Sean McVay, 31, already savvy with the media

Rams coach Sean McVay, 31, already savvy with the media

Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS -- Sean McVay stood behind the podium for a little more than 12 minutes at the scouting combine Thursday, taking about 20 questions from a large group of media members during one of his first official interview sessions as Los Angeles Rams coach. He identified reporters by name on six separate occasions and twice complimented their questions. He spoke clearly and with conviction. He looked his subjects in the eyes and hardly stammered. He used terms like "catch radius" and "gap-and-trap" and "pure progression." He said everything he should without revealing anything he shouldn't.

It made one forget he's 31 years old.

It helped one see why McVay blew executives away during interviews, why the Rams ultimately made him the youngest coach in the NFL's modern era.

"I've enjoyed it," McVay said of all the media obligations that come with his new position, "because talking about football is something I've always appreciated and something I've always enjoyed."

Rams senior director of communications Artis Twyman was like everybody else. He saw how young McVay was when he took the job and expected a considerable learning curve, with several missteps along the way.

"Especially in Los Angeles," said Twyman, entering his 15th season with the Rams. "But that hasn't been the case."

Twyman had a session with McVay shortly after he was hired, going over the landscape in the nation's second-largest media market and how to approach what will eventually become a daily back-and-forth in front of the cameras. But Twyman hasn't had to do much coaching since. He likes that McVay treats interviews more like a "conversation" than an "interrogation," and he believes he's a natural.

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