Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Keenum will be the starter to open camp…how close or far is Goff?
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May 25, 2016 at 2:04 pm #46397
znModeratorCase Keenum will be Rams No. 1 quarterback to open camp
Josh Alper
Case Keenum will be Rams No. 1 quarterback to open camp
The Rams moved a bunch of picks to the Titans for the right to draft quarterback Jared Goff with the first overall pick in this year’s draft, but they’re not quite ready to move Goff into the top spot on the depth chart.
Coach Jeff Fisher said Thursday that veteran Case Keenum is the starter with the Rams heading toward their first training camp since moving back to Los Angeles. Fisher said Goff (and likely No. 3 Sean Mannion) will get work with the first team along with Keenum and move up when the team deems him ready.
“We’ll start him when he’s ready,” Fisher said. “I didn’t say that to imply he was going to start the opener. I said we have options. He could start anywhere from the opener to whenever. We haven’t changed our philosophy on that. We’re gonna coach him to be successful and not going to put him in with a chance to fail.”
The Rams would probably have Goff engage in some level of competition for the job even if they weren’t starring on HBO this summer, but it doesn’t hurt that “top pick trying to supplant veteran” works as an arc for this season of Hard Knocks. How long the Rams let it play out remains to be seen, but it’s probably a good bet that Goff will be in the starting lineup before winter comes to Game of Thrones.
May 25, 2016 at 2:04 pm #44669znModeratorGoff Impressing Coaches with Work Ethic, Showing Early Progress
Myles Simmons
With the Rams beginning OTAs next week, No. 1 overall pick
Jared Goff will be on the field squaring off against a defense for the first time in practice. Because players are not in pads, the organized team activities are essentially a period of continued learning. And the coaches who work closely with Los Angeles’ newest quarterback — offensive coordinator Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke — are looking forward to seeing Goff progress on the field.
When the organization made the decision to trade for the first pick, it was clear there was a general consensus one quarterback appeared a cut above the rest. According to Weinke, Goff’s film was simply outstanding.
“The guy is just a natural passer of the football. You can tell he’s a natural athlete,” the QB coach said. “He was probably the smoothest guy that I’ve evaluated in a long time, as it relates to pocket awareness and pocket presence.
“Time after time, you’ve seen him make big plays,” Weinke continued. “And the guy made some ‘wow’ throws that not a lot of college guys have made — or that I’ve ever seen on film. You really put all those variables together, and he was a guy who kind of rose to the top and we felt like would be a good fit here in Los Angeles.”
But it wasn’t just about the throws. The fact that Goff helped bring Cal from an 11-loss team his freshman year to winning the program’s first bowl game since 2008 speaks volumes about his leadership ability.
“Collectively, you look at his body of work and what he did as a young kid going into Cal … not only physically, but mentally what he was able to accomplish, and truly be the leader of that football team,” Weinke said, adding to “go from 1-11 to going to a bowl game and winning is important, as it relates to the quarterback position and leadership ability.”
According to Boras, Goff has shown those qualities even in the short time he’s been a Ram.
“Watching him with the other rookies and just the leadership, and getting those guys out involved — it’s all the things that you’d hope for, and you heard,” Boras said. “But now to see it in person, it’s truly exciting.”
Goff’s strong work ethic has been well documented, but witnessing it in person has nevertheless been noteworthy for Boras and Weinke.
“The thing that’s really impressed me with Jared has just been his commitment to the classroom and his commitment to learn,” Boras said. “He’s been in there early for every meeting — I don’t mean five-minutes early. The meeting is supposed to start at 8:30, he’s trying to roll in and he’s always working.”
“The good thing about Jared is that he’s a cerebral kid,” Weinke said. “He’s very smart. He can absorb the information. In our research and our due diligence on him, we found that out — that this guy can take the information from the classroom and apply it out on the field. And that was important to us.”
Those factors have made the coaches comfortable with giving the rookie QB plenty to learn in the nascent stage of his career.
“We’re throwing a lot at him — probably more than you would throw to most guys,” Boras said. “We’re going to throw a lot at him right now, see what sticks, instead of just spoon feeding it along. Now, obviously, we want him to have success and feel comfortable, but we need to challenge.
“We need to raise our level of expectations, not just for him but for this entire offense. So we’re trying to put as much not only on Jared, but with all of these guys, as possible,” Boras continued. “So what maybe we would’ve taken the mid-OTAs to get to, we’re trying to get to now. And the more you hear anything — repetition is the mother of all learning. So the more that we throw and the more chances they have to hear it, the better it has to stick.”
Going along with that, Goff has shown a proclivity for asking relevant questions whenever he needs clarification. It’s a behavior the coaching staff has encouraged since his arrival.
“I think it’s important that you lay the foundation on Day 1 with a young quarterback — understand that there are no dumb questions,” Weinke said. “Understand that the more questions you ask, the better we’re going to feel. Don’t ever assume that you know the answer.
“And so [Goff’s] done an outstanding job of, throughout the course of meetings, whether it’s with coach Boras or myself, pausing and saying, ‘Wait, I don’t understand that. Explain that to me better,’” Weinke continued. “We’re excited about that. That means he’s not afraid to ask questions. And then when we do teach him something, he is absorbing it and understands it.”
Despite the staff’s ability to put a lot on Goff’s plate, there are ways within the scheme where they’ll look to smooth the rookie’s transition to the NFL — particularly with pass protection. Boras identified the understanding of pass-protection concepts as the biggest hurdle first-year QBs often face.
“The pass concepts don’t vary very much from college to the NFL — or really from one team in the NFL to another. It’s really the protections and knowing what your problems are,” Boras said. “If we can make the run game simple for them, if we can simplify protections — and by simplify, it doesn’t mean max protect necessarily. But just letting him know where his problems are, and if you have a problem, how do you fix it? And then once he gets accustomed to that, he’ll have the opportunity to go be himself and spin the ball like we know he’s capable of doing.”
Plus, the Rams have the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in Todd Gurley , whose ability to run the football inherently takes pressure off the quarterback and the passing game.
“That’s what coach Fisher told him when he first got here, and when we really first met Jared was, ‘You know who our running back is?’” Boras said. “And that’s what we can’t forget. His best friend is going to be turning around and handing it to Todd. And then whey they stack the box and try to take Todd away, we need to be able to take advantage of it through the air.”
And so as the Rams begin their OTA sessions next week, both Boras and Weinke are highly encouraged by the prospect of Goff learning and growing in his new offensive system.
“There’s bumps along the road, but he’s understanding the process,” Boras said. “And we’re just trying to make sure we’re building the foundation that will allow him to be successful on Sundays in the near future.”
“He’s, really, exactly what you’re looking for,” Weinke said. “Great clay to mold, and we’re excited about what he brings to this football team.”
May 25, 2016 at 2:08 pm #44670znModeratorGoff Impressing Coaches with Work Ethic, Showing Early Progress
There’s some interesting stuff there.
Not that Simmons would ever write an article titled
Anxious Coaches Scramble to Update Resumes as #1 Pick Jared Goff Struggles Like a Clown in Quicksand
…
And as long as I am being snarky, here’s something for the Coach-Style Failed Syntax folder:
His best friend is going to be turning around and handing it to Todd.
So…they are using 2 qbs in the same backfield?
And what is Goff doing while his friend hands off to Gurley?
May 25, 2016 at 2:19 pm #44671znModeratorCoach’s Corner: Weinke’s First Impressions on Goff
Quarterback Coach, Chris Weinke, is ready to show Jared Goff what it means to be a leader in the NFL.
May 25, 2016 at 5:38 pm #44683
wvParticipantWell, its mainly fluff so far, but still, so far, so good.
I’m sick of seeing this btw:
“…But it wasn’t just about the throws. The fact that Goff helped bring Cal from an 11-loss team his freshman year to winning the program’s first bowl game since 2008 speaks volumes about his leadership ability…”
No, it does not speak volumes about his leadership. Hundreds of QBs have
gone from one win seasons to a five-win season, to an eight-win season.
Happens all the time in College football. Young teams grow up and get
better, the coach has a good recruiting year, blah blah blah.It doesn’t necessarily say anything about Goff’s leadership.
Having said that, sure, Goff looks like a good leader. His team mates
seem to like him a lot. So….so far, so good.w
vMay 25, 2016 at 6:35 pm #44689
ZooeyModeratorHere is the amount of weight I give a report like this:
But at least the article doesn’t mention Goff’s bill for damages to a hotel in Miami Beach.
May 25, 2016 at 7:04 pm #44693znModeratorCoach’s Corner: Weinke’s First Impressions on Goff
Quarterback Coach, Chris Weinke, is ready to show Jared Goff what it means to be a leader in the NFL.
That was interesting, just to see what Weinke is like.
==
Goff played in a no-huddle, spread offense at Cal, so he must transition from taking snaps exclusively from the shotgun formation to taking them under center and then dropping back for passes. Keenum played in a no-huddle, spread offense in college at Houston before signing with the Texans in 2012.
“It’s a tough adjustment, getting to that pro-style, huddle-up, under-center stuff,” Keenum said. “Jared’s done a great job already. It’s not an easy thing.”
This has come up before, but, Keenum may be the only guy so far who transitioned from the Air Raid version of the spread to pro style offense.
So as much as CK downplays being a mentor, it’s interesting that Goff is learning behind CK.
Though they say the Cal version of the Air Raid had more pro-style elements in it.
Still, it’s worth mentioning, that there’s more to it than just taking snaps and dropping back. Under center he has to make pre-snap reads and make adjustments. Dropping back means having your timing just right on the depth of drop to the throw, and pro-style play action means having to turn your back to make the fake and then turn back and re-acquire the defense. It;s an intricate little choreography and you have to do it all like it’s 2nd nature.
Snead once hinted that that whole complex of things about being under center is one of the items that tripped Foles up. That he had a hard time with it.
May 25, 2016 at 10:34 pm #44705
InvaderRamModeratorand not just your own timing. the way i understood it is knowing at each step where your receivers are supposed to be. being in sync with the entire offense. and then when you get to the proper depth you have to be decisive and get that ball out or the timing is all screwed up.
at least that’s the way i understand it.
May 26, 2016 at 10:47 am #44755
canadaramParticipantI’m glad that he’s not regressing.
May 26, 2016 at 5:25 pm #44793znModeratorThings will speed up a bit for Jared Goff as Rams open OTAs
Nick Wagoner
The Los Angeles Rams are moving closer to the beginning of the final phase of the offseason conditioning program. That would be the time when all players can come together on a field and go through full-squad practices (with some limitations, of course): organized team activities.
The Rams’ first OTA is set for May 31 at their current temporary training facility in Oxnard, Calif. Before we get there, we’re counting down five of the questions we’ll look to get answered when the Rams get going again:
The question: The way the Rams operate, OTAs is the first chance for the rookies and veterans to come together for on-field activities. That means it will be Jared Goff’s first chance to go against NFL competition. How will the Rams handle Goff’s transition and what can he expect during OTA practices?
Outlook: Long before they moved up from No. 15 to No. 1 to draft Goff, the Rams were adamant that Case Keenum would be the team’s starting quarterback at the beginning of the offseason program. Even after drafting Goff, that’s likely to be the case. Rams coach Jeff Fisher has said repeatedly that he doesn’t intend to throw Goff in before he’s ready, though he’s also acknowledged that the hope is to have Goff working with the first unit “sooner than later.” So as the Rams open OTAs, it’s safe to expect Keenum to be working with the No. 1 offense. The only question is whether Goff will begin getting some reps with the starters right off the bat as well.
As it stands, the Rams have four quarterbacks on the roster, including Keenum, Goff, Sean Mannion and Nick Foles. They aren’t going to carry four during the season, so one (likely Foles) will have to go. When that happens remains to be seen, but in the meantime the Rams also don’t have enough practice reps to go around for four quarterbacks. That’s especially true because the Rams need to get Goff as much work as possible as soon as possible. He had the benefit of being the only quarterback at the team’s rookie orientation, but that’s not the same as doing it with the entire team present.
Goff is transitioning from Cal’s “Bear Raid” spread offense that had him playing out of the shotgun almost exclusively. The Rams will likely sprinkle in some more shotgun concepts during OTAs to help ease Goff’s adjustment, but they’ll also need to get him comfortable working from under center. Taking snaps under center is about timing and rhythm so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get him some work with first-team center Tim Barnes in order to get him acclimated to working with the top unit. Beyond the mechanics of that, Goff is going to have to adjust to the speed he’s going to see on defense. At his first press conference, Goff made it clear that he knows that will be one of the biggest challenges he faces going into the NFL. The guess here is that the Rams will have Goff working with the backups for the most part but also get him in with the starters on occasion in order to get him used to working with that group. And remember, while the Rams do go starters vs. starters on occasion in practice, working with the second team also yields opportunities to face the starting defense. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams isn’t one to go easy on his offensive counterparts, which means Goff will have some early struggles — but the type of struggles the Rams hope will pay off in the long run.
May 26, 2016 at 5:39 pm #44796znModeratorGoff played in a no-huddle, spread offense at Cal, so he must transition from taking snaps exclusively from the shotgun formation to taking them under center and then dropping back for passes. Keenum played in a no-huddle, spread offense in college at Houston before signing with the Texans in 2012.
“It’s a tough adjustment, getting to that pro-style, huddle-up, under-center stuff,” Keenum said. “Jared’s done a great job already. It’s not an easy thing.”
it’s worth mentioning, that there’s more to it than just taking snaps and dropping back. Under center he has to make pre-snap reads and make adjustments. Dropping back means having your timing just right on the depth of drop to the throw, and pro-style play action means having to turn your back to make the fake and then turn back and re-acquire the defense. It;s an intricate little choreography and you have to do it all like it’s 2nd nature.
Snead once hinted that that whole complex of things about being under center is one of the items that tripped Foles up. That he had a hard time with it.
and not just your own timing. the way i understood it is knowing at each step where your receivers are supposed to be. being in sync with the entire offense. and then when you get to the proper depth you have to be decisive and get that ball out or the timing is all screwed up.
at least that’s the way i understand it.
And then Nick Wagoner chimes in too:
. Taking snaps under center is about timing and rhythm so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get him some work with first-team center Tim Barnes in order to get him acclimated to working with the top unit.
May 29, 2016 at 10:27 am #44940znModeratorI usually don’t post things from these “fan blog site” type places…but it’s a slow news day and in this case, it has the advantage of gathering some disparate quotations from other pieces into one place.
===
Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff is already making a name for himself
Alex Alarconlink: http://ramblinfan.com/2016/05/28/los-angeles-rams-jared-goff-is-already-making-a-name-for-himself/
With the 1st pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, The Los Angeles Rams select Jared Goff. Quarterback, California. The Goff era in Los Angeles has officially started…
The Los Angeles Rams needed to address the quarterback situation, as the past years have not been the best of years for any quarterback under center for the Rams. Los Angeles knew they found something special in QB Jared Goff, as they traded away an arm and leg for him. With OTA’s already underway, it was important that Goff lead the team right away.
Offensive coordinator Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke are already liking the improvement of Goff in weeks. Could Goff lead the Rams too much more expectation in the 2016 season? By the looks of it, both offensive coaches are loving the new QB.
Rams insider Myles Simmons interviewed both coaches, as they both talked about the Work Ethic and Showing of Early Progress in OTA’s.
“The guy is just a natural passer of the football. You can tell he’s a natural athlete,” the QB coach said. “He was probably the smoothest guy that I’ve evaluated in a long time, as it relates to pocket awareness and pocket presence. – Weinke
“Time after time, you’ve seen him make big plays,” Weinke continued. “And the guy made some ‘wow’ throws that not a lot of college guys have made — or that I’ve ever seen on film. – Weinke
Quarterback Coach Chris Weinke is starting to see the evolution of Goff, hopefully everything he has told is actually true. I’m pretty sure every Ram fan has heard around the same stories once Sam Bradford came to the Rams.
On the flip side, offensive coordinator Rob Boras is impressed by the determination of the rookie.
“The thing that’s really impressed me with Jared has just been his commitment to the classroom and his commitment to learn,” Boras said. “He’s been in there early for every meeting — I don’t mean five-minutes early. The meeting is supposed to start at 8:30, he’s trying to roll in and he’s always working.” – Boras
“We need to raise our level of expectations, not just for him but for this entire offense. So we’re trying to put as much not only on Jared, but with all of these guys, as possible,”- Boras
Los Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff has a lot to prove in his rookie year. It’s a good start that both offensive coaches are impressed with the QB from Cal both on and off the field.
May 31, 2016 at 5:01 pm #45107znModeratorJared Goff plans to ‘stay low’ at Rams OTAs
Bob Hille
After five weeks of mostly position-group work, the Rams on Tuesday were set to begin organized team activities at their temporary training base in Oxnard, Calif.
It marks the day No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff starts to try and show the entire team what all the NFL Draft hubbub was about.
Goff has said he intends to keep his head down, work hard and lead by his actions, not words, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“Just kind of stay low and gain their respect,” he said.
Case Keenum, Nick Foles and Sean Mannion are the other QBs on the Rams’ roster as coach Jeff Fisher and his staff will oversee six noncontact practices that will be closed to the public. (Media will get a peek during four.)
But all eyes will be on one.
“We drafted him for a reason, to come in here and win games. And I feel like we can win games with him,” veteran cornerback Trumaine Johnson said.
Goff began developing relationships with first-year players early this month at rookie orientation and minicamp. Now he’ll work on building a rapport with veterans — all while trying to soak up a new offense and transitioning from Cal’s “Bear Raid” spread offense that had him playing almost exclusively out of the shotgun.
According to ESPN.com, the Rams will likely sprinkle in shotgun concepts in OTAs to help ease the transition, but they also will work on getting him comfortable under center. And then there’s another on-field adjustment: the speed he’s going to see on defense.
“His head is probably spinning trying to get the playbook down pat,” left tackle Greg Robinson, the No. 2 pick in 2014, told the Times, recalling his first OTAs. “No. 1. That’s a lot of pressure. … He’s the man, so I can just imagine what he’s going through.”
May 31, 2016 at 5:04 pm #45108znModeratorJared Goff takes center stage as Rams begin OTAs today
Darin Gantt
Jared Goff takes center stage as Rams begin OTAs today
The Rams are the last team in the league to start their OTAs, so it’s time to see the first pick in the draft.
So while it’s effectively the first day of class, it’s still an important test for quarterback Jared Goff, as he leads the entire team onto the field today.
“Just kind of stay low and gain their respect,” Goff said of his goal this week, via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.
Of course, keeping a low profile is harder when your team makes such a dramatic move to get you, as the Rams did trading up to the No. 1 overall pick this year.
Goff has been through some degree of positional work and has a rookie minicamp under his belt, but today will be the first real glimpse of him with the team, and there’s a natural curiosity among them, to see if he can be the quarterback they need to become something other than 7-9
“I’m excited for him,” cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “He’s going to go out there and make plays — and he’s going to make mistakes. That’s what a rookie quarterback does.
“But we drafted him for a reason, to come in here and win games. And I feel like we can win games with him.”
Of course, the Rams may trot Case Keenum out there first in the quarterback line for show, but the team is obviously in Goff’s hands, and he gets a chance to show what he can do with it today.
June 1, 2016 at 10:27 am #45179znModeratorJeff Fisher: As Jared Goff gets more comfortable, he’ll get more reps
Josh Alper
The Rams became the last team in the league to move into the OTA phase of their offseason work on Tuesday, which meant that first overall pick Jared Goff finally got to face off against NFL defenders in a practice setting.
Goff didn’t get the majority of the snaps during practice, however. Coach Jeff Fisher said that Case Keenum got 60-70 percent of the reps during Tuesday’s practice and saw all the time with the first team, an arrangement that Fisher said everyone is aware will be changing in the near future.
“The room’s not an issue because all of them are professional,” Fisher said. “But they also understand that the reps are going to change. And as soon as Jared comes along in becoming more familiar with things, then we’ll start increasing his reps. So there’s a lot of reps to go around. I want to make sure [Goff] gets one reps at least two, three, or four days through the OTAs.”
The Rams may want to hold off on giving Goff too much to do too soon, but the price paid to bring him to Los Angeles means it’s likely just a matter of time before he’s at the controls of the offense for good after the Rams.
June 1, 2016 at 10:21 pm #45210znModeratorGoff Learning From Mistakes, Impressing Teammates
Myles Simmons
There’s a learning process for each rookie as he makes his way to the NFL, no matter if you’re the No. 1 overall pick or a college free agent.
By all accounts, quarterback Jared Goff has made substantial progress on that front from the time he was drafted to the Rams’ second OTA practice on Wednesday afternoon.
“He’s done a great job,” head coach Jeff Fisher said after the session. “There’s a lot involved and it takes time. But he’s way ahead of where he was even a week ago. And that’s only going to get better as we move through the next couple weeks.”
“I feel like every day I come out here, I get a little bit better — a little bit better every day. I learn a little bit more,” Goff said. “It’s gone really well so far.”
As Fisher’s explained, the Rams go through three playbook-installation processes prior to the season — in Phases I and II, in Phase III with OTAs, and then once again in training camp. Given Goff arrived after the first installation process had already begun, he had plenty to catch up on.
Offensive coordinator Rob Boras and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke have mentioned how they’re giving Goff a lot to process, and he’s handled everything well. At this point, the quarterback said he’s feeling pretty far along with the playbook and hasn’t been overwhelmed at all.
“I wouldn’t know any other way, I guess,” Goff said. “I’m picking it up at a pretty good pace, I think, and feel really good as far as how fast I pick it up. And I’m able to apply most of it out here. Again, there’s mistakes, but that happens. I’m young and learning. So when there is a mistake, just learn from it, and try not to let it happen again.”
Goff’s attitude toward mistakes makes sense. After all, he did just complete his second practice with an opposing NFL defense.
“I think right now in my second OTA in my rookie year, mistakes aren’t the worst thing in the world,” Goff said. “Coach Weinke has been great, coach Boras has been great. And I’m getting a lot of support for those guys.”
But what the top pick has not been doing is participating in team drills with the starting offense. According to Fisher, that will come in due time — almost surely before the end of OTAs.
“He’s going to get more and more reps,” the head coach said. “There may be a day where he gets all the No. 1 reps before we’re done with camp. And that certainly doesn’t mean to say he’s won a job. But it means he’s developing in the offense and you want to give him that opportunity.
“It’s different when you’re under center and you’re working with the starting tight ends and the starting receivers,” Fisher continued, “as opposed to an undrafted receiver who doesn’t have the complete understanding of the offense and breaks a route off short and [the quarterback] ends up throwing an interception. And then you go, ‘Oh, that’s the quarterback’s fault,’ [even though it isn’t.] So it’s a progression. That’s the best way to describe it.”
Goff, however, did participate in the Rams’ four-on-three drill with a few of the offensive starters on Wednesday. In that practice period, the quarterback and three interior offensive receivers have to complete a pass against four defenders.
“He was working against our starting defense and they made a couple plays,” Fisher said. “And, hey, there’s no receivers outside to throw to. And he’s never done that before — it was his first time in the four-on-three drill. So nothing to be alarmed about.”
Conversely, there’s plenty to be positive about when it comes to the rookie quarterback. Fellow signal-caller Case Keenum — who has been taking the first-team reps — mentioned just how far along Goff seems to be for just his second OTA.
“We were sitting there talking about my first OTA and I don’t think I could get out of the huddle — I don’t think I could get a play call out,” Keenum said. “So the fact that he’s doing that has got me impressed. But he’s not only doing that, he’s making some really good throws. And he’s smart with the football.”
Goff said he’s been proud of the ability to get in and out of the huddle.
“I think just, overall, being able to functionally operate out there and just be able to understand what they’re putting in my ear, and then being able to spit it back out, and then run the play, and operate it,” Goff said. “At base form, that’s just what you want to do right now. And I feel like, so far, I’ve done a decent job with that.”
Those are just some of the factors that have impressed Goff’s teammates in the short time he’s been a Ram.
“He’s a young kid who’s eager to learn,” Keenum said. “And he’s talented — he can sling the football. And he’s done some great things.”
“He can sing it, man,” running back Todd Gurley said. “The guy has a quick release. I’m not a quarterback guru, but that’s all I see — he’s got a quick release.”
The way Goff throws the ball will pay dividends down the road. But for now, the quarterback is just happy to be wearing a helmet to practice football again after the long pre-draft process.
“It’s awesome,” Goff said. “I think yesterday it kind of hit me, like, ‘Finally, I can get my first play in, my first completion.’ We’re back to playing football. We’re back to doing what I’ve done my whole life and, hopefully, what I can do for a career for a long time.”
June 2, 2016 at 10:08 am #45217znModeratorRams QB Jared Goff embracing, learning from early growing pains
Nick Wagoner
OXNARD, Calif. — No matter the stop in his football career, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff has had to endure the growing pains that inherently accompany stepping up to a whole new level.
Now, as Goff transitions from Cal, the Rams rookie quarterback must adjust to the NFL’s speed and talent. He knows there will be plenty of bumps in the road.
“Yes, it reminds me of when it was my first year on varsity [in high school], my first year in college,” Goff said. “It’s all a transition every time. I was able to make those transitions pretty well, so we’ll see.”
As Goff pointed out at the conclusion of his second NFL practice, the mistakes are going to come as he develops. There was no shortage of miscues in Goff’s practice on Wednesday.
Spending most of his time in team drills working with the third string, Goff threw an interception and had some other misfires during a four-on-three drill the Rams run in which there are four defenders covering three inside receivers with no wideouts on the outside.
“He was working against our starting defense and they made a couple plays and there’s no receivers outside to throw to and he’s never done that before. It was his first time in a four-on-three drill, so nothing to be alarmed about,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said.
Goff also had a miscommunication on a play in which he turned to hand the ball off and nobody was home. It resulted in a busted play and the botched snap exchange resulted in a fumble.
In short, Goff had the type of day you’d likely expect from a rookie practicing for only the second time.
“Right now, it’s my second OTA [organized team activity], my rookie year and mistakes aren’t the worst things in the world,” Goff said. “I’m learning a lot of stuff. The guys are helping me out. [Quarterbacks coach Chris] Weinke’s been great, [offensive coordinator Rob] Boras has been great, and I’m getting a lot of support from those guys. It’s been a really good transition. I’m learning every day. Trying to get better at something every day, and I have been.”
A big part of playing quarterback is having a short memory. Putting that interception, that fumble or that incompletion behind you and moving to the next step is part of the job description. Even though Goff was the first to acknowledg mistakes, he earned high marks for his composure and ability to bounce back.
After the miscommunication on the handoff, he came back with a perfectly placed completion to tight end Tyler Higbee in tight coverage with pressure closing in around him.
It’s that type of resilience that has earned early praise from his teammates.
“He’s confident,” tight end Lance Kendricks said. “He throws a good ball. Obviously, he’s a rookie, he just got here so he has things to work on, but he’s really excelling and he looks comfortable in the huddle. So I think he’s going to continue to progress and hopefully soon enough be a good leader.”
The leadership aspect will come as Goff climbs up the depth chart. For now, the Rams aren’t hesitating to throw things at their No. 1 overall pick and he believes he’s picking it up well. There’s still work to be done when it comes to adjusting to playing under center but aside from the botched exchange, he looked comfortable doing it Wednesday.
Goff points to his ability to get a play call, spit it back out in the huddle and mostly operate the called play from down to down. As OTAs and the offseason roll on, Goff hopes to build on those fundamentals.
“Learn as much as I can and get as comfortable as I can, as quickly as I can,” Goff said. “My first two practices, I’ve just tried to pick it up as best I can and try to just functionally be able to do it out there. There’s going to be mistakes, but at the same time — you can’t be perfect. You try to be, but as a rookie in my second OTA … there’s a lot of thinking going on, so you can’t be as perfect as you want. But, so far, I think I’ve done a decent job.”
The Rams and Fisher will continue to take their time with Goff, but they also aren’t shying away from the idea of him working his way into the starting job. Fisher even indicated that Goff’s reps with the second- and, eventually, the first-team offense could come sooner than later.
“He’s going to get more and more reps,” Fisher said. “There may be a day when he gets all the No. 1 reps before we’re done with camp. That certainly doesn’t mean to say that he’s won the job, but it means to say he’s developing in the offense and you want to give him that opportunity.
“It’s different when you’re under center and you’re working with the starting tight ends and the starting receivers as opposed to an undrafted receiver who doesn’t have the complete understanding of the offense and breaks a route off short and he ends up throwing an interception, and then you go, ‘Oh, it’s the quarterback’s fault.’ So it’s a progression. That’s the best way to describe it.”
For Goff, it’s a progression that’s only beginning but feels plenty familiar.
June 8, 2016 at 9:57 am #45605znModeratorfrom NFL rookie projections: Will Ezekiel Elliott live up to the hype?
By Bucky Brooks
Gared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams
Best-case scenario: The Rams ease their franchise quarterback into the role by relying heavily on Todd Gurley to carry the offensive load. The 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year sets the table for the offense with his electric running skills, which forces opponents to use eight-man boxes (or seven-man fronts against one-back sets) to slow down the Rams’ new shotgun-heavy attack. With the team featuring a number of quick-rhythm pass concepts designed to get the ball out of Goff’s hands quickly, the one-on-one matchups created by Gurley’s presence could help the rookie get off to a fast start in Hollywood as he quickly develops a strong rapport with Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt in the passing game.My projection: 3,300 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
June 9, 2016 at 9:46 am #45715znModeratorBest-, worst-case rookie projections for Rams’ Jared Goff
Nick Wagoner
OXNARD, Calif. — Last month, we used our corner of cyberspace to offer up some realistic best-case projections for what the Los Angeles Rams can reasonably expect to get from quarterback Jared Goff in his rookie season.
If things go well and the Rams protect Goff, statistics in line with what Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did his rookie season (2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 regular-season starts) would go a long way toward helping the Rams get over the hump to a winning record for the first time since 2003.
Over at NFL.com, Bucky Brooks recently provided his list of the best- and worst-case scenarios for some top rookies, including Goff.
Brooks wrote that in Goff’s best-case scenario, the Rams can lean on running back Todd Gurley to take the pressure off, and when teams load up to stop Gurley, the Rams can allow Goff to use passing concepts that require him to get the ball out quickly and stay upright. The worst case, according to Brooks, would be teams stopping Gurley consistently and forcing Goff to try to carry the offensive load against the stout defenses of the NFC West.
All told, Brooks predicted a season with 3,300 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Those numbers would be comparable to Roethlisberger’s rookie season and more than acceptable for a rookie making the transition to the NFL.
June 9, 2016 at 5:43 pm #45777znModeratorJared Goff continues to impress at Rams workouts
By Gary Klein
http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-ota-20160608-snap-story.html
The rookie quarterback calmly surveyed the defense, took the snap and looked for receivers amid the pass rush before tucking the ball and scrambling into the end zone for a touchdown.
It was one of the final plays of the Rams’ workout Wednesday, and Jared Goff continued to show something new.
That has been the theme through five organized team activities practices in Oxnard, where the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft continues to progress.
Goff was not made available to reporters Wednesday, but coaches and teammates said that despite expected miscues, the rookie has impressed during the noncontact practices.
“I can’t wait till he gets it all down,” cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. “He’s learned the playbook fine. Once he gets comfortable, the sky is the limit for him.”
As he did in previous workouts, Goff had a few passes intercepted. But he also connected with receivers on several difficult throws, including one to undrafted free agent Nelson Spruce for a touchdown.
Coach Jeff Fisher praised Goff’s ability to bounce back.
“Jared saw a couple things out here that he hadn’t seen before, and the ball ends up in the defensive players hands,” Fisher said. “The best thing … was he walks in the huddle and goes, ‘Hey, that was on me. Let’s go to the next play and we’ll go on.’
“He doesn’t dwell on things.”
Goff also seeks feedback.
Receiver Pharoh Cooper, a fourth-round draft pick, said Goff consults with him after bad plays to review coverages or quickly review why a play broke down.
“That’s kind of good things you notice in him, just trying to build his leadership,” Cooper said.
Goff, like many new players, is struggling at times because “there’s a lot of thinking going on,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said.
“There’s going to be good and bad,” he said. “It’s just don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Boras knew Goff’s skill set from studying him on film. The coach is learning other parts of the quarterback’s makeup.
“We all heard how competitive he is — and you feel it,” Boras said, adding, “We knew the ability he has as a passer. It’s just kind of undressing those other things.”
Goff, Cooper and other drafted rookies are expected to sign contracts Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation said.
Rookie contracts are slotted, so Goff’s contract will slightly exceed the four-year, $26.7-million deal that No. 2 pick Carson Wentz signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz’s deal included a $17.6-million signing bonus.
Stedman Bailey update
Receiver Stedman Bailey cleared waivers and will be placed on the Rams’ non-football injury list.
Bailey, who is recovering from gunshot wounds to the head suffered last November, has not been cleared for football activities and will not play this season.
“As I’ve said numerous times, he’s lucky to be alive,” Fisher said. “I’m so impressed he’s gotten back into shape and is willing to play. But there really, at this point, is no medical research that will permit him to play.”
Bailey still will have a role with the Rams, Fisher said.
“I’m going to be selfish and try to bring him over on the coaching side,” he said, adding, “There’s a lot of work behind the scenes that needs to be done, so we’ll put him behind a desk and bring him out on the field and see how he likes it.”
Quick hits
Quarterback Dylan Thompson, who signed this week, practiced for the first time. Thompson played with Cooper at South Carolina. “We had a couple good plays,” Cooper said, grinning.
June 9, 2016 at 6:33 pm #45781
AgamemnonParticipantI believe, unless Goff gets hurt, the plan is to start him in the first game and he never comes out, no matter what Fisher says. 😉
AgamemnonJune 9, 2016 at 9:04 pm #45788InvaderRamModeratorwell fisher has said that the plan is for goff to start week 1. he said almost those exact words, so i believe that’s the plan.
of course. goff could really stink. and then he doesn’t start week 1. but everything is geared toward starting the first game.
June 17, 2016 at 11:13 pm #46474znModeratorJared Goff still saying all the right things, but he’s not the starter yet
Dylan Hernandez
http://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/la-sp-rams-hernandez-20160617-snap-story.html
As Jared Goff addressed his status as the face of an NFL franchise in the country’s second-largest market, he sounded awfully similar to the most dominant athlete in town.
“I’m very honored that they decided to do what they did, trade the picks to take me with the first pick,” Goff said. “I don’t take it lightly at all.”
But …
“I want to win some games before I worry about all that stuff,” he said.
This was a classic Clayton Kershaw delivery, a polite acknowledgment of public sentiment while simultaneously informing fans of his main priorities.
Seven weeks after Goff said all the right things at his introductory news conference, the rookie quarterback was still saying all the right things Thursday in the Coliseum at an unofficial welcome-back party for the Rams hosted by the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission.
Goff came across as polite but serious, guarded but honest. When asked light-hearted questions — about his interactions with one-time social-media nemesis Yasiel Puig, for example — Goff offered respectful but short responses. His most expansive answers pertained to the work he would put in to become the quarterback the Rams envision.
He went out of his way to mention that he plans to live north of Los Angeles, the implication that he wants to be close as possible to the team’s training facility in Thousand Oaks.
“I’m not naïve to the fact that I need to be able to play well and win if I want to enjoy this city and whatever comes with it,” said Goff, the son of former major league catcher Jerry Goff.
The kid projects a confidence that indicates he knows where he wants to go and has a general idea of how he plans to get there. He might not light up a room, but he should command respect, so long as he performs.
While his measure as a quarterback won’t be known until he is hit by an NFL defensive end or linebacker charging at him at full speed, his demeanor continues to inspire confidence.
Goff is already the story of this off-season.
“Focal point,” said Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, who is intimately familiar with the role.
Dickerson was one of the guest speakers at the Coliseum on Thursday, along with the likes of Jim Everett, Jeff Fisher and Les Snead. Even in this company, Goff was the star in the eyes of the fans who paid $550 to enter the gates of the stadium.
The question on everyone’s mind was about the 21-year-old.
More specifically: When will Goff replace Case Keenum as the Rams’ starting quarterback?
Fisher offered no clarity, probably because he couldn’t.
“It’s play them when they’re ready,” Fisher said. “You can set them back if you play them too soon. When that is, I don’t know. That may be the opener, that may be some time after.”
Only so much can be revealed by practicing in shorts without pads, as Goff and the Rams did in their recently completed organized team activities in Oxnard.
That being the case, Goff should be under great scrutiny in training camp, which starts late next month at UC Irvine.
The NFL’s preseason is generally unworthy of significant attention, but that won’t be the case here. Goff’s development and readiness will be measured in these exhibition games.
“You still have to connect brain tissue to athletic ability and that takes time,” Everett said. “There’s no substitute for experience. I have a feeling that Jared, just like Troy Aikman, just like some of the other young guys, like myself in my first year, will have to learn on the job.”
Especially when lining up behind a young offensive line.
But Everett acknowledged that learning curves for quarterbacks are shorter today than when he played.
“They don’t get hit as much,” Everett said.
In addition to rule changes, Everett mentioned how quarterbacks are now protected from late hits by the various cameras that are set up around stadiums.
“Back in the day, if the ref didn’t see it, you got away with it,” Everett said.
The Rams play their first preseason game Aug. 13 at home against the Dallas Cowboys. Their first regular-season game is Sept. 12, on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.
“The No. 1 thing is they need him,” Everett said. “They really do need him and they need him to play at a higher level early.”
Los Angeles will be watching.
June 18, 2016 at 12:05 am #46475znModeratorJune 19, 2016 at 5:35 pm #46623znModeratorFisher on how, when Jared Goff can earn Rams’ starting QB job
Eric Edholm
I caught up with Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher on the phone right after he had put a bow on the team’s OTAs and sent the team packing until training camp. There’s one player who will have a little extra summer homework as he prepares for the Rams’ first camp back on the west coast after its relocation.
That would be No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff, who has the chance to start this season but will not be handed the job, Fisher said, according to some prescribed plan. Fisher said Goff is in control of when he can wrest the job away from de facto starter Case Keenum but that nothing is guaranteed or assured for the rookie right now.
“We’ll start him when he’s ready. That’s what I’ve been saying, and that’s what I told him and them [Goff’s teammates],” Fisher told Shutdown Corner. “Is it the opener? That I don’t know. We’ve got that option [with Keenum] and can easily go that route and be good with that. We’re not locked in there.
“Just as I told you last summer, we were not going to set a timetable with Todd [Gurley] only to change it. Now, that was a different deal with an injury, and it’s a different position. But same philosophy. The schedule on this thing could change every day up until [the opener].”
What Fisher has been able to glean thus far is that Goff has what it takes physically, backing up what the coach said he and his staff could see on tape and in workouts with their young quarterback. “Nothing has changed there,” Fisher said. “We saw the physical tools there, and we’ve seen them now. They’re just what we thought, and actually they might be even better than we thought.”
He has received first-team reps and also been relegated to work with the reserves, which includes several rookie receivers, with the hope being that they mesh with Goff. But the Rams are not dialing much back so far with him otherwise.
It might be common practice this time of year to play vanilla coverages and fronts in OTA sessions because NFL teams are allotted so few of them. But the Rams are taking the opposite approach: It works twofold because this is a talented, experienced defense that can handle a lot and that the multiple looks the Rams are throwing at Goff are serving to speed up his education before he gets to camp.
“We are what we call a hybrid defense, I’d say,” Fisher said. “We used a lot of different fronts — over, under, odd, even — with our groupings, and [Goff] is seeing a lot of that now so far. He’s done a great job to this point thus far of seeing these looks, dissecting them quickly and making decisions.”
Have the Rams tricked him a few times?
“Oh sure, but what you notice is he plays the position like a quarterback, like a veteran,” Fisher said. “I haven’t seen his head slung down once. [Goff] makes a mistake and he’s jumping back in that huddle and getting them lined up for the next play.”
Fisher believes some of that comes from the fact that Goff started as a true freshman at Cal on a completely rebooted team and faced not only weekly adversity, but also a ton of pressure — internal and external — on a daily basis.
“You saw how he handled everything that was thrown at him at Berkeley, and you know that made him tougher, made him smarter,” Fisher said. “He’s not letting one bad play bother him because it shouldn’t. All the good ones have some of that somewhere.”
Jared Goff has reached out to Blake Bortles, Marcus Mariota for advice. Yahoo’s Jackie Bamberger spoke with Goff, who said that advice from Blake Bortles and Marcus Mariota, plus a few former Rams quarterbacks, has helped him as he gets ready for camp. Fisher noted that Goff is “doing what he needs to do” to master the Rams offense to this point and put himself in a position to earn that starting spot.
It has been a while since Fisher has worked with a rookie quarterback who had a realistic chance to earn a starting job early on — a decade, in fact. That would be Vince Young in 2006, with the Tennessee Titans. Although we since have found out that Young wasn’t Fisher’s first choice, the Titans took the ball away from incumbent starter Kerry Collins after the first three games of the regular season before giving Young a chance to start.
Fisher would not compare the two situations, saying they were vastly different, but did say he was able to learn from that experience and the experience of working with other first-year quarterbacks. Some things work, and others do not. One thing Fisher believes is bad no matter what: Starting a rookie QB before his time.
“What you don’t want to do is set him up to fail,” Fisher said. “That’s not what you want to do with a young quarterback, and we don’t intend to. Nothing is set in stone there.”
June 19, 2016 at 5:55 pm #46624AgamemnonParticipantLooking at next year, I don’t think it makes much difference which game Goff starts this year. By next year Goff should be Ok regardless of how he starts this year. I think he should start at least 10 games this year.
AgamemnonJune 20, 2016 at 4:05 pm #46708znModeratorfrom What to watch for during the NFL’s quiet period
By Conor Orr
4. What will Jared Goff be doing this summer? NFL Media’s Steve Wyche recently noted that Goff is “nowhere near” ready to start an NFL game Week 1, and while that is more of a reflection of the rookie learning curve as a whole, it bears watching. What Wyche meant, to be clear, was that Goff was in the midst of the fire hose preparation that often takes place this time of year. Players are asked to digest a lot of information fast, and Goff has to learn all of this with the aid of third-string players. Will anything trickle out of Rams camp that tempers our expectations? Not seeing Goff start the opener would be a tremendous disappointment for the Rams. Not only did they move the club to Los Angeles this offseason, but they mortgaged their near future on the hope that Goff would be the B-12 shot this offense so desperately needs.
June 20, 2016 at 4:06 pm #46709znModeratorfrom What to watch for during the NFL’s quiet period
By Conor Orr
Not seeing Goff start the opener would be a tremendous disappointment for the Rams.
Not really. For some of us, not all of us.
.
June 21, 2016 at 1:04 pm #46758
snowmanParticipantBleacher Report on how long Keenum will be the Rams starter
Short article, not much actually.
June 21, 2016 at 2:54 pm #46768AgamemnonParticipantIs Jared Goff as ready to start as Russell Wilson was as a rookie?
The “NFL Total Access” crew compares Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Is Goff as ready to start as a rookie as Wilson was?
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