The Los Angeles Rams have plenty of offseason work to do.

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Thanks to their run to the Super Bowl , they have a relatively short amount of time to do it.Sean McVay professes to love few things more than his next challenge, and the coach is already hitting the Rams’ offseason tasks with extra motivation from the humbling experience of Los Angeles’ 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots in Atlanta.“If you can’t handle getting gut-punched and responding, this business probably isn’t for you,” a typically energized McVay said Tuesday at the Rams’ training complex. “That’s the only way that I know how to respond as a coach. I know our coaching staff feels that way. I know our players feel that way, and that’s what’s powerful. … If things are always easy, you never get a chance to get tested and find out.”McVay said he isn’t ready for a vacation, and he already has a lengthy to-do list.The Rams must replace quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor, who took over as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. McVay is heading to the NFL scouting combine in three weeks, and he will play a role in general manager Les Snead’s numerous roster decisions to be made within the compressed timeframe of evaluation before free agency opens next month.“When you do go this late into the season, which is certainly a blessing, we’re really far behind with a lot of the things that typically take place,” McVay said.The NFC champions were mostly upbeat while they cleaned out their lockers Tuesday, but the Super Bowl defeat will take weeks to fade.Andrew Whitworth is contemplating retirement, yet the left tackle was in the Rams’ training complex working out on a bike within hours after the team returned home. Jared Goff had already watched film of the Super Bowl, taking a close look at his offense’s numerous failings.“It definitely stings,” said Goff, who will have his fourth position coach in four seasons. “It’s hard. You can’t ever really get over it , maybe. It’ll be tough, but it’ll be definitely something that will motivate us, and something that we’ll use. It’s hard saying this when we know, had we won, right now we would probably be in the parade, and how fun that would be, and how many different things go along with winning the Super Bowl. It’s hard to put that in perspective, really, but there was a lot of good things that came out of this season.”With McVay and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips still leading a roster stacked with elite talent, the Rams appear to have a foundation for a prolonged stretch of championship contention. Veterans of the Rams’ bad old days don’t take this success for granted, even if the ending currently stings.“This season is a truly great accomplishment by this team,” left guard Rodger Saffold said. “Sean McVay did an unbelievable job being able to turn this team around from a 4-12 team to a 13-3 team with a chance to win the Super Bowl. You can’t ask for anything better than that. It hurts right now, but these guys are resilient. These guys show great poise. I expect everybody to come back and have another victorious season, whether it’s with me or without me.”With that final phrase, Saffold underlined the uncertain nature of any NFL offseason. The stalwart offensive lineman is among several Rams whose futures are undecided.Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, edge rusher Dante Fowler and safety Lamarcus Joyner all were not available Tuesday to discuss their futures as unrestricted free agents. Veterans with hefty salary cap hits in the upcoming season include defensive tackle Michael Brockers, linebacker Mark Barron and cornerback Marcus Peters.Suh’s $14 million contract is up , and the 32-year-old veteran gets to choose his career’s direction again after he gambled on the Rams’ prospects for providing his first career playoff success. Aaron Donald wants Suh back next to him, but while Suh appeared to thoroughly enjoy playing in LA, he probably could make bigger money elsewhere.Fowler improved his stock with solid play after his midseason arrival from Jacksonville. He wants to stay, but could be targeted with multiyear offers due to the valuable nature of his position.Joyner played this season on the franchise tag, and the Rams’ hesitance to give him a top-dollar, multiyear deal could be foreshadowing.Cornerback Sam Shields played in every game after missing the past two seasons while recovering from repeated concussions. Shields said he “most definitely” wants to play football again next season.“I beat all odds, and I feel like myself again,” Shields said.Running back C.J. Anderson provided an enormous late-season boost, and the Rams could be interested in keeping him longer than five games. Backup running back Malcolm Brown, whose injury led to Anderson’s arrival, is also a free agent.“One thing you can say about this team is they’ll be back,” Anderson said. “McVay and some of the key players have the talent to get them over the hump.” WASHINGTON (AP) — This is what it’s come to for the Washington Redskins: Their fourth quarterback of a once-promising, now-lost season, Josh Johnson, will be making his first NFL start since 2011 and spent time playing the “Madden NFL” video game to try to pick up something about his new teammates.“I learned their names, first and foremost,” Johnson said with a smile.He will be playing the most important position on the field next Sunday when the Redskins , who have gone from 6-3 and first place in the NFC East to 6-7 thanks to a four-game losing streak, play at the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-9), who might be the most disappointing team in the entire league.Between Washington’s Johnson and Jacksonville’s Cody Kessler, the two QBs have a combined career mark of 1-14 as NFL starters. Johnson is 0-5 and hadn’t even thrown a pass in a game in seven years until coming in to replace Mark Sanchez in the second half of Washington’s 40-16 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.“I’ve been a fourth-stringer, a third-stringer. I’ve been so many other things,” the 32-year-old Johnson said.He’s been signed and discarded by nearly half of the league: The Redskins are the 13th team that’s brought him in, although only the second for which he actually was allowed to attempt a throw in a regular-season game (Tampa Bay was the other).So why has he bounced around so much with little game time to show for it?“He can be hot and cold throwing the ball. He can throw a great ball, then throw one in the dirt, then throw a great ball,” coach Jay Gruden said. “The (inconsistency), probably, is what people see.”In Washington, Johnson essentially is the backup to the backup’s backup.Sanchez only got to start against New York because Colt McCoy broke his right leg during the prior game; McCoy was starting only because Alex Smith broke HIS right leg two games before that.Add it all up, and Johnson’s is Gruden’s No. 4 starting QB in a span of five games.Johnson was signed last Wednesday; a week before facing the Giants, he was playing in a charity basketball event at home in California.“It was a good test for my cardio,” Johnson said. “I actually got my body ready.”Entering Sunday after the score was 40-0, he went 11 for 16 for 195 yards , with a 79-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder and one interception against the Giants.Johnson also ran seven times for 45 yards with a TD.“Josh came in and provided a spark with his legs a little bit, avoided some pressure, moved around, got to the second, third progressions on a few throws, despite just getting here,” Gruden said. “So I was impressed with his poise, mostly, and his ability to maneuver in the pocket.”NOTES: Gruden said TE Jordan Reed, who leads the team in catches and receiving yards, could be done for the season because of a strained toe muscle. “We’ll see if it’s one week, two weeks or the rest of the year,” Gruden said. “We’re not sure yet.” … WR Josh Doctson is in the concussion protocol. … LB Shaun Dion Hamilton has a shoulder injury. … Gruden declined to address a report that Smith has had multiple operations on his leg, saying: “I cannot confirm anything right now. I told you I was going to be hush-hush on this deal until Alex was ready to talk about it.”

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