McVay vs. Jay: Why McVay May Not Have Been the Answer In DC

The Redskins roster for the past four years has been mediocre at best.  The lack of depth and poor scouting has hampered them from making a continuous playoff run.  Jay Gruden has been able to amass a porous 28-36-1 record over four seasons as the Washington Redskins Head Coach.  He signed an extension after the 2016 season which will make him the longest tenured Redskins Head Coach since Norv Turner from 1994-2000.

There was an argument that Gruden should have been let go to keep then Quarterback Coach Sean McVay.  Sean has proven to be successful by turning the Rams into a division champion and Jared Goff into a Pro Bowl caliber Quarterback.  With the success that he has had out in Los Angeles, there have been even more people complaining that the Redskins retained the wrong guy.  But, if you look closer, would McVay have had as much success in D.C. as he has had in Los Angeles?

I do not believe so and here is why.

The Defense

The Los Angeles Rams defense alone is a reason why an offensive minded head coach could be successful in his first season.  With Aaron Donald leading the way, the Rams defense has been one of the best in the NFL and a unit that has helped take pressure off Goff.  The Redskins do not have nearly the same talent and depth as the Rams to play at that level.

The Coaching Staff

Every defense needs a Coordinator that knows what they are doing.  Wade Phillips has been a godsend for McVay.  Phillips has allowed McVay to not have to worry too much about what is happening with that side of the ball.  There is no guarantee that Phillips would have come to D.C. and been the Redskins Defensive Coordinator if McVay was hired as the Head Coach.  Without Phillips, the Redskins defense would still be a middle to the back of the pack unit.

The MVP Candidate

There is no doubt in my mind that McVay could have found the same success, if not more, with the 2017 Redskins offense.  But, who is claiming that Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine are the equivalent of Todd Gruley.  Gurley could become the NFL MVP when it is all said and done.  Having that type of running game opens everything in the passing game.

While we should be happy for McVay having success in his rookie season as a Head Coach, we cannot deny that he came into a team with an extremely talented roster and a Defensive Coordinator that can allow him to focus on other parts of the game.  McVay may have gone 7-9 just like Jay did this year with the Redskins.  Or, it could have been a complete disaster and have ourselves asking if we ran another Head Coach out of town too soon.