New Rams coach Sean McVay is having a great year, and he’s doing it in part by calling audibles after his offense has already lined up.
As noted by Steven Ruiz of For The Win, Rams quarterback Jared Goff calls a lot of plays at the line of scrimmage, but it’s actually McVay who’s calling the plays, through the NFL’s coach-to-quarterback communication system. That becomes clear when you watch this NFL-produced video about Goff, in which viewers can hear that Goff is being told which audibles to call before he calls them.
The coach-to-quarterback communication system is turned off by a league official with 15 seconds remaining on the play clock, so the Rams line up quickly so that Goff, McVay and the coaches in the booth can scan the defense and still have time for McVay to relay instructions to Goff before the communications system is turned off.
It’s a smart way for McVay to guide his young quarterback. And it’s something we’re likely to see a lot more of -- unless the NFL decides to change the coach-to-quarterback communication rules to prevent it.