Skipping Out On Draft Combine Proved To Be ‘Invaluable’ For Rams New Coordinators

The Los Angeles Rams’ offseason has been filled with organizational changes, with the first coming in the coaching staff.

After a disappointing 9-7 season in 2019, Sean McVay made wholesale changes to his staff, bringing in a complete new set of coordinators in Kevin O’Connell (offense), Brandon Staley (defense) and John Bonamego (special teams).

In order for McVay to get acquainted with his new coordinators, he decided that they wouldn’t attend the 2020 NFL Draft Combine back in February, and McVay himself only attended for a couple of days.

It turns out that ended up being a good decision as McConnell recently spoke about how much he was able to learn during that time back in L.A., via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:

“I think back on that week as truly invaluable for me personally, and I know Brandon Staley feels the same way,” O’Connell said during a video conference with reporters last month. “That time we got that week with (head) coach (Sean) McVay, really kind of breaking things down and getting to accelerate the process was huge, there’s no doubt about it.”

McConnell even went as far as to call it the best-case scenario for him and the other coaches:

“It was best-case scenario for me personally,” O’Connell said. “I’m really thankful for that during that time.”

Staley echoed McConnell’s thoughts, believing the communication amongst the staff as a whole has been great this offseason:

“It’s been a lot more seamless than I ever would’ve thought,” Staley said of the digital transition during a video conference with reporters in May. “I think everybody was ready for challenges, but I felt like our communication has been at a premium and I’ve really enjoyed getting to do it this way.”

If the Rams want to get back into postseason contention in 2020, then the coaching staff will have to do wonders with the team’s young players, many of whom will be seeing their first true NFL action.

With so many changes this offseason though, expectations around the league for the Rams are low, so hopefully they can fly under the radar and surprise some people with a bounce-back 2020 season.