Rams head coach Sean McVay was skeptical about how the NFL would be able to operate amid the COVID-19 pandemic in June.
McVay said “it’s really hard for me to understand” how the team was going to employ virus mitigation strategies like social distancing while getting ready to play football this season. The Rams have now started work at training camp and getting a chance to see how all the protocols are working has left him with a more positive view about how things will play out this year.
“I feel a lot better now, having a little bit more knowledge and understanding of -- it’s really about the risk mitigation, keeping our ecosystem clear. . . . We’re still going to play football,” McVay said, via ESPN.com. “I think there’s a better understanding of how we apply those risk mitigation practices. I made the comment about social distancing -- we’re not going to do that on the field, but in those meeting settings when you can do that and you’re wearing your masks, those are the times that we’re going to do that.”
The Rams have placed two players on the reserve/COVID-19 list since players began reporting and one -- defensive lineman Michael Hoecht -- has been activated. Keeping that number down will require discipline inside and outside the facility and McVay has grown more optimistic that can be the case.