Sean McVay To Call Rams' Plays
Sean McVay becoming the first 30-year-old ever hired to coach an NFL team will come with the expected responsibility of calling plays. The new Rams coach will take on that task presumably since he made himself an attractive candidate by doing so in Washington.
- Former Rams wide receivers coach Mike Groh is expected to interview with the Eagles to coach their wideouts, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports. The 45-year-old Groh also served as Los Angeles’ passing-game coordinator. The son of former Jets coach Al Groh, Mike Groh spent the previous three seasons instructing the Bears’ wide receivers.
- Former 49ers special teams coach Derius Swinton is expected to log another interview this week, doing so with the Saints. After meeting with the Broncos, Swinton will likely meet with the Saints this week, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports. Just 31, Swinton served as an assistant special teams coach for the Rams, Chiefs, Broncos and Bears from 2009-15 prior to taking over San Francisco’s specialty units.
Will Rams Hold On To "Fisher Guys?"
While Rams head coach Sean McVay is considered to be one of the brightest young minds in the business, some league executives believes it will take several seasons before his skills are reflected on the field.
- Robinson tweets that there were rumblings that the Rams would let “[Jeff] Fisher guys,” including wideout Kenny Britt and cornerback Trumaine Johnson, hit free agency. However, Robinson notes that the mindset may have changed following the hiring of McVay as head coach and Phillips as defensive coordinator.
Rams Add Former DC Joe Barry To Coaching Staff
The Rams introduced former Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay as their head coach yesterday. COO Kevin Demoff, who led the search for a new coach, admitted that he wasn’t initially sure what to make of the 30-year-old.
Rams To Hire Bill Johnson As D-Line Coach
- The Rams, led by new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, are hiring Bill Johnson to coach their D-line, according to Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). The Saints parted with Johnson last week, thus ending an eight-year run with the organization.
Bill Callahan A Candidate For Rams' OC Job
- Newly minted Rams head coach Sean McVay has already reeled in one experienced coordinator in defensive chief Wade Phillips, and he could next add one on offense in Bill Callahan, reports Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson (Twitter link). Callahan is currently the Redskins’ offensive line coach – McVay, of course, was their offensive coordinator – and has been a coordinator in both Oakland and Dallas.
Rams Expect To Retain ST Coordinator John Fassel
- The Rams are expected to keep special teams coach John Fassel, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Twitter). Fassel has been with the organization since 2012, and he served as the Rams’ interim head coach following the firing of Jeff Fisher.
- The Redskins may have lost offensive coordinator Sean McVay, but they’re not planning on losing anyone else on their offensive staff. The Redskins are expected to retain all of their offensive assistant coaches, reports ESPN.com’s John Keim. Following the Rams‘ hiring of Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator, there were rumors that tight ends coach Wes Phillips may leave to join McVay and his dad in Los Angeles. However, Keim notes that the Rams would have to request an interview with anyone on the Redskins coaching staff.
- The Eagles are interested in interviewing Rams passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Mike Groh for their wide receivers coach vacancy, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). The former quarterback coached the Bears wideouts for three seasons before joining the Rams last year.
[SOURCE LINK]
Dolphins Won’t Let Rams Interview Chris Foerster For OC Gig
The Dolphins denied the Rams permission to interview offensive line coach Chris Foerster for their offensive coordinator vacancy, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter). As our own Zach Links previously pointed out, teams are not required to allow position coaches to interview for coordinator gigs. Therefore, even though Foerster would be eyeing a clear promotion, the Dolphins still exercised their right.
The long-time coach spent the 2016 season serving as Miami’s offensive line coach. The unit actually showed plenty of improvement under Foerster. The Dolphins offensive line allowed 45 sacks (the eighth-highest total in the league) during the 2015 campaign, but that improved to only 30 sacks (10th-lowest total in the league) this past season. Furthermore, Miami’s running game also had a bounce-back season. After having compiled 1,496 rushing yards in 2015, the Dolphins rushed for 1,824 yards in 2016.
Prior to his tenure in Miami, Foerster served as the offensive line coach for the 49ers, Redskins, Ravens, and Buccaneers. Foerster actually worked alongside Sean McVay when the duo was in Washington, as the Rams new head coach served as the Redskins’ tight ends coach and offensive coordinator during Foerster’s tenure with the organization.
Foerster also has experience as an offensive coordinator, serving in that role with the Dolphins back in 2004. Miami finished 4-12 that season and only managed 275 points on offense.
Rams To Hire Wade Phillips As DC
The Rams hired the youngest head coach in NFL history and will supplement him with one of the most experienced coordinators in football. Wade Phillips agreed to become Los Angeles’ next defensive coordinator, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The first of the two teams to relocate to Los Angeles moved swiftly on a busy NFL day in its second-biggest market. Phillips drew interest from the Redskins and Browns and to some degree the Broncos but will head west to run Sean McVay‘s defense, although he did not officially interview for any position. Phillips will relocate to L.A. after further elevating his stature in the game following a memorable two-year stint in Denver.
A McVay hire meant the Rams were going to push for Phillips, whom the 30-year-old head coach sought as his DC. Phillips will be 70 next season but proved to be a coveted free agent after his two-year contract with the Broncos expired. The nomadic DC and former head coach took the Broncos’ defense to a higher level, turning a talented group into one of the premier units in modern NFL history. Denver ranked first in DVOA in both 2015 and ’16 under Phillips and put together dominant defensive displays to win the AFC title game and Super Bowl 50.
The Broncos and Phillips couldn’t come to terms on an extension last summer, and the team is thought to be considering secondary coach Joe Woods for the now-vacant DC job, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Woods coached with new HC Vance Joseph in Houston, along with Phillips. This will be the NFL veteran assistant’s ninth DC job, the first coming back in 1981 with the Saints. McVay was born in 1986, creating an interesting dynamic for a Los Angeles defense that ranked ninth this season.
It remains to be seen if Phillips will continue Gregg Williams‘ 4-3 scheme or use the 3-4 he utilized in Denver. Phillips turned a Broncos team that previously worked out of a base 4-3 set into a 3-4, but the Rams employing probably the league’s best defensive tackle in Aaron Donald could point to the team staying in its usual alignment.
This will also mean the Super Bowl 50 champions will be without all three of the top sideline decision-makers from that season less than a year after the championship. The Broncos are amid a search for their next OC as well.
Redskins To Interview Wade Phillips?
7:37pm: Renck now reports the longtime DC is going to Washington to visit family instead of officially interviewing with the Redskins. While he adds Phillips is a sought-after candidate, an interview with the Redskins has not been scheduled.
6:46pm: The competition for Wade Phillips‘ 2017 services has heated up, and his previous employer has fallen behind — perhaps by choice. Phillips will interview for the Redskins’ defensive coordinator job on Friday, Troy Renck of Denver7 reports (on Twitter). The 69-year-old DC has an obvious connection there; his son Wes Phillips is Washington’s tight ends coach.
The Rams still have interest, Renck reports, especially now that the team hired Sean McVay as HC. McVay wants Phillips as his DC, we heard earlier today. The Browns also expressed interest in Phillips before hiring Gregg Williams.
This comes as the Broncos hired defensive-based Vance Joseph as their next head coach. Joseph may be shifting in a different direction, despite calling Phillips a mentor from their time together with the Texans. The new Denver coach said today (via Nick Groke of the Denver Post) Phillips “is a free agent; he’s free to go where he wants to go” but did not mention any other names for the Broncos’ DC job. Defensive backs coach Joe Woods is considered a key candidate to become the Broncos’ next DC, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post reports. Phillips’ two-year Broncos contract expired after the season.
The Redskins have already interviewed Gus Bradley, Mike Pettine and Steve Wilks for their DC job, with Wilks instead receiving a promotion to become the Panthers’ head coach following Sean McDermott’s Bills defection. Washington attempted to interview Bengals DC Paul Guenther but was denied.
Phillips’ Broncos defenses finished as the No. 1 DVOA units in each of the past two years, with his 2015 Super Bowl group being one of the best defenses in memory.
Rams To Retain GM Les Snead
As the Rams now pin their hopes to the youngest head coach in NFL history, they are not planning a change at GM. Les Snead will stay on for a sixth season, Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News reports (on Twitter).
While this isn’t exactly surprising at this juncture of the offseason, the team will give Snead a longer leash than Jeff Fisher. His future will now undoubtedly be tied to the success of Sean McVay and Jared Goff. While the investments in Fisher and Nick Foles did not end up working out during his tenure, it’s highly unlikely the 45-year-old personnel man will be around to pick another coach if the 30-year-old McVay isn’t ready.
After Fisher’s firing in December, Rams president Kevin Demoff didn’t give Snead — whom the franchise also signed to an extension last year — a glowing endorsement. “We’ll analyze [the front office],” Demoff said in December. The recent examination revealed Snead to be safe for now.
Snead and Fisher revived the Rams back to respectability after the organization went through one of the worst stretches in franchise history in the years prior, finishing with fewer than three wins in four of the previous five seasons. But the Snead-era Rams are now 31-48-1 and haven’t been to the playoffs since 2004.