Oct 19, 2025; London, United Kingdom; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts after a play against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half of an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What the Rams Are Prioritizing In Weekly Preparations

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 11:30 AM ET

The term work-life balance does not exist in the NFL, especially for coaches or at least that was the general thought. There are legendary stories of coaches sleeping on air mattresses in their office, stories once linked to Sean McVay during his coordinator days in Washington and his early career with the Los Angeles Rams.

However, McVay realized that his cavalier efforts to win only burnt him out at both ends and with the responsibilities of being an NFL head coach paired to his job as a family man, McVay prioritizes rest as he handles one of the busiest schedules in football.

McVay on Rest

McVay was asked on Monday on what his morning routine looks like now and how it’s changed since the beginning of his career.

“Wow, I don't know if we have enough time here," stated McVay. "Here's what I would say, I've really grown to appreciate how dumb I was early on thinking it was cool to work as many hours as you used to work. There’s a good saying, ‘You want to work smart and hard, not stupid.’ What I would say is there's a premium on sleep. I'm trying to get eight hours of sleep two nights out on Friday and Saturday always. I try to get seven hours of sleep every single night. If I don't, I am not as fun to be around and I notice that significantly. That’s not when you're at your best."

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"This is about people. This is about dealing with people, being patient, being urgent, but being clear thinking and so I've gone to bed earlier. What’s nice is I have a 2-year-old son now. He goes to bed at about seven and dad isn't as far behind as maybe you would think, but I get up early. I've always been a little bit of an early riser and what I like about that is there are a lot of unforeseen things that take place throughout the course of the day that you naturally have to deal with as a head coach whether that's operationally, schedule wise, schematically, different phases, being what you need to be and having fluidity and flexibility so you better save those first few hours of the day to be able to get your priority things done where you have some quiet time."

"My rhythm has been pretty consistent where I'm up early but being able to prioritize sleep has been something I've leaned into and felt incredibly tangible benefits from it. I notice when I don't how significantly different that is as well.”

McVay's outlook on coaching has helped redefine the narrative on his post-Super Bowl LVI career. With a newfound perspective, McVay found his love of coaching again after flirting with a career in the media and in 2025, the Rams head coach has zero ambitions of leaving his beloved franchise.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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