Few coaches have had as much immediate success as Sean McVay had with the Los Angeles Rams. Right off the bat, he won Coach of the Year in 2017, his first season as a head coach. He’s since reached two Super Bowls and won one of them, all before turning 40.
Despite entering his seventh season as a head coach, he’s still the youngest in the NFL. Pete Carroll has seen firsthand the amount of success McVay has had, being a coach in the same division as McVay and the Rams.
Their head-to-head battles haven’t necessarily been one-sided, with McVay going 8-5 against Carroll in his six seasons, including a postseason win. During a recent interview on OnPoint Live, Carroll paid McVay some major compliments (h/t Turf Show Times).
“I think he’s an incredibly effective coach. I noticed it right off the bat in his first couple years. His ability to structure a team and to build an offense and a style of and defense and just a level of playing consistency that was remarkable. He has great insights, he’s got great instincts for the game. He must be tough on his players enough to keep them coming back. Got good vision because the creative part of his game is really good. I’m sure for Sean it’s been hard in a sense because they’ve been so successful so early that it’s hard to figure out how to stay that way. It’s a big challenge. He hit it so fast and so quickly and he’s also kind of laid the groundwork for other guys to get opportunities in the same fashion, same background. Those guys are doing well. I think he’s had a big impact on the game. He’s one of the best coaches that I’ve ever worked against. I expect that it’s always going to be a battle. I love competing against him. I like that he’s a young guy and I’m an old guy and we gotta figure out how to go head-to-head all the time. Look forward to those matchups.”
McVay, now 37 years old, is in his seventh season as a head coach. And while he flirted with retirement in the last two years, he’s committed to the Rams long-term now.
Carroll, 71, doesn’t ever seem close to retirement so we could see these two NFC West coaches battling it out for at least a few more years.
