Aubrey Pleasant makes most of opportunity while serving as Rams head coach vs. Chargers

AP Sports Writer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Rams assistant coach Aubrey Pleasant didn’t want to focus on the opportunity he had during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday.

His boss, though, wasn’t about to let that happen.

Pleasant had the head coaching duties in the Rams’ 13-9 victory over the Chargers while Sean McVay watched the game from the coaches’ booth.

Pleasant wasn’t going to give a game ball during his postgame locker room speech until McVay called an audible.

“I really thought it was about us. Offense, defense, and special teams. And right when I said there would be no game ball, coach McVay says, ‘No, forget that. Game ball for Aubrey,’” Pleasant said. “Here with the Rams, we talk a lot about the ‘we’ is greater than ‘me.’ And I just wanted to reflect that in that situation. But, again, it’s just a nod to coach McVay and what he thought about the opportunity that I was able to seize, and I’m very thankful.”

McVay announced earlier in the week that Pleasant, who coaches the Rams’ defensive backs and is the pass game coordinator, would be the head coach. That not only meant during the game, but also in the week leading up to the game when it came to installing the game plan, handling team meetings and meeting with broadcasters in production meetings.

During the game, McVay wanted Pleasant to get the experience of meeting with the officials and handling game-related situations like calling timeouts and having to communicate with offense, defense and special teams.

“You envision what’s it’s going to be like if this is ever your aspiration or ever one of your goals,” Pleasant said. “You can’t underestimate what it means to be a head coach. To talk to the refs, to understand the rules, to walk up and down the sideline. When to use your challenge flag, which plays are reviewable, which plays are not, which plays are challengeable, which plays are not. And those are some of the things that I tried to prep myself for the last week or so, and I think it really helped me very much for today.”

McVay has switched things up at times during the preseason in terms of who calls the plays on offense and defense. This is the first time in his eight seasons leading the Rams that he has stepped back and let someone else handle head coach responsibilities.

McVay is letting others get the experiences he had as an assistant in Washington when then-head coach Jay Gruden gave McVay the chance to call plays during the preseason.

“Well, I joked to one coach today made me miss being on offense,” Pleasant said. “It’s a different form, it’s a different style of coaching. It’s a different form of headsets. But I would say the flow of the game definitely goes by much faster. Your attention is needed in different places.”

This is Pleasant’s second stint with the Rams. He was with Los Angeles from 2017-20 as cornerbacks coach before stints in Green Bay and Detroit in 2021 and ’22. He returned to the Rams last season in his current role.

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