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An NFL Films exchange between Sean McVay and Aaron Donald said a lot about McVay

Frank Schwab
NFL writer

When NFL Films wires a coach or player for sound, it’s often illuminating. A lot of it ends up being meaningless exultation over big plays, and there’s plenty of that in the clip of Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay from last week, but there was a moment that told us plenty about McVay as a coach.

There was the clip of McVay calling plays with the clever code names: Birdman, Riding Rat, Lamborghini, Lollipop and, of course, the Halle Berry play that went viral last weekend. All very fun.

But what McVay did when defensive tackle Aaron Donald got angry over a cheap shot out of bounds by Seattle Seahawks center Justin Britt taught us something more about McVay as a coach.

Sean McVay gets through to Aaron Donald

First, McVay showed off his speed, sprinting to the scrum when he saw Donald had gone after Britt.

“Get out! Get out! Get out!” McVay screamed, knowing he didn’t want to lose his best player to an ejection.

Then he made sure Donald’s head was back in the game for the final few plays, with the Seahawks driving for a win.

“Hey, you’re going to have to go right back out,” McVay said. “This is where your greatness shows up right here.”

McVay made sure his message got across.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has done a fantastic job with his team this season. (AP)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has done a fantastic job with his team this season. (AP)

“A.D.! Hey! Aaron, talk to me quick … Aaron!” McVay said. “Hey, look at me. I love you. This is why you’re great. You gather yourself, you win this game next.”

Donald was still mad. He showed that when he put on his helmet after the game and went after Britt. But nothing happened the rest of the game. The Rams defense got the stop it needed.

McVay probably wasn’t thrilled Donald continued the skirmish after the game, but it didn’t cost the Rams a big penalty.

McVay continues to be impressive

The image of McVay is mostly set. He’s obviously young, and a football prodigy. He freely admits he spends most of his time studying the game. He is clearly one of the brilliant offensive minds in the NFL. In just his second season, at 32 years old, it’s safe to claim that as fact.

Coaching is more about X’s and O’s, however. It’s psychology and motivation. That clip said a lot. First, Donald was clearly listening to his coach. That’s respect, something that isn’t handed over to a coach that young too easily. McVay also knew how to reach him, tapping into Donald’s desire to be great. It worked. That’s leadership.

That’s one very short clip and it’s not like we can make sweeping generalizations off of it. But it did seem telling. In a heated moment, McVay was able to understand the situation and deal with it the right way. The reigning NFL coach of the year continues to impress.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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