'I Believe In Him!' Sean McVay Expresses Support For Special Teams Coach
The Los Angeles Rams were one of the hottest teams in the NFL down the stretch of last season, finishing the year winning seven of their last nine games, and with each of the losses coming by single digits.
Unfortunately for the Rams, one of their most glaring weaknesses - the special teams unit - played a key role in the one regular season loss of that stretch, with the Baltimore loss coming on the heels of a Ravens punt return touchdown in overtime.
In fact, it played a major role in many of the team's losses throughout the year, in part due to coverage and in part due to the kicking inconsistencies.
Whatever the case, it is an area in which the Rams desperately need to improve. That said, Rams head coach Sean McVay remains confident in the leader of the unit, Chase Blackburn.
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“I believe in Chase. You’re evaluating not just the results, but the process and what the week looks like, and the way that those players continue to believe in him," McVay said. "I believe in this guy and I know he’s going to evolve and adapt. I think we can do a better job of providing him with guys that can play more consistently. And he never said anything other than ‘I want to do better.’ He took accountability and ownership. I believe in Chase Blackburn.”
Blackburn is coming off his first season with the Rams after spending one season with the Titans. He started his coaching career with the Carolina Panthers in 2016 and remained with the team until 2021 before moving to Nashville.
And at just 40 years old, Blackburn's best years as a coordinator are likely still ahead of them - which McVay could see signs of throughout the struggles of last season.
“We were able to separate some of the results that we know weren’t good enough, to be able to say, when we talk about process over results, are we really that way?" McVay said. "Watching how Chase handled that earned a tremendous amount of respect from me for him.”
Now heading into a critical offseason, improving the talent on that unit will be of paramount importance because McVay knows that if he can get that part figured out, he already has the right guy in place to lead the unit.
