O'Connell has evolved as a play-caller and an offensive planner since he learned many of his methods while he was an assistant to McVay on the Rams staff in Los Angeles.

Sean McVay has grown a healthy coaching tree in his eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. Five of his former assistants have become NFL head coaches, while several more have been poached for bigger jobs in college and the pros.

Despite never working with one another, Sean McVay and Vikings starting QB Sam Darnold have more connections and similarities than one would assume. McVay was the Rams’ head coach when Darnold was playing his final two years at USC, both playing their ...