SI

Rams’ Sean McVay Will Be a Tremendous Broadcaster When He Leaves Coaching

We got a small taste of McVay as an NFL analyst and it was impressive.

Jimmy Traina

McVay was mic’d up during a preseason game on NFL Network and it did not disappoint.
McVay was mic’d up during a preseason game on NFL Network and it did not disappoint. / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

1. I caught a little bit of the Cowboys-Rams preseason game that aired on the NFL Network on Sunday.

Fortunately, the part I was able to watch featured Rams head coach Sean McVay mic’d up and providing commentary, as well as some solid play-by-play.

It’s not hard to figure out why McVay was a hot commodity in the broadcasting world a few years ago when rumors swirled that he might leave the sidelines. Yes, this was obviously a small sample size, but McVay showed promise on many levels: very funny, broke down X’s and O’s in a digestible way, great TV voice, excitable personality but not over the top.

Here’s a clip of McVay calling a fourth-and-3 play by the Cowboys.

Here he’s calling a run-stuffing play by his defense.

Here he is reacting to the Rams getting a personal foul and going after the ref.

McVay is under contract with the Rams through the 2026 season, but you can be sure CBS, Fox, NBC, Amazon and others are already preparing for a bidding war for his services.

2. HBO’s host of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver, dedicated his weekly “And Now This” segment Sunday night to the very random tangents of Phillies analyst John Kruk.

3. Mariners center fielder Victor Robles was mic’d up during Sunday night’s game against the Mets on ESPN and his story about watching monkeys on TV was totally interrupted by a fly ball that came his way.

4. One Bills fan was completely blown away when Josh Allen gave him a hat, which made for a great visual.

5. This is huge media news for my fellow New Yorkers. CBS 880, a staple of our lifetimes, is ending, thanks to a deal between rivals, WFAN and ESPN New York. Wild times.

6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina is an all–Traina Thoughts edition with Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York.

Among the topics discussed on the podcast: The shocking news that Charles Barkley will not retire or join ESPN, NBC or Amazon and remain with TNT after the network loses the NBA; the debut of the new NFL kickoff rule; the news that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are working on a movie about Hulk Hogan taking down Gawker and Deadspin; reaction to my interview with CM Punk from the previous week; the recent booking issues between SiriusXM’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and NBC’s Mike Tirico and much more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Discovered this old Jason Alexander interview with Charlie Rose while going down a YouTube rabbit hole on Sunday.

The full interview is worth a watch, but if you don’t have the time, here are two clips I posted that are must-watch for any and all Seinfeld fans.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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