New Rams coach Sean McVay retained running backs coach Skip Peete as he built his new staff over the last two weeks.
McVay told reporters that Rams running back Todd Gurley heavily endorsed Peete, and that Gurley’s opinion played a part in McVay’s decision.
"[There are] a lot of things you’re looking for with your coaching staff and what they’re trying to represent,” McVay said, per the team’s official transcript. “I feel like Todd saw a lot of those things and that was why he wanted to get a chance to continue to work with him.”
McVay said Gurley reached out to him to explain that Peete had helped him grow as an all-around player and felt that he could continue to improve with Peete leading the running backs’ room.
“When you’ve got a key player like [Gurley], I think you want to be able to try to demonstrate that you’re going to listen to your players, their opinion matters,” McVay said. “And somebody of his caliber and the type of guy that he is, that’s very important to us. And that definitely played a factor in why we were able to retain Coach Peete. He also earned the opportunity because of what he has done as a great coach, as well.”
McVay stressed that Gurley’s endorsement wasn’t the only reason he kept Peete and said other people he trusts had recommended he consider Peete, who has 18 seasons of NFL coaching experience.
The Rams stunk in just about every offensive category last season, and their inability to keep defenses guessing and build leads affected Gurley’s numbers. Gurley averaged 3.2 yards per carry and ran for 865 yards in his second season. He ran for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry as a rookie.
