Ex-Giants ‘Fumble’ coach says Rams ‘perfect fit’ for grandson Sean McVay

John McVay knew his grandson, Sean, was serious about coaching when as a youngster he would fall asleep reading Bill Walsh’s book: “Building a Champion: On Football and the Making of the 49ers.” It was published in 1990.

“It’s a game plan for anybody who wants to be in this business,” the elder McVay told The Post by telephone from his home near Sacramento, Calif. “Sean would always be reading it, and then he would tell you, ‘I read this and that and the other.’ He would read a few pages at night until he fell asleep. You could tell he had a deep interest in it.”

That interest has turned into becoming the head coach of the Rams, who visit MetLife Stadium on Sunday to play the Giants. When hired in January, the then 30-year-old McVay was the youngest head coach ever in the NFL. He turned 31 a week later and has changed the culture of the Rams. They have won four their last five games and stand 5-2 on the season.

“He did make his grandfather a liar because I said it’s going to take three years to turn it around,” John McVay said. “He’s made me a liar already. Nobody’s saying we’re going to the playoffs, but he’s got them going.”

McVay, 86, will be watching on television Sunday, hoping his grandson improves to 6-2 with a victory over the 1-6 Giants, a franchise McVay coached for 2 ½ seasons in the late-1970s. His tenure included “The Fumble” game, which the Giants lost to the Eagles on Nov. 19, 1978, at Giants Stadium. A botched handoff from quarterback Joe Pisarcik to Larry Csonka was recovered by Herman Edwards and returned for a touchdown that gave Philadelphia a 19-17 win.
Modal TriggerRams coach Sean McVayAP
McVay was fired after the season and moved on to the 49ers as an executive, helping the franchise win five Super Bowls. He said he is reminded of “The Fumble” only when someone mentions it to him.

“That’s been almost 40 years ago,” McVay said. “I had great respect for Wellington Mara and [Andy] Robustelli was the GM. They were really rambling and scrambling and trying to get on the move, which they eventually did and went on to win some Super Bowls. In the meantime I was with Eddie DeBartolo. We collected five Super Bowls and were feeling pretty good about ourselves.”

“The Fumble” is easy to forget in the midst of all those Super Bowl trophies in San Francisco.

“So much has happened in the last 35-40 years and we’ve had so much unbelievable success, it doesn’t do any good to think about the past,” McVay said. “You have a fumble or an interception or you lose your quarterback for a season, in this business you just better move on.”

He hopes Sean McVay is headed toward his own Super Bowl trophy one day. Grandpa had no doubts his grandson was ready to be a head coach despite his youth after he served under Jon Gruden at Tampa Bay in 2008 and worked his way to the Redskins, where he was the offensive coordinator under Jay Gruden.

“He’s been in football since he could walk and talk,” McVay said. “If you’re a capable coach it depends on how much control you have. Do you have control over selection of your staff? Do you have control over your roster? Things of that nature. And you have to have a willing owner, which he has there. It was a perfect fit for him.”

McVay spends most of his time these days caring for his wife Susan, who was paralyzed by a severe accident two years ago. He was feeding her when a reporter from The Post called on Friday.

“That’s an obligation we all have that I’m trying the best I can with,” he said. “We have a whole flock of grandkids, including Sean. We try to interact and stay in touch with them and have them come here. Other than that, we’ve got the Rams and we’ve got the 49ers.”

And another McVay working toward a Super Bowl.


[nypost.com]