Genius. Prodigy.  The NFL's Golden Child.  Super Bowl Champion.  All words that have been used to describe Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay during his illustrious 16-year-long coaching career and 7-year head coaching career at just 38 years of age.

‍

A West Coast disciple, McVay began his NFL journey as a Bucs assistant in 2008 at just 21 years of age. He eventually landed in Washington under Mike Shanahan (current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's father) and slowly progressed from offensive assistant to offensive coordinator over a seven-year span. From there, he was hired in LA at the age of 30 in 2017, becoming the youngest head coach in the modern era.

‍

The rest, you probably know.  McVay took the league by storm during his first few years with the Rams, rejuvenating a post-rookie season disaster Jared Goff, and making RB Todd Gurley an MVP candidate. Every team began looking for their own McVay, poaching from his ever-evolving coaching tree in one way or another (the same way he was poached from the Shanahan tree by LA).  The NFL is all about who knows who, and McVay became the hottest name in a connections-based industry.  If you were young, worked for him, and succeeded with him - you were probably getting a promotion.

‍

That hasn't stopped throughout his Rams tenure, especially after hitting the promised land and a Super Bowl title with QB Matthew Stafford, as teams all around the league clamor to get someone familiar with his or Kyle Shanahan's highly thought-of offenses.  Six different McVay assistants have been hired as head coaches in the NFL or NCAA throughout his 7-year tenure in LA, and that number skyrockets when looking at assistant coach positions, particularly at offensive coordinator (cough cough looking at you new Bucs OC Liam Coen). 

‍

Although degrees of connections to McVay around the league vary as he grows older and his web grows more expansive, his influence around football circles is undeniable. For example, former Tampa Bay OC and current Panthers head coach Dave Canales never worked with McVay directly—he was the Seahawks' quarterback coach and worked under OC Shane Waldron. It was Waldron who worked for McVay in LA as a passing game coordinator. Other connections like Coen mentioned above, however, are stronger.

‍

Having worked for McVay at different times as an assistant wide receivers coach, assistant quarterback coach, and offensive coordinator, Coen’s connection to McVay is as tight as any recent hire from his coaching "branch" across any team or league. As Coen stated in his opening presser with the Bucs, he "Got his PhD in coaching" under him.

‍

This is why it was paramount for me, as part of my new job here, to really study Sean and see what makes his offense work. In order to do that, I had to get a sense of his playbook. Although current Rams or Bucs call sheets aren't exactly easily accessible (and the NFL would probably put a hit out on me), I did get my hands on an old 2014 McVay playbook from Washington.

Things have changed dramatically around league circles since then, especially regarding personnel trends. Still, the core principles and concepts associated with McVay and West Coast system playbooks remain the same.

‍

Let's dig in.

‍

Personnel

‍

As mentioned above, personnel trends have shifted quite drastically since 2014, particularly when it comes to 11 personnel looks and the general dismissal of fullbacks across the league.

‍

For those unfamiliar, the number used to describe personnel (11 in the case above) identifies the number of running backs and tight ends in the game.  It's a relatively simple two-digit system, the first representing the number of running backs on the field and the second representing how many tight ends are on the field.  From there, you take five and subtract both digits to get the number of wideouts on the field.

‍

For example, in 11 personnel, there's 1 RB, 1 TE, and 3 WRs (5-1-1=3).  In 12 personnel, there's 1 RB, 2 TEs, and 2 WRs (5-1-2=2).  21 personnel, a grouping frequented by Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel, has 2 RBs, 1 TE, and 2 WRs.  You get the picture.

‍

Across the league, 11 personnel tends to be the favored personnel grouping, as 62.5% of all snaps used that package in 2023, a 2% total increase from 2022. However, McVay and the Rams used this personnel over 93% in 2023, by far the highest rate in the entire league. They've also ranked in the top 5 in this grouping every year since McVay took over and had a 90% rate in 2022 (when Coen was OC).

‍

Now, running 11 personnel as your base offense isn't unique to Sean; 31 teams did it in 2023 (shoutout Atlanta for running base 12), but running it as frequently as LA did is undoubtedly unique to McVay.  At the end of the day, no one plays out of 11 as much as him; it's fundamental to what he wants to do on offense.  Does every disciple of his follow suit?  Of course not; it's why he ranks at the top year in and year out, not his tree.  But in general, his overarching web of coaches runs high rates, too.

‍

With all of this in mind, things get a little confusing when looking at McVay's playbook specifically. Like a lot of West Coast team playbooks, he doesn't actually use digits to label his personnel despite that being the common approach to discussing groupings.

‍

As opposed to 11, 12, 21, etc. they use names to describe each.  As with most playbooks, it's just a classic case of a verbiage swap. Everything still means the exact same thing, but 11 personnel is noted as "Zebra" personnel, 12 personnel is "Tiger" personnel, and so forth.

‍

Below is a picture of the playbook showing their calls for each grouping.

‍

‍

With "Zebra" personnel taking up 93.3% of the Rams snaps, it's the main focus here, but "Tiger" and "Regular" still come into play from time to time. Meanwhile, "Trey" and "Jumbo" are often in effect at the goal line, and "Eagle" and "Diamond" are utilized for certain air raid concepts.

‍

Formations

‍

With an understanding of personnel now in place, we can move on to formation calls, which may honestly be the trickiest thing to memorize in playbook study (at least for me). There are two parts to this: understanding where the "adjuster" lines up and understanding where the rest of the skill players align.

‍

This "adjuster" changes given the personnel grouping in place, with the FB (2nd RB) being the adjuster in Regular, the ZE (3rd WR) being the adjuster in Zebra and Eagle and the U (2nd TE) being the adjuster in Tiger.

Here's a brief description and picture of some different calls (again, different teams will have different verbiage, so it's not universal) and what that means for where the adjuster lines up…

‍

Strong Side terms

‍

West - off LOS (line of scrimmage) to the right next to TE

East - off LOS to the left of the TE right next to OL

Far - To the far side, off LOS

Trips - In between Y and Z spread out, off LOS

Bunch - Condensed trips but on LOS - it goes Y, adjuster, Z in order

Box - Bunch, but adjuster takes Y's spot -  it goes adjuster, Y, Z in order

Bundle - Bunch, but adjuster takes Z's spot - it goes Y, Z, adjuster in order

‍

‍

Weak Side terms

‍

Solo - Normal 2 TE set, 1 on each side

Double - Flexed out into slot on weak side

Dixie - Flexed out wide on weak side, on LOS

North - Condensed version of double 

‍

‍

2 Back Set Terms (Regular personnel)

‍

I - Adjuster (or F) is directly in front of H

Strong - Adjuster is to the strong side in front of H

Weak - Adjuster is to the weak side in front of h

Red - H to the weak side of formation, Adjuster to the strong side, equal depth

Change - Adjuster to the weak side of formation, H to strong side, equal depth

‍

Now to the second part of the formation call: aligning the rest of the skill position players. Ultimately, things get tricky here since there are an endless number of different ways to attach the adjuster and skill position parts together. However, here's a list of different calls and what they mean.

‍

Strong Side

‍

Close - strong side Y and Z are close to each other, Z off LOS

Closer - strong side Y and Z are right next to each other, Z off LOS

Clamp - same as close, but Y is off LOS

Flex - Z is in close spot, Y is off LOS flexed outside

Tout - Y is spread out in the slot

Off - Same as Regular formation but Y is off LOS and Z is on

‍

Weak Side

‍

Tite - X is brought in, Z off LOS

Slot - Z is brought to weak side slot, Z off LOS

Zoom - Slot, but X and Z are switched, X off LOS

Hug Slot - X and Z right next to each other, X off LOS

‍

Both Sides

‍

X - Swap X and Z sides only, X off lOS

Ace - Combination of Tite and Close

Edge - X and Z spread out to just inside the hash marks

‍

‍

In the McVay offense, they love to use a lot of "close," "closer," and "clamp," especially with Zebra personnel. They bring in their receivers to impact the run game and seal holes as if they were tight ends. Making wideouts and tight ends interchangeable is a keystone of McVay's offense, and these formation calls allow that versatility to shine through.

‍

For example, according to Sports Info Solutions, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp - the Rams' top two wide receivers - were 1st and 2nd in routes run in bunch right formations last season. Expect Tampa Bay to run a certain degree of tighter formations this coming season as they borrow and use from the Rams approach, just as new Bucs OC Liam Coen did at Kentucky in 2023.

‍

‍

*Kentucky in a Solo Right Clamp formation call from Tiger personnel in 2023 vs. Clemson*

‍

Motion

‍

Everyone loves motion.  One of the essential pieces to successful offenses in the modern NFL is using motion - whether it be jet sweeps, orbit motion, or even simple shifts - and it can help paint the picture of what a defense is doing and give offenses critical insight into exploiting it.  A man vs. zone deducer, motion is at the forefront of what McVay and Shanahan (and their disciples) do on offense and no deep dive into their abilities as coaches would be complete without it.

‍

In 2023, the Rams RB Kyren WIlliams led the NFL in carries with jet motion attached, with the mark representing over 55% of his total carries.  To put that into perspective, Tampa Bay RB Rachaad White, despite finishing T-2nd in the NFL in carries, wasn't even in the top 20.  The Rams also had 3 of the top 16 target finishers when targeted in motion, meaning they prioritized getting the ball to pre-snap movers in the passing game.  Finally, Tutu Atwell, the team's 3rd receiver, led the league in short-motion reps.  All this to say - Sean McVay likes getting people moving before the snap.  A lot.

‍

So, how exactly is motion called and labeled within a playbook? Well, attached to the formation call, motion calls will look different depending on the phrasing a team uses, but for McVay (at least in 2014 with Washington), he had set words depending on whether someone from the backfield, a wideout or a tight end was on the move pre-snap.

‍

Let’s first take a look at some backfield calls…

‍

‍

‍

Now, the “lab to right” call specifically might sound familiar to certain McVay-heads, as he openly stated in an interview for their schedule release this season that was a motion call the Rams used on a touchdown vs. Detroit back in 2021.

‍

The wideout and tight end tags are generally more straightforward than the backfield ones, with short being the most prevalent…

‍

Pass Game

‍

With the basis of the playbook and its terminology now in tow (personnel, motion, formation), we now have a basic understanding of the vocabulary in play calls and can move to actual play designs, starting with the passing game.

‍

Although I'm not going to copy and paste every single 3-step, 5-step, 7-step, and movement pass look from McVay's playbook (it would be over 100 pages worth), there are some specific concepts and designs he uses very often that lead to success.

‍

Omaha

‍

A simple 3-step pass with quick outs attached, Omaha is a rhythm call that gets QBs in the feel of the game ideally against soft coverages where they can just gain a few yards.

‍

‍

In the first play here, listed…

‍

[T] Solo RT

200 Jet Omaha Thru

‍

…we know by now [T] is the personnel Tiger, while “Solo RT” describes the formation in play. Meanwhile, “200 Jet” will be the pass protection and “Omaha Thru” is the concept we’re looking at (Omaha describing the outs and thru describing what the HB does).

‍

Below is a live Omaha variation from Coen in 2023 for Kentucky against Akron, where they use motion to indicate man coverage pre-snap and gain an easy chunk of yardage.

‍

Obama

‍

Obama is used as a Cover 2 beater to make the corner choose between two different targets on varying levels of out routes. The outside wideout runs a longer bench route at about 20 yards, while the inside wideout runs a predetermined choice route at about 6 yards (similar to inverted smash). This can be a half field design or as seen below, a full field design paired with something like an HB option.

‍

‍

In the first play above here, listed…

‍

[ZE/T] North RT

6 Jet Obama HB Option

‍

…we know again that [ZE/T] is the personnel, while “North RT” describes the formation in play. “6 Jet” is the pass protection and “Obama HB option” is the concept we’re looking at (Obama describing the bench and choice routes).

‍

‍

Here it is once more above, with a middle receiver added in to run a shallow crossing route and a basic (or dig route) thrown in as the backside option. A McVay staple, so many of the Rams concepts involve basic options presented on the backside, as Matthew Stafford is one of the best dig throwers in the game. As tough and aesthetically pleasing a throw as any, progressing to the backside on these concepts is a difficult task and something Baker Mayfield - despite having the arm talent to succeed in this regard - has struggled to hit consistently throughout his career. That will definitely be something to watch with Coen taking the reins at OC in Tampa this season.

‍

HB Burst

‍

McVay loves isolating RBs in the passing game, and it's undoubtedly something his disciples, particularly Coen, have carried to other clubs.  With Coen as OC last season, Kentucky set an SEC record for pass catches by an RB, as tailback Ray Davis caught 33 balls for 7 touchdowns in 13 total games. Tampa Bay RB Rachaad White has undeniable skills as a receiver, so no doubt that's something that Coen will want to carry over to the Bucs this season.

‍

With all this in mind, a specific concept where Kentucky succeeded in the passing game last season, not even just with the ball going to the RB, was with "HB burst". Tagged on to different calls as a way to isolate the RB once he checks his pass pro assignment and cuts through the OL to get to the MOF, this works really well alongside "4 verts" variations; essentially the rest of the skill position players all clearing out and going deep. It also presents the seam, especially to a player in motion, as a spot to hit (as is the case with the clip from Kentucky below).

‍

Here are some other HB burst calls paired with 4 verts (or all go) concepts.

‍

‍

Flood

‍

Finally, any run down of McVay’s passing offense can’t be complete without some patented under center flood work. A universal concept used around every level of football, flood is a used as a way to get 3 different levels of wideout all on the same side of the field - one long, one medium, and 1 flat going towards the sideline - often used with play action and motion - two of McVay’s favorite things.

‍

What makes things a little more unique to McVay in this regard is 3 things; 

‍

1) Just how similar his boot plays look like wide zone, always tricking defenses into not knowing whether it’s a run or pass 

‍

2) Having a backside checkdown consistently designed, available, and open

‍

3) The interchangeability of tight ends and receivers within the backside checkdown roles

‍

You’ll see in the plays below how sometimes the tight end (or Y) will have the fake blocking/down flat role, while sometimes it will be the “Ze” or slot receiver doing that work. Meanwhile the one that doesn’t have that role then gets hit with the slide route, which is hot (meaning it’s the route the QB directs to right away if he’s under duress). This interchangeability between the two roles is ultimately what is essential to confusing defenses and creating success in the boot game.

‍

‍

In the first play here, listed…

‍

[ZE/T] Snug RT

FK 18 Wanda Sift Keep LT Y Slide

‍

The top part is the personnel and formation, while “FK 18 Wanda Sift” describes the fake run call (we’ll get to that in a bit). “Keep LT” indicates the movement pass” and “Y slide” is our flood levels concept with the sliding tight end being the hot route on the play.

‍

Below is both a 2020 Rams play with some audio (from me) and a 2023 Kentucky call vs. Florida that runs the exact same design as the top play above, the latter with some nifty pre-snap motion by the slide route runner.

‍

‍

Run Game

‍

Where McVay, and more specifically Kyle Shanahan make their bread and butter is in the run game. Whereas Shanahan gets his big plays off bigger personnel and fullback usage, McVay gets his off of tight/condensed formations, using interchangeability between wide receivers and tight end and movement (a common theme presenting itself here) to his advantage.  

‍

There’s nothing overly special about McVay’s run game in its purest form, he runs a lot of wide zone and some more trap than the usual team but he follows the west coast system with some Wing T stuff attached - he’s not reinventing the wheel with his calls. He likes to use sniffers (tight ends) to create cutback lanes, pre-snap motion to set up holes, and relies on physical receivers to do dirty work in the blocking game, but the playbook of it all is relatively unchanged from any west coast system you’d see.  Still, to get a grasp on what it is he does and how he does it, here are a few playbook calls he uses.

‍

Wanda

‍

As was alluded to a little above on the play action flood play “FK 18 Wanda Sift Keep LT Y Slide”, “Wanda” is essentially a weak side wide zone call used often in McVay’s playbook. Whereas zone to the strong side is often more predictable and to a side with more personnel in place (both good and bad), the weakside call tries to stretch the defense at its barest point along the LOS.

‍

‍

‍

As you can see in 2 of the 4 calls above, we’ve got super tight formations that involve the Z receiver being a crucial blocking player, something less common in normal offenses and unique to McVay and his disciples. Having wideouts who can do the grunt work in the run game is hugely important to his operation.

‍

Pop

‍

When not running zone, McVay and especially Coen love kicking out their guards on “power” and “trap” calls in the gap run game. “Pop” refers to a Power call. The difference between power and trap will be who takes the end man on the line of scrimmage (EMOL), as in power (or Pop) we’ll get the guard pulling through the line and climbing to the LB while the TE gets the EMOL and in trap it’s the opposite.

‍

Here are some Pop calls.

‍

‍

As with the pass game, these few designs hardly sum up everything - with just how many combinations and variations you can run, there’s hundreds of different calls available in the playbook, but in a heavy wide zone scheme, we’re predominantly going to be working with zone calls.

‍

Summary

‍

We got through personnel, formations, motion, pass calls, and some run calls, and hopefully now you have a better understanding of McVay’s offense and what exactly it entails.  He’s ever evolving and adapting and there’s no guarantee his verbiage from 2014 remains the same today, but the same concepts and principles that provided a baseline for his success continue to benefit him year in and year out.

‍

Hopefully for Liam Coen and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year they can do the same.

‍