The Los Angeles Rams heard head coach Sean McVay’s recent comments and decided it was best to act in opposition anyway.
McVay and the Rams are making the final preparations for the NFC Championship Game, in which they will travel to face the Seattle Seahawks. The two teams split their regular-season matchups, with both winning at home.
The Rams’ defiance of McVay was personal, though.
Rams Work Around Sean McVay’s Warning
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on against the Baltimore Ravens.
McVay spoke with reporters on Friday, and the Rams head coach made it perfectly clear that he is not about all of the pomp and fanfare of birthdays. McVay, who turned 40 on Saturday, offered a tongue-in-cheek warning for anyone who was that drew plenty of attention.
“I’m not a big birthday guy and if you guys say happy 40th, I’ll slap the s*** out of you,” McVay said, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on January 23. “Here’s what I will say. What is a good birthday is when I’m working on my birthday and if I’m working next week. That’d be a hell of a birthday. That’s the only present I want.”
The Rams were careful in their wording, but they did send McVay a birthday message.
“Happy Birthday, Coach! [heart and party favor emojis]” the Rams said in their post to McVay on X on January 24, perhaps purposefully omitting his age.
McVay, who took over as Rams head coach in 2017. He has already been to two Super Bowls, winning one, and could be headed for another. All that stands in his way is the NFC’s top seed, the Seahawks, in the NFCCG.
His mark on the league is indelible.
“At age 39, Rams HC Sean McVay now has 10 postseason wins, double the number of postseason wins of any NFL coach under the age of 40,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted on X on January 19. “John Madden, Jon Gruden, Mike Tomlin and Zac Taylor each had five postseason wins before they turned 40. McVay turns 40 on Saturday, one day before the NFC championship game.”
Sean McVay Reflects on NFL Seniority
GettyLos Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay during warm-ups before a game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Despite still being younger than many of his peers, McVay jokingly answered questions about his seniority, as the Rams’ head coach is now tied with Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers for the second-longest-tenured head coach in the NFL.
Only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs has been in place longer.
“Well, seniority, I’m not a senior yet,” McVay told reporters on January 23. “I think what you realize is how hard this league is, how volatile it is. I think perspective is everything, and fortunately, I did have a decent perspective growing up in this game, realizing how difficult it is. But you love it. And that it doesn’t always come with great things. And I think you have to be able to treat everything as its own entity.
“What I think about the most, … is the appreciation I have for when I haven’t been at my best, but the support– and the unconditional support–that I felt. That means a whole hell of a lot to me in those moments that I’ve been open with you guys about, where I wasn’t the leader. I wasn’t the man, I wasn’t the coach that I wanted to be on a consistent basis.”
McVay was not claiming perfection “by any stretch,” but the Rams head coach believes he has improved in those aspects and cited the environment for helping him reach this point.
“It’s always a blessing, and I don’t take it for granted,” McVay said. “Being in Year 9, it’s crazy the turnover that occurs. Me and Kyle that year. And then, obviously, Big Red in Kansas City, Coach Reid’s still doing his thing. So, it’s amazing.”
Rams Address Sean McVay After Warning Draws Attention Before Seahawks Game