Big Picture: As He Turns 40, Sean McVay Has Created a Culture of Accountability

Ever the optimist, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay always manages to see the positive side of things and is unassumingly apologetic to a fault.

So, it’s no surprise that the first words out of McVay’s mouth after his team’s overtime victory on the road in the NFC divisional round over the Chicago Bears were owning up to a bad call – a quick pitch to running back Blake Corum that resulted in a 2-yard loss on third-and-1 late in overtime, resulting in a punt.

“Offensively, I did not do a very good job for our group tonight,” McVay told reporters at the podium after the Rams’ win. “But I thought our guys were able to overcome it.”

Before addressing reporters, McVay had already apologized on the field to quarterback Matthew Stafford soon after the end of the game.

“The coolest thing is just the honesty that we have with each other,” Stafford told reporters last week. “Whether things go the way we want it to or not, it’s, ‘How can we fix them? How can we be better? How can we communicate better as an offense and then ultimately play better?’

“We’ve had that since I’ve been here. I appreciate the hell out of it.”

McVay said his penchant for acknowledging his shortcomings comes from his father, Tim McVay, a former college defensive back at Indiana. McVay and the Rams will lean on that humble approach as they face an uphill battle on the road in the NFC Championship Game against a familiar foe in the Seattle Seahawks (6:30 p.m. ET, Sunday on FOX). It’s the third time the NFC West foes will meet this season, with both teams winning at home. 

Hired by the Rams a decade ago, McVay turns 40 years old on Saturday (Yes, he’s reached his Mike Gundy era). McVay’s seven postseason appearances and 10 playoff wins are the most for a head coach in NFL history before his 40th birthday. 

McVay said he doesn’t want any birthday wishes this weekend – just a win. 

“I’m not a big birthday guy and if you guys say happy 40th, I’ll slap the s— out of you,” he jokingly told reporters this week. “Here’s what I will say: What is a good birthday is when I’m working on my birthday and if I’m working next week. That’d be a hell of a birthday. That’s the only present I want.”

It will be a tough task for McVay to earn that present. With this game in Seattle, the Rams will have played seven of their last nine games away from SoFi Stadium, flying 13,500 miles since Week 16, compared to 6,000 air miles for the Seahawks over the same time. 

However, Rams sports and clinical psychologist Carrie Hastings said McVay will lean on his core philosophies of staying present, humility and battling through adversity, which echoed through the entire organization. A former track athlete at Notre Dame, Hastings has worked for the team since 2018 and serves in a similar capacity for Angel City Football Club of the National Women’s Soccer League and UC Santa Barbara’s men’s basketball team. 

“Sean has always had a philosophy of we, not me,” Dr. Hastings told me. “That mantra is literally on the walls of our practice facility. ‘If someone triumphs, we all triumph. If someone fails to perform, we all have to pick up the slack.’ So, he really models humility and accountability.” 

According to Hastings, the NFL mandated in the last collective bargaining agreement that every team must have some mental health resource available to players and coaches. Further, the NFL requires every team to have a mental health emergency action plan. That’s something Hastings is responsible for updating every season, reviewing it with key members of the team’s crisis response team. 

Hastings said she and McVay regularly discuss how to mentally address the team and what kind of message to send to them. Players are also encouraged to use her as a resource. 

“He’s so open and communicative,” Dr. Hastings said about McVay. “A good leader communicates and collaborates. Sean always welcomes feedback from all ends and likes to incorporate that feedback into what he thinks will work. And he succeeds because he’s taking the time to really build relationships with players. And that builds trust, which is a key component to winning games.” 

Sean McVay ahead of the Rams’ playoff win over the Carolina Panthers. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

McVay said that trust is earned through being authentic and honest with his players, particularly in how he performs on game days.

“You have to be honest,” McVay said. “If we expect accountability from our players, then we have to be accountable as coaches. I always want our players to know we’re in it with them. Even though it’s a little bit different because physically, we’re not able to participate, there still is decision-making, clarity, and overall things that we can do to try to help ultimately set up successful outcomes.” 

A win over the Seahawks would give the Rams a third trip to the Super Bowl in McVay’s ninth season. Hastings’ advice to him and the players is simple.

“We’ve talked about staying in the present, especially right now,” Hastings told me. “We have not made it to the Super Bowl yet, and I will hear from guys – especially guys who weren’t there for the last Super Bowl – there’s this giddiness that can kick in.

“Even last week, like, ‘Oh my gosh, we could be in the Super Bowl. I can’t believe it. This is what I dreamed of.’ And Sean and I both agree we need to slow it down a little bit and focus on the next game. I always tell players within the game, just focus on that play and stay present.”

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