Goff, the september thread

[zn]

from https://subscribers.footballguys.com/apps/article.php?article=gutcheck-451-all-gutcheck-sleeper-team

Waldman on Goff (fantasy value)

Jared Goff, L.A. Rams – If I can’t get Mahomes, Goff is the alternative — and likely a safer one at that. People continue to underestimate Goff’s skills but it’s because they undervalue the support a quarterback earns from a good offensive line, a balanced attack, and wide receivers that have as much or more to offer as route runners than athletes. Goff has all of these factors in his favor and he’s a much better pocket player than given credit.

Although we see video examples of the Rams ground game setting up the pass, there are notable examples weekly where Sean McVay is actually using the pass to set up the run and opposing teams respecting the threat of Goff ahead of Gurley. This will be the final year where fantasy owners underrate Goff.

[InvaderRam]

my one worry. well. i have several worries. but the one that’s weighing on my mind right now is that it’s quite possible that goff has a regression in his third year.

even the very good ones experience this. brees, manning (BOTH mannings), favre, rivers… i could look more in depth and find more examples, but i won’t. they all have a significant regression their third or fourth years before they bounce back. maybe it’s a case of defenses adjusting to them which then forces them to adjust back.

teams have had an entire offseason and 16 games of tape on goff in the mcvay offense. so i’m curious as to what defenses have come up with as a way to muck him up.

and i hope that fans don’t get frustrated if it happens. don’t think it will mean disaster. goff i think is still talented (how talented i’m not quite sure) and this team as a whole still has a lot of promise. but i wouldn’t be surprised if there are some significant bumps this season before it finally all comes together. and it might not be this season. it might not be until next season or the season thereafter.

[zn]

Jared Goff Developing as a Leader on the Rams

J.B. Long

https://www.therams.com/news/jared-goff-developing-as-a-leader-on-the-rams

Typically soft-spoken and understated, this was as adamant as I’d ever seen or heard Cooper Kupp.
In an interview with Sarina Morales during the offseason program, the second-year wide receiver spoke out about Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Clearly, this was a topic that had been on Kupp’s mind.
“I continue to hear people say, you know, ‘He’s growing as a leader. He’s developing as a leader.’ I think it’s time to stop that and just say it how it is: He’s a leader of this team.”
That grabbed my attention. Goff’s leadership was something I’d been thinking about, too.
How did the first overall selection survive an 0-7 start to his NFL career without losing the trust and confidence of his locker room? And now, as a Pro Bowl quarterback, would he be elected a captain in 2018?
At the tail end of his debut season, after a deflating home loss to San Francisco, Goff stood at the Coliseum podium.
“I promise you guys it will get fixed,” he said on December 24, 2016. “I’ll give everything in my heart and soul to get it all fixed.”
At the time, Goff had just lost a sixth consecutive start to begin his professional career. The next week, he’d drop a seventh to conclude a dreadful rookie campaign.
But by December 24, 2017, Goff had emerged as a division champion and the first player in Rams history to throw at least 25 touchdowns with single-digit interceptions.
The following week, when his team again hosted the 49ers, Goff wouldn’t address the media from the Coliseum podium. He wouldn’t have to. He’d made good on his promise and was taking Week 17 off to prepare for the postseason.
Along the way, Goff had somehow maintained the confidence of a fledgling group of Rams that had seen him falter and earned the trust of veteran additions who would help him turn around the franchise’s fortunes.
“He was young but very respectful,” said center John Sullivan of his first impression of Goff upon arriving in Los Angeles via free agency. “Smart kid. Had everything put together. Good moral compass. Right from the start you get that feel when you meet him.”
And true to his word, Goff gave his heart and soul to his team.
“What really won everybody over and proved it — him to himself and to everybody else in the organization — was just the way that everybody worked last year during the offseason program, into training camp,” continued Sullivan. “I can say confidently that his performance and our performance as a team a year ago was not a fluke.”
“You have to respect a guy like that,” wide receiver Josh Reynolds said of Goff’s resilience. “Going off on that offseason and working out like he did to be able to improve his second year. That’s what everyone says. It’s that jump from the first year to the second year that’s the biggest jump in somebody’s career.”
The adage certainly proved true in Goff’s case. (And having the 2017 NFL Coach of the Year in his ear didn’t hurt, either.)
More comfortable and capable on the field, suddenly Goff’s personality has emerged off of it, going into Year Three.
“We were actually just talking about this in the locker room,” said outside linebacker Matt Longacre, following a training camp session in early August, “how much he’s grown since Day One when he was the shy, quiet guy.”
There have been thoughtfully tailored gifts.

Year 9 with my partners in crime @awhitworth77 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/U5bJJFSUo3

— Rodger Saffold (@Rodger_Saffold) July 25, 2018

“We thought we had custom suits coming,” said Sullivan when the offensive line had their measurements taken at Goff’s instruction. “We were all fired up.”

And there have been appearances at local Little League games.

It’s easy to be the coolest kid at the ballpark when @JaredGoff16 comes to see you play… #footballisfamily #michaellee pic.twitter.com/J9UlL2OZnL

— Melissa Whitworth (@mrs_whit77) May 9, 2018

“He’s never forgotten that at the end of the day, it’s about teammates and about relationships,” observed left tackle Andrew Whitworth. “It’s really a big part of what he does. You see him trying to show up at a lot of guys’ stuff. He’s asking me when my kids play so he can be there. You know, it’s about being a person first and foremost, and that doesn’t involve just being at home on your own. It means in your off time, you find ways to relate to your teammates.”
Seemingly, that comes naturally to the Rams quarterback, who hasn’t been affected by a season of success.
“Always consistent, no matter good or bad, he’s kind of always just even keeled,” added tight end Tyler Higbee, Goff’s friend and roommate since they entered the league together. “I think that’s helped him.”
As for the question of Goff’s captaincy, indeed he has been voted one of six representatives for 2018 by his peers.
The Rams return two other offensive captains in the reigning Offensive Player of the Year Gurley and the aforementioned Whitworth, the senior member of the roster and a four-time Pro Bowler in his own right. Behind them, who could’ve argued if the longest-tenured Ram Rodger Saffold or the 33-year-old Sullivan or wide receiver Robert Woods had been elected?
Similarly, on defense, the 2018 Rams chose seventh-year lineman Michael Brockers and a Super Bowl champion in Aqib Talib, who’s been a Pro Bowl corner in each of the last five campaigns. Meanwhile, two defensive tackles with Hall of Fame trajectories — Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh — will lead with their play.
Johnny Hekker represents an All-Pro special teams unit.
It’s impressive how one of the youngest teams in the NFL quickly became saturated with consummate professionals.
“When you start voting for captains, and you start going, ‘Holy cow… we’ve got 15 guys that potentially could be captain.’ That’s a good problem to have,” says assistant head coach Joe Barry.
That’s a reflection of the culture that Les Snead, McVay, and their staffs have been able to create in Los Angeles — a culture that Goff contributes to as much as anyone.
“He was [a captain] last year,” asserts Sullivan (even if Goff wasn’t, in title). “I’m not going to disrespect the whole captaincy program. That’s an important thing. That’s an honor when guys are voted (captain) by their teammates. However…the quarterback is a leader by definition just in terms of the position, and Jared’s embraced that.”
And since Kupp sparked this conversation — at least in my mind — why not let him conclude it?
“It’s time to put (the questions about leadership) away and just call it for what it is. He is a leader. Guys respect him. They want to play for him.”

[zn]

Gruden on Goff.

==

from: https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2018/09/05/nfl-rams-raiders-jared-goff-jon-gruden-cal/

…

The Raiders coach credits Goff for being as tough as he is, which is part of what makes him such a “great” quarterback.

“One thing that always impressed me about Goff was how tough he was. If you go back and watch him play as a true freshman at Cal, you would be surprised that he’s even still playing football. He got destroyed. He got beat up repeatedly. I don’t even know if they won a game,” Gruden said on a conference call Wednesday.

As a true freshman, Goff and the Golden Bears went 1-11. The following season, they were 5-7. The year after that, they finished 8-5 and made and won their first bowl game since 2011.

Cal regressed once again in 2016 after Goff left, finishing the season 5-7 behind Davis Webb. His impact on the program can’t be overstated and Gruden knows it.

“He helped bring that team to respectability and put them in a bowl game with great toughness. He has an incredible pocket presence,” the coach said. “I mean this kid can stand in there and make great throws under serious pressure. I think he’s earned the respect of his teammates and they’ve surrounded him with quite a system of football and some really talented players.”

…

[zn]

Steve Mason@VeniceMase
Since the start of last year, #Rams QB @JaredGoff16 is 8-1 on the road with 20TD passes & only 2INT.

His touchdown-to-interception ratio on the road over the last 2 seasons is #1 in the NFL.

[zn]

Jared Goff rises, while Derek Carr stumbles to begin Gruden era

By Jim Trotter

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000961015/article/jared-goff-rises-while-derek-carr-stumbles-to-begin-gruden-era

OAKLAND, Calif. — Jared Goff walked into a cramped room in the belly of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and commanded the moment without saying a word. Dressed in a tailored plum-colored suit with thin blue window panes, a patterned open-collared white shirt and a perfectly folded pocket square, he positioned himself behind the lectern and cleared his throat. Then he straightened his back and looked into the audience.

The image was that of a third-year quarterback who is completely comfortable with who he is and what he’s doing. For several seconds, no one said anything, as if waiting for the young star to give the OK after helping the Rams to a 33-13 victory over the Raiders on “Monday Night Football.” When a reporter finally began speaking, Goff reached to his right and grabbed an open bottle of water from a team assistant, took a sip, and then handed the bottle back to the assistant without ever taking his eyes off the questioner.

He was in complete control, just as he had been on the field while completing 18 of 33 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The numbers were not eye-popping for someone who threw for 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, but the deeper beauty was in how he performed more than it was in the final results. Goff played with greater abandon, regularly attempting to fit the ball into tight spaces that he might have avoided a year ago, when he was learning a new offense under new coach Sean McVay and trying to rebound from a poor rookie season.

“It really is a result of his (personal) confidence and his confidence in his skill-position players,” McVay said afterward. “He’s going to give them a chance, he’s going to trust. … I like the fact that he’s aggressive, as long as it’s in the framework of what the coverage and what the play call dictates.”

Goff started slowly after not taking a snap in the preseason. His rust was compounded by the Raiders’ ability to control the ball for all but three minutes of the first quarter. But he began to find his rhythm in the second half, when he completed 14 of 23 passes for 173 yards. Although some will point to his willingness to throw deep — on two occasions, speedy newcomer Brandin Cooks drew pass-interference calls that totaled 87 yards, and on two others, Goff missed Robert Woods by inches — it was his attempt to fit the ball into tight coverage that reflected a difference in the 2017 Pro Bowler, a point that could be traced to his confidence in the offense and his maturation as a signal-caller.

“I think all of that,” Goff said. “It’s just confidence in what we do and really understanding the scheme and understanding what we’re trying to get to and where the windows are and not guessing — and really being truly confident in yourself. That showed tonight.”

The same could not be said of his counterpart, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. After completing 20 of 24 passes for 199 yards in the first half, he appeared completely out of sorts in the final two quarters, throwing for just 104 yards with a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions, one of which cornerback Marcus Peters returned for a touchdown. There was no play to be made on either, and on the first one, linebacker Cory Littleton was the only receiver in the vicinity. Why did Carr make that throw? Perhaps he was pressing and trying to make something happen, but it appeared as if a clock went off in his head and he was hell-bent on getting rid of the ball.

These things cannot happen if the Raiders are to succeed this season. As much as some might refuse to admit it, 2018 will be a referendum on Carr as much as it will be on new/old coach Jon Gruden. The fifth-year pro, who threw three interceptions overall against the Rams, has to be in command on the field and in the locker room, particularly in light of the recent trade that sent 2016 Defensive Player of the Year (and defensive captain) Khalil Mack to the Bears.

Carr was signed to a $125 million extension before last season, despite having his stellar 2016 campaign end with a broken leg. Then he never quite looked right in 2017. He now has a coach who is evaluating everyone and everything, a coach who is committed only to the bottom line, a coach who believes that to whom much is given, much is required. Gruden has a history of being toughest on his quarterbacks, and he doesn’t figure to stand by someone whose performance does not match his contract — not when the team just received a pair of first-round draft picks in the Mack trade.

To say that this is a “prove it” year for Carr is not an overstatement. The previous coaching staff loved his athletic ability but at times questioned whether he had the internal grit to be the type of leader who could take command of a team as well as a game, who could challenge guys in a way that made them and himself uncomfortable. Even Gruden acknowledged after taking the job that he wanted to see Carr take greater command on the field and in the locker room. We did not see that Monday night. Will we going forward? The answer is a lot more murky today than it was 24 hours ago.

[zn]

Goff is a little out of sync right now. A bit here, a bit there. (And looking good overall despite it.) I think it’s having no preseason starts. Some people speculated that it would make no difference if the Rams starters never saw the field in the preseason. It did, it made a difference, they just don’t care–they could use the first games to get in sync.

But that’s what we’re seeing with Goff. He’s not in sync yet. How good will he be when he IS in sync? I think no question better than last year in every aspect of the game, though it’s hard to say by how much. It won’t be negligible though.

The problem with speaking up for Goff is that it’s the subtle things. Just perfectly placed line drives with eyes, a good pocket sense, that kind of thing. When he’s at his best he’s an artiste. But it’s seldom big wow plays though in the end the effect is the same.

Jared Goff killing it on third down. Great throw based on coverage. Brandin Cooks makes a fine grab. pic.twitter.com/poT1PjrgFX

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 17, 2018

Jared Goff with two little hitches unloads a 64-yard moonshot from pitch to catch. pic.twitter.com/WY1IaeFRsC

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 17, 2018

—

Me n Max, we see eye to eye on this:

max

This is the kind of play Goff makes that doesn’t get the wow response from casual observers. Goff isn’t an elite physical athlete, but he does stuff like this and looks ho-hum doing it.

Watching the game, I thought Goff was just ok, then I look at the stat sheet and see 354 yards in a 34-0 win. How’d that happen? That’s Goff’s game right now.

Waldman shows a typical Goff play that won’t get any air time on ESPN…

Goff throws Woods open under pressure. pic.twitter.com/lbzRCFPTaq

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 17, 2018

Another one.

Jared Goff with an excellent throw under pressure. Over the LB and forces Woods to turn away from oncoming DB. pic.twitter.com/c7DUGrbW3D

— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) September 17, 2018

[zn]

That last post, with all the Waldman vids.

Very good stuff

[PA Ram]

In some ways, he reminds me a little of Warner. Warner was not the most mobile or elusive QB, but he stood there in the face of pressure and sometimes took that shot. Goff seems like that. I’m not sure that’s great for his health but that seems to be the way he plays the game. He is willing to wait for that last second–his eyes downfield and sometimes I think he’s so focused downfield that it affects his pocket presence just a little bit. But he isn’t scared.

He is the type of QB who needs that good line and quality receivers. Otherwise I think he’d get killed back there.

I will say that Atlanta slapped him around a bit in the playoff game and it affected him but I thought he adjusted at the half and handled that much better in the 2nd half even though they lost that game.

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. " Philip K. Dick

[InvaderRam]

on the downtown rams podcast jake made a good point. and i think this has been mentioned on this message board numerous times but his experiences at cal helped him in ways bradford could not prepare for. that is facing intense pressure from snap to snap. in some of those videos you see goff making throws with traffic in his face but his body language is so calm. i remember bradford back in the day looking a little panicked because he didn’t have the huge pockets that he enjoyed in oklahoma.

that goes along with what pa just wrote. he reminds me too of warner the way he stands in there.

also. despite him looking rusty. he still finished yesterday throwing for 75% accuracy and he could easily have had 2 more touchdowns. he hasn’t peaked yet but that’s a good thing. as long as he’s playing his best football at the end of the season that’s all that matters.

[InvaderRam]

goff rankings:

completion percentage – 64.6% (18th)
yards – 587 (9th)
ypa – 9.0 (3rd)
tds – 3 (15th)
rating – 102.5 (10th)

[zn]

InvaderRam wrote:

goff rankings:

completion percentage – 64.6% (18th)
yards – 587 (9th)
ypa – 9.0 (3rd)
tds – 3 (15th)
rating – 102.5 (10th)

Doesn’t it just seem like the Rams are unusually good on 2nd and 3rd and long?

For years you would consider it lucky to get one of those, but now, it just seems they have a knack for hitting 9 to 12 yarders at exactly the right time.

A lot of that is playcalling and offensive design but the qb has to execute.

As it stands after just 2 games the Rams offense is ranked 4th in 3rd down conversions at 46%.

[InvaderRam]

zn wrote:

A lot of that is playcalling and offensive design but the qb has to execute.

his accuracy and anticipation. i haven’t seen it in a rams qb in a long time.

bradford was accurate but i don’t think he had exceptional vision. i think goff does. and i think that helps him in the intermediate areas where there’s more going on. it’s not like the deep passes where you’re just aiming for a target. you gotta be able to navigate all the congestion and find the open man.

goff looks good doing that. and even when the guy isn’t open he’s so accurate he’s still dropping it in there.

there were passes this past weekend where my jaw just dropped how accurate he was.

so i think he’s got bradford level accuracy but also trumps him in pocket presence and vision.

it’s exciting.

[InvaderRam]

again. it’s still too early to tell. gotta collect more data on him. i think week 8 will be a good time to gauge where goff is.

still. that ypa number is exciting. he’s aggressive. yet he looks so relaxed out there. his completion percentage might not be where other qbs are. but i think the most important thing is his aggressiveness. his decision making. the offense looks explosive. and he might not have even hit his stride yet. he’s still a little off. ya know.

and i don’t know if not having a preseason made a difference in him being a little rusty. the fact is that he does look a little off but also flashes a lot. will he be like this over the course of the season or will he continue to peak toward the end of the season? will other qbs taper off as the season progresses? i guess we’ll find out.

on a side note. on that interception. i might be projecting here. but i understood what he was thinking almost. third and long. you don’t have a kicker. i gotta think if gz was healthy, he throws it away.

[zn]

[zn]

That last post…the first few minutes are strictly about Goff.

And Dilfer nails it about as well as anybody.

[InvaderRam]

zn wrote:

That last post…the first few minutes are strictly about Goff.

And Dilfer nails it about as well as anybody.

yeah. i saw that video and thought about posting it.

i think the anticipation thing is the biggest thing. he sees things unfolding and gets the ball out quickly.

but as he plays and gets more reps i think he’ll get better and better.

one thing about mahomes. that guy is just a freak. his mental game is phenomenal in the few games i’ve seen. in my novice opinion of course. he’s like an aaron rodgers to me. precocious. he’s got that twitchy mind like dilfer says.

[wv]

Goff is the ‘best deep ball thrower’ he’s ‘ever seen’ ?

Wow.

w
v

[InvaderRam]

wv wrote:

Goff is the ‘best deep ball thrower’ he’s ‘ever seen’ ?

Wow.

w
v

he said in college. he did say he thinks he can get there in the pros but is not there yet.

and waldman has made similar statements.

i’ve also heard similar things said about bradford.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by InvaderRam.

[zn]

RSP NFL LENS – Mark Schofield
Published on Sep 13, 2018

The relationship between quarterback and wide receiver can be a beautiful thing. This small adjustment against the Oakland Raiders is a perfect example. Yes, this may have been a coaching point from Sean McVay but even if, the baller move from Jared Goff to sell it in the pocket is a thing of perfection.

[wv]

I wonder if Goff can ever be as good as Kurt?

w
v

[zn]

wv wrote:

I wonder if Goff can ever be as good as Kurt?

w
v

I think he can be better. It’s possible IMO.

Not by a lot but still.

Goff has some refined things to his game Kurt didn’t have.

[zn]

#LARams QB Jared Goff last week…

–On first down: 11/12, 16.3 yards per attempt, the best mark for a Rams QB in the last decade.
–Against the blitz: 10/14 for 202 yards.
–Between the numbers: 18-of-19 for 308 yards.

If that’s a system QB, so be it.

— J.B. Long (@JB_Long) September 20, 2018

[InvaderRam]

zn wrote:

wv wrote:

I wonder if Goff can ever be as good as Kurt?

w
v

I think he can be better. It’s possible IMO.

Not by a lot but still.

Goff has some refined things to his game Kurt didn’t have.

i don’t know how good he can be.

is he a system qb? i guess he is. i mean he’s not a transcendent qb in the mold of an aaron rodgers.

he’s going to be reliant on a strong supporting cast to be successful. but that’s probably true of most qbs in the league. shoot even warner needed that.

very few qbs who can truly carry a team by himself actually exist. those are true unicorns. although mahomes might be that. but even then he’s also got a stellar supporting cast along with a very good head coach/playcaller in reid.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 2 months ago by InvaderRam.

[zn]

InvaderRam wrote:

very few qbs who can truly carry a team by himself actually exist. those are true unicorns. although mahomes might be that. but even then he’s also got a stellar supporting cast along with a very good head coach/playcaller in reid.

I wonder if Ryan Fitzpatrick will eventually reach the point where he has played for every team in the league.

[zn]

aeneas1

the rams have put together 6 td drives through the first two games, and currently rank 6th in td drives as a % of total drives (the rams finished the 2017 season ranked 4th)… here’s a look at every pass goff threw during those 6 td drives (all-22 tape)

[zn]

Philip Rivers, Jared Goff experts at creating explosive plays

Eric D. Williams

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-chargers/post/_/id/24782/philip-rivers-jared-goff-experts-at-creating-explosive-plays

COSTA MESA, Calif. — The battle for L.A. this Sunday between the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers offers an opportunity to see two of the most explosive offenses in the NFL at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Chargers are tied with the Denver Broncos for the most explosive plays — rushes of 15 yards or more or passing plays of 20-plus yards — through two weeks with 17, while the Rams are tied for fifth with 13.

Jared Goff Vs. Philip Rivers
Here’s a closer look at how Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff and Los Angeles Chargers QB Philip Rivers are performing since the start of the 2017 season.

RIVERS GOFF
Comp. pct. 64 62
Yds./att. 8.0 8.1
TD/Int. 34/11 31/8
Total QBR 62 58

“We’ve had plenty of those,” Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said. “Some of those have been short throws and long runs. Those have been just fine, too. It’s been really good.”

Led by a 15-year veteran in Rivers, the Chargers are No. 3 in the league in total offense (445 yards per game) and No. 3 in passing yards (329 per game).

While the Rams, led by third-year signal-caller Jared Goff, are averaging 33 points per game — No. 5 in the NFL.

Per ESPN Stats & Info, since the start of the 2017 season Goff averages 6.7 yards after catch (YAC) on his completions, the highest rate in the NFL, while Rivers and Blake Bortles are tied for second at 6.2.

Both Rivers and Goff focus on being a point guard on the field at the quarterback position, getting the ball out on time and into their playmakers’ hands.

With Rivers and Goff meeting for the first time during the regular season, the 36-year-old veteran quarterback said he has been impressed with the development of his counterpart.

Rivers has seen the “comfort level” Goff has in the offense and knows that last year “they scored a ton of points.”

“He seems to fit well in that scheme too,” Rivers said. “They’re doing a lot of things to move him around in games you’ve seen that keeps him on the move. Shoot, he’s going to be one of the young guys that you imagine is going to be around a long time.”

Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn echoed Rivers’ sentiments about Goff. Lynn said he played in a similar scheme to Rams head coach Sean McVay’s latest iteration of the West Coast offense as a player with the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos, and believes Goff is a perfect fit.

“I grew up in that system,” Lynn said. “He’s executing it right now really well and moving around a lot. He’s throwing on the move. He’s more of an athlete than what people give him credit for. He can move the ball down the field with his legs as well.”

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Goff said he watched Rivers and admired his style of play.

“He’s a guy that I’ve definitely watched and tried to steal things from, the way he plays the game and the way he works,” Goff said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about him from the people who’ve played with him.”

While Goff made the Pro Bowl and led the Rams to the team’s first NFC West title since 2003 last season, McVay seemed unwilling to compare the Cal product to a player with the pedigree of Rivers.

“You’re talking about two really good quarterbacks,” McVay said. “We’re very hopeful that Jared’s going to continue to progress, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him, but you’re talking about a guy that’s had nine straight, 4,000-yard [passing] seasons and is surefire Hall of Famer.

“So I think we have a long way to go if we’re talking about that, but I know we feel like Jared is on the right track. We certainly feel like we’re in good hands with him leading the way and have a lot of confidence in him.”

[zn]

Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: QB Jared Goff’s Vertical Arm

Matt Waldman
2 months ago

link: https://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2018/07/29/matt-waldmans-rsp-nfl-lens-qb-jared-goffs-vertical-arm/

Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens examines a 67-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff that covers 61 yards from the pitch point to the catch point.

——————————————-

Quarterback arm strength is overrated. You only need enough to ride the NFL ride and with the exception of about 1-2 plays a month, the rest is usually superfluous. Even in these isolated situations, there is often a more efficient or wise solution available to the quarterback.

I only look at practical applications of arm strength. There are various ways one must examine the dimensions of arm strength; the vertical game is only one of them. A player who has good arm strength for the vertical game is Jared Goff.

But if you listen to the “fan-alysts,” Sean McVay was actually the Rams quarterback via video game controller. McVay’s offense gives Goff easy opportunities and he used the radio transmission into Goff’s helmet in a unique way that transformed Goff from an imminent bust to a competent quarterback.

Silly.

Of course, McVay’s offense and coaching helped Goff. So did the offensive line and receiver upgrades. However, let’s not go overboard: McVay implemented a good process and supporting cast around a talented quarterback.

I had to say it because there are (otherwise) observant and intelligent people who’ve not truly watched Goff and rely on half-baked analysis.

This leads us back to arm talent. Check out this 67-yard touchdown pass. Goff delivers his ball off a play-action boot and it’s 61 yards in stride to Sammy Watkins, splitting the Giants’ zone for a touchdown.

View this post on Instagram

Goff 61-yard throw from pitch for 67-yd TD

A post shared by Matt Waldman (@mattwaldmanrsp) on Nov 5, 2017 at 3:28pm PST

It’s an easy throw off a hitch with the back foot in alignment with the target point. And the throw has the velocity and placement that even Sammy Watkins didn’t anticipate arriving in stride because he actually has to extend last-second to make the reception.

Drew Brees’ practical range is 50-55 yards. Matt Ryan’s is typically 40-45 yards. Brees, Ryan, and Goff are intelligent quarterbacks with skills to execute rhythm passing plays in and outside the pocket.

Although Brandin Cooks lacks a full-service game that Sammy Watkins potentially provides any team, the Rams realize that Goff has the vertical skill to let a Cooks run under the target without forcing a contested catch. When a quarterback can do this for Cooks — and Tom Brady couldn’t at his age — it will activate the most dangerous part of Cooks’ game and minimize one of his greatest weakness — winning contested plays at the catch point.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by zn.

[zn]

Note: this stat is the single best predictor of qb success.

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When throwing from a clean pocket, Patrick Mahomes has been unstoppable! pic.twitter.com/E8pXWMtjnx

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) September 21, 2018

[zn]

This is the best thread on Goff in the entire known universe, and beyond.

Make it through everything here (especially the vids) and you will have a divine level grasp of where JG stands as a qb.

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