49ers reminded NFL why LA Rams don't play veterans in preseason games

LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay and San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan are friends off teh football field. And that makes sense, because both were members of the coaching staff under former Washington Commanders HC Mike Shanahan from 2010 to 2013. Eventually, Kyle Shanahan would become the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2014, surrendering the offensive coordinator role at Washington to Sean McVay.

Both were hired as head coaches of their respective NFC Western Division team's in 2017. McVay with the Rams, Shanahan with the 49ers. And so, the friendly rivalry of the two friends began in earnest.

It would be wrong to claim that either head coach has not found success in the NFL with their respective teams. But it would also be wrong to suggest that they have taken similar approaches to how they strategize their offenses, and their approach to the overall game. McVay's approach has been that of emphasizing the passing game, and focusing on getting elite players at key positions to carry the team to and through the playoffs.

Shanahan's strategy has evolved around challenging opponents with a smothering defense, a complex ground assault, and enough of a passing game to keep defenses guessing. Both teams have appeared in Super Bowls twice under their current head coaches, the Rams are 1-1 in Super Bowls under HC Sean McVay. The 49ers are 0-2 in Super Bowls under HC Kyle Shanahan.

But there is one other significant difference. Rams HC Sean McVay will not play his starters in preseason games. In fact, he will hold out rotational backups as well, as many as 35 or so players. His counterpart, 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan, will play his starters, and veterans, in preseason.

The difference in philosophies sometimes leads to this:

While we did pose the question about not playing rookies in preseason games, we never challenged the team's policy of holding veterans out of preseason games. The risk of injuries outweighs the rewards of reminding veterans of the speed and physicality of regular season play.

As the 49ers had so aptly demonstrated in Game 3 of their preseason, a game that neither DE nor Yetur Gross Matos needed to play. And here's why:

We have no updates as to the severity of the injuries to either player. It could be a matter of resting 24 hours and everything is fine. Or it could be something that needs time to fully heal.

To each their own, I suppose. Professional football is a violent sport, and injuries will happen. Even the act of practicing on a football field can trigger injuries. The Rams have experienced multiple key starters fighting through minor injuries for weeks now. Only recently has there been news trending in the positive direction about injured players.

But there is one thing about dealing with unexpected injuries. It's an entirely different matter to flirt with injury without due cause.

Don't look for the Rams to play any veterans in Game 3 of their preseason against the Houston Texans unless it is necessary or they are still competing for a chance to make the team. And I'm good with that policy.

Thanks for reading.