Les Snead Reveals Snowstorm Kept Rams From Interviewing Kyle Shanahan For Head Coaching Position In 2017

Since 2017, the Los Angeles Rams have been one of the best teams in the NFL and a lot of that has to do with Sean McVay.

The Rams were initially questioned for hiring a then-30-year-old McVay, but the decision proved to be one of the best as the head coach has led the franchise to two Super Bowl appearances and one championship. Despite his young age, McVay has earned a reputation for his brilliant offensive schemes and is clearly one of the best coaches today.

However, there was a real possibility that the Rams could have passed over McVay in favor of Kyle Shanahan, a popular coaching candidate at the time. In an appearance on The Playcallers podcast, Les Snead revealed that a snowstorm prevented Los Angeles from ever interviewing Shanahan for their vacant head coaching position:

“Unfortunately, we could never interview Kyle. We had it scheduled, then it was a snowstorm in the New England area, so Providence. When we interviewed Matt (Patricia) and Josh (McDaniels), the snowstorm hit that part of the country, and we couldn’t get to Atlanta,” Snead said. “We couldn’t get there. We did ask Kyle, ‘Hey would you like to FaceTime?’ He didn’t really want to do that. So at that point in time we passed on the interview. That weather event and whatever occurred because of it, it definitely changed the course of the NFC West.”

Although it would’ve been interesting to see what the Rams would’ve looked like with Shanahan at the helm, it’s probably fair to assume that he has no regrets considering he landed with the San Francisco 49ers shortly after. Although Shanahan has yet to win a Super Bowl, he’s managed to get the 49ers to the championship game and multiple playoff berths.

McVay and Shanahan will always be linked because of their time together with the Washington Redskins, but the two coaches have got one of the NFL’s best rivalries going right now. Both of them are premier offensive minds and it’ll be interesting to see how their next round of matchups go in the 2023 season.

Mike Martz likes Sean McVay bringing in Mike LaFleur

While McVay has become well-regarded for his passing game concepts, Shanahan has made a name for himself with how well his teams run the football. McVay has openly talked about having more balance in his offense, so his hiring of Mike LaFleur as his offensive coordinator is a step in the right direction.

LaFleur spent time with Shanahan in San Francisco which is why people like Mike Martz like the move for McVay and the Rams.