Wes Phillips Says he Can Feel the Passion From Vikings' Fanbase That the Rams Lacked
The Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy two weeks ago following a miraculous season of going all-in to acquire star players which led to a Super Bowl LVI victory.
Following the conclusion of the Rams' championship season, assistant coaches have begun to get poached by teams around the league for higher-caliber jobs than the role they held on staff in Los Angeles.
The Vikings hired two Rams assistants: offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell to become their next head coach and tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Wes Phillips to become their new offensive coordinator.
Phillips spoke with Minnesota reporters for the first time on Thursday since taking the job. He discussed a wide variety of things, primarily the Vikings' nucleus on offense that revolves around running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Meanwhile, Phillips also gave his perspective on how the dynamics of the two cities are different as it pertains to their desire for their respective NFL teams.
“I’m excited to be in a football town, a football state, a football region,” Phillips said at his introductory press conference. “Even in just being here a few days, I had to get a haircut because they told me I had a press conference. Sitting there waiting for a haircut (with) people getting haircuts and people cutting the hair, all they’re talking about is the Minnesota Vikings. You don’t get as much of that in LA. There’s a lot of things to do there."
Feb 16, 2022; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams fans react during Super Bowl LVI championship rally at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The L.A. market sat without an NFL team for two decades as the Rams spent 20 years in St. Louis. Surely, they’re still recapturing a portion of the fanbase in returning home to L.A.
While the Rams' fanbase has shown signs of steadily growing year-over-year, Phillips evidently is pleased to dive into a different fanbase dimension in Minnesota for whatever that's worth.
In Minnesota, O'Connell will call plays for the Vikings offense while Phillips serves as the offensive coordinator with a heavy input in game-planning.
At his introductory press conference, Phillips also elaborated on his relationship with Sean McVay in thanking him for their partnership of working with one another over the years.
"I wanted to thank the L.A. Rams, the organization, Sean McVay in particular," Phillips said. "Working with Sean for six years total in L.A. and Washington was invaluable to me. We're great friends and I just really appreciate the opportunities that he gave me to work for him and the collaboration that we had over the years."
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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.
