Today is Rams head coach Sean McVay’s 40th birthday, although he doesn’t want to talk about thishe did talk about his second-longest tenure as an NFL head coach.
“That’s wild, isn’t it?” McVay said.
advertise
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took over in 2013 and is the longest-serving head coach in the NFL. McVay, who was hired in 2017, was not far behind, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was hired a few weeks after McVay, was not far behind. McVay said that shows how little job security most football coaches have.
“It’s hard,” McVay said. “This league has its challenges, but it’s always a blessing and I don’t take it for granted. In year nine, the turnover that happens is crazy. Me and Kyle that year, and then the Big Red team in Kansas City, Coach Reed is still doing his thing.”
McVay said he doesn’t like to hear that he has “credentials” in NFL coaching, but he does appreciate that he was able to stay in one place for nine years in an industry that’s not common.
“Senior year? I’m not a senior yet,” McVay said. “I think you realize how tough this league is. How volatile it is. And perspective is everything. Luckily, growing up in this game I do have a good perspective and realize how difficult it is, but you love it and you know it doesn’t always come with great things.”
advertise
McVay’s grandfather, John McVay, who was the Giants’ head coach from 1976 to 1978, was fired a month after his team suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in NFL history, fondly remembered by Eagles fans as Miracles in the Meadowlands. John McVay’s coaching career was over, but Sean McVay talked about how his grandfather persevered and became a long-time executive in San Francisco.
“My grandfather was the head coach of the Giants and was the head coach during the Miracle in the Meadowlands, which you would have thought was a challenging trade, and he quit that job and ended up being an executive and going to five world championship games with the 49ers,” McVay said.
McVay said he’s grateful the Rams have stuck with him in an industry where coaches often don’t last long.
“It’s such a blessing to be able to serve in these positions,” McVay said. “I’m grateful when I’m not at my best, but I feel supported and unconditionally supported. It means a lot to me.”