For the first time in his five-year head coaching career, Sean McVay will be game-planning against Jared Goff this Sunday when the Detroit Lions take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Plenty of storylines will be in tow in Inglewood — from if McVay and Goff ever reconciled to if there’s any animosity between the two following the Rams’ blockbuster trade in January that sent Goff to the Motor City for Matthew Stafford.
The 35-year-old McVay, however, did express regret involving one aspect of the deal…which he revealed to the L.A. media on Monday during a video conference interview.
“Yes, I wish there was better, clearer communication,” McVay said in front of the video cam, which can be heard near the seven minute mark below. “To say that it was perfectly handled on my end, I wouldn’t be totally accurate in that. I’ll never claim to be perfect, but I will try to learn from some things that I can do better, and I think that was one of them without a doubt.”
Trade was Swift
Both parties made a quick move to complete the deal, especially after McVay encountered Stafford during a vacation trip to Cabo San Lucas.
But because of how swift things went, McVay admitted he caught Goff off guard.
“You don’t want to catch guys off guard,” McVay said. “It came together a lot faster than anybody anticipated, but yeah, of course I think that any time that tough decisions and things like that where people are affected, you always want to be as understanding, as empathetic as possible, think about it through the other person’s lens and there’s certainly things that I know I would do it a little bit differently if — when those situations arise in the future.
However, the Rams saw an opportunity to bolster an offense that fell to 23rd in average points per game by swapping Goff, the Rams’ first-round pick in 2016, for Stafford, who the Lions drafted first in 2009.
Since the trade was made, the Rams have seen improvement in point production: Averaging 29.83 points per game during their 5-1 start. The changing of the guard behind center is a big reason behind the offense’s spark.
“That was why that decision was made and that was why things came together as quickly as they did because we felt like it was a rare opportunity to acquire a player of Matthew’s caliber,” McVay said. “Those opportunities just don’t come up often.”
How Will the ‘Rams House’ Welcome Goff?
Now, the next burning question: Will there be more boos than cheers for Goff the moment he runs out into the SoFi Stadium grass and stands in front of the “Rams House?”
McVay gave this answer.
“I think he’ll be received well,” McVay said. “I think the L.A. fans and I think the Rams fans know what a great job he had done and how much — I think how much he meant to the Rams organization both as a football player and also the community.”
McVay and Goff did appear in their first Super Bowl together in 2019, when they fell 13-3 to the New England Patriots. But after that season, the Rams never reclaimed the NFC West title in the next two years.
McVay and the Rams are currently a heavy favorite for this Week 7 matchup, with sportsbooks labeling the Rams as an astonishing 15.5 point favorite to keep the Lions winless in 2021.
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Sean McVay Reveals His 1 Mistake in Jared Goff Trade