Tag: Rams Coach

Thomas Brown’s move from RBs coach to TEs coach sets him up for future success

Thomas Brown will remain the Rams’ assistant HC, but he’s moving from RBs coach to TEs coach – a change that sets him up for future success

Thomas Brown’s stock as a coaching candidate has been on the rise since joining Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams in 2020. This was his first NFL job after coaching running backs at six different colleges, and his ascension with the Rams has been impressive to watch.

He started out as the running backs coach in 2020, taking over for the highly successful Skip Peete. He then added the responsibility of assistant head coach last year, working closely with McVay and the rest of the staff.

Though it may not seem like another promotion, Brown is moving from running backs coach to tight ends coach this year. McVay announced the change during his combine press conference Wednesday, explaining how it will help Brown – a coach he says has “tremendous upside.”

“I also think it’s gonna be a great opportunity for Thomas Brown to move over,” McVay said. “He’s gonna coach the tight ends this next year. I think he’s a coach with tremendous upside. You guys know what a great leader I think he is. That’s why he has the role of assistant head coach. But I also think getting him exposure to the different positions will help expand the big-picture perspective. I know when I coached tight ends, it was one of those roles that helped me gain an appreciation and really was probably where a lot of the growth occurred, seeing the game not only through not only an all-11, but an all-22 lens. He’ll do a great job.”

Brown interviewed with the Vikings to be their offensive coordinator on Kevin O’Connell’s staff. The job ultimately went to Wes Phillips, who coached the Rams’ tight ends the last three years – in addition to being the pass game coordinator last season.

The Dolphins also interviewed Brown for their head coaching vacancy. He didn’t get the job, but simply earning an interview for a head coaching position after just two seasons in the NFL is a huge accomplishment.

By moving from RBs coach to TEs coach, Brown will only increase his chances of becoming a future head coach – or at the very least, an offensive coordinator. As McVay pointed out, coaching the tight ends will give him a better perspective of both the offense and defense, given the skill set that tight ends need to have.

Brown will have greater exposure to the passing game than he did as the running backs coach, but he’ll also remain an important part of the rushing attack. Tight ends have to be blockers in the running game as well as receivers for their quarterback, so getting the chance to coach one of the most demanding positions on the field will only benefit Brown.

There’s a history of tight ends coaches going on to becoming offensive coordinators and head coaches, too. McVay coached the tight ends for three years in Washington before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2014.

Phillips also landed the Vikings’ coordinator job after coaching the Rams’ tight ends. Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman was Baltimore’s tight ends coach before becoming its OC in 2019. Nathaniel Hackett’s offensive coordinator with the Broncos, Justin Outten, was the Packers’ tight ends coach for the last three years. The same goes for Todd Downing in Tennessee.

So while it would’ve been awesome to see Brown get promoted to Rams offensive coordinator this offseason, it’s likely that he’ll earn that title either in Los Angeles or elsewhere in the near future – and this move to tight ends coach will only help pave the way.

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How Aaron Kromer’s departure could impact Rams’ offensive line

Will there be a ripple effect on the offensive line with Aaron Kromer leaving the Rams?

Just when it seemed like the coaching departures might have ended for the Los Angeles Rams, another came to light on Thursday. It was reported by the Los Angeles Times that Aaron Kromer is no longer on Sean McVay’s coaching staff and he’s since been removed from the team’s website, all but confirming his exit.

Kromer is the seventh coaching assistant to leave the Rams this offseason, and next to Brandon Staley, he’s undoubtedly the biggest loss for L.A. As the run game coordinator and offensive line coach, Kromer played a big role on offense for the Rams – and has been at the forefront of their rebuild along the O-line.

Before he arrived in 2017, the Rams had one of the worst offensive lines in football. Since then, it’s improved significantly, even despite a down year in 2019. Andrew Whitworth has prolonged his career with stellar play, Austin Corbett has turned into a gem of a trade acquisition, Rob Havenstein is a stud at right tackle and several other young players have stepped up.

With Kromer on his way out, how does this impact the offensive line? For starters, it could affect the way the Rams cross-train their big men up front.

Kromer is a big proponent of developing players at multiple positions along the offensive line. Joe Noteboom has played guard and tackle. David Edwards was exclusively a right tackle in college but has moved to guard. Austin Blythe and Corbett have moved around on the interior, and Bobby Evans has practiced at both tackle spots and suited up at guard.

With Kromer leaving, it stands to reason that maybe the Rams won’t move their offensive linemen around quite as much. Edwards could lock in as a left guard, Noteboom could develop exclusively as a left tackle and Evans might be viewed by the next offensive line coach as a better tackle than guard.

This is all just speculation right now, but few coaches move their offensive linemen around as much as Kromer does, and whoever the Rams hire to replace him could have a different philosophy of developing players.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The other question that must be asked is how Kromer’s exit might affect the Rams’ offseason plans at left tackle, center and right tackle. Whitworth has said he wants to return to the Rams, and the team has said it wants him back – though there are still hurdles to get through. It’s unlikely that Kromer’s departure will sway Whitworth’s opinion and cause him to retire, but might the Rams’ new offensive line coach have a say in who plays left tackle next season?

At center, Blythe will be a free agent. Kromer helped develop him into a starter at both guard and center, most recently playing fairly well at the latter position in 2020. He was steady but not outstanding, and the next O-line coach might see more weaknesses in Blythe’s game than Kromer did.

And then at right tackle, Havenstein is almost certain to be back. But if the Rams are desperate for cap space, they could opt to cut or trade him this offseason. Again, it’s unlikely to happen, but with Kromer gone, his replacement might share his input on who should start at right tackle – specifically, if he likes Evans or Edwards at that spot, Havenstein could be a cap casualty.

These are all questions to consider as the Rams undergo changes on their coaching staff. In addition to Kromer, assistant OL coach Andy Dickerson also left this winter, so there are multiple voids to fill now.

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Sean McVay sees endless potential in Rams RBs coach Thomas Brown

Sean McVay could see Thomas Brown being a coordinator one day – and maybe even more than that.

By now, Sean McVay should be used to losing his coordinators and assistants to promotions around the NFL. He’s seen Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor and Greg Olson all leave for either coordinator or head coaching jobs, which is a testament to the impact McVay has on his assistants.

He should prepare to possibly lose Thomas Brown at some point, too. Brown is currently the Rams’ running backs coach but McVay sees no limit on how high he can ascend in the coaching ranks. McVay left no doubt about Brown’s potential as a coordinator candidate, despite this being his first gig in the NFL.

“Yes. I think that there’s no limit for this guy,” he said last week. “I’d be so happy for him if he continues to ascend but sad for the Rams. I think he can do whatever he wants. I think he’s definitely a coordinator. I think he’s got head coach potential, in terms of his leadership and the way he relates to guys. This guy’s a great coach. I don’t think there’s any sort of ceiling or limitations on what he’s not able to accomplish at this level.”

If current offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell leaves at some point in the future, which based on recent history with the Rams’ coordinators seems likely, Brown could be an option if McVay wants to promote from within.

Currently, Brown is overcoming a torn Achilles, which he suffered in practice last week, but he’s a resilient coach and McVay doesn’t expect it to slow him down at all.

“He is such a stud,” McVay said of Brown. “I mean, if you guys see him moving around, the urgency. He’s so sudden that he unfortunately blew out his Achilles yesterday doing individual drills. I mean, walked right off and didn’t flinch. He was out there today. He’ll end up getting surgery early next week, but just sick for him. This guy won’t miss a beat. It’s more of an inconvenience than anything for us as coaches at this point, but he’s so active and so involved with those guys that you definitely missed out on those kinds of things. Hoping and praying for a fast and safe recovery for him.”

Sean McVay knows what it’s like to coach in empty stadiums

Sean McVay coached in the UFL, which didn’t exactly fill stadiums.

The 2020 season could look very different for the NFL due to the unprecedented times we’re currently in. Every American sports league is currently on hold and there’s no guarantee that the NFL will be able to play its games as currently scheduled this fall.

The season could be delayed, games could be canceled or teams could be playing in empty stadiums. Everything seems to be on the table right now, which has teams preparing for whatever the league decides to do.

It’s hard to replicate the feeling of playing in empty stadiums with no fans, but Rams coach Sean McVay has experience coaching in such situations. He knows what it’s like to have no one in the stands, drawing off his time as a coach in the United Football League, which no longer exists.

“I can, because I coached in the UFL my second year in coaching, and it felt like we didn’t play in front of many fans in some of those situations,” McVay said on a conference call last week.

“It feels very similar to practice. I can probably yell across the sidelines for the other coaches to hear you for the players. I’ve been in some similar experiences, so if that’s what it is, we’ll just be thankful to be playing in any form or fashion, but certainly the fans bring an added dynamic that you can’t match.”

Playing in front of fans is especially important for the Rams, who are opening a brand new stadium this year. SoFi Stadium is set to be completed before the 2020 season, but if fans aren’t allowed to attend games, the home opener against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football will certainly have a different feel to it.

McVay is hoping SoFi Stadium isn’t empty on Sept. 13, or in any other game, for that matter, but he knows it’s not something the team can control.

“We certainly hope that that’s not the case, but we’re not going to speculate on any of that,” he said. “It’s still so far away. I mean, think about how much has taken place even (in the) two months that we’ve been in these quarantine positions, so I think we’ll just let it play itself out. It’s still going to be a football game, and we’re hopeful that it’ll be as normal as possible, but obviously the health and safety of everybody is the first and foremost consideration.”

As of now, the Rams will open their season and SoFi Stadium on Sept. 13 against the Cowboys, and conclude at home against the Cardinals on Jan. 3.

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Sean McVay shares his thoughts on viral ‘Tiger King’ documentary

“It was so bad I couldn’t stop watching it.”

During this time of staying home and sheltering in place, there’s a lot of TV being watched by people across the country. One of the most popular shows currently available is “Tiger King” on Netflix.

It’s a seven-part documentary about the life of Joe Exotic and his zoo in Oklahoma, as well as his endless fight with Carole Baskin, an animal rights activist in Florida who attempts to take Exotic and other big cat zoos down.

While Sean McVay has been busy scouting draft prospects and working with the Rams’ front office to build out the team’s roster, he found time to check out “Tiger King.”

He shared his thoughts on the series during an appearance on “The John Roa Show,” and while it had him hooked, it wasn’t because he enjoyed it thoroughly.

“I’ve got to admit, I did watch ‘Tiger King.’ It was one of those deals where it was so bad I couldn’t stop watching it,” McVay said. “I had to see what’s all this fuss about with Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin and Doctor Antle. It was a crazy documentary. It was crazy.”

“Tiger King” isn’t the only show McVay has dived into. He’s also started watching “Game of Thrones,” catching up on what many call the greatest show of all time. McVay is loving it so far, but he has been forced to watch some of his favorite characters get killed off.

“The one thing they don’t have any problem with, I feel like the characters I’ve enjoyed the most from Season 1, they’re chopping people’s heads off, they’re killing them when they get into a fight,” he said.

The storyline has left him a bit confused, though, admitting there are “so many things going on in the seven kingdoms, I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

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Kevin O’Connell knows importance of adjusting on the fly in games

Kevin O’Connell hopes to take some pressure of Sean McVay to handle all the duties on offense.

When the Rams lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, one overarching takeaway from fans and analysts was Sean McVay’s struggle to adapt. New England played more man coverage than any other team in the NFL during the 2018 season, which McVay certainly took note of when watching film leading into the big game.

When the ball was kicked off, though, Bill Belichick flipped the script and showed the Rams a lot of zone defense. McVay didn’t seem to have a game plan to counter the Patriots’ changes and couldn’t adjust in the heat of the battle, which he admitted after the loss.

Entering the 2020 season, McVay is hoping to fix that issue by hiring Kevin O’Connell as his offensive coordinator. O’Connell won’t call plays and will be the de facto QBs coach, but most importantly, he’ll help the Rams adapt in-game and make the necessary adjustments.

“As far as Sunday goes, I’ve learned very quickly that it’s about each and every moment during those games and any competitive edge that you may be able to find as a player or coach – the people that can help do those things normally elevate pretty quickly,” he said in an interview with J.B. Long. “Not only with the play caller, but around the NFL – those things tend to travel pretty quickly. So if you can have a role, you feel prepared that the quarterback position and the entire offense, you’ve done your job to put those guys in the best possible situation, then it’s about Sunday. Then it’s about adapting real-time and being able to adjust and change on the fly to maximize your chance to win a football game.”

McVay is an outstanding coach, but not having a true offensive coordinator last season had a negative effect on the team. He overcame the absence of Matt LaFleur in 2018, but there were still times – like against the Bears – when he failed to make in-game adjustments. That’s difficult to do when you’re calling the plays on offense, which is where O’Connell comes in.

He can provide an extra set of eyes on the sideline and assist Jared Goff as the game is going on, acting as a bridge between the quarterback and head coach, too. And being a former play caller himself, O’Connell knows how much attention that duty requires.

“The role of a head coach that is a play caller and does run the offense, you really have to have somebody that you trust and you value not only their opinion in the game-plan setting early on in the week, but also within the quarterback room, within the offensive skill room, the interaction with the offensive line and how everything comes together. That’s not easy for somebody to do all those things,” O’Connell said.

4 things to know about new Rams RBs coach Thomas Brown

Thomas Brown played college at Georgia and also coached some prominent backs in his career.

The Los Angeles Rams have yet to announce their coaching staff for the 2020 season, as Sean McVay has taken his time assembling the group. After losing or parting ways with several coaches this offseason, including his running backs coach, defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and strength coach, McVay has quite a few spots to fill.

He made his third big hire of the last few months last week by reportedly bringing in Thomas Brown as the team’s new running backs coach, replacing Skip Peete. Brown was the RBs coach at South Carolina in 2019 and the offensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes from 2016-2018, but this is his first NFL job.

Here are four things to know about the Rams’ new running backs coach.

He coached prominent RBs in college

Brown coached at three of the top programs in the country since 2014, making stops at Wisconsin, Miami and South Carolina. And at those schools, he helped develop and coach some of the better college running backs in each respective season.

At Wisconsin, he was Melvin Gordon’s running backs coach during his historic 2014 season when he rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns on 343 attempts, landing him in the first round of the 2015 draft. Gordon’s 2,587 yards are the second-most in a single season in FBS history, only trailing Barry Sanders by 41 yards.

At Georgia in 2015, Brown coached Sony Michel and Nick Chubb, one of the most promising tandems in the SEC and all of college football before Chubb got hurt. That year, Michel had 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns, while Chubb had 747 yards on only 92 carries (8.1 yards per carry) in six games.

Michel went on to be a first-round pick in 2018, while Chubb was a second-rounder. They were selected only four picks apart.

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Rams hiring Thomas Brown as RBs coach, continuing youth movement

Sean McVay’s coaching staff continues to get younger.

It took a little while, but the Los Angeles Rams have finally settled on a new running backs coach to replace Skip Peete, who was let go by Sean McVay earlier this offseason. As first reported by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports and confirmed by The Athletic, the Rams are hiring Thomas Brown to fill the role.

Brown previously worked as South Carolina’s running backs coach in 2019 and was also Miami’s offensive coordinator from 2016-2018.

McVay’s youth movement on the coaching staff continues with Brown coming aboard. He’s only 33 years old, joining 34-year-old Kevin O’Connell and 37-year-old Brandon Staley as McVay’s recent hires this offseason.

As Feldman reported, Brown was Georgia’s running backs coach in 2015, but that was one year after Todd Gurley’s career with the Bulldogs ended as he left for the NFL.

Joe Barry turns down USC job, re-signs with Rams

Joe Barry is staying with the Rams as their linebackers coach.

The Los Angeles Rams interviewed Joe Barry for their defensive coordinator vacancy after parting ways with Wade Phillips, but they decided to go in a different direction by hiring Brandon Staley. Barry was also in contention for USC’s defensive coordinator position, but he has turned down that opportunity to stay with the Rams.

Barry has re-signed with Los Angeles to remain the team’s linebackers coach and assistant head coach.

This is excellent news for the Rams, who were in danger of losing Barry after not giving him the defensive coordinator job. Having to replace another coach would’ve been a challenge, already needing to find a new running backs coach and special teams coordinator after Skip Peete and John Fassel both went to Dallas.

In addition to hiring Staley as his defensive coordinator, Sean McVay also brought aboard Kevin O’Connell as the Rams’ offensive coordinator.