From a national profile standpoint, the biggest non-coaching winner of the Rams' success over the last seven years might be former tackle Andrew Whitworth.
After 11 workmanlike years with the Bengals, Whitworth moved to Los Angeles for some of the best years of his career, won a Super Bowl and parlayed his success into a job on Amazon's Thursday Night Football panel.
Whitworth has only positive things to say about Rams coach Sean McVay. On a Wednesday morning hit on This is Football with ESPN's Kevin Clark, the four-time Pro Bowler outlined what characteristics set McVay apart from his peers.
The most impressive thing @AndrewWhitworth saw in the NFL? Sean McVay's first OTAs as a head coach where he only taught character. Great insight on McVay's success. "A lot of teams that suck right now it's because their head coaches are scared to challenge their players as men." pic.twitter.com/0fP0pGw5Pa
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 13, 2023
"It really starts with his ability to communicate," Whitworth said. "People talk about his intelligence level, they talk about his genius play-calling. ... To me, you walk in a room with Sean McVay and his ability to communicate sticks out to me."
Whitworth stressed McVay's expert at translating his specific vision for his teams, and noted his emphasis on character.
"The most impressive thing I've ever seen—11 years in the league, I move over to Los Angeles. His first four weeks of OTAs as a 30-year-old, the youngest head coach in NFL history,” Whitworth said. “We spent the first hour or so of team meetings for the first four weeks he had the job explaining what football character looked like.”
That, to Whitworth, is why McVay has been so transformational since his hiring.
"A lot of teams that suck right now, it's because their head coaches are scared to challenge their players as men to act like men," Whitworth said.
