Random Ramsdom: A brief history of Sean McVay and Jon Gruden

Your source for Rams and NFL News from around the web.

This week the Los Angeles Rams host the Las Vegas Raiders for a joint practice session on Wednesday, August 18th and then for a preseason game on Saturday, August 21st at SoFi Stadium.

The meetings will bring together two men whose careers and families have been connected since the 1990s. The Rams’ Head Coach Sean McVay and the Raiders’ Head Coach Jon Gruden have had a family, professional, and mentor-mentee relationship that has most recently evolved into one of a competitive nature as their respective teams have met head to head once before and will now meet once again. This time it is a preseason matchup with neither teams season standings being affected, so the two might just take an extra moment to savor the time together, or not, they have become known as being cut from the same obsessive competitive cloth.

Here is a quick summary of the McVay-Gruden ties:

1999 – John McVay and Jim Gruden worked together with the San Francisco 49ers front office. The two are Sean McVay’s grandfather and Jon Gruden’s father.

2008 – As Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jon Gruden hired Sean McVay as an assistant, giving McVay his first NFL Job.

2010 – Sean McVay becomes the Assistant Tight Ends Coach and then the Tight Ends Coach with the Washington Football Team.

2014 – Jay Gruden, Jon’s brother, becomes the Head Coach for the Washington Football Team, promotes McVay to Offensive Coordinator and once again the McVay-Gruden connection is reestablished.

2017 – McVay gets hired as the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Rams.

2018 – McVay and Jon Gruden meet as opponents as the Raiders host the Rams on Monday Night Football. Rams win 33-13.

2021 – McVay and Gruden meet again as joint practice partners and for a preseason matchup, Rams and Raiders at SoFi Stadium.

And now for today’s links:

RAMS NEWS:

Justin Lawler’s preseason performance vs. Chargers an emotional moment for him (Rams.com)

McVay: Leonard Floyd exits practice with ankle injury “but it seems like it’s good”; Trishton Jackson dealing with knee injury from Chargers game (Rams.com)

From the Podium: Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell, Raheem Morris share final takeaways from preseason opener, look ahead to joint practices with Raiders (Rams.com)

Rams cut 5 players, including Derrick Moncrief and George Silvanic (RamsWire)

NFL NEWS:

Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson absent from practice Monday after returning last week (ESPN)

NFL insider notes: Sizing up Jameis Winston vs. Taysom Hill, latest on Michael Thomas, plus more Saints focus (CBSsports)

2021 NFL preseason Week 1 rookie grades: Justin Fields outshines Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance (NFL.com)

NFL player cuts tracker: Team-by-team roster moves (NFL.com)