chance to re-connect with Raheem Morris. Ejiro Evero is going to get a chance to move onto a bigger role. These are special things and these are special men.”
The hiring cycle was brought to the forefront this week when Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL and three teams alleging racist hiring practices due to sham interviews to fulfill the NFL’s Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching roles.
The Rams’ coaching staff is a diverse one and McVay knows how valuable it can be to hire candidates from all backgrounds – as he has in Los Angeles.
“I think it is important to be intentional about identifying the greatest coaches that you can, to be able to have a positive environment where we’re pushing each other in the right way. But you want to be around ambitious people,” he continued. “I think it is important to be able to continue to identify great coaches from all different types of backgrounds. We’ve got a lot of them on this staff. I’ve been around a lot of these guys and I think it’s something the NFL wants to be intentional about, continuing to diversify these staffs, especially in some of those leadership roles with the opportunities that are too few right now. I know I’ve been around a lot of great coaches of a lot of different backgrounds. We have them on this coaching staff and feel really grateful. And that’s why people have gotten opportunities because it’s about the people that make this place so special.”
Neither the O’Connell nor Evero hirings have been made official, but the Rams are prepared to lose both of them, barring a major turn of events. So they’ll be looking for a new offensive coordinator and secondary coach, which are key positions on McVay’s staff.
Promoting from within is something McVay typically prefers, so don’t be surprised if someone already on the coaching staff gets promoted into those roles.
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