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Photographic evidence that Jared Goff is a much better QB
Alden Gonzalez
Jared Goff won zero games through seven starts in 2016, but he has won five games through seven starts in 2017.
He absorbed 26 sacks in the Los Angeles Rams’ final seven games last season, but only 10 in the first seven this season.
As a rookie, 2016’s No. 1 overall pick completed 54.6 percent of his passes, averaged 4.3 yards per attempt, threw five touchdowns to seven interceptions and posted a Total QBR of 18.3. As a second-year player, he has completed 59.9 percent of his passes, averaged 7.7 yards per attempt, thrown nine touchdowns to four interceptions and posted a Total QBR of 53.6.
So, yeah, things are looking up for Goff.
He isn’t an elite quarterback yet, but there’s restored hope in the belief that he someday might be. And there’s comfort in knowing that he is at least serviceable now, less than two weeks removed from his 23rd birthday. A lot of the credit for the improvement has been directed at Goff’s surroundings — he’s operating under a friendlier scheme, while taking snaps behind a better offensive line and throwing to a more dynamic group of receivers.
But Goff himself got better, too.
“He’s done a good job of improving throughout this first part of the season,” Rams first-year head coach Sean McVay said. “I think he’s gotten better and better. Any time that you’re able to learn from your experiences, both good and bad, you’re going to give yourself a chance for growth.”
Below are five screen grabs to help illustrate that growth. Three were taken from the best game of Goff’s professional life, when he went 22-of-28 for 292 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 21. Two others were taken from Goff’s worst performance of the year, when he turned the ball over three times in an Oct. 8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
While Goff sat through the first half last year, former Rams quarterback Jim Everett identified him as someone who can “visualize the deep ball better than anyone on that roster.” After studying film from 2016, McVay saw past Goff’s struggles and continually referenced his “arm talent.”
It showed in the throw above, a 47-yard completion to Sammy Watkins.
Watkins made a nice over-the-shoulder catch. But Goff stepped up into the pocket off play-action and dropped that throw in the only place he could, right between two defenders downfield. Goff has already completed 27 passes that have traveled at least 15 yards through the air, third-most in the NFL. Last year, he completed only 10 such passes.
On that play, Watkins said Goff “threw a great ball to protect me from the safety.”
There may not be a more impressive Goff throw than this one, which somehow resulted in a 31-yard completion to Robert Woods.
Niners defensive lineman Arik Armstead found himself free on a stunt and was bearing down on Goff. But Goff moved to his right, then uncorked a deep ball to the right sideline off one foot. The throw was perfectly placed in Woods’ back shoulder, allowing him to make the catch despite very tight coverage.
Goff has only completed 36.7 percent of his passes outside the pocket this season (ranked 26th among 32 qualified quarterbacks) and only 37.7 percent of his passes when pressured (24th). But that throw was proof that he has the talent to get it done in those situations, too.
Goff may not have Carson Wentz’s athleticism, but he has been known to surprise people with the way he moves. And this year, his pocket awareness and overall patience has allowed him to run free when things break down.
The play above is a prime example. It was third-and-10 from midfield at the 13-minute mark of the third quarter, and the Seahawks brought the blitz. Six defenders went after Goff, but they left the middle of the field wide open. Goff dropped back, then immediately sprinted ahead, navigating towards the sideline and running safely out of bounds for a 22-yard run, the longest of his career.
Goff has run for 45 yards this year, nearly three times what he ran for as a rookie. Two weeks after that game, in a 33-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals from London, he had a 9-yard run that resulted in his first rushing touchdown of the season — on a read-option.
“I’ve been begging them to call that for a long time now,” Goff said. “For a few weeks. I keep going, ‘Call it, call it, call it.’ And so when it came in, I was like, ‘All right, here we go.'”
This play resulted in an incompletion, but it could’ve easily been the game-winning score — largely because of what Goff did before getting rid of the football. Trailing by six with 67 seconds remaining and no timeouts, Goff hit on a 35-yard pass and a 20-yard pass to get to the Seahawks’ 20-yard line. That brings us to the play pictured above, on third-and-10 with 12 seconds left.
Check out where Goff’s eyes were directed. Five-time Pro Bowler Earl Thomas, lined up as the single-high safety, was trying to bait Goff into an interception. But Goff looked him off, making Thomas dart to his right. That allowed Cooper Kupp to get free on a skinny post near the middle of the end zone. Goff reset, then delivered the throw on time and on target. But it went off Kupp’s fingertips and fell harmlessly to the ground.
The Rams lost, but Thomas was impressed with the way he was taken out of that play.
“Hats off to Goff,” Thomas said after the game. “He’s way better than last year.”
Of all the plays Goff made in that Thursday night game near his hometown, this is the one his coaches raved about.
It wasn’t flashy, but it came in a big spot and was the product of sensible decision-making. Facing third-and-10, with the Rams up by eight from the 49ers’ 46-yard line in the fourth quarter, Goff dropped back and scanned the field. He quickly went through all of his progressions, didn’t see anyone open and instead dumped it off to Todd Gurley, who turned it into a 27-yard gain to help set up another touchdown.
Goff kept it simple and didn’t force it, which might be the area where he has made the biggest strides as a second-year quarterback. Goff has combined for only three turnovers in six of his seven games. His 2.25 touchdown-to-interception ratio is only slightly above the NFL average (1.92), but it’s significantly better than the 0.71 mark he carried as a rookie.
McVay has made it a point not to heap effusive praise on Goff, but he has also made sure not to set the expectations too high.
“We just want him to continue to take those daily steps, and he’s done that and been receptive,” McVay said, crediting offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and quarterbacks coach Greg Olson for Goff’s continued development. “We’re in a good place. By no means are we where we want to be, but I think he’s doing a great job of leading. And that’s a credit to Jared.â
Enh. Sounds like the corporate version of âlife coaches.â Sounds like stuff you could learn in âEverything you need to know you learn in Kindergartenâ books.
At any rate, whatever the Patriots have is special. Year after year after year after year they continue to be great. Players change, and it doesnt matter. Its unlike anything else in pro football. No NFL team has duplicated it. Is it Belichick? Belichick and Brady? Something more?
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vI honestly don’t think it’s unique. It’s just a version of what we already saw with the Shula Dolphins, the Noll Steelers, or the Walsh 9ers. And a coupla others too.
Heck Walsh did it with 2 different qbs. Shula did it with 3 different qbs (Griese, Morrall, Marino).
Yeah in terms of Forde I am not real big on “consultants” stuff. But apparently they had issues last year in the front office, not just on the field, and they were interested in getting everyone on the same page. So far that has worked. So…so be it. It worked. Forde gets his money, Rams get their “winning culture,” fans get to argue about it. Everyone’s happy.
