ATLANTA — The comparison is comfortable but incomplete. It is natural, but sloppy.
Sean McVay as the new-age Bill Belichick is a thematic certainty, given their teams meet Sunday in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Belichick giving the Patriots an edge is a truism nearly two decades in the making. Everything about the New England organization is driven by the taciturn, hoodie-wearing head coach. The Rams’ ascension in two years under the upbeat McVay is the stuff of hokey made-for-TV scripts. If he is able to bring a Lombardi Trophy back to Southern California, McVay’s handsome countenance will be the new face of the NFL.
How in the world, though, are they likened to each other at this stage of their careers? McVay, having just turned 33 years old, is an NFL wunderkind, the youngest head coach in league history at 30 and, on Sunday, the youngest ever to lead a team into a Super Bowl. Belichick, 66, is the grizzled Jedi master. He was not, however, an instant hit. When he was 33, he was in his second year running the Giants defense for Bill Parcells. Belichick became a head coach for the first time, in Cleveland, when he was 39. He won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots when he was 49. He did not acquire a ticket on the rocket McVay is riding to coaching greatness.
“It’s certainly humbling and flattering, but I think more than anything it’s reflection of the success the Rams have had,’’ McVay said of the comparisons to Belichick. “I think to even be mentioned in the same breath as Coach Belichick, I got a long way to go to even be in that category. He’s done it for so long, so consistently.’’
McVay has done it so briefly. Seemingly in a flash, he went from working in Tampa as an assistant to Jon Gruden to tight ends coach in Washington for Mike Shanahan to offensive coordinator for Jay Gruden with the Redskins to the quantum leap forward with the Rams in 2017. He went 11-5 in his debut season, losing in the first round of the playoffs, and eased the Rams to a 13-3 record with his “We not me’’ mantra and innovative offensive variations, transforming quarterback Jared Goff from a premature bust label as a rookie to the brink of a Super Bowl duel with Tom Brady.
McVay is a sprout off the Bill Walsh coaching tree, having never worked for the late 49ers legend but schooled in his West Coast offense by Walsh disciple Mike Holmgren and both Gruden brothers. Plus, McVay’s grandfather, John, was the general manager in San Francisco who built five championship teams.
Tracing the roots even deeper, Walsh learned from Paul Brown, the Hall of Fame former Browns and Bengals coach. So, McVay is part of the Paul Brown extended family, as well.
“When you go back to it, a lot of the biggest mentors I’ve had, whether it my grandfather or the Gruden family, even Mike Shanahan who was a a part of that 49ers organization, there’s a lot of the core traits, the values, the characteristics like we’re talking about that absolutely heavily influence the way we approach things,’’ McVay said. “With the meticulous detail, the organization, kind of the new age approach [Brown] really took to how to practice, how to maximize players abilities, he’s arguably one of the best of all time and he certainly had a lot of respect for Coach Walsh and what he meant to this game.’’
In the here and now, McVay faces his greatest challenge, matching wits with a time-tested mastermind who is gunning for his sixth Super Bowl triumph. From afar, McVay has tried as best he can to see what makes the Patriots tick.
Sean McVay and Bill BelichickAP“I think some of the things I’d like to learn from, when you watch and appreciate what he’s done for so long is the consistency,’’ McVay said. “There’s a detail, even whenever you hear him speak, the wealth of knowledge and experience he’s pulling from is incredible. And he’s got such an ownership and mastery on offense, defense and special teams. I mean, you talk about somebody that understands the nuances of the game, the tactical approaches and how to really put together a game plan that’s conducive to his players’ skill-sets but it’s also about playing with all three phases working in unison. Those players believe in him, I think he’s invested in the same things as far as building a real authentic rapport and caring about the guys.
“Those are the same things you would like to be described as, but I’m certainly not even close to being mentioned in the same breath as coach Belichick with what he’s done.’’
The next order of business for McVay: Beating Belichick at his own game.
“To play against the Patriots is a great challenge,’’ McVay said. You look at the amount of appearances they’ve had, the consistency at which they’ve operated, it’s not a surprise. They’re a great challenge to prepare for, because they do such a great job, specific to each week. One of the things you consistently hear is good teams don’t beat themselves and they’re a great team because they never beat themselves. A lot of times I’ve heard the phrase ‘more games are lost than they are won in the NFL’ and you never see the Patriots beat themselves.’’
