LOS ANGELES -- Their new interior lineman, Ndamukong Suh, once stepped on a quarterback's ankle and grabbed another by the throat. One of their new cornerbacks, Aqib Talib, ripped a gold chain off the neck of an opposing wide receiver. Their other corner, Marcus Peters, threw a penalty flag into the stands, walked off the field without being ejected and then returned without his socks.

Meet the new Los Angeles Rams, equal parts brilliant and combustible.

The Rams have sacrificed some of the wholesomeness in their locker room for the volatility that often shadows greatness, the type of trade-off one makes when a Super Bowl title seems so clearly within reach. To handle it all, they will entrust their young head coach, 32-year-old Sean McVay, who has already proved to be uncommonly adept at leading. But he also has help.

"The defensive coordinator has more swag than all of them," McVay said, "so we’ll be in good shape."

McVay, speaking from the owners meetings in Orlando, Florida, was referring to Wade Phillips, who has dealt with the entire spectrum of alpha-male personalities through five decades as an NFL coach. Phillips, McVay said, "seems to always bring the best out of these guys." McVay referenced Phillips' "even-keel demeanor and disposition" and credited his "extreme ownership in terms of the accountability that he takes, in terms of helping these guys be at their best."

"That was instrumental in being able to feel comfortable adding these special players," McVay said, "and then figuring out how we can bring them all together to collaborate and create the best unit we can on defense."

Phillips will help, but really, it'll be on McVay, an NFL head coach for only one season, to keep the personalities in check and focused in the proper direction. What separated McVay as a coaching candidate -- what allowed him to ultimately become the youngest head coach in modern NFL history -- was his ability to create a sustainable culture, more so than his understanding of an offense.

This season will test that. The Rams will enter it with championship aspirations, not the tempered expectations they carried into 2017. They'll play a first-place schedule, and McVay -- without an offensive coordinator now that Matt LaFleur is with the Tennessee Titans -- will manage a locker room with the potential to implode.

McVay didn't sound the least bit concerned while speaking to reporters for nearly an hour on Tuesday, one day after the Rams signed Suh to a one-year, $14 million contract.

In McVay's mind, Talib, Peters and Suh all have one very important trait in common.

"These guys love football," McVay said. "They’re passionate about it. And we feel like if that exists, then everything else will just kind of fit. I think they understand the way that we want to operate organizationally."

Talib, who played under Phillips' Denver Broncos defenses from 2015 to 2016, seemingly has a short fuse, but he's also a respected leader. Peters displayed an enigmatic personality both in college at Washington and as a pro with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has also earned the admiration of his teammates along the way. Suh, released by the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago, has been described as a dirty player, but he's also a hard worker and a deep thinker.

"We’re all a product of our experiences and our environment, and I think the one thing you respect about Ndamukong is that he doesn’t shy away from some of the things that have gone on in the past," McVay said. "But I think when you really look back at it, that’s in his past. I think he’s learned from it, he’s moved on. That was something that we felt organizationally was a good move for us, to be able to acquire a player of his caliber. I think just like anything else, you mature as you grow, you learn from your experiences, and that’s exactly what he’s done."

Suh will join Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers to forge what might be the greatest trio of defensive tackles in NFL history, while Talib and Peters join Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman to form what might be the game's best secondary. Together, Suh, Talib and Peters have been invited to 12 Pro Bowls. With Suh, the Rams have added 51 1/2 sacks. With Talib and Peters, they have added 53 interceptions.

McVay, putting it lightly, said, "These were three players that we felt like kind of supplemented some of the needs that we had."

And they might not be finished.

Odell Beckham Jr., an elite wide receiver with what some consider a troublesome personality, might be forcing his way out of New York in much of the same way Peters forced his way out of Kansas City. The New York Giants might not be motivated to trade him just yet, but the Rams would clearly be interested if Beckham were to become available.

They aren't shy about taking character risks.

"I think you always want to be mindful of the guys that you take on in your locker room," McVay said, "but I think at the same time, if these guys love football, we feel like there’s a commonality that exists. We want to be intentional, first and foremost, about developing and building relationships with these guys. As long as we all have an understanding of what we’re trying to get done, we’re all working in the same direction, we feel like good things can happen."