Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Who starts at qb Saturday…(update: Orlovsky sez Goff)
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January 5, 2021 at 12:40 pm #126387January 5, 2021 at 2:42 pm #126394
znModeratorJanuary 6, 2021 at 1:12 am #126407znModeratorMcVay not answering questions on quarterbacks https://t.co/peVbQeuRyo
— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) January 6, 2021
January 6, 2021 at 11:40 am #126418znModeratorQuarterback controversy? Please. Rams have only one real hope of beating the Seahawks
This has to be a joke, right?
Unless Jared Goff can’t wrap his hand around a football on Saturday, the Rams wouldn’t actually start John Wolford against the Seattle Seahawks in their NFC wild-card game, would they?
Rams coach Sean McVay wouldn’t say.
His discretion during a videoconference call Tuesday should be viewed as gamesmanship rather than evidence of an internal debate. Because the Rams don’t have a quarterback controversy. What they have is an injured starting quarterback.
If Goff is physically capable of throwing a football, if he can take the field without unreasonably jeopardizing his future, he must play. Period.
The decision on whether Goff or Wolford starts Saturday should be made by the team doctors, not McVay. This should be a medical judgment, not a coaching decision.
“I think the first thing is let’s see how his thumb is, let’s see what that thing feels like,” McVay said.
Go ahead, marvel at Wolford’s unlikely journey from the now-defunct Alliance of American Football. Celebrate his contributions to the Rams’ season-extending 18-7 victory over Arizona over the weekend.
But don’t get carried away.
The game was won by the defense, which accounted for half of the Rams’ points. The offense didn’t score a touchdown.
Wolford figures to be more comfortable after making his first NFL start, but so will the Seahawks. Unlike the Cardinals, they will have tape on him.
After his first pass was intercepted, Wolford didn’t make any major mistakes. But he wasn’t highly accurate, either. His speed extended some plays and translated to 56 rushing yards, but he passed almost exclusively out of the shotgun, which made the Rams predictable and limited running back Cam Akers.
He’s no Kurt Warner. He’s no Goff either, which might be the best thing going for him.
Since leading the Rams to the Super Bowl during the 2018 season, Goff has a quarterback rating of 88.1. The decline in performance alone is troubling. What makes it even more so is the $110 million the Rams guaranteed him with a contract extension.
As a regressing quarterback who takes up a substantial portion of the team’s salary budget, Goff has become a symbol of the Rams’ stagnation.
The same fans who cheered when the Rams traded up to the No. 1 spot to draft him now bemoan how his contract has made him virtually untradeable.
But unpopular quarterbacks are like reviled closers in baseball. The people calling for their ousters have to be careful what they wish for. Rarely does a team have Julio Urías available to step in, as the Dodgers did in October.
While starting Wolford would extinguish the possibility of another Goff fumble, the Rams would be giving up Goff’s upside. Which is substantial. When Goff is right, he’s a Pro Bowl quarterback.
He’s won two playoff games. He’s also 5-2 in his last seven games against the Seahawks.
“You’ve got a guy that’s won a lot of games, taken us to a Super Bowl and done a lot of great things over his career in Jared,” McVay said.
The Rams have a dominant defense, but they aren’t reaching a Super Bowl with Wolford at quarterback. At some point in the playoffs, they will have to score. Goff gives them the possibility.
There’s also the future to consider. He’s the centerpiece around which the Rams are built. If they give up on him now, what about next year? Or the year after that?
Asked if Goff would start so long as he is healthy enough, McVay carefully talked around the subject. So when McVay later referred to Goff as the team’s starting quarterback, exactly what he meant by that was uncertain.
The characterization contained an element of undeniable truth. Like it or not, Goff and the Rams are tethered to each other, not only because of how much he makes, but also because they don’t have anyone else with nearly as much potential. They might not necessarily win with him, but they certainly can’t win without him.
January 6, 2021 at 1:00 pm #126420znModeratorfrom What we know about the Rams’ QB situation and other major storylines this week
Jourdan Rodrigue
https://theathletic.com/2304151/2021/01/05/rams-seahawks-goff-wolford/?source=twittered
Rams head coach Sean McVay was adamant on Tuesday afternoon that he is not going to make an announcement about whether Jared Goff or John Wolford will start at quarterback in Saturday’s wild-card game at Seattle.
“I’m not going to answer that question this week,” he told reporters after the Rams held a walkthrough practice that was closed to media. Goff did throw a bit (as he did on the sideline Sunday before Wolford made his first career start) and was scheduled to take his first snaps Tuesday as he continued to recover from the thumb surgery he had on his throwing hand on Dec. 28.
When will everyone know who is starting? If it isn’t leaked first, McVay said he expects the answer to come around “1:39 (p.m.) on Saturday,” which would be one minute before the scheduled kickoff.
Some of the unwillingness to announce a starter could be gamesmanship, given that the Rams are facing an all-too-familiar opponent, but it’s also clear that the Rams simply don’t know how Goff’s thumb will affect him late in the week.
“Jared is our starting quarterback,” McVay said. “And the reality is is that he had a thumb surgery. We’re monitoring that every single day, and that’s something that we are taking it a day at a time. But the anticipation is that both of those guys are getting themselves ready to go.”
Really, it comes down to the thumb. Otherwise, McVay is mum.
“I think the first thing is, ‘Let’s see how his thumb is,’” McVay said. “‘Let’s see what that thing feels like. … The good thing is, you know you got a guy who has won a lot of games, taken us to a Super Bowl and done a lot of great things over his career in Jared, and with John having his first experience in an NFL game, I did like a lot of the things that he did the other day.
“That gives you some flexibility with how you handle this week. I feel good about having two guys, but how much Jared is able to do this week and how that thing feels, you know, will definitely go into how we handle the rest of the week and what it looks like for Saturday.”
Immediately after the surgery, McVay and many national NFL reporters brimmed with optimism that Goff would be able to return if the Rams secured a playoff spot, but once it did happen, the walk-backs started. On Sunday night, McVay said that he “was not sure” whether Goff would be available, and he added on Tuesday that Goff is “taking it a day at a time” as he recovers.
“Nothing really changed,” McVay said. “I think what I probably should have said is, ‘There’s a possibility he could be ready to go as early as — if we were able to make the playoffs. Didn’t know the totality of what the rehab entailed. When you look at it, he still did have a thumb surgery on his right throwing hand.”
McVay added that they also would not put Goff in a situation where he would be at risk of a more severe and longer-term injury. Possible rainy and cold conditions in Seattle, in correspondence with how well Goff is able to grip the ball and handle the contact of receiving a snap, likely will be factors as well.
“There will be a lot of things that go into it,” McVay said. “You gotta really just be able to see, from a functionality standpoint, how is he feeling? What does it look like? Just being able to get out there tomorrow and the following day. I think, really, just evaluating the totality of the situation while not minimizing the fact that he did have a thumb surgery. I know he’s been attacking everything the right way, and, you know, he’s done his part. We’ll just take it a day at a time. … I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.”
The Rams will hold practices on Wednesday and Thursday at which media will be allowed access, but a word of caution: Those won’t reveal much. Per NFL rules, reporters are able to view the stretching and early warmup portions of practice. Even if Goff is taking snaps from first-team center Austin Blythe, it won’t come close to revealing the breadth of the work he will get in. Nor will it point toward Goff starting, since both quarterbacks will have to get that time with Blythe, and we just won’t be able to see enough to know for sure.
January 7, 2021 at 12:54 pm #126466
AgamemnonParticipantJared Goff practices; Sean McVay says Rams taking it a day at a time https://t.co/0yZxLlcAuu
— RamsNewsNow (@RamsNewsNow) January 7, 2021
AgamemnonJanuary 8, 2021 at 12:01 am #126505znModeratorJanuary 8, 2021 at 12:31 am #126508znModeratorGary Klein@LATimesklein
Sean McVay said Jared Goff recovered without a problem from Wednesday workout and did everything asked Thursday. In period open to reporters showed no problem gripping ball or passing.Goff is being as cagey as McVay regarding playing on Saturday. “It’s a lot to do with where I feel I’m at.”
Goff: “I’m going to stay vague. It feels good. It’s progressing well. It’s in a good place.”
Lindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Rams QB Jared Goff didn’t appear to favor his surgically-repaired thumb during the open portion of practice Thursday, but questions remain about his status against Seahawks.January 8, 2021 at 4:13 am #126512znModerator -
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