Rams' Sean McVay Reveals 'Very Different' Preseason Approach
Fans have been waiting for the Los Angeles Rams to return to the field for months now, and that return is now just a few days away.
The Rams kick off their preseason slate on Saturday with a "home" matchup against their cross-city counterparts, the Los Angeles Chargers. After a hugely disappointing 2022 season, the Rams will be eager to start their 2023 campaign on the right foot, even if it is just a preseason game.
As it is the preseason, though, the Rams won't have most of their key players on the field, at least for most of the game. However, coach Sean McVay revealed on Saturday that the team's starters will get more of a look during these exhibition games than in past seasons.
“It's going to be very different than what you guys are accustomed to," McVay told reporters. "We haven't decided exactly, but we've got to get guys ready to go. There's a lot of players on this team that haven't had an opportunity to even really suit up, play real tackle football, that we're going to be counting on against Seattle (Seahawks in Week 1).
"So it's going to be a very different approach now. The Matthew's (Stafford, quarterback) and the Aarons (Donald, defensive lineman), you're not going to see them but, we're still kind of working through that. ... But the guys that have been big contributors that have played a lot of snaps, we'll tilt towards being smart with them. But for the most part, there's going to be a lot of guys that are playing and very few guys that won't.”
Last season at least, the Rams hardly played their starters at all. Their three most important players, Stafford, Donald and receiver Cooper Kupp, did not register a single snap in three games.
For Stafford at least, it goes even further. The veteran quarterback revealed that he doesn't even remember the last time he played in the preseason, and it doesn't seem like that will change this year. Whenever the occasion comes, though, Stafford knows he'll be ready.
"I just know that whenever I'm asked to play, I'm going to go play and whenever I'm not, I'm not, and I understand that," Stafford told reporters. "I think as a competitor you always want to play, but at the same time, I totally understand the choice not to. Especially with the amount of experiences I've had in this league, I feel like I can get myself ready to play without doing that. And with the addition of all the joint practices that teams are doing, you really get some great work in there while being able to keep in somewhat of a safe environment.”
After the Rams' preseason kickoff against the Chargers, they'll host the Las Vegas Raiders on Aug. 19 and wrap up the preseason with a road game against the Denver Broncos on Aug. 26.
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