Oday Aboushi was a late addition to the Los Angeles Rams and unfortunately, the Ex-Chargers offensive lineman came in to a place that began to get ravaged by injuries and witnessed Sean McVay endure his first losing season as a head coach.
Were there moments McVay lost his cool? Or did Aboushi see an even-keeled McVay? The unrestricted free agent shared a strong take of what he saw out of the Super Bowl winning head coach with the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Thursday, March 23. And from what Aboushi saw, McVay was the reverse of negative even in a disappointing season.
“It’s always fun. He has a ton of energy, always on it, always ready to go. Super positive,” Aboushi said to the panel. “It was a lot of adversity for him, so to see how he kind of handled that and hunkered down and keep swinging at it…that’s something you gotta do in this business when the weeks don’t go the way you want. You just put your heart in it and go right back to work.”
Aboushi Revealed How Players Responded to McVay’s Approach
How did that attitude from McVay rub off on the players? Especially given the myriad of lineup changes due to injuries?
“I thought that was a great approach by him and I think the guys really tried to gravitate towards that,” Aboushi explained. “That’s kind of what kept the optimism going throughout the season. Obviously, we didn’t finish with the record we wanted but the games we did win felt really good and the opportunity to go out and compete every Sunday was huge for us.”
Even at 5-12, the most lopsided defeats the Rams endured was the 21-point disaster against the Buffalo Bills in the season opener and then the dismantling from the Chargers by the same margin on New Year’s Day in 2023. Five of the Rams’ losses were decided by a margin of 10 points or less.
Aboushi Awaits Call From NFL Teams
As for Aboushi, he’s currently waiting by the phone to hear from a potential NFL franchise who can use his blocking and veteran presence.
He managed to play in six games in a decimated Rams offensive line — earning 339 total offensive snaps per Pro Football Focus, which was more than the 298 he received with the Chargers. He ended up earning a 65.9 run blocking grade while allowing two sacks his side.
The 31-year-old Aboushi, who is now on the brink of his seventh NFL home since 2014, spoke about what he’s gotten used to in his NFL career.
“Free agency is always interesting every single year. I have been a part of it for a long time now…so it’s one of those things that you can control what you control, just staying patient and in shape,” Aboushi said. “I know something will work out.”
He additionally dove into what else he’s gotten used to during this time of the NFL calendar year.
“I know teams have their guys now and then teams will draft. And then you guys know you get to camp and it’s not what they think…then guys like me come in and save the day,” Aboushi said. “I’ll be ready when that call comes.”
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