reading this article about jordan reed and his time with mcvay.

i can’t help reading this and thinking how similar to reed kupp sounds, and some of the things mcvay saw in kupp that made him so attractive are probably the same things he saw in reed.

but also this article speaks to mcvay’s ability to make a connection with his players. so not just reed and kupp. but the rest of the team as well.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/redskins-tight-end-jordan-reed-formed-a-bond-with-his-coach-sean-mcvay/2014/07/25/58c96844-1441-11e4-8936-26932bcfd6ed_story.html?utm_term=.a9e6eeb5c30d

Redskins tight end Jordan Reed formed a bond with his coach Sean McVay

By Jason Reid Columnist July 25, 2014

RICHMOND — After hearing that Washington Redskins tight ends coach Sean McVay had been promoted to offensive coordinator in January, tight end Jordan Reed called McVay to offer his congratulations and ask a question. Reed and McVay grew close last season, and Reed wondered whether McVay would still have time for him.

“Can you believe that?” asked McVay, who smiled and shook his head while recalling the conversation Friday during a break from practice. “He actually thought I’d be too busy for him. You always make time for guys like him.”

Especially if you’re an assistant coach who hopes to remain employed.

Coach Jay Gruden has big plans for the young tight end, whose combination of size, speed — he’s listed at 6 feet 2, 237 pounds and covers the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds — and route running make him a major matchup problem for defenses. And with deep-threat wide receiver DeSean Jackson often expected to draw double teams, Reed and others in the Redskins’ receiving corps should benefit from single coverage.

No one needs to tell Gruden how to best use Reed. However, if Gruden ever has a question about Reed, he can call on McVay, who knows him better than anyone in the organization. The work they did together last fall could help Reed blast off this year. From the start, they developed a model coach-player relationship.

“He’s obviously a great player, but I really enjoy him as a person, too,” McVay said. “He’s a great guy, so you want to continue to be involved with him.”

Generally, head coaches are father figures, disciplinarians. Position coaches are supposed to be like big brothers. The best skillfully walk the line of being a supervisor, teacher and friend. They’re the ones in whom players usually confide.

During three-plus seasons coaching Redskins tight ends, McVay had a good rapport with all players who reported to him. He took pride in working hard and being honest, figuring that’s the best way to lead. For that, he earned the players’ respect.

A third-round selection from Florida in the 2013 draft, Reed quickly learned McVay had his back. Whatever he needed — another question answered in the meeting room, extra work after practice or a quick tip on the sideline during games — McVay delivered way before Reed ascended to the top of the depth chart.

Some assistants attempt to latch onto fast-risers, hoping to advance their careers, and ignore the players at the bottom of the roster, but “Coach McVay always tries to help everybody,” Reed told me recently. “You know if he says something, he means it.”

Reed peppered McVay with questions about every aspect of playing tight end in the NFL, his role in the Redskins’ offense and what he could do to improve. Although Reed began the season as the third-string tight end behind veterans Fred Davis and Logan Paulsen, coaches and players privately raved about the big plays he made in closed practices.

It was only a matter of time, many said, before Reed supplanted Davis as the starter. Davis accelerated the process by continuing to be a knucklehead — you can’t repeatedly fall asleep in meetings and then complain about how you’re being used — and it became clear Reed was too good to remain on the sideline.

In preparation for Reed’s starting assignment, McVay came up with an idea he hoped would make the transition as smooth as possible. At the team hotel the night before games, McVay and Reed reviewed the game plan. In rooms used for team meetings, they would spend hours discussing routes, potential problems the defense could present and counters to the defense.

Obviously, the sessions paid off. Reed emerged as an integral member of the passing game.

His breakout performance occurred in an Oct. 20 victory over the Chicago Bears, when he had nine catches for 134 yards — the highest totals ever for a Redskins rookie tight end — and scored a touchdown. In an impressive first season cut short because of a concussion, Reed finished second on the team with 45 receptions for 499 yards (an 11.1-yard average). He also had three touchdown receptions, tying him for second on the team.

McVay has seen enough to express confidence Reed “is capable of being as good as he wants to be. It’s just a matter of being able to take care of himself and stay healthy.”

Reed wasn’t as forthcoming as he should have been about the lingering effects of hits to his head. He says that won’t happen again. McVay and new tight ends coach Wes Phillips, whose grandfather, Bum, and father, Wade, were former NFL head coaches, will hold Reed to it.

i’m more worried about goff.

if gurley isn’t good but goff is, i don’t think the rams have much to worry about.

but if goff is a flop and gurley is good, the rams will still be in trouble. the rams need goff to be successful much more than they need gurley to be successful.

and then the obvious. i want to see sammy watkins. i never watched him that much with him playing for buffalo, but i kind of noticed him from afar. now i get to see him from play to play. i like his physical makeup. strong, powerful, and fast. rams have never really had THAT kind of receiver before.

also i want to see quinn playing. he’s worrying me as well. need him healthy for the season for this defense to be at full powers.

i also want to see how brown and havenstein do. last week was not very promising. hopefully, they’ve worked some kinks out.

zn wrote:

Gurley is a mystery. To me a lot of last year was him. Yeah the line wasn;t executing but it was still part him. And, I don;t know what went wrong, and therefore don’t know if I can trust if it has been fixed.

i’m worried about gurley. and it wasn’t just last year. he had problems his rookie year after an amazing first five games.

and i’m not sure a two tight end offense suits his game. i keep hearing how he needs a fullback to be truly effective. i don’t see that happening under mcvay. but maybe with rogers, that changes. i also read about everett lining up some in the backfield.

and maybe mcvay uses him more as a receiver as well.

we’ll see.

reminds me a lot of steven jackson. he’d get a lot nicks but usually would be able to play through. it was the foot injury that kept him out of most of those games.

so yeah. if the foot is ok, he should be ok.

zn wrote:

In a sense he’s like a bigger, stronger Stevie Smith or DeSean Jackson.

that’s kinda what i was thinking. desean only bigger but also a little slower.

easily my favorite move of the offseason. best wr since torry holt or the next danario alexander?

i guess we’ll find out…

also the media are being way harsh on goff.

they talk about the 2 ints he threw in practice. i liked that i read from a poster he also threw 10 tds that same practice so why not mention that?

• This reply was modified 8 years, 12 months ago by InvaderRam.

watkins talked a little about it too. all the different formations and route concepts is what i think he said.

so it probably has to do with where you line up on a certain play and what route you will be running. and maybe even understanding what the play is trying to accomplish?

i don’t know. i’m curious as to why his offense or his teaching methods are supposed to be so innovative.

wv wrote:

I dont wanna alarm anyone but that sounds a lot like… Faulk.

which is why i think this guy has a shot at offensive roy.

although with watkins coming in i’m not so sure anymore. there is the possibility though that he beats out woods.

i think mcvay already said that goff will play into the second quarter next week. and most likely into the third quarter the third game against the chargers. so i’m excited. he didn’t look glaringly bad last night. in fact he looked solid from what little we saw of him.

mcvay said they needed to be more patient on that first play. i guess goff let go of that pass a little early? maybe some jitters? too hard to tell at this point, but next week should tell us a little more.

i agree with everyone that the defense looked sharp. and yes dallas played without their big stars. but so did los angeles. donald, quinn, and barron were all out. and shoot. they didn’t even allow a first down in the two series they did play. so they did their job.

lastly. this is the most exciting week of the offseason yet for me. they just traded for watkins. i think the skill position groups already looked decent. this just takes it up to another level. maybe not an elite level. but still. i used to think hey just don’t screw up on offense and grind out some wins. now i’m thinking maybe the offense can actually take some pressure off the defense and stress the other team. this guy is explosive. he’s going to make the other guys better. can’t wait for this week to get going. it’s been a long time since i’ve thought that.

i think he’s a lot like steven jackson. lots of little minor injuries that slow him down, but for the most part, he’s able to play through them. i think the foot injury was a little fluky. so i think he’ll play around 14 games a season. maybe miss a couple games here and there. but the guy plays through injuries. and sometimes really well.

in terms of caliber. i think he’ll be to an odell beckham what steven jackson was to marshall faulk at running back. not quite at that elite level but close enough and a legit number one receiver. and like jackson, he’ll get nicked up. but he’ll play a solid number of games with very solid production.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by InvaderRam.

Zooey wrote:

And Watkins is that age, too. So they have a young corps of talent right there.

Really…wow.

The Rams did a LOT with the offense since January.

it’s funny. well not so funny considering the head coach is offensive minded. but still. if these moves work out, they really only will have to address the offensive line next offseason. most of the needs will actually lie on the defensive side. cornerback, outside linebacker, and defensive end. which is funny cuz this defense could be something else. providing donald returns of course.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by InvaderRam.

zn wrote:

To me it’s not about Goff because this is the first step in a continuing process. If he’s real good, I will want to see more later anyway, and if he struggles, I won’t make too much of it…he will have ups and downs on his way to being a consistent franchise qb. I mean I am interested in how Goff looks but there won’t be any “final judgments” on that for a while.

My thing is Gurley. If Gurley is “right” then a lot of other things fall into place more easily.

..

i pretty much fall into the same boat. i mean i want to see a good drive. even two. but i won’t make too much of it if it doesn’t happen.

i’m gonna wait until the end of the season to make any real judgments on goff at least.

zn wrote:

Big plays. Touchdowns.

well. the big plays will be for watkins. for gurley. tds will be for watkins. gurley. higbee. everett.

there’s only so many touches.

when they got watkins to open things up underneath. i believe it’s for gurley. woods. kupp. higbee. everett.

again. my only hesitation to fully invest in this prediction is that kupp, higbee, and everett are largely unproven. austin has at least done it. and watkins could get injured.

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by InvaderRam.