'Being able to handle adversity is a real test for us. It's about staying connected, staying committed. A no blink, no flinch mentality'
Monday 27 November 2017 16:33, UK
Upon his hiring in January this year, the then 30-year-old Sean McVay became the youngest head coach in NFL history.
But his tender age has far from proven to be a burden for the Los Angeles Rams, with McVay turning around the fortunes of a team that finished 4-12 last year, into 8-3 starters in 2017, seeing him an early contender for coach of the year honours.
The Rams' rise has come about through McVay's mantra to 'chase excellence every day'.
"It's everywhere. We're consistent with that message," McVay tells Jeff Reinebold in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. "Our players have done great job of buying into that.
"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."
Don't be fooled. Taking things one day at a time or game by game might suggest a cautious approach, but McVay has his team attacking every day in training with the same ferocity he gave to the interview which ultimately saw him hired - the Rams taking a chance on a coach who had only been an offensive coordinator for three years in the NFL, 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," explains McVay.
"That was really the first time I got myself in that mindset of ok, let's go out to compete and win that job. Go out with a fearless attitude.
"I got the chance to have a sit down with the Rams specifically, there was a very comfortable rapport with vice president Kevin Demoff, general manager Les Snead. It just felt like a good fit."
And so it has proved. But it was another meeting McVay had during the interview process that has proved particularly beneficial - spending time with quarterback Jared Goff, who the Rams gave up a second and third-round draft pick in 2016, and a first this year, to select No 1 overall.
Goff lost all of his seven starts in 2016, had a completion percentage of just 54.6, five touchdowns to seven interceptions, for a passer rating of 63.6. But, with McVay at the helm, Goff is now connecting with 61.8 per cent of his passes, has 18 TDs to just five picks, for a rating of 98.6.
"When I interviewed for the job, I got the chance to spend some time with Jared and, immediately, you see the physical characteristics, why he was the number one overall pick," says McVay.
"But what I really liked about him was he has an intrinsic motivation, and he also wasn't fazed by some of the things that didn't go the way he wanted to last year.
"That has motivated him in the right way. He has that mental toughness."
Like their coach, this Rams team is young, with just two players - Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan - over the age of 30.
But, the inexperienced Rams have shown plenty of that mental toughness which McVay covets already this season, and they did so again in following up a 24-7 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings with a 26-20 win over the high-flying New Orleans Saints this Sunday.
"Being able to handle adversity is a real test for us," adds McVay. "It's about us staying connected, staying committed as a team. A no blink, no flinch mentality.
"We haven't always got the results we want, but moments where we've had adversity hit us, the players have just stayed even keeled.
"They've got a nice resilient mindset and resolve about themselves that, as a coach, leaves you confident in their ability to get it done."
McVay is an offensive mastermind. He was behind the success of the Redskins offense with Kirk Cousins in the past couple of years. His reign culminated in a top three offensive finish last year - second in passing - before he made the move to the west coast.
He took over a Rams unit that ranked dead last in yards and points per game in 2016, and through the first 10 games of this season he has overseen a staggering rise to fifth and second in those categories.
But, it's a move McVay made at defense that has proven particularly inspired.
"The hiring of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was the best thing McVay could do" Reinebold told Sky Sports. "The coach can let half of the football team go and he knows he can trust him.
"Their defense had a reputation for being good, but looking at them statistically under former DC Gregg Williams, they weren't actually that great. They blitzed a lot, so they got to the quarterback, but they also gave up a lot of big plays as a result.
"Now, they are a better football team."
Phillips was a head coach in the NFL - in 1985 with the Saints, on an interim basis - before McVay was even born.
He'd have further landing spots in the top job, on a permanent basis in Denver, Buffalo and Dallas. McVay made a pointed effort to hand the game ball to Phillips after the Rams' win over the Cowboys in Week Four.
It's that kind of selfless attitude, devoid of ego, that also makes McVay stand out. He isn't afraid to admit he is still learning his way in the game, even with such early success.
"As a young coach, doesn't have things all figured out - I won't pretend to know the things I don't know - what an opportunity to work with someone like Wade, who has been in this role as a head coach before," McVay explains.
"The amount of experience he has, and also his area of expertise being on the defensive side of the football, being able to get him on board has been so helpful.
"Plus, the way he has been towards me has been amazing - he has got such a great way, always giving information, but never pushing it on you.
"He has been such a great resource. He does a great job with the players, they all believe in him."
Belief is the key word. The players believe in Phillips, but their head coach too. With McVay in charge, the Rams believe.
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