No team had a shorter offseason than the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots this year. After making it all the way to the Super Bowl, they were a month behind some teams when it came to scouting and offseason work.
It was undoubtedly a long season spanning from the preseason in August to the Super Bowl in February, but the Rams wouldn’t change anything about it – except maybe the end result. As short as the offseason break was, Sean McVay is feeling great heading into the 2019 season.
He told Albert Breer of the MMQB that he feels as fresh as he ever has entering a campaign, which is somewhat surprising after all he went through last season.
“I’m excited about this season,” McVay said. “I think this is as fresh as I’ve felt. It was good to have that break after the offseason, even though it goes a little longer when you’re playing into the Super Bowl, and the offseason was shorter. It was really the first time I was able to decompress and then truly get so excited about getting back with these guys. You’ve got an enthusiasm and an excitement—you’re ready to go.”
Getting over the Super Bowl loss is understandably difficult, and McVay says “it’ll always bother you.” He’s blamed himself for not putting his players in positions to succeed, failing to adapt to what the Patriots were doing.
Some believe the Rams will go through a Super Bowl hangover because of the loss, but McVay doesn’t foresee that being an issue at all.
“To say there’s any sort of lull, or any sort of energy that’s drained as a result of that, I don’t feel it at all,” he said. “I think there’s an excitement about getting back and attacking the ’19 season. People say, ‘Oh, it’s demoralizing to lose the Super Bowl.’ I told the players this—it’s the best season I’ve ever been a part of. And I obviously didn’t feel great about the way it ended, but I couldn’t be more appreciative of the season.”
All offseason, players have talked about how much they learned from making it to the Super Bowl and the way it’s going to help them moving forward. McVay has echoed that sentiment and gotten everyone on the same page.
This is a team that’s prepared for the upcoming season and the high expectations surrounding them.
