SEAN OF THE DREAD Rams young gun: I’m not in same league as Patriots’ legend Belichick, but his blueprint is the one f or me
SUPER BOWL Haters fuel Brady bunch
SEAN MCVAY is so young that he was born two days before William ‘ The Refrigerator’ Perry won the Super Bowl.
So young that he was only four days old when the world watched in horror as the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on take-off.
So young that as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, it is his job tonight to out- think an opposition whose best player is eight years older than him.
So young, in fact, that his opposite number on the Patriots sideline, Bill Belichick, is exactly twice his age.
Records
Mcvay is only 33 but he is the new sensation of American football, a new Belichick in the making, and young enough perhaps to break the records still being set by the Patriots chief.
As he prepared to do battle tonight here in Mercedes-benz Stadium at Super Bowl LIII, in his rapid-fire delivery, Mcvay revealed the awe in which he holds arguably the greatest coach of all time. Mcvay said: “Even to be mentioned in the same breath as coach Belichick Belichick, I have a long way to go to be in that category. He has done it for so long, so consistently.
“When you hear him speak, the wealth of knowledge and experience is incredible. You’re talking about somebody who understands the nuances of the game, the tactical approaches, and how to put together a game plan that’s conducive for his players’ skill sets.
“Those players believe in him. He has invested in building a real authentic rapport, caring about the guys. Those are the same things that you would like to be described as.
“But I am not even close to being mentioned in the same breath as coach Belichick.”
What Belichick has done, of course, is lead the Patriots to a ninth Super Bowl in the 19 seasons since he became head coach in January 2000. They have won five of the previous eight.
Mcvay said: “To play against the Patriots is a great challenge. They handle situations. Their big-time players make plays at the most opportune moments, and they handle adversity extremely well.
“When you look at the Super Bowl a few years ago, to continue when you’re down 28-3 and find a way to get it done, there’s an
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Keith Webster TOM BRADY will be turning NFL fans’ loathing of his New England Patriots’ success into a tool to grab an historic sixth Super Bowl crown tonight.
Victory would make Brady (left) the first man ever to earn six Super Bowl winner’s rings as a player.
BBC analyst and former NFL star Jason Bell, who played seven seasons with Dallas, Houston and the NY internal belief that his team had. That belief and expectation that we’re going to find a way is a really powerful thing.
“He knows how to set up game plans, how to put players in a position to consistently succeed and having a standard and a process they’re committed to.
Master
“In a lot of ways, that’s similar to what we try to implement with the Rams.”
One thing Belichick is a master of is not panicking.
He has made some huge calls in playoff games and Super Bowls.
Belichick said: “You try to do whatever you can to win. Whatever plays or strategy you think can help you. It’s a one-game season.”
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74.3 Giants, said: “As a leader, you have to motivate your troops and that’s what Tom is doing. Now they get to be the team they were when he first won a Super Bowl in 2001 – the underdog.
“People respond to that. It’s given them fuel that they really needed. We are going to see if it impacts on them against the LA Rams.”
Jason Bell is part of the team broadcasting live from Atlanta on BBC1 at 10.45pm.