Tag: Sean McVay

How Rams’ usage of 11 personnel changed from 2018 to 2019

The Rams utilized 11 personnel far less this past season than in 2018.

The frequency with which Sean McVay utilized 11 personnel in 2018 was a complete outlier compared to the rest of the NFL. The Rams had three wide receivers, one tight end and one running back on the field 89% of the time that year, with the next-closest team using 11 personnel on 77% of their snaps (Packers).

This season, the Rams came back down to earth with their usage of 11 personnel, mixing things up far more than they did in 2018. According to Sharp Football Stats, the Rams used 11 personnel on only 73% of their snaps, tied for third-most in the NFL.

The grouping they used second-most was 12 personnel, which features one running back, two tight ends and two wide receivers. They utilized 12 personnel 21 percent of the time, or on 219 total plays.

Here’s a comparison of how often the Rams used 11 personnel in the last two years.

2018

Total: 89%
Pass: 94%
Run: 81%

2019

Total: 73%
Pass: 79%
Run: 58%

So why the huge shift in the usage of 11 personnel from 2018 to this past season? Part of it has to do with defenses starting to counter McVay’s offense toward the end of the 2018 season. The Bears and Patriots both figured out ways to counter the Rams’ wide-zone rushing attack and play-action passing game, stacking the box and using 6-1 fronts.

McVay adapted by using more formations with two tight ends on the field, getting more blockers along the line of scrimmage rather than spreading three receivers out wide. McVay also attributed it to preventing his wideouts from wearing down, considering they played nearly every snap in 2018 when healthy and available.

With how much the Rams’ receivers are asked to block, it can take a toll on their bodies over the course of a long season. Thus, a higher tight end usage with Tyler Higbee, Johnny Mundt and Gerald Everett.

It’s a good sign that McVay found a way to adapt to what defenses were showing him this season, but it wasn’t until late in the year that he began to utilize two tight ends more often. We’ll see if things change next season with Kevin O’Connell coming aboard as the offensive coordinator and Higbee emerging as a legitimate No. 1 tight end in December.

Sean McVay shows he’s taking more control with hiring of Brandon Staley

Sean McVay is taking a risk by replacing Wade Phillips with Brandon Staley.

When Sean McVay first became the Rams head coach in 2017, he made the wise decision to hire a proven defensive mind with Wade Phillips. Their 39-year age gap was the biggest in the NFL, but it showed McVay’s awareness and maturity.

Having been on the job for three years now, McVay is displaying another level of maturity with his latest hire. He’s replacing Phillips at defensive coordinator with 37-year-old Brandon Staley, an unexpected move, but one that does come with some risk.

Going from the safety of having a legend like Phillips to an unproven coach like Staley is a decision that shows McVay is taking more control of his staff, and ultimately, the team. Phillips had a firm grip of the defense and while he didn’t have the freedom to do whatever he chose on that side of the ball, McVay essentially handed him the keys and let him run the defense he always has.

Now with Staley taking over, McVay can put his fingers on the defense more than he could with Phillips. Staley has never been a defensive coordinator. He’s only been an NFL coach since 2017, only working as an outside linebackers coach.

Yes, he’s learned under Vic Fangio for the last three years, but Staley’s resume isn’t one that screams “defensive coordinator.” What this hire likely suggests is McVay having a bigger say in what defensive scheme the Rams run, how aggressive they are and how their approach will change from week to week.

That wasn’t the case with Phillips. The last three years, the Rams rarely varied their coverage or strategy from the norm on a weekly basis. They played a lot of zone coverage with Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters at cornerback, but when Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill took over, it became a more man-heavy scheme.

Opposing coaches know Phillips’ scheme, considering he’s been running essentially the same 3-4, one-gap front for most of his career. But with Staley driving the bus on defense and McVay riding shotgun instead of sitting in the fourth row, the hope is that there will be an added level of unpredictability.

McVay is taking a chance with this move after letting Phillips control the defense for the last three years, but it shows he’s going to have more say on that side of the ball.

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Is Joe Brady the next Sean McVay? Is he bound for the NFL?

What I’m Hearing: Dan Wolken went to the National Championship Media Day and the overwhelming sentiment was LSU’s wonder kid coach Joe Brady was set to get paid this offseason. Whether it’s with LSU or potentially an NFL team is still up in the air.

What I’m Hearing: Dan Wolken went to the National Championship Media Day and the overwhelming sentiment was LSU’s wonder kid coach Joe Brady was set to get paid this offseason. Whether it’s with LSU or potentially an NFL team is still up in the air.

Kevin O’Connell becomes latest ‘recovering-Redskin’ to likely find success outside of Washington

A number of coaches have left the Redskins to find great success elsewhere, and Kevin O’Connell is likely the newest member of that club.

Another year, another bright offensive mind choosing to leave the Washington Redskins to coach elsewhere, and likely find great success.

It was reported late on Friday night that The Los Angeles Rams are hiring former Redskins’ offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to be the new OC under Sean McVay, a former Redskins coach. The move feels like a great fit for O’Connell, who was given permission to interview with other teams for their job openings after Washington decided to hire Scott Turner, the former QB Coach and interim OC for the Carolina Panthers. Now, O’Connell will reunite with McVay — who he succeeded as the OC in Washington — and they will likely team up to further the Rams’ recent success of deploying a potent offense that keeps defenses on their toes.

This is what makes Redskins fans, and those who cover the team, extremely frustrated. After enduring a 2019 season that was wrought with terrible losses and had injuries and incompetence sprinkled every which way, the 2020 year was starting to look up. A new head coach, a new general manager, and a new coaching staff was expected to right the ship and get things back on track. While many of the coaches in Washington needed to go, there was arguably one coach that nearly everyone wanted to stay, and that was O’Connell. His young offensive mind proved to do wonders with rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins in 2019, as the two found several things that worked late in the season, and he was said by many respected people to be the next McVay, or Kyle Shanahan, or Matt LaFleur, all of whom came from the Redskins coaching tree. Now, like the aforementioned coaches, O’Connell will realize his success away from Washington D.C.

Of course, none of this is to say that the Redskins made a bad hire with Turner, who could very well be a solid coordinator under Ron Rivera. This is more of an airing of grievances, and something that feels like we should have seen it coming. If you were to build a Redskins coaching staff a month ago, you would bring in a host of new people, and keep the few people who were finding success. That means that KOC remains, and better coaches are brought in around him. Instead, an entirely new staff reigns in Washington, and what feels like the cool-kids club — or maybe the ‘recovering-Redskins’ — are elsewhere, reveling in the joy of realizing success.

Let’s just hope that a bit of that success can be realized in Washington somewhat soon as well.

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Kevin O’Connell hired as LA Rams offensive coordinator under Sean McVay

O’Connell succeeded McVay as the OC in Washington, and now he will travel to LA to take the same job under McVay with the Rams.

It didn’t take long for former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to find work after leaving Washington this past week. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, O’Connell is close to being officially named the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, working under Sean McVay, another former Redskins’ coach.

O’Connell succeeded McVay as the Redskins’ OC a couple years ago in DC, and now he will reportedly be joining back up with his former colleague on the other side of the country.

The Redskins had a chance to keep O’Connell on under Ron Rivera as the offensive coordinator, and they reportedly were interested in bringing him back, but the two sides started to drift apart as it appeared that O’Connell wouldn’t have full control of the offense going forward. Now, O’Connell will join the growing list of offensive minds to leave Washington and expectedly find great success elsewhere, like Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, and Matt LaFleur.

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4 things to know about new Rams OC Kevin O’Connell

Kevin O’Connell is joining the Rams as their new offensive coordinator.

For the first time since 2017, Sean McVay will have an offensive coordinator. The Rams are hiring Kevin O’Connell to take over that role next season, effectively replacing co-coordinators Shane Waldron and Aaron Kromer.

This is a major change for McVay and the staff, though it’s likely one that doesn’t come with the head coach giving up playcalling duties.

O’Connell, 34, was most recently the Redskins’ offensive coordinator, and has been a coach in the NFL since 2015. Here are four things to know about him as he joins the Rams.

He joined Redskins when McVay left

O’Connell was hired by Jay Gruden and the Redskins in 2017 to take over as their quarterbacks coach. That same offseason, McVay left to become head coach of the Rams, so they never worked on the same staff.

O’Connell worked his way up the ranks fairly quickly, though. He became the pass game coordinator in 2018 and was promoted to offensive coordinator this past season. During his time in Washington, he worked with quarterbacks such as Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Colt McCoy, Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins.

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Rams finalizing hires of new offensive and defensive coordinators

The Rams are hiring two new coordinators to Sean McVay’s staff.

The Los Angeles Rams have found a replacement for Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator, and they’ve also added an offensive coordinator, too. According to Adam Schefter, the Rams are finalizing a deal to hire former Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell to the same position.

They’re also hiring Brandon Staley, former Broncos outside linebackers coach, as their new defensive coordinator to replace Phillips, according to Ian Rapoport. Both additions are somewhat surprising, but fit the mold of how Sean McVay wants to shape his coaching staff.

O’Connell, 34, replaced McVay as the Redskins’ offensive coordinator in 2017 when McVay was hired by the Rams. He didn’t call plays until this season when Jay Gruden was fired by Washington

Staley, 37, has been an outside linebackers coach in the NFL for three seasons. He started under Vic Fangio in 2017 with the Bears before following him to Denver. He began his coaching career in 2011 at Hutchinson Community College.

Report: Kevin O’Connell is ‘a strong candidate’ for Rams OC job

It seems Sean McVay is looking to hire an offensive coordinator.

Sean McVay doesn’t currently have an offensive coordinator by title, but that could change in the near future. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, former Redskins offensive coordinator is a “strong candidate” for the Rams in the same position.

O’Connell was let go by the Redskins after the team hired Scott Turner as Ron Rivera’s coordinator, putting a good offensive mind on the market. And as Fowler noted, he’s a candidate for the Eagles and Browns vacancies, too.

Though both hailed from the Redskins, McVay and O’Connell never worked together in Washington. O’Connell took over as the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2017, which was McVay’s first season with the Rams.

Currently, the Rams have co-offensive coordinators on the staff. Shane Waldron is in charge of the passing game (and quarterbacks), while Aaron Kromer coordinates the running game. McVay used to have an offensive coordinator in Matt LaFleur before he left for Tennessee in 2018, so perhaps he’s looking at going that route again.

O’Connell, 34, has been an NFL coach since 2015 when he came in as a quarterbacks coach with the Browns. Before joining the Redskins in 2017, he was an offensive assistant in San Francisco in 2016.

Joe Barry meeting with Sean McVay about defensive coordinator job

The Rams are taking the first step toward replacing Wade Phillips.

The Los Angeles Rams have taken the first step toward replacing Wade Phillips. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Sean McVay is meeting with linebackers coach Joe Barry about the vacancy at defensive coordinator.

It’s assumed that Barry is one of the top candidates for the job, having worked with McVay in the past and currently holding the position as assistant head coach. However, as Rapoport notes, Barry also has an opportunity to become the USC Trojans defensive coordinator, if he doesn’t get the job with the Rams.

Barry has twice been a defensive coordinator: With the Lions from 2007-2008 and the Redskins from 2015-2016, when McVay was working on the offensive side of the ball.

Not once, however, did his team rank in the top half of the league in points or yards allowed. In fact, each season as defensive coordinator, his team finished either 28th or 32nd in the NFL in points allowed.

McVay reportedly wants more say on defense, so perhaps promoting Barry from within will give him that chance rather than hiring another veteran coach like Phillips was.

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Sean McVay wishes John Fassel well as he leaves Rams for Cowboys

Sean McVay confirmed John Fassel is leaving the Rams to join the Cowboys.

The Los Angeles Rams made some disappointing news official on Wednesday, announcing that special teams coordinator John Fassel is departing and joining the Dallas Cowboys’ coaching staff. Fassel was reported as a target for Mike McCarthy in Dallas, and for a coach entering his first year with a new team, it’s hard to get much better than “Bones” on special teams.

Sean McVay issued a brief statement on Fassel’s departure, giving him his best wishes and commending him for the job he did in Los Angeles.

Fassel joined the Rams in 2012, which is the same year they brought on Greg Zuerlein and Johnny Hekker. They had one of the best special teams units in the league during his tenure, but McVay will now need to replace him on the staff.

It’s possible the Rams will promote someone from within to take Fassel’s place, but they’ll likely interview outside candidates, as well.