In 2025, no unit had more meltdowns for the Los Angeles Rams than their special teams. It resulted in head coach Sean McVay taking full responsibility for the unit's role in the team's championship failures, then taking appropriate steps to remedy the situation this offseason.
He hired Bubba Ventrone and Kyle Hoke to run the unit, while simultaneously paying closer attention to their development himself. The Rams also brought in Joe Cardona and Grant Stuard to be the pillars of the operation. With Harrison Mevis and Ethan Evans set to kick and punt, the only question left is to determine who will participate on the various teams that make up the unit.
With the evolving rules around kickoffs and changing football strategies, McVay was asked whether
there would be a balance of offensive and defensive players on special teams. McVay says his lineup will be based on feel, regardless of which side of the ball a player plays.
“It's a great question," said McVay. "I think it's a feel. I think how many of the action plays – the one thing that’s really been a big change is the impact of the kickoff and the kickoff return phase just because there are a whole lot more active plays in that phase and the field position changes. And especially when you look at it, start the ball around the 30-yard line. You’re a first down away from people thinking they might be in fourth-down territory just with the uptick of analytics and how people approach it so it is a significant impact.
"The punt phase is something that is so vital and so important. That’s where you see a lot of our key players that are starters on both phases there. I think it's a feel. But what is important is how important that phase is and how impactful that is. I think you've seen some of the investments, and I think it's more important to be able to subconsciously communicate without necessarily – it is not the words, ‘it’s seen is better than said,’ with some of the coaching things, with the way that we see a lot of different guys involved.
"Then how we try to make it important, whether it is in the team meetings and the special teams meetings so that'll be an ongoing thing. But that’s a big area of improvement for us because I'm not going to run away that I haven't done a good enough job of making that an emphasis and it’s cost us and that is nobody's fault but my own.”
What this does confirm is that the team's former method of calling up practice squad players, or plugging in players on special teams, is a concept from the past. They have established starters on special teams, with the hope that they'll remain consistent and avoid the game-losing mistakes of 2025.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Sean McVay explains how he's emphasizing importance of special teams
