The Los Angeles Rams stumbled to a 5-12 record last season, just one year removed from a Super Bowl championship. Star quarterback Matthew Stafford spent most of the season either sitting out or battling through injuries.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Sean McVay has continued to keep the faith, while living large in his $14 million farmhouse mansion. The Rams still have a round of cuts to make and these are the top three candidates.

As the team prepares for the regular season with a roster stacked full of proven Super Bowl winning talent, the focus has shifted to a past meeting between Marshall Faulk, Rams COO Kevin Demoff, owner Stan Kroenke, and McVay.

At first, Faulk was upset at the Rams for considering the then 30-year-old Rams boss due to his youth. Demoff recalled the critical stance the Hall-of-Fame running back took prior to the meeting.

“Marshall was the perfect person because he was explaining to me why we had needed a veteran offensive mind to be the head coach,” Demoff said. “And he was happy to go to dinner with this 30-year-old, but he thought that was stupid, and that we were stupid.”

The former San Diego State Aztecs star hit it off with McVay, however. By the end of the meeting, he found himself changing his tune, and made sure to tell Kroenke about it.

“At dinner, the two of them got going and they hit it off immediately. They’re talking the whole time. I remember walking out and Marshall told Stan [Kroenke, Rams owner], he goes, ‘You let that guy leave tomorrow, you’ve made a huge mistake. That’s your guy.’”

McVay has gone on to win 60 out of 98 games with the Rams during his tenure. Recently, former Rams and current Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield revealed the impact he had on his game in Los Angeles.