49ers pool of candidates shrinks as Rams tab next head coach

The racial aspect of the National Football League coaching circle has been well publicized over the years, and Smith has been there to sound off on the subject at nearly every opportunity as well.

And by season’s end, the honeymoon was already over in La-La Land, as a half-full Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum echoed with the boos of disenchanted fans. “This is just an unbelievable announcement and opportunity and we’re all so happy, proud and excited for Sean and his opportunity”. He’s an unknown commodity.

One person has even renamed him McBae, and we are totally here for it.

Yet we suddenly can’t seem to take our eyes off what the Rams are doing.

In the entertainment capital of the world, the Rams suddenly have at least made themselves intriguing. He is the grandson of longtime San Francisco 49ers executive John McVay. After some time under Jon Gruden’s wing, he was hired in 2010 by Mike Shanahan in Washington as an offensive quality control coach.

The Rams decided not to interview Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. He needed also to raise the entertainment value of a group for which he’s funding a $2 billion theater, in which his Rams are about to share top billing with the new team in town, with its new coach. In his three years with the Redskins, he turned Kirk Cousins from a backup into one of the most prolific passers in the league.

Don’t be fooled: Looking the part played a big part in moving on from Fisher. While McVay is respected as an up-and-coming NFL mind, he has understandably meager experience, including none as a head coach at any level of football.

On Thursday night, Adam Schefter reported that the team had reached an agreement with Phillips for him to become the team’s defensive coordinator. On his first day on the job, he gave strong support to Jared Goff.

Phillips was never going to be out of work for long.

Yet you may not know the NFL’s best punter, Johnny Hecker, is on record as saying Fassel is the best coach he’s ever worked with.

Still 11 days shy of his 31st birthday, McVay publicly accepted his first head coaching job at the Rams’ training complex with self-effacing confidence and gratitude. “We are a young offense and having a guy like that who can relate to us a little better could be beneficial, but at the same time I think his overall knowledge and leadership and coaching skills are far more important”, Goff said.