Falcons' Jimmy Lake Praises Rams' Sean McVay: 'He Never Wavered!'
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay may be one of the most-influential figures in the league, not just due to how many of his assistants are now leading other teams, but because of the personal impact he's had on others.
For new Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, McVay has had an impact on him in both ways. Lake came to L.A. last year at his lowest, having been fired a year earlier after a tumultuous head-coaching tenure with the Washington Huskies rife with issues on and off the field.
Despite that, McVay still had enough trust in Lake to hire him as an assistant head coach. Then a year later, he followed new Falcons coach Raheem Morris to become the team's new defensive coordinator, and his coaching career looks as strong as ever.
Oct 16, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake calls for a timeout during the third quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.
Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
When asked what he learned from McVay, Lake gave a heartfelt reflection on his time with the offensive mastermind.
"Such a growth experience for me, and if you had to boil it down to one thing, it was his leadership through the ups and downs of the season, and the way Sean handled that," Lake told reporters Wednesday. "We had an extremely young team. His leadership through the OTAs, through the offseason program, his leadership through our three-game losing streak never wavered. He stayed the same.
"You lose three games going into the bye week. We could have easily went the other way, but then we ended up going 7-1 after the bye, and it was really because of Sean’s leadership and how he displayed that in front of the team. He never wavered.”
After a 5-12 finish in 2022, the Rams entered the 2023 season as the second-youngest team in the league with an average age of 25.3. At 3-6 halfway through the season, it would've been very easy for L.A. to throw in the towel and punt on the year. Instead, they rallied and caught fire down the stretch, eventually earning a surprise playoff berth.
For all of McVay's accomplishments with the Rams, this season may have been his best coaching job yet.
With the added experience under his belt, and working alongside a longtime friend in Morris, Lake looks to make the most of his revived career leading a stout Atlanta defense.
