What makes Sean McVay so special as a coach? It starts with communication, says a former player

The connective tissue linking the absolute best coaches is their ability to communicate. Bill Belichick and Nick Saban are famous for their ability to explain in granular detail exactly what they expect from every person within their organization, from the starting quarterback to the sports information director. 

On the "This Is Football" podcast, former NFL offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth told a great story about what sets Sean McVay apart in this category.

The year was 2017, and Whitworth had just joined the Los Angeles Rams after 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Rams had just made Sean McVay the youngest head coach in the NFL's modern history, and the 30-year-old, first-time head coach had grand plans for how he was going to spend his first OTAs. 

He might've been tempted to justify his hiring by dazzling his new players with the craziest, newest offensive schemes he could possibly concoct, but McVay did the exact opposite. 

McVay didn't talk football at all and, according to Whitworth -- who was, and still is, five years older than his new head coach -- it was the smartest thing he could've done. 

"We spent the first hour of team meetings for the first four weeks he had the job explaining what football character looked like, what communication looked like -- visual cues. What are your visual cues in how you communicate as a teammate, your body language -- looking upset, looking happy, showing energy, showing passion, showing frustration. What are the ways you can communicate and show passion in the way you communicate verbally?" Whitworth said. 

"We spent time, not talking about football in my opinion, we spent time talking about what it means to be a good person and a good football player in general. When you start with a foundation that's built on, how do I do the right things, handle myself the right way and support the people around me to where we all elevate together, I think you've got a good chance of having a pretty good football team."

Whitworth said many head coaches fail because they don't hold their players accountable because, in his words too, they're afraid. 

"A lot of teams that suck right now, it's because their head coaches are scared to challenge their players as men to act like men," Whitworth said.