what’s goin’ on with Goff

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  • #108728
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Film Room: Jared Goff

    https://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2019/film-room-jared-goff

    There is no single diagnosis for the Los Angeles Rams offense. It’s easy to broad-stroke their demise as Sean McVay being “figured out” or Jared Goff simply playing worse, but the reality is that it has been a culmination of factors conspiring at once to sink an offense many imagined could be on an all-time run. The entire operation has collapsed, each pillar taking down another on its way to the ground.

    For as much research as there is to suggest running the ball is not as valuable as the pass and a strong running game is not conducive to a strong passing game, there is no ignoring the Rams’ decline in the pass game following their decline in the run game. Perhaps more so than any other team in the league, Los Angeles’ heavy play-action passing system was tied to their zone running game. Boot-action, motions, slice action from tight ends, tight formations, and so on all blended together to create the illusion that the Rams’ running plays and play-action passes were indistinguishable until it was too late for the defense to react.

    The Rams have not been able to live through their zone running game the way they used to. Part of the issue is that teams have often matched up with them up front by playing in 6-1 fronts with six players lined up across the line of scrimmage. Detroit and Chicago were the first couple of teams to show success with this tactic last season, and just about every defense since then has tried to mimic the strategy, including New England in the Super Bowl.

    Additionally, the Rams just don’t have the same offensive line talent they used to. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth has lost a step after being elite for the past two seasons, left guard Rodger Saffold left to play for the Titans, and veteran McVay-scheme mastermind center John Sullivan was allowed to walk in free agency (he remains unsigned). Every other spot along the offensive line has dealt with injury or straight-up poor play from the starter. It’s not just a worse unit than it was a year ago; it’s a legitimately disastrous group.

    The defensive adaptation has forced the Rams to switch to more gap-scheme running concepts and 21 personnel sets instead of 11 personnel, while their offensive line’s collapse has led to less effective run blocking irrespective of the concept. The Rams are being forced to wade into unfamiliar territory and do not have the players up front to make for a smooth transition. Los Angeles’ run game decline is easy to see in the numbers.

    In turn, the passing offense has had to adapt to the different, less-effective rushing attack. Instead of leading the league with a 36% play-action rate like they did a year ago, the Rams have only mustered an 11th-highest 25% play-action rate (subscription required). Those play-action passes have been replaced by standard dropback concepts, primarily quick-game concepts. Goff has never impressed as a quick-game passer, but over the past two seasons, the Rams had either made it easier for him than most quarterbacks have it, or crafted their passing game around intermediate play-action passes.

    With the change in approach, Goff’s time to throw has seen a shift. In 2018, Goff’s average time to throw was 2.95 seconds, which ranked sixth in the league according to Next Gen Stats. Goff’s average time to throw has dropped to a 20th-ranked 2.77 seconds this season. However, Goff experienced a fourth-ranked 25.2% pressure rate in 2018 despite his high time to throw, whereas his lower time to throw in 2019 has been paired with a 21st-ranked 29.9% pressure rate (subscription required). In other words, Goff isn’t holding the ball as long this season, but he’s being pressured far more often.

    Goff has never been someone to handle pressure well. Not only does he show an aversion to playing amidst an imposing pass rush, but he hardly has any creativity or understanding in how to navigate the pocket. Goff also doesn’t have sharp enough mechanics to get away with throwing in a hurry — his motion takes too long to come around, and he does not have the raw arm strength to overcome that. As such, Goff ends up with plenty of plays like the one above. Goff does well to get to the right receiver, but his “slide” in the pocket is a half-measure at best and his throwing motion comes around as flimsy as a pool noodle with no punch at the end to drive the ball out. To no surprise, the ball lands a few yards short of and behind the target. Gerald Everett (81), the intended target, had no chance at getting a hand on this pass, never mind actually bringing it in.

    More specifically, teams are getting home with blitzes more often. Goff has been forced to deal with being hurried and having bodies in the pocket on pure dropback concepts far more this season than ever before under McVay. Goff has been pressured on 49.2% of blitzes this season compared to just 41.1% last season, per Sports Info Solutions charting. Likewise, Goff’s yards per attempt against the blitz has dropped from 8.6 to 7.8, while his 88.1 passer rating against the blitz comes in just under the 2016-to-2019 league average of 91.5. It has been 11 games and Goff has yet to prove he’s up to snuff against the blitz.

    Here is Goff showing off nearly identical issues to the last example. Goff gets no chance to even think about sliding in the pocket on this play, but he comes back to the right receiver and has a chance to stick an accurate throw. The receiver is wide open and Goff isn’t being pressured from his throwing arm side. However, Goff tries to shy away from the contact instead of punching out a throw to his receiver. Goff’s arm again comes around loosely and his throwing shoulder is somehow behind his midpoint when the ball comes out. A select few quarterbacks can get away with that, but Goff has never proven to be one of them, and this ball falls to the dirt as a result.

    In this instance, it’s genuinely difficult to figure out what Goff thought was going on for him to not throw this ball to the receiver crossing over the middle. Goff immediately peaks right at the snap and sees Mark Barron (26) blitzing — middle of field is open, check. He then appears to look at the safety to his left (Minkah Fitzpatrick, 39) — closest defender to potentially cut off the crosser is too deep and doesn’t have a good angle, check. The only possibility for Goff having not thrown the crosser is that he believed the safety on the other side of the field would drop down to play the crosser near the right-field numbers, but Goff doesn’t so much as give it a sniff and instead turns to read the far side of the field. Goff may have fixated on the deep pivot on the left sideline, but with Pittsburgh bringing five rushers, he should know he doesn’t really have the time to wait on that and needs to rush the ball out.

    Goff isn’t always at fault, to be fair. The offensive line, especially right tackle Rob Havenstein, has been awful in pass protection. It’s true that Goff has a faulty internal clock as is, but the quality of pass protection the Rams are shelling out right now would not be adequate for quarterbacks with functional internal clocks, either.

    As such, some plays aren’t so much Goff’s fault as they are the offensive line accentuating the quarterback’s weaknesses. That sounds like it’s still Goff to blame, but a quarterback being thrust into a situation that is uncomfortable for him is not the same as a quarterback actively making a wrong or bad play. No quarterback is perfect and they are only made less perfect by how well their teammates function around them.

    On this play, both tackles get worked. They are each bull rushed into Goff in a hurry, sandwiching the poor quarterback between about 1,000 pounds worth of football players. While Goff deserves a small portion of blame for sitting at the top of his drop for a bit too long and showing zero ability to maneuver away from the pressure, this play is much more a result of both tackles getting bullied into the quarterback’s lap. Plenty of good quarterbacks would end up taking this sack the same way Goff did.

    The Rams are stuck in an endless cycle wherein they cannot run the ball effectively, therefore they end up in less favorable down-and-distances, which then leads them to turn away from play-action because the threat of the run is not as strong. The reduced play-action makes it tougher on a quarterback who is used to, and largely only capable of, holding the ball for a long time. Goff’s necessity for long-developing concepts and inability to navigate the pocket then plays into the offensive line’s struggles, and so on.

    The cycle repeats and repeats until the Rams ultimately finish a game wondering at what point they could have changed something. Over and over again, the Rams are left with no clear answer and don’t prove to be any better the following week. Los Angeles’ vicious demise has only become more violent over the past month, too. Goff did not throw a single touchdown in three November games and the team only averaged 13.3 points over that stretch.

    Every team the Rams face from here on out can either force a shootout or has a fearsome defense. Arizona (twice), Seattle, Dallas, and San Francisco all appear to be equal or better teams than Los Angeles for one reason or another. Only Arizona is ranked slightly below them in overall DVOA. If the Rams can’t get their act together on offense, it’s entirely possible they only win one or two games for the rest of the season and miss the postseason.

    #108736
    Avatar photonittany ram
    Moderator

    “The entire operation has collapsed, each pillar taking down another on its way to the ground.”

    That’s about as accurate of a description of the Rams offense as I’ve seen.

    #108762
    Avatar photoBilly_T
    Participant

    Goff also doesn’t have sharp enough mechanics to get away with throwing in a hurry — his motion takes too long to come around, and he does not have the raw arm strength to overcome that.

    I’ve been saying this for some time, and it’s always bugged me. I really don’t like the “way” he throws the ball. It can work if he has extra time, or doesn’t hear footsteps, or when play-action to Gurley gives him extra time . . . but that hasn’t been the case recently.

    Watch most QBs in the league. Watch Lamar Jackson, for instance. He gets the ball out, fast, and most of that is mechanics. No real windup. He just sets up and fires. No wet towel process. Football up near his ear, fire!!

    (It’s much better for ball security too.)

    I’d bet a billion virtual dollars that Goff could shave off a significant amount of time on each passing play if he could just do that. No more windup. Just set up and fire. And this would obviously have secondary advantages with the secondary. Far less time for them to adjust on the ball. Less time for them to see what’s he’s about to do, etc.

    This off-season, he needs some serious redoing of his mechanics. It’s probably not a good idea to try it in the middle of a season.

    #108800
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Deadpool

    On that first video clip that the author says: As such, Goff ends up with plenty of plays like the one above. Goff does well to get to the right receiver, but his “slide” in the pocket is a half-measure at best and his throwing motion comes around as flimsy as a pool noodle with no punch at the end to drive the ball out. To no surprise, the ball lands a few yards short of and behind the target.

    Now anyone looking at that clip can see there is no room to slide anywhere thanks to both tackles getting worked. He also cannot step up into the pocket OR step into his throw. You have to have an absolute monster arm to complete that pass flat footed with no follow through.

    In the second clip, Goff should have completed that pass, but really what happened was a 5 man rush where Demby’s and Whits guys stunt and Whit gets flat out beat around the edge and Demby is left blocking air because he sucks. Oh and Havs once again gets his ass kicked.

    In the 3rd clip Whit gets trucked by Bud “freakin” Dupree, Havs gets beat on an inside move and Edwards gets pushed right into Goff. No chance for anything there. Blythe held his own and Corbett blocked, well he blocked no one. never put a hand on anybody.

    The 4th clip is where I have been complaining about Goff for 4 years now. Sure, Havs and Whit get trucked into Goffs pocket, but instead of stepping up into the 2 hole or just running thru it, he goes left and trips over a DT. I’ve said this before and I will say it again, I just don’t like his feel in the pocket. Or in his ability to climb the pocket. Again, though, Whit and Havs are at least 75% responsible for this play failing. I just expect a 4th year Goff, if he indeed a top flight QB, to salvage that with 3 steps into the 2 hole. Oh and just to be completely fair, there wasn’t one receiver open.

    The author kinda starts the story off wrong saying its easy to blame McVay getting figured out or Goff sucking. No, actually anyone that watches football knows its easy to blame an absolutely mess of an offensive line.

    In fact, if I were rank what or who I blame for the Rams offensive woes, it would look like:
    1. OL
    2. McVay and his lack of adjustments
    3. Goff
    4. Gurley
    5. WRs/TEs

    But the author does get some of it right. Goff doesn’t have elite arm strength to just will the ball into spots. Few do. He also is correct in his mechanics, and I think his throwing motion has gotten slower this season. I can’t verify it, but it seems like a longer looping motion. He also gets right that Goff is just not good at navigating a muddled pocket.

    What Goff could do well is place the football in spots few QBs could. Elite arm talent IMO. But this year, his deep ball is just terrible. And overall he is just off in his accuracy. Even when he has time to throw.

    So Goff isn’t issue no. 1 or no. 2, but like my dad says, if you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem. And him being a statue in the pocket, with no internal clock and a waining deep ball, he is not part of the solution.

    Again, it is just mind boggling to me how poorly Havs and Whit are playing this year. Havs is so slow looking out there, he is too upright getting out of his stance and is literally on his heels the second the ball is snapped. Leading him to get trucked into the pocket, or beat by a speed move, inside or out. He is either hurt, or he is already done. Whit, has been equally as bad getting beat by power and speed this season, its such a shockingly sharp fall from last season, there is just no way anyone could have predicted it. Its tough to watch.

    #108910
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    oldnotdead

    All QB’s have times where they struggle. It’s how they handle those moments. Last Sunday was a statement game for Goff. He came off two difficult games to hand in a gem. This game showed what he’s capable of. All I can say is that those who want another QB because they think Goff is subpar don’t know the NFL.

    The solution at this point is put a good o-line in front of Goff. He needs time to learn how to dissect defenses before the snap. To know what he sees, and what to expect. He’s learning, how to be the elite QB he’s capable of being. McVay is totally correct when he values accuracy above all else.

    Arm strength is something that can be developed. I saw it in Brees as a Charger. His arm strength was “good enough” but it definitely needed to be improved upon. In his third year you began to see the improvement in his arm strength. Accuracy however is a different animal. You can improve accuracy only to a point. Goff can be extremely accurate if his mechanics are good. He’s really dropped some dimes at times. That is true talent.

    I’ve always liked Philip Rivers and he’s put up a HOF type career. I’ve watched him since he was a rookie. I can say with all certainty that Goff is better at this stage of his career than Rivers was. Goff is a work in progress, but right now he’s better than most. He’s easily in the top 10 of QB’s starting in the NFL. That is nothing to take for granted. That is good enough to win a Super Bowl with.

    I for one will simply enjoy watching Goff grow into his position and develop into one of the true elite talents at his position.

    #108923
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    Good article, good thread.

    I like the fact that the writer actually noticed that it was Detroit (not Belichick) that really started the ‘adjustment’ to McVay’s offense.

    I am somewhat surprised that nowhere in the article is reference made to Gurley’s arthritic knee and load-management. I mean, geez, the guy was ALL-World before the knee deteriorated. Its like when Faulk wore down during the GSOT — itz a big fucking deal. You dont replace a Gurley or a Faulk. Not even with a Steven Jackson.
    So part of the problem is not going away. Part of the problem is they lost an all-world duel-threat RB.

    Then there’s the OLine mess which everyone has talked about. Age, injuries, youth, maybe some wrong choices.

    The good thing iz, an Oline can be rebuilt in one year, without a number one draft pick.

    The bad-thing iz, you dont just go out and find a Faulk or a Gurley without a number one draft pick.

    w
    v

    #108993
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Goff looks, sounds like a leader. Now he has to play like one.

    https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2019-12-04/dylan-hernandez-analyzes-play-of-rams-quarterback-jared-goff

    It’s on him.

    He’s the quarterback. He’s the player with the $134-million contract.

    Jared Goff nodded.

    “That’s part of the job, man,” he said. “That’s part of the job.”

    Less than a year removed from playing in the Super Bowl, the Rams are in danger of missing the postseason entirely.

    The Minnesota Vikings are a game ahead of them for the final wild-card spot. Overtaking them could require the Rams to win their four remaining games, beginning Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

    If Goff’s reputation was damaged by many of the previous 12 games, this final stretch offers a chance for redemption, an opportunity to justify the faith the organization placed in the former No. 1 overall pick by signing him to a nine-figure extension before the season.

    With running back Todd Gurley yet to have a 100-yard game and their offensive line in shambles, the Rams desperately need Goff to perform like a franchise quarterback they are paying him to be.

    While Goff still has to prove he can play the role, he has demonstrated he can at least act the part.

    From the time he was drafted, Goff has always said the right things. What’s changed isn’t so much what he says, but how he says it. There’s a calmness about him that inspires confidence.

    “When you’re drafted high like I was, it’s already kind of in your head you are that guy, you are the face of the franchise,” he said. “You have to carry yourself that way. Over the last four years, it’s been a maturation process and I feel like I’m getting to the point where I’m feeling really, really comfortable as that, and have been for a few years, at this point.”

    Speaking at his team’s practice facility Wednesday, Goff acknowledged the obvious: He’s been inconsistent.

    The NFL’s No. 8 passer last year, his rating of 84.1 this year ranks 25th in the league, right behind Mitch Trubisky of the Chicago Bears. Philip Rivers of the Chargers, whose down season has resulted in speculation that he could be benched, is two places ahead of Goff.

    Goff has passed for only 13 touchdowns. He finished with 32 last season and 28 the season before that.

    His numbers are down across the board. The exception: He’s already matched his 12 interceptions from last season.

    “It’s just always about how you respond,” Goff said. “It’s never going to be perfect. It’s never going to be exactly how you like it. Sometimes, it’s going to be really, really good and you want to always try to be on that side of it as much as possible. But there’s times where it’s not going to go your way and that’s in football, in life, in everything, and it’s always going to be about how you respond. That’s how you’re truly judged.”

    Goff enjoyed his best game of the season last week, albeit against the last-place Arizona Cardinals, who have the league’s worst pass defense. The 424-yard, two-touchdown performance ended a three-game stretch in which he didn’t pass for a single score.

    The Rams’ next three games are against playoff-bound teams: at home against the Seahawks (10-2), on the road against the San Francisco 49ers (10-2) and Dallas Cowboys (6-6).

    Some of Goff’s problems are byproducts of factors outside of his control. He’s had an average of 2.76 seconds to throw per pass attempt this year, compared with 2.95 in 2018 and 2.93 in 2017, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

    But if the team around Goff isn’t operating as well as it has in the past, how much of it is his responsibility to make up for that?

    “I would never say that it’s just on him,” coach Sean McVay said. “I think it’s always on the unit.”

    Whatever is happening, Goff said he is the same.

    “You try to stay within yourself,” he said. “There’s been obviously shuffling up front, but that’s no excuse, ever. We just have done a good job figuring it out in the last couple weeks, I think. We feel good. I don’t think there’s anything to look back on at this point. I think we’re moving forward and want to go beat Seattle.”

    When the Rams played in Seattle in October, in Week 5, Goff moved them from their own seven-yard line to the Seahawks’ 26. Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 15 seconds remaining and the Rams lost 30-29.

    Reflecting on that defeat, Goff held himself accountable.

    “We were able to move the ball there, but left a little bit more meat on that than we wanted to,” he said. “I think we could have got maybe a few more yards there for Greg.”

    Standing at the lectern in the Rams media room, Goff looked like a leader. He sounded like a leader.

    Sunday, he will have to play like one

    #109004
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    Some of Goff’s problems are byproducts of factors outside of his control. He’s had an average of 2.76 seconds to throw per pass attempt this year, compared with 2.95 in 2018 and 2.93 in 2017, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

    what i would like to know is what is the league average?

    #109005
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/stats/passing

    no average though.

    i would also like to know what percentage of dropbacks he’s under pressure compared to other starting qbs.

    #109006
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    looking at those stats.

    his lcad is pretty high. i’m not sure, but i think it means he on average throws downfield more than most qbs? someone else would know more. also his expected completion percentage is 67. seems like his receivers are dropping passes they should be catching which would match what i’ve seen on the field.

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by Avatar photoInvaderRam.
    #109008
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    his lcad is pretty high. i’m not sure, but i think it means he on average throws downfield more than most qbs?

    actually i think that’s iay.

    still. his expected completion percentage was very high.

    i think his receivers have let him down a little this season.

    #109018
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    With the change in approach, Goff’s time to throw has seen a shift. In 2018, Goff’s average time to throw was 2.95 seconds, which ranked sixth in the league according to Next Gen Stats. Goff’s average time to throw has dropped to a 20th-ranked 2.77 seconds this season. However, Goff experienced a fourth-ranked 25.2% pressure rate in 2018 despite his high time to throw, whereas his lower time to throw in 2019 has been paired with a 21st-ranked 29.9% pressure rate (subscription required). In other words, Goff isn’t holding the ball as long this season, but he’s being pressured far more often.

    well there ya go.

    i guess it woulda helped to read.

    ok. so if i’m reading this correctly. the next gen stats that is. he has the fifth highest expected completion percentage at 67.1% meaning on average his passes are low risk passes. however, he is only completing 62.5% of his passes indicating that he is performing below expectations? that would be third worst just ahead of rosen and haskins.

    he does rank 22nd in terms of time to throw and being pressured more often. so that explains at least part of it. but like the article says. goff is not good at throwing under pressure. how much of that can be improved on?

    #109444
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Good Goff/bad Goff: Rams must find consistency moving forward

    Lindsey Thiry

    https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/41165/good-goff-bad-goff-rams-must-find-consistency-moving-forward

    THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — There’s good Goff, bad Goff and very little in between for the Los Angeles Rams quarterback.

    There’s the Jared Goff who froze, then crumbled under the pressure of the Baltimore Ravens’ defense in an embarrassing 45-6 loss on Monday Night Football in Week 12.

    But there’s also the Goff who proved resilient as he lit up the Arizona Cardinals and then the more formidable Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back games to begin December.

    Then, with playoff aspirations at stake, Goff appeared hurried and out of sync with his receiving corps in a puzzling effort last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The fourth-year quarterback threw a costly interception — his 15th of the season — before halftime to put the game, and likely the playoffs, out of reach.

    “It wasn’t good,” Goff said about the Rams’ performance in 44-21 loss in Dallas. “From start to finish.”

    The Rams have stumbled through an 8-6 season and are on the brink of missing the playoffs only 10 months after playing in Super Bowl LIII. To earn a postseason berth they must close their schedule with a road win against the San Francisco 49ers and a victory at home versus the Cardinals as well as have the Minnesota Vikings lose at home to the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.

    This season hasn’t been all Goff’s fault, not by any measure. The defense, while stout at times, has failed to appear on several occasions, and the offense has experienced growing pains, as coach Sean McVay navigates adjusting a scheme that the rest of the league has figured out how to defend.

    The offensive line, consistently among the best units in the NFL the past two seasons, has suffered from inexperience and a lack of cohesion, as their pass block win rate has plummeted from 74.3% (ranked 1st) in 2018 to 55.3% (24th) this season. Running back Todd Gurley, the focal point of the offense when he rushed for 1,251 yards and scored a league-high 21 touchdowns a year ago, has experienced uneven usage through this season’s ups and downs.

    Jared Goff has thrown for nearly 4,000 yards this season but also has just 17 touchdowns to 15 interceptions a year after leading the Rams to the Super Bowl.

    Given Goff’s four-year extension worth an NFL record $110 million in guarantees that he signed before this season, the Rams must figure out how to bring out the best — or at least a measure of consistency from game-to-game — from their franchise quarterback.

    “He is the quarterback, so a lot of the weight of the team and the weight of the production does fall on the position,” quarterbacks coach Shane Waldron said. “That’s the nature of the beast.”

    Last season Goff helped the Rams to a 13-3 record. He delivered a perfect passer rating in an early-season win over the Vikings, put on a passing clinic in a Monday Night thriller over the Kansas City Chiefs and delivered an improbable come-from-behind effort to win the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints.

    This season? Goff has rated among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. He has passed for 3,996 yards with 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His total QBR of 45.7 ranks him 25th in the league, sandwiching him between the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky.

    Goff says he tries not to put too much weight on the numbers because they can be skewed. So how does he measure success?

    “When we win is when I feel the best, and I think that’s a quarterback’s job is to win,” said Goff, who has a 34-15 record, including playoffs, since 2017. “By no means does that mean play bad every week and win and you’re happy.”

    Goff’s 15 interceptions exceed the 12 he threw last season and are the fifth most among qualified passers, placing him between the Cincinnati Bengals’ Andy Dalton (13) and the Cleveland Browns’ Baker Mayfield (17). His touchdown-to-interception ratio, 1.13, ranks 29th, between the Los Angeles Chargers’ Philip Rivers and Mayfield.

    Goff especially struggles when defenses bring pressure this season. In such situations, his completion percentage plummets from 63% to 28%, his yards per attempt drop from 7.5 to 2.5 and his touchdown to interception ratio is 0-5.

    “As we’ve now gone into working through our third year together, there’s a lot of things that both he and I, and really a lot of our team in general, can continue to learn from,” McVay said.

    Throughout the roller coaster season, which included a three-game stretch in November when Goff had five passes intercepted and fumbled four times while not throwing a touchdown, coaches and teammates have praised their quarterback’s ability to remain even keeled.

    “That’s his best strength,” Waldron said. “He is unflappable.”

    Goff appeared as much Sunday evening after the loss at Dallas. He addressed reporters in the same manner and tone he has since the Rams selected him with the top overall pick in 2016, even as he knew the season was grinding to an unfortunate halt.

    “All we can do is move forward and try to win each game one at a time,” said Goff, in his usual calm and matter-of-fact way. “It’s a good opportunity for us to go out and compete and show who we are.”

    The Rams never gained traction against the Cowboys, who entered the game without a win against a team with a record above .500. Goff had his right hand assessed for injury early but did not leave the game. “My hand is fine,” he said afterward.

    As for what caused the slow start, and kept the offense from finding any real momentum outside of the final few minutes, after the game was far out of hand?

    “It just didn’t happen,” Goff said. “For whatever reason.”

    #109740
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    This is an old post but I add to it.

    It has to do with Goff (and the Rams OL or OLs actually since they had 2) facing pressure.

    Old part first.

    Count up pressure per game–sacks, hits, hurries–this is what happened when the qb was pressured 8 or more times:
    OPPONENT W/L qb rating pressures opponent ranking pressure percentage

    Carolina W 69 9 8th
    New Orleans W 112.6 9 5th
    Tampa L 80.3 22 22nd
    SF L 60.8 10 4th
    Pittsburgh L 51.2 15 2nd
    Baltimore L 62 8 14th
    Dallas L 84.1 8 11th

    So with 8 or more pressures, Rams are 2-5. This is what happened when the qb was pressured 7 times or fewer:

    Cleveland W 79.7 6 13th
    Seattle L 83.3 7 30th
    Atlanta W 99.3 3 29th
    Cinn. W 119.3 4 24th
    Chicago W 69.9 4 7th
    Arizona W 120.7 4 26th
    Seattle W 95.2 7 30th

    When the qb was pressured 7 times or fewer, Rams are 6-1.

    Now the new part. Adding the last SF game.

    Remember the parameters:

    OPPONENT W/L qb rating pressures opponent ranking pressure percentage

    SF L 85.7 12 4th

    This makes it now the Rams 2-6 against teams that pressure the qb 8 or more times.

    BUT the Rams were in this game, even with the pick 6. And it’s Goff’s highest qb rating when facing 8 or more pressures in a game they lost.

    It’s way too little and way too early, but maybe they are making strides with the “pressure” issue. In fact that was the third highest pressures they faced this year.

    #109747
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Rams’ Jared Goff takes encouragement and hard lessons from season

    KEVIN MODESTI

    link: https://www.dailynews.com/2019/12/24/rams-jared-goff-takes-encouragement-and-hard-lessons-from-season/

    THOUSAND OAKS — Jared Goff’s disappointing year is ending with an encouraging month.

    After going all of November without a touchdown pass, the quarterback with the league-high $110 million guaranteed contract has been himself again in December and will take his best statistical stretch of the season into the Rams’ finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum.

    It’s either one more example of the inconsistency that’s costing Goff and the Rams a chance to defend their NFC title, or a reason for hope that he and the coaches have found answers that will pay off in 2020.

    “It’s better than finishing poorly,” Goff said Tuesday after a walk-through practice. “You always want to show you can bounce back and respond, not only personally but more so for our offense in general.”

    Goff said his November slump, culminating with a rout by the Baltimore Ravens, highlighted what he needed to improve on.

    “I just became a little bit more accurate and started playing a little better,” he said.

    He added that this is “never a consolation” for a team’s lost season.

    The contrast between Goff’s numbers this month and earlier in the season is striking, even if it’s easily overlooked because the Rams fell out of the playoff race in December while going 2-2, beating the Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks before losing to the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

    In the past four games, Goff is completing 66.7% of his passes (up from 61.2% in the first 11 games), for 7.7 yards a throw (up from 7.3), 331 yards a game (up from 272) and 2.0 touchdowns a game (up from 1.0), and has been sacked 0.75 times a game (an improvement from 1.5). His interception rate of 1.0 (vs. 1.1) is about the same. It adds up to a passer rating of 95.7 this month (vs. 80.3 for the season’s first three months).

    That’s the difference between the efficiency of the Rams’ passing game being bottom-10-quality for most of the season and top-10-quality recently.

    The credit goes to more than Goff. More rollouts, and more play-action thanks to heavier use of running back Todd Gurley, have helped the offensive line to keep the heat off. The breakout month by Tyler Higbee, the first tight end since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger to catch at least seven passes for at least 100 yards in four consecutive games, has given Goff another prime target.

    “You knew they were going to figure it out (because) that’s what great coaches and players do,” said Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, whose team was the first to see the improved L.A. passing game when Goff had his highest-rated game in 2019 and the Rams won 34-7 in Glendale, Ariz., on Dec. 1.

    “They’re a prideful group. They went back to the drawing board after that Baltimore game — you could see — and came back firing.”

    There’s more to work on for Goff, 25, completing his fourth NFL season after signing a four-year contract extension in September worth $33.5 million a year.

    In both the 44-21 loss to the Cowboys and the 34-31 loss to the 49ers, Goff threw damaging interceptions in the two minutes before halftime. The first set up the Dallas touchdown that made it 28-7, and the second was returned 46 yards by Fred Warner for the touchdown that gave San Francisco its first lead.

    Goff said Tuesday the Warner interception is “one that will eat at me.” He said he didn’t see Warner when he threw a short second-down pass toward Malcolm Brown, but should have known the linebacker would be there and should have thrown the ball away.

    Rams passing-game coordinator Shane Waldron praised Goff’s ability to learn from mistakes.

    “Unfortunately we’ve had a few in those two-minute situations, where that quick reaction, if it doesn’t play out exactly the right way, then the next responsibility is to take care of the ball (and) find a throwaway,” Waldron said Tuesday. “It’s something he can learn from and keep learning from.”

    The Rams (8-7) will need more months like this in 2020 from Goff and the rest of the offense. Without the errors, of course.

    “You wish you could go back last week and not throw the interception at the end of the half, and finish with a touchdown (instead of a field goal) on that last drive (against the 49ers) and make it so that we are playing for something this week,” Goff said. “Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Whatever we did wasn’t good enough.

    “But it was definitely on the ascending (path).”

    #109929
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    ==

    July 19, 2019
    Advanced QB Metrics: The Best and Worst Quarterbacks Under Pressure
    https://fantasydata.com/advanced-metrics-the-best-and-worst-qbs-under-pressure

    #109960
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    c1ram

    Goff struggles under pressure. He lacks a certain type of twitchy mobility that could give him an extra advantage but I don’t think this is all on him. This offense was initially designed by McVay to depend on a power run game that gave him the advantange in play-action. These plays tended to involve long developing routes with Goff having the extra time to make great medium/long throws for big gains. ( I was always struck that, while coming from the Gruden tree, I thought the O was more similar to the Coryell/Zampese line.)

    When the run game suffered and defenses adjusted the passing game suffered. It has taken McVay and staff almost a year’s time to readjust to these realities and it’s been a painstaking experience for the whole team. The adjustment has been successful, IMO. Like many others, Goff had an off year replete with pass passes at bad times. It happens. I think the plan B at QB has already been in progress. Knowing he’s not quick or twitchy, but can run and see down field with his height.

    McVay has finally found an answer (while the young O Line is building and growing) at QB. But it won’t be complete until the running game becomes explosive again.

    #109963
    Avatar photowv
    Participant

    Well, Goff is a big subject. People have all kinds of different ways of talking about and evaluating QBs.

    Goff is never gonna be Mahomes. Or Russell. Or Rogers. Or certainly Lamar. (whatever the hell Lamar is) Those guys are entertaining as hell and they can do things Goff will never do.

    Is that annoying? Heck yeah.

    But can Goff win a Ring? Is he “good enough” to win a Ring? I say yes. I mean, geez, he almost won one last year.

    He’s not gonna win one without a really topnotch OLine though. Which will give him a Running game.

    Bottom line is, I dont worry about Goff. He’s got some flaws, but if Joe Flacco and Nick Foles can win rings….

    Course Roman Gabriel was good enuff too. And he never got a Ring. So there’s that.

    w
    v

    #109964
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    well.

    https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2019/passing.htm

    some interesting things.

    he finished first in pass attempts. and i think it’s worth noting that tannehill, jackson, and brees who finished top three in passer rating ranked 29th, 26th, and 27th in attempts. tannehill only started 10 games, but still would have finished 26th approximately on per game average i think. brees started 11 and would have still been around the twenties on per game average.

    he finished fourteenth in ypa.

    finally despite being first in attempts and playing behind a revolving door at oline he still ranked third in sack percentage behind brees and mahomes. i think that’s a pretty encouraging stat actually.

    i think the long term prospects of goff are still very good.

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Avatar photoInvaderRam.
    #109966
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    he finished first in pass attempts. and i think it’s worth noting that tannehill, jackson, and brees who finished top three in passer rating ranked 29th, 26th, and 27th in attempts. tannehill only started 10 games, but still would have finished 26th approximately on per game average i think. brees started 11 and would have still been around the twenties on per game average.

    just to look a little further.

    the top five teams in pass attempts per game.
    1. atlanta
    2. carolina
    3. los angeles rams
    4. tampa bay
    5. new england

    i didn’t look at the passer ratings of the team as a whole. just the qbs who started the majority of games for those teams.

    1. matt ryan – 92.1 (14th)
    2. kyle allen – 80.0 (30th)
    3. jared goff – 86.5 (22nd)
    4. jameis winston – 84.3 (26th)
    5. tom brady – 88.0 (18th)

    on the flip side. from 32 – 28. the teams with the lowest pass attempts per game.

    32. baltimore – lamar jackson 113.3 (third)
    31. tennessee – ryan tannehill 117.5 (first)
    30. minnesota – kirk cousins 107.4 (fourth)
    29. san francisco – jimmy garoppolo 102.0 (eighth)
    28. washington – case keenum 91.3 (fifteenth)

    brees who finished second in passer rating at 116.3 – saints finished thirteenth in pass attemps per game.

    mahomes was seventh with 105.3. his team finished fifteenth in pass attempts per game.

    rams gotta find some balance back in their offense.

    if the rams can fix the running game and the oline. i don’t see why goff’s passer rating can’t shoot back up the rankings.

    • This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Avatar photoInvaderRam.
    #109974
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    #109985
    Avatar photoBilly_T
    Participant

    Tom Brady worked hard to improve his physical profile. He did the right things in the weight-room and film-study to make himself a better athlete.

    When he came out of college, and went through the combine process, he looked like one of the worst athletes in the QB ranks. Relatively slow, weak, awkward. But he likely always had a killer instinct and high football IQ. He worked on the rest.

    Goof, IMO, needs to work at least as hard on his inner athlete. Weight-training, diet, film-study, track work . . . the whole enchilada. But, especially, his throwing mechanics, which are abysmal. He needs to get with a guru and radically improve his throwing motion, make it far more compact, quicker, and utilize the newly acquired strength he’ll be gaining, etc.

    He’ll be just 25 next season. He can grow his football IQ even more. But if he does nothing about his relatively poor athleticism . . . I don’t think he’ll ever be a top-tier QB . . . and he was drafted first, so he should be.

    #110083
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Goff’s play was “up” throughout December, and a lot of things people have been complaining about were being addressed by his play.

    December: In 5 games, Goff was 133 of 216, 61.6%, for 11TDs, 4 INTs, & an avg. qb rating of 98.6.

    Not where he can be or where we want him to be, and they just went 3-2 in that stretch, but a marked turnaround from November.

    In case people haven’t seen it, here’s a good example of his play improving in an area where he has been criticized–play under pressure. The play in question is 4:17 in on this vid–Goff evades the rush and makes a great throw on the run to Woods.

    #110092
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    Goff’s play was “up” throughout December, and a lot of things people have been complaining about were being addressed by his play.

    December: In 5 games, Goff was 133 of 216, 61.6%, for 11TDs, 4 INTs, & an avg. qb rating of 98.6.

    Not where he can be or where we want him to be, and they just went 3-2 in that stretch, but a marked turnaround from November.

    In case people haven’t seen it, here’s a good example of his play improving in an area where he has been criticized–play under pressure. The play in question is 4:17 in on this vid–Goff evades the rush and makes a great throw on the run to Woods.

    i suspect. and i have no way of actually proving this. but if the rams can fix the oline and if they can get more balance, i think goff could be even better than he was in 2018.

    they don’t even have to have the same running game of 2018. but if the running can at least take some pressure off goff so he isn’t having to throw it so damn much.

    i think that this year will be helpful to him in making quicker decisions. make him better at recognizing what defenses are doing to him. he’s a tough kid. and his track record has been that adversity will make him a better player.

    of course it’s not a given that the oline will be fixed next year. that’s my biggest concern.

    #110096
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    i suspect. and i have no way of actually proving this. but if the rams can fix the oline and if they can get more balance, i think goff could be even better than he was in 2018.

    i think that this year will be helpful to him in making quicker decisions. make him better at recognizing what defenses are doing to him. he’s a tough kid. and his track record has been that adversity will make him a better player.

    I think all that too. And, well put.

    #110680
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    Mike Mannion@MikeMannion18
    Do McVay’s schematics play a part in Jared’s current struggles against pressure?

    Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
    https://theathletic.com/1552782/2020/01/24/rams-mailbag-part-2-jared-goff-criticism-new-coaches-and-another-award-for-aaron-donald/?source=twittered

    I decided to dive into the numbers and see how Goff actually did this season when pressured. I found some interesting numbers that I might explore in more depth in another story.

    According to SportRadar, Goff had a QBR of 54.7 when pressured. That ranked him 13th among all quarterbacks who generally were considered starters this season. That helps illustrate why a lot of fans and pundits can’t agree when it comes to Goff. That isn’t awful, but it’s not great, either. Also, Goff had a QBR of 74.4 when pressured in 2018, and he was sacked far more often in 2018 (33 times) than in 2019 (22 times). I’m getting a migraine just trying to process what it all means.

    #110780
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    from PFF Rankings: The NFL’s top quarterbacks heading into Super Bowl LIV19.

    https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-best-quarterbacks-ahead-of-super-bowl-liv

    19. JARED GOFF, LOS ANGELES RAMS
    After three straight years of continued development, Goff took a step back in 2019 to rank among the middle tier of quarterbacks, which coincided with his offensive line’s regression in pass protection. He left too many throws on the table, missing a higher percentage than he did in 2018 while ranking in the bottom half at avoiding turnover-worthy plays. The scheme plays also took a hit, as Goff saw the third-largest decrease in positively graded throws, all leading to his uneven season that only really got going in spurts and featured six games with PFF grades of 60.0 or below. As he heads into Year 5, it’s fair to place Goff among the middle class of the league’s signal-callers, a group that is capable of high-end seasons with good play-calling and a strong supporting cast, but also capable of nondescript seasons like Goff had in 2019.

    Key Stat from QB Annual: Goff ranked just 23rd in PFF grade from a clean pocket and 14th in PFF grade under pressure.

    #110786
    Avatar photoInvaderRam
    Moderator

    Mike Mannion@MikeMannion18
    Do McVay’s schematics play a part in Jared’s current struggles against pressure?

    Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
    https://theathletic.com/1552782/2020/01/24/rams-mailbag-part-2-jared-goff-criticism-new-coaches-and-another-award-for-aaron-donald/?source=twittered

    I decided to dive into the numbers and see how Goff actually did this season when pressured. I found some interesting numbers that I might explore in more depth in another story.

    According to SportRadar, Goff had a QBR of 54.7 when pressured. That ranked him 13th among all quarterbacks who generally were considered starters this season. That helps illustrate why a lot of fans and pundits can’t agree when it comes to Goff. That isn’t awful, but it’s not great, either. Also, Goff had a QBR of 74.4 when pressured in 2018, and he was sacked far more often in 2018 (33 times) than in 2019 (22 times). I’m getting a migraine just trying to process what it all means.

    i wonder if a lot of that has to do with the run pass ratios going out of whack this season.

    whether that’s due to gurley’s health or the oline or playcalling issues i don’t know.

    #110854
    Avatar photozn
    Moderator

    aeneas1

    BAD LUCK OR LIFE IN THE NFL?

    seemed like goff had more than a few completed passes that were stopped at the bad guys’ 1 yard line last year so i decided to check it out and, sure enough, the guy had 8 friggin’ completed passes that were stopped a yard short of a td, none of which were converted into a 1 yard passing td, i.e. goff didn’t get credit for a pass td on the drive.

    i have no idea if this is a high number or roughly the league average, the norm, but it sure seems high to me, and was the difference between goff throwing 22 tds on the year and 30.

    panthers 7 yard line, pass completed to higbee for 6 yards.
    saints 9 yard line, pass completed to woods for 8 yards.
    rams 33 yard line, pass completed to kupp for 66 yards.
    seahawks 32 yard line, pass completed to everett for 32 yards.
    falcons 15 yard line, pass completed to woods for 14 yards.
    rams 49 yard line, pass completed to kupp for 48 yards.
    seahawks 34 yard line, pass completed to higbee for 33 yards.
    niners 10 yard liine, pass completed to higbee for 9 yards.

    #110875
    Herzog
    Participant

    I still believe…

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