The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
■ More team coverage leading up to Super Bowl LIII,
After decades in NFL exile, city has embraced Rams, with McVay’s success helping to rebuild a fan base.
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams’ bandwagon might be gaining momentum headed toward Super Bowl LIII.
With the Rams’ 26-23 win over the Saints on Sunday, folks are hopping on for the franchise’s fourth trip to the Super Bowl and first since 2002 — and more important, its first since returning to the City of Angels three short seasons ago.
“I do think that this city has had such a history of great sports success,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday. “We’ve talked about trying to be able to play in a way that makes this city proud. I think this city has definitely made us feel embraced.”
The Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis over two decades ago, leaving a big NFL hole in the
nation’s second-largest city. The Rams’ return was initially a flop, but started to pick up some momentum when McVay was hired as the youngest coach in league history — at 30 years, 11 months, 19 days — on Jan. 12, 2017. McVay quickly guided the Rams to the playoffs, where they lost to the Falcons in the NFC divisional round after the 2017 season.
The Rams won the NFC West and returned to the playoffs. They defeated Dallas in the divisional round before posting a thrilling come-from-behind
victory over the Saints in a game that was marred by a non-call on an rather obvious pass-interference call.
“I’ve certainly felt embraced since we’ve gotten here as a coaching staff over the last two years,” said McVay, the Marist School grad who led his school to a state title back in 2003. “What a great opportunity it’s going to be to play for a world championship.”
A trip to The Grove, the upscale mall in the Central part of the city near CBS stu- dios, revealed a part of the Rams’ problem. In a city of transplants with a crowded sports landscape, the Rams had to rebuild a fan base after returning from St. Louis. During a walk-around survey, two Dodgers hats, a Cowboys jersey, a South Carolina Gamecocks jersey, an LSU hat, a Pirates hat and a Lakers cap were seen.
On an Uber ride from the Westfield Mall in Culver City, the driver, Alex, a transplant from Columbus, Ohio, professed his newfound love for the Rams. He plans to cheer for them against the Patriots.
“There are a lot of exciting people to root for individually,” Alex said, when asked about his favorite player. “I guess (wide receiver Bran- din) Cooks. He’s got some hands. I was pretty shaky on (quarterback Jared) Goff at first, but he’s developed really fast.”
At Westlake Mall, sisters Isabella and Gabriella Smith were dressed in their Rams gear and shopping with their mom at Target. “We have season tickets to the Rams and now we are going to the game,” said Isabella Smith, 14, who had on a Todd Gur- ley jersey. “We’re leaving on Saturday.”
The Smith girls weren’t born when the Rams left L.A. for St. Louis in 1994. “My dad (is why we are Rams fans),” Isabella Smith said. “When he was 10 years old and lived in England, his dad brought him a sweater. So, from then on, he’s been obsessed with the Rams. He’s crazy, crazy.
“When the Rams came back to L.A., we got season tickets right away, and we’ve got season tickets for the new stadium as well. So, our family is obsessed with the Rams.”
Gabriella Smith will cel- ebrate her 13th birthday at the Super Bowl on Feb. 3. She’s a big Gurley fan, too. “We just really like him and what he does for the Rams,” the younger Smith sister said. “We both have jerseys for him.”
Bryan Davis, 33, of Los Angeles is old enough to remember the old Rams.
“I was born into this,” said Davis, sporting a Rams hat and a Lakers jacket. “I was born on a Monday night of a Rams football game. It’s been L.A. every since. Obvi- ously, when they moved to St. Louis I was bitter. When they won that Super Bowl for St. Louis I was even more bitter.”
With the Rams back and winning, Davis is back on board. “I’m just excited to have football back,” he said. “It’s been a long time. Too long.”
Davis was elated with the victory over the Saints but may have to pay a co-worker to take his shift so that he can watch the Super Bowl.
The Rams are building up momentum as they get set to move next year into Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, still under construction.
“When the Rams came back, they stumbled out of the gate,” said Sam Farmer, the longtime NFL writer for The Los Angeles Times. “They were 4-12. They were really having a hard time moving the needle in a city that was already attached to Dodgers, the Lakers, USC football as well as UCLA football and basketball. It’s just a very crowded landscape.”
The Rams weren’t very marketable at first. “But when Sean McVay came on, that sort of changed everything,” Farmer said. “He was a young, dynamic and charismatic coach. The way he was able to turn around Jared Goff, who started off 0-7, and turn him into a Pro Bowl quarterback so quickly, and sort of take advantage of how good Todd Gurley is and Aaron Donald is, they really started to get traction.”
After getting escorted out of the playoffs by the Falcons at home, Rams general manager Les Snead made a dazzling array of offseason moves to improve and retool the defense and added the speedy Cooks with a fiveyear, $81 million deal.
The run to the Super Bowl has caught the city’s attention.
“You are really starting to see that this city is energized and galvanized,” Farmer said. “It’s almost written in a Hollywood script that they would be playing a team from New England, essentially Boston. To use that L.A. and Boston rivalry as an afterburner, that’s like jet fuel.”
The Lakers vs. Celtics was an NBA playoff tradition, and Los Angeles just had the Dodgers and Red Sox in the 2018 World Series. Now, Rams vs. Patriots.
“The Celtics-Lakers is where the whole ‘Beat L.A.’ chant started,” Farmer said. “Even though people in L.A. act kind of laid back, Boston makes their blood boil. It is really going to help . ... It just pours lighter fluid on the whole thing.”