Some names don’t just belong to people; they belong to places. In Miami, “Shula” is one of them. So when reports surfaced that the Miami Dolphins requested an interview with Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula for their head coaching vacancy, it carried a certain poetic weight.
Is Chris Shula Related to Don Shula?
Yes, Chris Shula is the grandson of Don Shula, the Hall of Famer whose influence still lingers in South Florida like a familiar story everyone knows by heart.
Don served as head coach of the Baltimore Colts from 1963 to 1969, compiling a 73-26-4 record and guiding the team to three playoff appearances. He went on to lead the Miami Dolphins for 26 seasons from 1970 to 1995, overseeing the NFL’s only perfect season in 1972, when Miami finished 17-0 and captured victories in Super Bowls VII and VIII. Shula concluded his career with a league-record 347 wins across 526 games.
According to TheRams.com, Chris played linebacker at Miami (Ohio) from 2004 to 2008, where he was a teammate of Sean McVay, a connection that would quietly resurface years later in Los Angeles. At the time, Chris was learning the game from the inside, absorbing it the way linebackers do: patiently, instinctively, and with an eye for detail.
After his playing days ended, Chris chose the long road into coaching. He spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at Indiana University, working primarily with defensive backs. From there, he moved to Ball State as an assistant linebackers coach before earning his first opportunity to lead a defense at John Carroll University in 2014. That season, John Carroll reached the Division III playoff quarterfinals and finished among the nation’s top teams in scoring defense, a modest setting, perhaps, but a meaningful proving ground.
The NFL came calling in 2015, when Chris joined the Los Angeles Chargers as a defensive quality control coach. His arrival in Los Angeles in 2017, however, became the foundation of his professional identity. Over the next several seasons, he grew Reid into a trusted defensive voice for the Rams.
His influence was evident in the development of players year after year. Cory Littleton emerged as one of the league’s most productive linebackers in 2018. Leonard Floyd enjoyed a career-best season in 2020, when the Rams fielded the NFL’s top-ranked defense, finishing first in points allowed, passing yards allowed, and total yards allowed, and second in sacks.
That defensive standard carried through the Rams’ Super Bowl–winning 2021 season, when the development of rookie Ernest Jones became a defining storyline. In 2023, Jones set a franchise record with 145 tackles and ranked among the league’s top linebackers across multiple performance metrics while Shula served as linebackers coach and pass rush coordinator.
When Shula was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2024, the transition felt seamless, and the results followed. Although the Dolphins decided to hire Jeff Haffley instead, Shula is still a candidate to get a head coaching job, and if not this year, he will likely become a head coach in the league next year.
Previewing Rams-Seahawks NFC Championship Game
PFSN Analytics: Rams: 46.6% win rate, Seahawks: 53.4% win rate
Power Ranking
- LAR: 2nd (81.9)
- SEA: 1st (83.9)
Offense
LAR: 1st (92.3 A-)
- Matthew Stafford: 6th (84.4 B)
- Offensive Line: 1st (90.0 A-)
SEA: 9th (79.8 C+)
- Sam Darnold: 13th (78.7 C+)
- Offensive Line: 17th (72.0 C)
Defense
- LAR: 5th (85.5 B)
- SEA: 3rd (88.4 B+)
Special Teams
- LAR: 31st (61.7 D-)
- SEA: 2nd (90.9 A-)
Notes on the game:
- The Rams are seeking their sixth Super Bowl appearance, while the Seahawks are a win away from their fourth.
- The Rams under Sean McVay are 6-1 in the playoffs against teams they played in the regular season. The only loss was last season to the Eagles, who also beat the Rams earlier in the season. Four of the six wins came against a team that defeated Los Angeles in the regular season.
- Sean McVay’s ten playoff wins are tied with Don Shula for the most by any coach in NFL history under 45. McVay, 39, has taken the Rams to the postseason seven times in nine years.
- Rams cornerback Cobie Durant has four career postseason interceptions, tying him with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell for the most by any active player. Both Durant and Mitchell have played in five playoff games. For context, Ed Reed, Ronnie Lott, and Charlie Waters hold the all-time postseason record with nine interceptions each.
- Sam Darnold’s team has 28 wins in the last two seasons when he’s started. That’s tied with Tom Brady for most wins by a quarterback in consecutive seasons.
- Seattle is 11-2 in postseason games played at Lumen Field. Both losses have come against the Rams. In the 2004 season, the St. Louis Rams won 27-20, and after moving back to Los Angeles, the Rams won 30-20 in the 2020 season, when no fans attended the game.
- Kenneth Walker III rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns last week against the 49ers. His 81.6 (B-) RBi was the best score in the league during the Divisional Round.
