Unity is the culture that Rams' head coach Sean McVay has brought to the organization

For the Los Angeles Rams during their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in Woodland Hills, CA. on Tuesday, June 10th, 2025, it was apparent that their off-the-field connection is as essential to their game as their on-the-field connection is for their upcoming 2025 NFL season.

Coach McVay said it’s about “great humans first and foremost,” and this sentiment seems to be the backbone of the team this season before even taking to the field.  There is a playfulness and exceptionally strong connection among the players, perhaps due in part to the team’s youth, as well as the coaching staff instilling it daily in the players.  What McVay conveys, “It is always about the person first – Chris Peterson got to come out here, … better people make better players. He’s continuously gotten better, he works at it, and you talk about the growth mindset, accumulating reps, and being able to bank them the right way.  Pleased with him, he is continuing to ascend as a player, and his best ball is in front of him.” 

Now entering his ninth season as a Super Bowl-winning head coach, McVay continues to bring his youthful approach to building strong bonds between his players and staff, helping to create the best people and players.  Coach McVay said, “That’s what we do for all of our guys, … I think the important thing is to authentically engineer opportunities and build people up. We do that when we bring our rookies in, we do that when we bring in new free agents, just to be able to say, here is a cool way to welcome guys.”  

Coach McVay is open to learning from his players, too.  He said, “Davante sees the game through the quarterback’s perspective … he loves football, a consistent passion, a real understanding of how it all fits together, the spacing, timing, rhythm,” he continues, “The way that his mind works, I’ve really enjoyed being able to learn from him as well.”

McVay realizes the strength of getting to know your teammates, as he said, “You know, there's that shared experience of understanding what we're going through. They're able to lean on one another … we've really tried to lean into, you know, the types of people where there's different personalities. There still are core values or experiences that these guys have gone through that have tested their mental fortitude, their resilience … I think we've really leaned into that ... the most important thing is as a team, how do we come together? How do we really lean on one another, when you are going through a similar experience? It's been fun to be able to watch those guys kind of mature and, you know, be able to grow together.”

Lastly, from McVay, he talks about being the head coach and the importance of the organization’s impact on the players and the team mindset as he said this, “I think all organizations would hope to be able to create an atmosphere and environment that's conducive for them reaching and realizing their highest potential. I think the first thing I would say … understand where they're coming from … You know, how often are you calling guys up for what they're doing right? How often are we cognizant of? And we're going to be demanding, you know, but we're never demeaning or disrespectful. You know, what does it look like to create and cultivate an atmospheric environment that does build people up while being challenged and understanding that a lot of these things are skills that you can lean into inevitably at any point in some time frame, you're going to go through the storm … And the separator is how you're able to handle that. But the best part about football is we're all in this together, and it's the greatest team sport that there is.” 

By embracing the Rams' team philosophy, after eleven seasons in the league, Devante Adams, the Rams’ newest receiver, has found rejuvenation and excitement for the game he had missed over the past few seasons due to trades with the Raiders and Jets.  Adams said, “this game is supposed to be a kids’ game, and let's just have a good time, you know, fun time out there together and kind of feel like, you know, Pop Warner, high school, college ball all over again … that's exactly what this team feels like in the in the best way possible. It feels like a college-type camaraderie. I don't think I've seen a linebacker and a punter talking as much as I have since I've been here or you know, the kicker and quarterbacks or whoever it is, it's just so much crossover even within myself.” Clearly, Adams is enjoying the sunshine of Los Angeles and his new team, the Los Angeles Rams.” As Adams said, “I feel like this is what I needed just based off of the vibe and the aura of the building, and everybody is in a good mood, you know.”

Coach McVay’s philosophy of team building was evident on the field during today’s OTA practice. There was undoubtedly a fun, energizing feeling among the players, a genuine connection, and even a skip in their step. You could see that each player was giving it 100 percent, even in the 80-degree heat.  Every lineman hit the pads hard, the defense, to their excitement, grabbed an interception from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and most importantly, quarterback Stafford was pinpoint with his footwork and seemed to hit his receivers perfectly all day during the eleven-on-eleven’s.  This team is building on deeper levels of connection, strength, and support, while also receiving the best football training from fantastic coaches and staff to further develop their already impressive on-field skill set. They made it to the NFC Divisional round in 2024, but from the look of early OTAs, I think this team is poised to make a run to the Super Bowl in 2025. The Rams will be a fun team to watch come kickoff time this upcoming NFL season.