Los Angeles Rams: Ranking Sean McVay 30th among coaches is crazy
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was ranked 30th among NFL coaches, which feels both premature and wrong from early signs.
NFL.com already has determined where Los Angeles Rams new head coach Sean McVay belongs in power rankings among the league’s 32 coaches, two months before his first official game as an NFL head coach. That ranking is not good. That ranking is also ludicrous.
McVay ranked 30th among the 32 coaches, according to the analysis. The good news is McVay finished ahead of two of the other four first-year coaches. The bad news is we’re ranking new head coaches who have had zero chance to build a résumé.
The article could end up being dead on. But it also could complete miss the boat on any of the five new coaches.
Any analysis this early should exclude any first-year coach. But if a McVay power ranking is mandatory now, he does have his accomplishments.
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First, McVay hired arguably the best defensive coordinator in football in Wade Phillips. Putting Aaron Donald in Phillips’ scheme may be one of the best moves of 2017. And second, McVay has installed 95 percent of his offense during the Rams offseason; quarterback Jared Goff says he understands it all.
As NFL.com suggests (h/t theramswire.com), Goff had no clue this time last year.
"During his rookie minicamp, the Los Angeles Rams’ No. 1 overall pick struggled to understand verbiage of the play, move the offense in and out of the huddle, and get the play off on schedule. Battling the leap from college to the NFL, Goff struggled mightily in preseason action and began the year behind Case Keenum. When he was finally put on the field in regular season, Goff was a one-read quarterback fighting to control his own offense, let alone read the defense."
Those factors alone should elevate McVay above No. 30.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, in the meantime, ranked 32nd. He has the least coaching experience as a coordinator/head coach, and the Chargers have gone through significant offseason changes, including a move from San Diego. Returning New York Jets coach Todd Bowles may have it worse. He’s ranked 28th, behind San Francisco 49ers first-year coach Kyle Shanahan.
Related Story: Should Trumaine Johnson's contract cost Rams GM Les Snead his job?
Regardless, a McVay power ranking makes no sense. All the first-year coaches belong in a separate, not-applicable category.