Rams’ McVay says the future is still bright for Staley
Before he became the coach of the Chargers, Brandon Staley served as the Rams defensive coordinator in 2020. So when Staley was fired Friday, less than 24 hours after the Las Vegas Raiders routed the Chargers 63-21, dropping the Chargers’ record to 5-9 and all but assuring them of missing the playoffs for the second time in three years with Staley, Rams coach Sean McVay was asked for his reaction.
“You want to be there for your friend,” McVay said during a news conference before practice. “And I also know what a great coach he is and what he’s meant to me, what I’ve learned from him. These are things that are really challenging, and I’ve grown up in the business and there’s a lot of tough things.
“But I know what a great coach he is. I know what I’ve seen from my own eyes and I know that he’s going to respond and he’s got a really bright future.”
The Rams (6-7) play the Washington Commanders (4-9) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
The Rams are in the playoff hunt with remaining games against the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.
After the season, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and possibly offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur could be among candidates for coaching opportunities.
McVay is used to losing assistants that have become coaches, including Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor and Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell.
“When good things happen in your building, good opportunities come, just like I was so fortunate and blessed a handful of years ago to get this opportunity,” said McVay, who had been Washington’s offensive coordinator before he was hired by the Rams in 2017. “Does it make you better collectively as a staff if you lose people? No. But is that what is probably the most gratifying? When you take a step back and you see people get opportunities that are earned and deserved because of the way they possibly poured into the players, myself, this building? Heck yeah.”