Morning links: Sean McVay no longer a top play-caller in NFL?

Good morning. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay gave his players Sunday and Monday off, so they will return to the field on Tuesday.

Originally scheduled to practice on Sunday, McVay said they ran 150 plays during the scrimmage on Saturday – more than expected – and wanted to take time with the coaching staff to evaluate the film.

Eric Eager of Pro Football Focus gives us his five best NFL play-callers heading into the 2020 season. Eager uses play-by-play data and the success metric expected points added to set expectations for how a team should perform. Coaching success is measured as the difference between what happens on a play and what was expected to happen. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid topped the list, followed by Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals, Kellen Moore of the Dallas Cowboys, Greg Roman of the Baltimore Ravens and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers. McVay did not make the cut.

My take: It’s an interesting read and provides a unique, analytical perspective on evaluating play-calling performance for coaches. Also, based on how the Rams’ offense produced last season, it’s understandable that McVay did not make the list. However, McVay in my opinion remains one of the best offensive play callers in the game.

Ted Nguyen of The Athletic (subscription) writes about running seven variations of four verticals in the passing game and why it’s the best play in football.

My take: The four verticals concept is so intriguing because the play-caller is always right if his offense executes and takes what the defense gives them. It’s also a great way to keep defenses honest by pushing the ball down the field. Certainly something that McVay has in his tool box.

Jared Dubin of CBS Sports highlights the NFC West's most intriguing additions. For the Rams, Dubin writes how McVay uses personnel groupings with Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks on other teams as something to watch.

My take: It’s possible that McVay chooses to run more two-tight end sets with Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett as two of the team’s top playmakers, but he also has good third receivers in Josh Reynolds and Van Jefferson. We also could see some two-back formations by using a tight end as a fullback.

Stephanie Apstein and Michael Rosenberg of Sports Illustrated surveyed 146 doctors, asking them if their full income came from playing one of the four major U.S. men’s professional sports leagues, how likely would they be to play? Roughly 90 percent said they would definitely or probably play in the NBA or the NFL. However, 62 percent said they would probably or definitely not play in the NFL, and 59 percent said they would definitely or probably not play in Major League Baseball under current protocols.

My take: The main issue for doctors appears to be the fact that the NBA and NFL are playing in the controlled environment of a bubble, which allows them to better mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The survey further highlights the fact that there remains a lot of unknowns for the NFL in attempting to hold a season during a global pandemic, both in terms of short-term and long-term effects of the virus.