Sean McVay has been the coach of the Los Angeles Rams since 2017, but he won't be holding that position this weekend.
For the team's second preseason game, which will come on Saturday against the Chargers, McVay has decided to bench himself. During a press conference on Thursday, the Rams coach revealed that passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant will be serving as the team's coach this week.
"Aubrey will be the head coach, so it'll be really cool," McVay said.
If you're wondering what McVay will be doing, he won't be taking the day off. Instead, he'll be up in the coaches booth getting an angle of the game that he doesn't normally get.
"I'll be up in the coaches booth and he'll be doing his thing," McVay said. "We'll see if he throws the [challenge] flag at the right times."
Former Titans coach Mike Vrabel did the same thing last season -- he let an assistant serve as coach for a preseason game -- and apparently it's an idea that seems to be catching on.
Pleasant has a history with McVay that dates 11 years when they were both on the same staff in Washington. When McVay got hired by the Rams in 2017, he brought Pleasant with him to Los Angeles. Pleasant spent four seasons with McVay before moving on to Detroit in 2021, but after a short stint with the Lions and one brief season in Green Bay, he returned to the Rams in 2023.
"He's earned the right of assistant head coach because of the influence and the positive effect that he has on everyone in this building," McVay said. "I think it's a great, earned opportunity and he'll do an excellent job. That certainly isn't exclusive to whatever the result is. It's more of the management and the way that you just handle everything from the players to the coaches and it'll be cool to see."
Pleasant is going into his sixth season with McVay and the Super Bowl-winning coach felt it was time to give his assistant the opportunity to sit in the coach's chair.
McVay definitely has a unique way of handling preseason games. Last week, he put on a headset and served as an announcer WHILE he was coaching in the second quarter.
Sean McVay is loving what he sees from rookie DL Tyler Davis so far!@SoFi Coach Cam. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/KaZIplgWrf
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 11, 2024
This week, he's giving up his head coaching spot.
"These [preseason] games we approach very differently, but I think to be able to get those reps for the leadership role that he plays for our team, but also to be able to get those chances," McVay said. "I remember when I got opportunities when I was in Washington. Those were really cool things that I look back on and I really appreciate in hindsight. Maybe I didn't realize how beneficial and valuable they were."
Being the coach during a preseason game obviously isn't the same as doing it during a regular-season game, but it will still give Pleasant a taste of what life is like as a coach.
"He's earned this right and it's more of just going through some of the mechanics," McVay said. "Meeting with the officials, handling some of the different things as it relates to timeouts, being able to communicate with both sides."
Pleasant will be coaching against Jim Harbaugh in a game that will be kicking off at 7:05 p.m. ET Saturday on NFL+.
