Haven't posted in a long time because circumstances have made it difficult for me to even follow football this year. But I do have a quick thought about McVay.
The downside to being so young and a "genius" and having such amazing success so quick is that your mind hasn't had the necessary years and life experiences to mature and sort things out, just yet. Big life questions may not yet be answered, some as basic as: "Who am I?" "What is my self-identity based upon?" "What do I really want in life?" Often the result is inner turmoil and insecurities that can be so hard to understand when you're in the midst of it.
I've seen it in plenty of young managers I've overseen over the decades, and in looking back (a long way!) even in myself in some early years when I, too, was too young to be placed in the position I was. It's why we'll see some too young guys made OCs, DCs and even HCs, and wind up being fired even though they have all the talent in the world. See it all the time in the business world. Often they come back later after some more maturing, after more time to process life, and then have more success and handle the pressures better.
Yes, McVay had great success because of his genius, work ethic, and force of personality. But he was too young; and now his mind is in turmoil as he tries to figure things out that take years and lots of life experiences to get there. The Rams organization at the top, I think, knows exactly what I'm talking about and so the wise old heads allowed him the unpressured space to even get to the most basic question: do I want to continue to do this job or not?
The good news is that McVay seems to realize his dilemma. The bad news is that he's still young and there is no way to accelerate life experiences that come only with time. I hope he is able to find a new mentor (apparently his grandfather held that position) that can offer sage direction and comfort for him.
But even this bad terrible horrible year is valuable, and will go a long way in the right direction for allowing him to mentally mature. He will learn that failures are not abnormal; they are inevitable and a part of life for everyone. This is a very hard lesson to learn for a young person who has not yet failed.
I hope he is open to some advice on choosing staff that can be not just good football minds, but good guides in life.
