There’s an old adage about life being as much about who you know, as what you know – and I think there’s something to that.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune’s Rich Campbell, Chicago Bears Quarterbacks Coach Dave Ragone said he touched base with Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay in order to pick his brain and grab some advice for coaching up Mitch Trubisky. And as far as I’m concerned, there might not be a better mind to pick than the reigning NFL Coach of the Year – especially considering what Jared Goff did in his second season in the NFL.
Perhaps you already knew, but the two coached together in Washington back in 2015 – McVay was the team’s offensive coordinator at the time, while Ragone was an offensive quality control coach. Relationships are everything in this world, and clearly, that includes NFL.
Here’s what Ragone had to say about his conversation: “Just like a lot of the coaches in this league who are tremendous coaches, Sean is nothing short of that,” Ragone told the Tribune. “Obviously, it was (Goff’s) second year in the league, gaining confidence from not being the first time out there, guys around him playing as well as he was playing. It’s one thing to have guys around you, but you still need to play well. It seemed like Goff played pretty well, and Sean was in tune to that in terms of how he was calling games.”
If you recall, Ragone was the lone holdover from the offensive staff put together by John Fox, and it’s a bit of a surprise that he hung around. After all, the Bears were reportedly feeling out the market before ultimately deciding to keep Ragone in the fold. And maybe it’s a good thing they did, especially now that Ragone has tapped into a valuable coaching resource in McVay.
Indeed, McVay’s arrival did wonders for the Rams offense, especially Goff. The second-year signal caller improved leaps and bounds across the board from his rookie season under McVay’s guidance. Goff’s increased touchdown percentage, passer rating, and completion rate, coupled with a decline in interception percentage, turnover rate, and overall inefficiency sparked a turnaround season in Los Angeles that provided a blueprint for the Bears to follow in 2018.