Sean McVay went absolutely scorched earth on the NFL’s idea of playing games in Australia after his team’s Week 1 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
McVay Doesn’t Even Want to Remember It
The Rams head coach didn’t hold back his displeasure on Friday when someone asked him about playing down in the Southern Hemisphere. McVay was clear, saying, “It’s almost like you try to do the Men in Black where you say ‘I don’t remember what happened, that was so long ago.’” He flat-out stated, “We’re not playing in Australia ever again, I hope. All right?” He quickly clarified that it wasn’t about the atmosphere, but his “preparation, us moving forward.” His issue, clearly, stemmed from his team’s travel plan: they flew in just a day before the game and jetted out right after. Talk about a whirlwind trip.
Shanahan’s “Business Only” Trip That Made Him a Little Jealous
Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers head coach, took a totally different route. His team arrived in Australia a whole week before Week 1. Shanahan admitted he didn’t get much chance to see the country himself. He told reporters on September 7 he didn’t “encourage that much” exploring Melbourne, saying his team was “all about business right now” with the tough 17-game schedule. Still, he liked the city and the people, and he even said it makes him “want to think about coming back and visiting with my family.” His players did get an off day to walk around and grab dinner, but Shanahan confessed he was “a little jealous just watching people out the window” and wished he could have gotten out more. When asked again on Friday, after McVay’s strong comments, Shanahan didn’t sound thrilled about another trip to Australia anytime soon. He told the reporter, “You’re really trying to get me in trouble,” acknowledging the difficulty without McVay’s direct “never again.”
The 16-Hour Flight Nobody Wishes For
Both coaches agree on one thing: that kind of travel is brutal. Shanahan pointed out that 17 games are “very tough,” and “anytime you’ve got to put more travel on it, it makes it a lot harder.” He knows no teams “really wish for” that kind of long-haul trip, especially when it’s “16 hours away.” The farther, the harder. He mentioned all international games are tough, with Australia being the farthest. The big challenge is not having a bye week right after. However, Shanahan feels good that his team got “three extra days off” and the players got five, saying, “now that we’ve been through it, you know you can handle it.” McVay, coming off that Week 1 loss, clearly felt different about handling it.
So what does this mean for future international games? When head coaches speak out this strongly, especially after a crushing Week 1 loss, the league has to be listening. No coach wants to deal with that kind of travel disruption when every game matters. It’s a tough balance between growing the game globally and keeping teams fresh.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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