LA Rams targeting Kevin O’Connell for new OC in 2020

LA Rams targeting Kevin O’Connell new offensive coordinator for 2020. ESPN Jeremy Fowler reports he is strong candidate for Rams OC job

The LA Rams have not hired an offensive coordinator since head coach Sean McVay in January 2017. They have split the duties on offense between run game coordinator Aaron Kromer and pass game coordinator / quarterback coach Shane Waldron.  Of course it all fell upon Coach McVay to game plan and pull everything together to make it all go.

Reports are out now that the Rams are seeking a new offensive coordinator.  If the reports are true, it signifies a dramatic change to an offense which had imposed it’s will upon almost any opponent.  An offense so far ahead of the curve, that some did not see any defense arriving at a solution to stop them.

And then, these same Rams ran into the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 53.  The final score?  13 – 3. The unstoppable offensive force met the immovable defensive object. Defense wins championships.

Winds of change

The outcome of the game was more than a reset and let’s try again next season.  The very foundation of the Rams philosophy started to be questioned. The Patriots reformulated a game plan to beat the Rams, while the Rams entered the game to beat an opponent.  It was a hard lesson for McVay to learn.  Perhaps he is still learning.

Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will not return to the Rams in 2020.  Some reports speculate one reason is Phillips unwillingness to change his approach. He focuses on his defenses strengths, not upon opposing offenses weakness. McVay wants a more adapting defense.

So too the Rams offense has been focused on their strengths.  That is, until 2019, when the offensive line was decimated by injury.  Injured or not, the offense seemed to enter each game oblivious to the fact that defenses pressured Goff more easily.  Running lanes closed more quickly.  Passing attacks aimed more frequently to check down receivers.

New directions

Now, the Rams are going new directions.  They are looking for a new defensive coordinator.  If reports are correct, the Rams are seeking a new offensive coordinator as well.

Ultimately, Coach McVay must bring on an offensive coordinator in order to oversee more of the defense and special teams areas.  It makes perfect sense to do so, particularly if Coach McVay intends to assume a stronger role as the head coach.

O’Connell hired on after McVay was hired away from the Washington Redskins. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in January 2019 in an effort to keep him on the Redskins coaching staff.  He is a leading candidate to several teams search for a new offensive coordinator.  The only catch with his candidacy for Rams OC? It’s news to everyone that the Rams are in the market for an offensive coordinator.