Some coaches don’t like preseason, others dismiss it.
No one, however, is showing more apathy about the preseason than Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.
McVay was sidelined for last week’s preseason opener, but he spent a couple of series with a headset on, commentating and arguing with officials. He wasn’t taking the game as seriously as he usually does during the preseason. This week, he’s taking it a step further. According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The AthleticMcVay is letting assistant Aubrey Pleasant coach the game. McVay said he wanted Pleasant, the team’s passing game coordinator and assistant head coach, to get some reps as head coach. That’s commendable.
But that’s not all. The report also says McVay plans to spend part of the game in the broadcast booth. At this rate, McVay could be staying home to watch games next year.
McVay changed the NFL preseason. He was the first coach to sit nearly all of his starters in every preseason game. McVay doesn’t even let his backup quarterback play in the preseason. He uses joint practices to prepare his team and clearly views preseason games as a waste of time. Before McVay, every coach had basically the same formula: a series or two for the starters in the first game, a quarter or more in the second game, and then the third game was the “dress rehearsal” with the starters playing half or more. In the fourth game, before the preseason was shortened to three, nearly every coach sat every starter.
McVay came along, other coaches followed suit, and now some teams treat every game like the old fourth preseason game, where every player sits out. This has turned the preseason into a waste of time for many teams, even though owners still charge season ticket holders full price for games.
McVay seems to enjoy his indifference to the preseason. Perhaps he’ll talk about it in the broadcast booth this week while one of his assistants coaches the Rams.