WHERE DOES McVAY RANK?
NFL.com put together a list of head coach power rankings heading into the 2019 season. The headline of the article reads in part, “Who follows Bill Belichick?” And that’s for good reason. As author Elliot Harrison points out in the first line of his article, “Just about everyone agrees Bill Belichick is the premier head coach pro football today.”
But how does the list shake out from No. 2-32? Well, Rams head coach Sean McVay comes out at No. 6 on the list.
Here’s what Harrison has to say about him:
Every owner wants a Sean McVay to coach his football team these days. McVay’s two-year success story speaks to his immersion in the family business of football, as well as his ability to draw off an excellent football mind and mental filing system to have his team better prepared than their opponents week after week. McVay’s memory, ability to reach his players, and considerable energy has pushed the Rams to the playoffs in both of his seasons as the organizational front man, including a Super Bowl berth. To McVay’s credit, he knows his place, too. He let Wade Phillips run the defense, and got out of the way. It was the defense, not the offense, that really shined this past postseason. The touchstone of McVay’s primary focus and background — the offensive side of the ball — has been the noteworthy development of quarterback Jared Goff, who has tossed 60 touchdowns over the last two years. That’s a dude people were calling a bust the year before McVay arrived.
McVay is behind No. 2 Pete Carroll, No. 3 Sean Payton, No. 4 Andy Reid, and No. 5 Doug Pederson. Harrison placed him above Super Bowl winning coaches John Harbaugh (No. 7), Mike Tomlin (No. 9), and Jon Gruden (No. 15).