Which Super Bowl LVI Head Coach Is Better?
Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
McVay's Turnaround
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor is receiving a lot of hype for the turnaround that he accomplished this season.
It's easy to respect this turnaround because it has just happened. But we shouldn't forget about what McVay was immediately able to accomplish when he became L.A.'s head coach in 2017
At the end of the 2016 campaign, the Rams had just completed their 10th-straight losing season. They were 4-12 after losing seven straight games the last of which being a 44-6 thumping at home against Arizona.
In that same season, the Rams ranked last-place in averaging 14 points per game. To put that figure into perspective, the last-place scoring offense this season, Jacksonville, averaged .9 more points per game.
Enter McVay in 2017. He led the Rams to an 11-5 season and a playoff berth -- the Rams lost to Atlanta in the Wild Card Round.
As for the Ram offense, McVay helped L.A. to rank third in 2017 in averaging 28.9 points per game.
Innovative
Since his entrance in Los Angeles, McVay has justly been praised for his innovation.
His offensive creativity helps explain the tremendous boost that L.A.'s offense enjoyed in productivity as soon as he arrived.
He is known for making both his run and his pass plays look the same at first.
To achieve this similarity, he favors a scheme that relies a lot on outside-zone running.
This preference is conducive to play-action.
Play-action helped Jared Goff immensely, making a bad quarterback into one who could be productive.
With play-action, the opponent's pass rush lost effectivity and the throws became more makable, especially with the downfield routes that McVay had his receivers combine to perplex defenders.
Every year, McVay keeps adjusting, keeps taking things from other coaches and making them work in L.A., and keeps making his offense appear complicated to opposing defenses.
Immediate and Consistent Winning
Something that the Bengals' head coach cannot claim is that he is a consistent winner.
Yes, his team is enjoying a superb season right now. But lots of head coaches enjoy superb seasons.
For example, is Jacksonville's Doug Marrone comparable in quality to Sean McVay?
Marrone came in 2017 and took his team, which was led by a quarterback far inferior to Joe Burrow, to the AFC Championship Game which Jacksonville was a different referee crew away from winning.
Nobody sane tries to place Marrone in the same conversation as McVay because Marrone is a repeat loser.
Taylor, too, is a repeat loser. He came to Cincinnati in 2019 in which season the Bengals were 2-14.Last season, they were 4-11.
That's two losing seasons out of three.
I don't want to downplay Cincinnati's current playoff run. But beating a Raider team that snuck into the playoffs, sneaking past a Titan team led by an awful quarterback and a rusty star running back, and benefitting from a Chief meltdown doesn't seem as impressive as blowing out Arizona, knocking out Tom Brady, and overcoming a very difficult 49er team.
As for McVay, he just keeps winning. In 2018, his Rams were 13-3 and went to the Super Bowl.
They were 9-7 in 2019, 10-6 in 2020, and 12-5 this season which will end in a Super Bowl trip.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. ET (NBC) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California
McVay's Turnaround
Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor is receiving a lot of hype for the turnaround that he accomplished this season.
It's easy to respect this turnaround because it has just happened. But we shouldn't forget about what McVay was immediately able to accomplish when he became L.A.'s head coach in 2017
At the end of the 2016 campaign, the Rams had just completed their 10th-straight losing season. They were 4-12 after losing seven straight games the last of which being a 44-6 thumping at home against Arizona.
In that same season, the Rams ranked last-place in averaging 14 points per game. To put that figure into perspective, the last-place scoring offense this season, Jacksonville, averaged .9 more points per game.
Enter McVay in 2017. He led the Rams to an 11-5 season and a playoff berth -- the Rams lost to Atlanta in the Wild Card Round.
As for the Ram offense, McVay helped L.A. to rank third in 2017 in averaging 28.9 points per game.
Innovative
Since his entrance in Los Angeles, McVay has justly been praised for his innovation.
His offensive creativity helps explain the tremendous boost that L.A.'s offense enjoyed in productivity as soon as he arrived.
He is known for making both his run and his pass plays look the same at first.
To achieve this similarity, he favors a scheme that relies a lot on outside-zone running.
This preference is conducive to play-action.
Play-action helped Jared Goff immensely, making a bad quarterback into one who could be productive.
With play-action, the opponent's pass rush lost effectivity and the throws became more makable, especially with the downfield routes that McVay had his receivers combine to perplex defenders.
Every year, McVay keeps adjusting, keeps taking things from other coaches and making them work in L.A., and keeps making his offense appear complicated to opposing defenses.
Immediate and Consistent Winning
Something that the Bengals' head coach cannot claim is that he is a consistent winner.
Yes, his team is enjoying a superb season right now. But lots of head coaches enjoy superb seasons.
For example, is Jacksonville's Doug Marrone comparable in quality to Sean McVay?
Marrone came in 2017 and took his team, which was led by a quarterback far inferior to Joe Burrow, to the AFC Championship Game which Jacksonville was a different referee crew away from winning.
Nobody sane tries to place Marrone in the same conversation as McVay because Marrone is a repeat loser.
Taylor, too, is a repeat loser. He came to Cincinnati in 2019 in which season the Bengals were 2-14.Last season, they were 4-11.
That's two losing seasons out of three.
I don't want to downplay Cincinnati's current playoff run. But beating a Raider team that snuck into the playoffs, sneaking past a Titan team led by an awful quarterback and a rusty star running back, and benefitting from a Chief meltdown doesn't seem as impressive as blowing out Arizona, knocking out Tom Brady, and overcoming a very difficult 49er team.
As for McVay, he just keeps winning. In 2018, his Rams were 13-3 and went to the Super Bowl.
They were 9-7 in 2019, 10-6 in 2020, and 12-5 this season which will end in a Super Bowl trip.
