While McVay said he wouldn’t be tossing domineering defensive tackle Aaron Donald or starting quarterback Matthew Stafford into formal exhibition action, he did say this preseason would harken back to 2017.
IRVINE –– Rams coach Sean McVay hasn’t been fond of giving his top players reps in exhibition games, but with a roster brimming with rookies and other signs of a transitional period present, a new approach appeared to be afoot this preseason.
“It’s going to be very different than what you guys are accustomed to. We haven’t decided exactly, but we’ve got to get guys ready to go,” McVay said at training camp Saturday. “There’s a lot of players on this team that haven’t had an opportunity to really suit up and play real tackle football that we’re going to be counting on (in Week 1) against Seattle.”
While McVay said he wouldn’t be tossing domineering defensive tackle Aaron Donald or starting quarterback Matthew Stafford into formal exhibition action, he did say this preseason would harken back to 2017, McVay’s first season with the club. Then, he tended to give starters more reps, especially in the early going of both games and the preseason itself.
“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 said. “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 experience I’ve had in this league.”
Stafford also pointed to the increasing prevalence of cooperative practices between teams as a valuable tool for players, veterans included, to get up to game speed without the rigors of the preseason schedule.
