Rams HC Sean McVay Speaks About How He'll Manage QB Matthew Stafford in Preseason
Since Sean McVay took over the reins as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, he's been very adamant about certain players not playing in preseason games. Injuries in the NFL are a common occurrence and McVay believes it's best to lean on the side of caution when games don't reflect his team's overall record.
However, adding quarterback Matthew Stafford this offseason, you had to wonder how he would be treated once preseason action rolled around. After all, he is still learning McVay's offensive system so a learning curve is something Stafford will have to overcome before taking the field for Week 1.
That said, McVay was definitive on his approach with his new quarterback. He went on the Doug Gottlieb Show and said the following:
“There is zero chance you will ever see Matthew Stafford take a snap in the preseason for the Rams as long as I’m the coach," McVay said. "That will never happen. He is not going to play. That’s why it’s important for us to try to get competitive ‘opps’ against some of these other teams in practice settings. Practicing against the Cowboys this Saturday. Get the Raiders twice. So we’re always looking for those things. Until you tell me that if a guy gets hurt in the preseason that we’ll get those games back or they’ll add them on the schedule afterwards as, ‘Oh yeah, you get two games because you lost those guys in the preseason,’ it’s hard for me to make sense of it.”
McVay sounds firm on his stance that Rams fans won't see their new quarterback until Week 1 of the regular season with Los Angeles hosts the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football inside SoFi Stadium.
In the meantime, the Rams will head to Oxnard, California this Saturday and partake in a joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys. McVay did not confirm that Stafford will see reps in the joint practice, but overall it is a more controlled environment in those type of settings.
