Rams' Aubrey Pleasant Revealed Unexpected Challenges of Being Head Coach

Valentina Martinez | Aug 18, 2024

October 15, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive backs/pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant had the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday. He was able to step into the role as Rams head coach in their preseason 13-9 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

"First, I would like to thank this organization," Pleasant said, via the team's transcript. "I would like to thank (head) coach (Sean) McVay, but specifically I would like to thank (general manager) Les (Snead), (team president) Kevin (Demoff) and (vice president of football & business administration) Tony (Pastoors) for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to represent our organization for this game. It's different when just one person as a head coach believes in you, but collectively as an organization in order to give you this opportunity, it does not sit very lightly for me, and I want to thank this organization for believing in me."

This type of opportunity doesn't typically come unless you are an interim head coach for the team. But Rams head coach Sean McVay gave Pleasant the opportunity to showcase his talent to prospective owners and general managers who are on the lookout for a new head coach.

"Well, my experience being able to coach on offense, defense and special teams at this level, has really taught me the importance of player mental health," Pleasant said. "And one thing that we do here is we talk a lot about 'modeling the way.' And I'm really proud that coach McVay was able to change the messenger, but I wasn't going to change the message. And I wanted them to know that when they came to the sideline, there would be no enemy over here, and those guys needed that support at that time. There's a difference between not taking full advantage of that opportunity and not being ready, and we were ready, but sometimes when things don't go your way, you can't always determine the consequences, but you can take care of those choices, and that's what I wanted to provide for those guys."

Not only did Pleasant get the precious and rare reps of a head coach on game day, but he also got the week prior to prepare for the role.

McVay, along with players, were excited for Pleasant's opportunity. The Rams head coach has praised Pleasant's impact within the organization.

Although the 13-9 win over the Chargers may not have been a big deal, it'll always be a memorable moment for Pleasant. It's evident that the Rams organization has high hopes for Pleasant.

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