Rams could not wait for Kyle Shanahan with McVay in the wings
By Gary Klein
HOUSTON — Two offensive coordinators for Super Bowl-bound teams were among those in the mix when the Los Angeles Rams began their coaching search.
The Rams interviewed New England’s Josh McDaniels. A snowstorm dashed a scheduled meeting with Atlanta’s Kyle Shanahan.
Ultimately, the Rams hired Sean McVay, making the 31-year-old the youngest coach in NFL history.
“Sean’s a great coach and a good friend of mine,” Shanahan said Monday night, “and he’ll do a hell of a job.”
Still, Rams fans will get a glimpse Sunday of what might have been when the Patriots play the Falcons in Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium.
McDaniels, 40, helped the Patriots defeat the Rams, 26-10, at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 4. The Rams were among several teams that interviewed him, but he is expected to return to the Patriots next season.
Shanahan, 37, helped direct the Falcons to a 42-14 victory over the Rams in a Dec. 11 game that ended Jeff Fisher’s four-plus seasons as coach. Shanahan is the new coach of the San Francisco 49ers, though NFL policy forbids the team to announce the hire until after the Super Bowl.
“Nothing is set in stone until I get a chance to sit down and make something official,” Shanahan said, adding, “Once I do get that opportunity and things work out, it’s something I’ve waited for my whole life.”
The Rams apparently could not wait on Shanahan.
Kevin Demoff, the Rams’ vice president for football operations, General Manager Les Snead and senior assistant Tony Pastoors met with McDaniels on Jan. 7 in New England. They were scheduled to fly to Atlanta to interview Shanahan, but weather nixed their itinerary.
They scrapped plans to reschedule with Shanahan after interviewing McVay for a second time and offering the former Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator the job.
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