Sean McVay to let assistant coach this week’s preseason game, go up to broadcast booth

Some coaches don’t like the preseason. Others dismiss it.

Nobody, however, shows apathy for the preseason like Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay.

McVay was on the sideline for last week’s preseason opener but spent a couple series with a broadcast headset on, providing commentary and arguing with officials. He wasn’t taking the game all that seriously, as usual during the preseason. This week he’s taking it a step further. According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, McVay is letting assistant Aubrey Pleasant coach the game. McVay said he wanted to get Pleasant, the team’s passing game coordinator and assistant head coach, some reps as a head coach. That’s commendable.

But that’s not all. The report also said McVay plans to spend some of the game in the broadcast booth. At this rate, next year McVay might just stay at home for the games.

McVay changed the NFL preseason. He was the first coach to sit nearly all of his starters for every preseason game. McVay won’t even play his second-string quarterback in preseason. He uses joint practices to get his team ready and clearly sees 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 starters getting a half or more. The fourth game, just about every coach sat all starters.

McVay came along, other coaches followed suit and now some teams treat all games like the old fourth preseason game, sitting everyone. It has turned the preseason into a waste of time for plenty of teams, even though owners still are charging season-ticket holders full price for the games.

McVay seems to relish his indifference toward the preseason. Perhaps he’ll talk about that up in the broadcast booth this week, while one of his assistants coaches the Rams.