John Marek

Sean McVay on what has become non-negotiable when evaluating players: “There are certain things that have to be non-negotiables. What’s your football character like? I think that more than anything, especially because of some of the things I’ve gone through where I look back and say, ‘Man, I did not like the kind of leader or the caliber of person I was. I was fragile. I wasn’t resilient. The game honors toughness, but I think life and the game honor toughness, both mentally and physically. How many different ways can we measure that mental resilience?" "What have they been through, and how did that shape who they’ve become in the midst of the journey?” “When you go through each guy and have a personal message of appreciation and gratitude for him, the consistent theme is that everybody who has had any sort of success has experienced some adversity. Maybe when you’re in it, you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but if it shapes you and callouses you the right way, growth demands that discomfort.” “You don’t punish people who haven’t been through adversity, but I also think it’s important for guys to know, ‘We’re in this shit with you, too. Let’s build a relationship.’” “Chris Petersen always used to say to me, ‘It’s really important that all our players know they’ll never meet the enemy on the sideline.’ I’d like to think the connection, the camaraderie and the enjoyment of each other’s success are what you see when you watch our group play. That’s the type of people we’re trying to identify.”