Bills, Rams replace big-name coaches with polar opposite personalities
Within hours of each other on Friday, the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills introduced their new head coaches to the world - Sean McVay and Sean McDermott, respectively.
They could not be any more different from their predecessors.
Both teams are at different stages of their seemingly never-ending rebuilds, yet both had similar strategies when choosing their next head coach - he can't be like the last guy.
Jeff Fisher and Rex Ryan have been two of the more well-known coaches in the NFL for over a decade, though they weren't always (pretty much never) in the news for the right reasons.
With the Rams sick of Fisher's tired, old-school coaching style in L.A. and the Bills fed up with Ryan's boisterous guarantees and lack of emotional control, both teams elected to take a new direction.
Sean McVay, The Young Coach
Young. Offensively innovative. Fresh minded. Quarterback developer.
Those are four things you definitely can not use to describe the incumbent Fisher.
So far, McVay has gotten a ton of attention for becoming the youngest head coach in NFL history, and while Rams COO Kevin Demoff insists his age was not part of the hiring, it likely didn't hurt. Having one of the youngest rosters in the league, Fisher's boring, archaic coaching style made it hard for his youthful group to get excited about playing in the country's second-largest media market.
On the other hand, McVay quickly made the Washington area forget about their former second-overall pick, turning Kirk Cousins into a franchise record-breaking field general with the league's third-best offense. The 30-year-old will look to better connect with his players and inject literal youth into the franchise. His spread style found uses for everyone involved, from power back Matt Jones, to deep threat DeSean Jackson, to chain-mover Pierre Garcon, to hybrid tight end Jordan Reed - and he plans to do the same in L.A.
While Fisher could barely manage to throw his challenge flag from the sidelines, McVay plans to call the plays as he did with the Redskins and mold his offense around the roster's talents.
"What I think dictates and determines what a great coach is when you talk about forming an offensive identity, it’s about first let’s figure out what our players do best," McVay said Friday according to ProFootballTalk's Josh Alper. "What does (quarterback) Jared (Goff) do best? How can we maximize (running back) Todd (Gurley) and (receiver) Tavon (Austin) and our linemen up front?"
McVay has even earned the nick name of "Baby Gruden," as he displays many similarities to coaching brothers Jon and Jay Gruden, who he has coached under throughout his career and are known for their charisma.
The real bonus for the Rams was likely realized at his first press conference. While Fisher struggled to deal with media, regularly needing to defend himself and his decisions, McVay seemed like a real pro. The 30-year-old, who typically did not answer to media in Washington, was calm, calculated, and intelligent on the podium.
At first glance, the Rams appear to have found their prodigy to replace the old guard.
Sean McDermott, Mr. Stability
Ryan kicked off his stint with the Bills in typical fashion for the fiery former defensive coordinator, guaranteeing playoff runs, voicing his hate for the Patriots, and characterizing his new team as a bully.
McDermott did none of that, but in a good way.
While both men are from defensive backgrounds, their personalities and coaching philosophies clearly differentiate the pair. Ryan may have been characterized as a "players' coach," yet he regularly seemed to feud with his underlings. McDermott's guys in Carolina had the highest of praises to sing for their former coordinator.
"Very passionate," said Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. "He loves his players and he does a great job of maximizing players' potential by putting them in the best position to be successful."
"Coach McDermott's attention to detail, his competitive nature, his love for the game and his overall understanding of football is awesome, but I think the person that Sean McDermott is will allow him to be a fantastic head coach," said Luke Kuechly. "He's a great coach and an even better person."
As Ryan garnered a reputation as an over-rated, erratic decision maker with Buffalo reporters (who were placed under a ridiculously strict media policy during training camp for being too harsh, apparently), some of the most respectful comments about McDermott's hire came from those who covered him in Carolina.
"If Sean McDermott doesn't fix Buffalo, it won't be for lack of hard work. He's the ultimate grinder," tweeted Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer.
One of McDermott's first major decisions to make is what to do with quarterback Tyrod Taylor. When asked about the subject, he didn't panic to answer either way as he's fully aware of how important the position is. McDermott won't rush into anything, instead he will methodically evaluate Taylor along with the rest of the Bills to determine the best decision. Smart.
Schematically, the Bills will move back to a 4-3 defense under McDermott, the same defense that created the league's best pass rush before Ryan's arrival.
Under Ryan, the Bills were anything but boring - although there were plenty of times that may have been a better option. Boring may not be the most flattering word to characterize McDermott, so let's say he'll bring stability - something that has been lacking in Buffalo since the early 90's.