LA Rams: Head coach Sean McVay hires a … publicist?

The LA Rams have finally made a move. albeit it’s a bit unorthodox. In fact, I’m not really certain of any historic parallels. It appears as though the LA Rams have hired sports writer Andy Benoit on, not for the LA Rams organization, but rather as an assistant to head coach Sean McVay himself.

Who is this guy? Well, for starters, he was a former Sports Illustrated writer who routinely covered the NFL and NFC West. He is listed on Twitter as:  (@Andy_Benoit) NFL analyst and consultant. Previously SI/MMQB, Football Outsiders, The New York Times, and CBS Sports. Here is one of his articles about the 20201 draft needs of each NFC West team. Here is another piece where he examined the dynamics of the Arizona Cardinals offense.

Finally, here is an article that was written in August 2019, where he discusses how LA Rams HC Sean McVay’s offense will evolve. (subscription required).

What is his connection to Sean McVay? Well, he was actively engaged in covering McVay throughout his NFL career. They first connected when Sean McVay was the offensive coordinator of the Washington Football Team and may have placed McVay on the radar of several NFL teams, including that of the LA Rams who ultimately hired him on as head coach in 2017.

So what role is this exactly? Well, Benoit has a strong background in the NFL (albeit social media comments are very polarized as to how versed his past work has been received), and he has made plenty of connections over the years.

Hiring a proven writer is quite commonplace in the entertainment industry. Those roles are Publicist and interweave a solid understanding of how the industry communication works with the ability to write and present promotional communique that influences decisions and presents the author’s clients in a favorable light.

His role could be that of an objective observer, of the second set of eyes examining what the Rams are doing, and then comparing that to what the NFL at large is doing.  Or he could be more of a personal assistant, a guy who is going to record the thoughts and discussions that Sean McVay transmits on any given day so that he doesn’t miss something important in the process. Or he could simply be a researcher, a person who searches high and low for answers to questions posed by McVay. It could be a combination of all three, or none of the above.

Perhaps it’s just one friend hiring on another friend to ensure that he gets a steady paycheck. Whatever the role, it’s a curiously timed hiring. We will keep this one on our radar, as it’s definitely a most-intriguing hiring.