McVay discusses team offseason plans

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

ROD-BOT

News Feeder
Joined
Aug 18, 2019
Messages
1,043
Sean McVay discusses team offseason plans

At the beginning of the Rams' nine-week offseason program, head coach Sean McVay said his best-case scenario was to have the first six weeks take place virtually and the final three weeks at the facility.

While it remains to be seen if that scenario comes to fruition, McVay has a plan in the event on-field instruction can be resumed for a minicamp and eventually training camp.

"We kind of have a model that we will operate off of," McVay said on a video conference with reporters Tuesday afternoon. "A lot of it will be predicated on, what will be the parameters around that?"
The answer to McVay's question will come from both internal and external sources, including conversations with Rams Senior Director of Sports Medicine and Performance Reggie Scott and his staff as well as league protocols.

The first phase of the NFL's re-opening plan began May 19, according to a memo NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent to club executives, with team facilities allowed to do so if governing state and local regulations permit it.

Facilities cannot operate at higher than 50 percent capacity, meaning no more than 75 people can be inside them. No coaches and players can return to facilities just yet, either – other than those rehabilitating injuries – for the sake of competitive equity. There is currently no timetable for when the second phase will begin.

"When we do get back on the field, we'll probably have to onboard these guys in a smart way, where you can't just jump into it like what we would like to as coaches, just getting excited," McVay said. "So there will be a progressive build. We'll be ready to handle if we're able to do anything, if we've got to accelerate our training camp."

Even with those current limitations, though, it's understandable why McVay would want to plan ahead.

The Rams' Thousand Oaks facility is located in Ventura County, which is one of the counties that advanced to Stage 3 of California's reopening plan yesterday. Large gathering venues will not open until Stage 4, or the end of the stay-at-home-order.

However, as shown with Ventura County's accelerated Stage 2 reopening last week, modifications are possible if critical indicators tell the state it can alter the scope of reopening without jeopardizing public health and safety. Gov. Gavin Newsom also said last week pro sports could potentially return in California "in that first week or so of June without spectators and modifications and very prescriptive conditions."

This week marks Week 4 of the Rams' virtual offseason program. It's difficult to predict whether they will be able to practice on the field in three weeks, but behind a foundation established by experiences in previous years, they'll be prepared just in case.
 

CGI_Ram

Hamburger Connoisseur
Moderator
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
48,082
Name
Burger man
How the Rams have kept virtual meetings engaging

The son of a teacher and a coach, Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley knows the importance of capturing the attention of those who are learning from him.

For Staley, that comes in the form of an energetic approach to presenting Los Angeles' new defensive playbook. For the entire team, it comes in the form of a Netflix docuseries, guest speakers, and unusual Zoom backgrounds to keep things lively.

"I think our guys have done a really nice job of staying engaged, and the coaches as well," Rams head coach Sean McVay said on a video conference with reporters Tuesday.

McVay, Staley and the rest of the Rams' coaching staff and players have had plenty of material to work with.

ESPN's 10-part docuseries called The Last Dance, chronicling Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' NBA dynasty of the 1990s, began airing eight days before their first virtual offseason meeting. By the time those meetings got underway, four of the 10 episodes had already been aired, giving wide receiver Robert Woods and his teammates a lot to talk about. This continued through the duration of the cultural event.

"One of the biggest things we do weekly that's not really football-related is we have a discussion on The Last Dance," Woods said on a video conference with reporters earlier this month. "And really, we discuss it and talk about the mindset and team camaraderie, what we need from each other."

Besides The Last Dance, the Rams have also learned more about the mindset of a champion through former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and current Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, who joined their meetings as guest speakers. In both instances, each spoke to the team for 30 minutes then spent another 30 minutes taking questions from the players.

When asked if those appearances have helped keep meetings fresh, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said "for sure" and hoped they would continue. McVay said he's looking to get Dodgers manager Dave Roberts as one of the next guest speakers.

"Having the opportunity just to listen to them talk, and at times pick from their brains, ask questions if need be, I think it's been cool," Donald said on a video conference with reporters last week. "I think a lot of players have been loving it, a lot of guys have been interacting."

And if those elements aren't enough to keep players engaged, there's always the ability to customize a zoom background to keep the discussions going.

Donald used a recent shirtless photo of himself, while left tackle Andrew Whitworth found a photo from the Elite 11 quarterback competition of Jared Goff and Christian Hackenberg for his. Whitworth picked out the photo because of the resemblance Goff bore to Squints from the movie The Sandlot.

"It's been interesting to give guys a hard time or mess around," Whitworth said on a video conference with reporters a couple weeks ago. "I've played around with changing the virtual background to guys' pictures of them when they were in elementary or high school, leaving it up there for a meeting just to bug them a little bit. You've got to find ways to keep it fun."
 

den-the-coach

Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
22,425
Name
Dennis
Sean McVay talks plans in the event Rams can return to on-field offseason work

Stu Jackson
STAFF WRITER

At the beginning of the Rams' nine-week offseason program, head coach Sean McVay said his best-case scenario was to have the first six weeks take place virtually and the final three weeks at the facility.

While it remains to be seen if that scenario comes to fruition, McVay has a plan in the event on-field instruction can be resumed for a minicamp and eventually training camp.

"We kind of have a model that we will operate off of," McVay said on a video conference with reporters Tuesday afternoon. "A lot of it will be predicated on, what will be the parameters around that?"

Full Article--
[www.therams.com]
 

den-the-coach

Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
22,425
Name
Dennis
Geez, the onetime some fans wish their team played in Montana, North & South Dakota and the Great State of Idaho & keep in mind there are only three things you are never late for in Montana:

  1. Work
  2. Church
  3. Fishing
 

den-the-coach

Fifty-four Forty or Fight
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Jan 16, 2013
Messages
22,425
Name
Dennis
Clippers' Doc Rivers loves Sean McVay as a coach: 'He's a gift'

Cameron DaSilva

Sean McVay has enlisted the help of some recognizable names in sports this offseason during the Rams’ videoconferences, specifically Clippers coach Doc Rivers and future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

Rivers was the first to speak to the team during the virtual offseason program, talking to players about staying prepared during this trying time and continuing to work despite the inability to go into the facilities.

Players relished the chance to hear Rivers talk, but Rivers took plenty away from the chance to speak to the Rams, too. He came away impressed with McVay as a coach, raving about him in an interview with Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.

Full Article--
[theramswire.usatoday.com]