Sean McVay’s summer vacation doubled as an involuntary conditioning drill for the Rams.
A shirtless photo of McVay posing on a boat with his wife, Veronika Khomyn McVay, went viral in June because the 40-year-old coach looked more like someone competing for a roster spot than constructing one.
At some point, the image eventually traveled beyond social media and into the Rams’ locker room.
During a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday, Matthew Stafford was asked whether he had seen the picture of his coach’s abs.
“Oh, yeah,” Stafford said. “We all were like, ‘We better hit the weight room, because this guy’s shredded.’”
Stafford said the physique reflected the McVay he sees every day — relentlessly investing time and effort into whatever is in front of him.
Fans reached similar conclusions when the photo circulated. One suggested McVay could serve as the Rams’ backup quarterback, while another upgraded him to starting linebacker.
The jokes carried an extra layer after McVay described himself as “tormented” by the expectations attached to his job during the “60 Minutes” interview. McVay acknowledged that his identity once became connected to winning and losing, describing football as a recurring cycle of storms.
“How you handle that is the separator,” McVay said.
If pressure follows him everywhere, McVay has apparently found a productive place to channel it. The coach may be tormented, but his oblique muscles seem to be thriving.
There is fresh stress available after the Rams opened 0-1 with a 27-7 loss to the 49ers in Australia. Los Angeles now returns to SoFi Stadium for a “Monday Night Football” matchup against the 1-0 Giants.
McVay called the opener humbling. His players do not need to match his summer abs Monday night, but matching the work behind them would be a good start.
