Psst! Want to know a little secret about the fashion industry? When it accomplishes its goal it makes you want to go out and buy something new. You see the new on tv, magazines, websites, runways, etc. Suddenly what was new in your closet is old. You want the new. You need the new. You have to have it and have it now. Suddenly all stores, all designers, all price points are chasing the latest. Copycats they are.
Psst! Want to know a little secret about the NFL? When one team has success doing something a certain way or hiring a certain type of coach others follow quickly. The owners have to have it and have it now. Copycats they are.
What’s the latest? The latest is the Sean McVay model. Sean McVay (born January 24, 1986) is the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. Upon his hiring in 2017 at the age of 30, he became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. But most of all he is thought of as a “quarterback whisperer.” Young Jared Goff exploded onto the “franchise qb” scene last year under McVay’s tutelage. Combine that with McVay’s youth,daring play calling, and “can do” personna and, suddenly, orange is the new black.
Heck just a few weeks ago, before the weather worsened, teams were engaging in games that were lighting up scoreboards. Forty something to forty something final scores were in style. Experts looked at these new designs on all of the fashion shows preening down the runways and pronounced it as the new NFL.
Enter the Arizona Cardinals. After they parted ways with Bruce Arians (Arizona’s most successful coach since they moved to the desert) in 2017 after five seasons, in came a former DC and DB coach Steve Wilks. But, after one bad season and no real development of their first round QB draft pick Josh Rosen, out goes the defensive mindset.
Enter Kliff Kingsbury as the new head coach of the Cardinals. Young ole’ Kliff was terminated by the Texas Tech powers that be after his head coaching ascension there stalled in December at the end of season six. He accepted the OC job at USC a week or so ago. Then poof! Hopefully his lease was minute to minute.
But like Jimmy cracked corn, the Cardinals don’t care about his head coaching past nor his lack of loyalty to USC. After all he was the OC under Kevin Sumlin at A&M when Johnny “Football” Manziel hit the big screen. Oh, and then he coached Pat Mahomes at Texas Tech. Surely he is the next QB guru just like skinny jeans are the new bell bottoms.
Meanwhile, last weekend, both Sunday playoff games entered halftime with none of the four participants scoring a single touchdown. That was a first. Ever. That came on the unfashionable heels of a December 9th Bears defensive shutdown of the high flying Rams 15-6.
The post season credo has been “you have to be able to stop the run and run the ball” to win in the post season. But, copycat franchises have to have that new fashion fix. Good luck.
Maybe black is actually the new orange?