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Sports Illustrated
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Rams swing for the fences with Sean McVay, a fascinating hire for their future.

Grade: A-minus.

The absolute worst thing the Rams could have done this hiring cycle, after lulling their fans to sleep under Fisher, is replace Fisher with another old-school, retread coach. Their situation demanded pushing their chips to the middle.

Is there a chance McVay winds up in over his head? Absolutely. There is always that possibility when someone makes the assistant-to-head coach leap, but probably even more so for a guy as young and relatively inexperienced as McVay. If it works, though, this may finally get the Rams headed in the right direction. If nothing else, McVay’s presence ought to work in Goff’s favor, and that’s an important starting point.

Even with their move to Los Angeles prior to the 2016 season, the Rams never emerged as anything other than stale and mediocre under former coach Jeff Fisher. They needed a move-the-needle hire to take Fisher’s spot, someone who could drum up a little excitement within the fan base.

Try this on for size: Thursday the Rams announced the hire of Sean McVay, who at 30 years old becomes the youngest coach in modern NFL history. McVay will turn 31 on Jan. 24.

As one might expect given his age, McVay has risen rapidly in the NFL coaching world. Shortly after wrapping his playing career at Miami (Ohio) in 2007, McVay latched on as a 22-year-old assistant with the Buccaneers. He then served as a tight ends coach for both the UFL’s Florida Tuskers and the Redskins, before being promoted to Washington’s offensive coordinator in 2014.

The Redskins had a top-11 passing attack in all three seasons under McVay and coach Jay Gruden—the first with Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy all drawing starts; the final two with Cousins at the helm.

And McVay has been credited with much of Cousins’s success. This year alone, he ranked third in the NFL in passing yards with 4,917, behind only MVP candidate Matt Ryan (4,944) and Drew Brees (5,208). Say what you will about Cousins, but he was a franchise-tagged player in 2016 and could bring home a $100 million contract as a free agent in the coming months. Prior to the arrivals of McVay and Gruden, that outcome would have been considered ludicrous.

It almost goes without saying that McVay’s hire could be great news for Los Angeles QB Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft. Goff spent much of the 2016 season on the bench behind Case Keenum, then looked overwhelmed when he did crack the lineup—the Rams’ unimaginative offense and horrid O-line certainly didn’t help.

McVay’s Washington offense spread the ball around impressively. Both DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon topped 1,000 yards receiving, while Jamison Crowder, Jordan Reed, Chris Thompson and even an aging Vernon Davis caught at least 40 passes each.

The challenges McVay faces in replicating that success in Los Angeles? Well, for starters, the Rams don’t have anywhere close to that level of talent at wide receiver. Kenny Britt led the Rams in 2016 with 1,002 yards, but there was not much production behind him. Perhaps McVay can figure out how best to use Tavon Austin, a mystery Fisher’s staff never came close to solving.

Better yet, maybe McVay is the right coach to unlock Todd Gurley’s potential on a consistent basis. Because of the Rams’ issues along the O-line and at quarterback, defenses were able to load up in the box to stop Gurley this season. As a result, he followed up his dazzling rookie season with just 885 yards and a 3.2 yards-per-carry average.

Even if McVay can get the offense rolling, he figures to need ample help on defense. He was a wide receiver in his playing days and has no experience coaching that side of the ball. So, a move like this would make sense:



That’s another potential swing for the fences for the Rams, should they choose to pursue Phillips. The longtime coach’s contract just expired in Denver, where new coach Vance Joseph has yet to announce his plans for the coordinator positions. For the moment, at least, Phillips is available.

The Rams’ defense was its strength in the disappointing Fisher era, but even that unit took a step back last season—the constant pressure of having to carry a moribund offense had to weigh on the D.

Whether it’s Phillips or another proven defensive mind joining the staff, the Rams already have made their splash to start the off-season. To be in position for an NFL head-coaching job at 30 is remarkable.


Sean McDermott tapped to do what Bills expected from Rex Ryan—earn a playoff spot

Grade: A-minus.

This hire has the potential to give the Bills everything they wanted from Ryan, without all the bluster that came with having Rex and his brother Rob on staff. McDermott has a no-nonsense personality that should play well in Buffalo (at least with the fans, if not all the players) after Ryan seemingly lost control in 2016.

Whether or not McDermott has a legitimate shot to break Buffalo’s 17-season playoff drought will depend on what happens above him. GM Doug Whaley held onto his post and led this search, but he still has to be considered very much on the hot seat. If the Bills bail on Taylor, can Whaley find a suitable replacement or, ideally an upgrade? Can he patch the holes elsewhere on this roster?

Doug Marrone pushed the Bills close to the playoffs. Ryan did the same, at least once. McDermott can finish the mission, but not all by himself.

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Taking the Chargers' job amid move to L.A. just the latest in Anthony Lynn's crazy year

Grade: B.

While Lynn was relatively impressive in his time as offensive coordinator, those 14 games calling plays (including one, a loss to the Jets, as interim coach) are the only experience he has higher than special-teams assistant or RBs coach. Others like Patricia, Josh McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan were believed to be ahead of Lynn in the coaching-promotion pecking order, so fair or not, Lynn will be expected to justify his leap to the top.

Lynn will need his coordinators to carry their weight, both so he can find his footing and so he can deal with the hectic San Diego-to-L.A. relocation. This upcoming season will be a very trying one for the entire organization.

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Broncos roll the dice hiring highly coveted but untested Vance Joseph

Grade: B.

In terms of the excitement it will generate in Denver, Joseph’s hire probably falls behind Shanahan but ahead of Toub. (Joseph may get even more of a bump because of that time spent as a player at Colorado.)

There’s no question that this is a bit of a gamble, though. Joseph has just one season of experience as a coordinator, and he’s stepping into a highly demanding spot leading a team one year removed from being Super Bowl champions. John Fox was pushed out of Denver despite going 46-18 with four playoff appearances and one AFC title. The expectations are that this is a win-now team.

How realistic it is that Joseph actually produces the desired results, again, will come down in large part to how the offense is repaired—coaching-wise and in terms of personnel. Should that side of the ball remains a headache, all the more pressure will land on Joseph to match on the defensive side of the ball what Phillips accomplished during his brief, brilliant tenure as the Broncos’ coordinator.

There seemed to be little doubt around the league that Joseph was ready to be a head coach. This won’t be an easy spot for a first-timer to step in. If it backfires, the Broncos may rue their decision to pass on Shanahan.

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Jags' revamped front office opts for continuity by hiring Doug Marrone as coach

Grade: C-minus.

The Jaguars don’t have to look far to see how the interim-to-permanent coach transition can work; the Titans did the same with Mike Mularkey, then just missed out on an AFC South title this season.

Still, the way this all looks—Marrone’s fate likely resting in the hands of Bortles, with Coughlin in the background—points toward 2017 perhaps being a brief trial run under this structure. If Bortles bottoms out again or the Jaguars stumble toward another three-, four- or five-win finish, there would be even less justification for maintaining the status quo (or some semblance of it) than there is now.

Can Coughlin come to the rescue in the front office? Will he have to save the day on the sideline? He is the X-factor in what otherwise would be a very mundane hire.

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