Rookie coach Sean McVay has drawn unfair scrutiny for using his Rams starters sparingly during the preseason
The Los Angeles Rams starters basically have one half of preseason football showing their readiness for the Sept. 10 season opener. Head coach Sean McVay has come under fire for keeping several starters out during Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Rams’ play exacerbated the situation during the 21-19 loss.
The criticism is unwarranted.
ESPN.com posed the question whether the team is handling its starters too delicately. It cited nine starters not seeing any live action for 22 days prior to the opener at the Indianapolis Colts. And five starters — Aaron Donald (holdout), Robert Quinn, Mark Barron, Kayvon Webster and Tavon Austin — will have had zero playing time during the exhibition season. ESPN.com reported:
"It’s hard to blame McVay for playing it safe at a time of year that is typically ripe for senseless, freak injuries. But there may be some concern on the other side, too, with players not getting enough live game action in their transition to an entirely new coaching staff."
RamblinFan.com was more direct in regard to McVay, saying his conservatism was in error.
"Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay made his first error of his coaching career in LA. In a night where he needed to solidify his offense, he bailed."
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Clearly, quarterback Jared Goff, and by extension, the Rams offense, struggled against the Chargers. The unit played about 1.5 quarters. But would everyone feel better if Goff played better had he stayed in for the last part of the second quarter? What if Goff had played worse?
The offense should be better than it was last season under former coach Jeff Fisher. How much better depends on Goff’s improvement. A quarter more of exhibition football isn’t going to change that. Even if the entire defense played against the Chargers, the Rams still would have some unknowns. Until Donald shows up, the Rams won’t be able to see how the rest of the unit fits around his talent.
But the truth is that no one expects the Rams to make the playoffs this season. McVay has time to change the culture. He’s not going to change it in the preseason alone. The Rams priorities for 2017 should be to find out whether Goff is a franchise quarterback and how to build a championship defense around Donald.
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McVay needs the season to evaluate Goff. He can’t evaluate the defense until Donald’s contract situation is resolved. Giving the Rams starters 15 more plays in August is not going to speed up the rebuilding process. So if McVay wants to keep his starters out until Sept. 10, more power to him.