LA Rams had much better options for OC than Mike LaFleur

If you hadn’t heard by now, LA Rams HC Sean McVay will be returning as the head coach for the Rams for the 2023 NFL season. While that is excellent news for the organization and the fans, there is not a moment to lose now, as the team already has openings in the coaching staff that are critical and need to be addressed. So, it’s time to move forward with the offseason, which starts with the coaching staff.

There will be a few coaching positions up for grabs on the Rams coaching staff this off-season, but I want to focus on the team’s vacated offensive coordinator position. The position has been a big topic recently as the Rams look for someone to fill that role and help McVay and the offense.

Rams rumors are Mike LeFleur is the new OC

It was reported today that former New York Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur is rumored to be hired as the man for the job, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

LaFleur is considered a good offensive mind and has received high praise from New York Jets head coach Robert Salah about the job he did in New York. However, the Jets finished 7-10 this last season, and even though the offensive numbers for the Jets didn’t look too good, people believe it was because of the Jets’ quarterback play, as it was a quarterback carousel all season.

However, I believe other candidates out there would have been better suited for the job over the young Mike LaFleur. So let’s dive into two other options that should have been considered over LaFleur.

Option I: Kliff Kingsbury

Fox Sports NFL Insider Peter Schrager reported that multiple NFL teams had contacted former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury to gauge his interest in filling their vacant offensive coordinator positions. Schrager’s report went on to say that Kingsbury has told those teams he is not interested at the moment. “At the moment,” is the key phrasing.

However, Kingsbury could have always changed his mind with a conversation, so he was still a possibility no matter what he had said recently.

The former Arizona Cardinals head coach is no stranger to the LA Rams and Rams head coach Sean McVay, as they have seen one another on the opposing sidelines for the last four years. And familiarity with the NFC West is just one advantage.

McVay-Kingsbury ties run deeper than you know

Kingsbury’s tenure with the Cardinals recently ended as he was fired after having a 4-13 season and a 28-37-1 overall record in his four years. In fact, their ties go all the way back to before Kingsbury was hired by the Cardinals, as he had a pending offer to sign on with the Rams as a consultant before accepting a role with USC as an offensive coordinator.

While his head coaching skills weren’t up to par, especially with how undisciplined his team looked at times, his offensive mind is something to be noticed. His teams in Arizona improved every year record-wise, and before this last season, their offense improved as well.

If he only had offensive responsibility as a coordinator, I believe those offensive skills would show out more, especially under a guy like McVay. Also, McVay and Kingsbury have a close friendship,p so Kingsbury would be someone McVay can trust which is a big reason why he would be my number one choice for the vacant position.

Option II: Frank Reich

The other external hire I would have liked the LA Rams to look at for the vacated offensive coordinator position is former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich. Reich had some success with the Colts, leading them to three winning seasons and two playoff berths with his time in Indianapolis. In addition, Reich is considered a great offensive mind as he has been an offensive coordinator a few times in his career with the LA Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles, most recently before the Colts’ job.

Perhaps most of all, his name continued to be mentioned as someone to keep on the radar for the Rams OC role.

He helped the Eagles win Super Bowl LII, as his innovative play design ‘Philly Philly’ which placed quarterback Nick Foles in a receiver role is one that has been replicated time and time again.  He was the guy who earned his reputation as a quarterback whisperer that season, as he coached then-quarterback Carson Wentz to the best season of his career, and then backup quarterback Nick Foles to a point of winning all the Eagles’ post-season games.

Reich is a quarterback whisperer

He has been mentioned as a guy who works well with quarterbacks and brings the best out of an offense since then. But, even though all that is important for an offensive coordinator, the most critical aspect of Reich that I like is his extensive experience.

Having a great offensive mind is one thing, but pairing that with someone with head coaching experience and respect like Reich, would be massive to this team. He would come in and be able to instantly take the pressure off McVay and not have to worry about the offense losing discipline.

Kingsbury and Reich would have made better options for the Rams’ offensive coordinator position than a younger candidate like LaFleur.

Either of the two more senior coaching veterans holds the advantage because they wouldn’t need to be taught anything new from McVay and could have complete control of the offense. LaFleur is still relatively young as an offensive coordinator in this league, so I am not sure how much power he will have or even if he’ll call plays. McVay needed a guy who could take the reigns from him and take a lot of pressure off himself. While all Rams fans hope LaFleur will be a great OC for the team, I am not in the mindset that will happen.