Alt-right troll Milo Yiannopoulos gets schooled on live TV

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/m/5053953d-3bf1-3058-8b8e-de01fb3f73ba/ss_alt-right-troll-milo.html

The millennial mascot of the alt-right was forced into a confusing set of contradictions Thursday on live television.

Breitbart News writer Milo Yiannopoulos was interviewed by Channel 4 News in the UK about his past statements that women offended online should just “log off” the internet and his assertion that, actually, Islam is the real culprit of rape culture.

When journalist Cathy Newman challenged him on the empty and unsettling claim that Muslim immigration is somehow linked to rape culture, Yiannopoulos retorted with just, “Am I wrong about that?”

And, rather than defending his words, he mostly tried to laugh them off. Newman wasn’t having it.

“Are we supposed to just soak that up and take it all as just one big joke?” she asked him.

“You’re supposed to treat it as it’s intended and not wrench it from context,” he replied, not explaining what the context was.

Then, he switched strategies. He went back to calling it all a joke, or better yet, a “provocation.”

“You know perfectly well that it is a provocation designed to make people think and perhaps to make them laugh.”

Hmm … well, this is where it gets interesting.

Newman then asked Yiannopoulos about his boss, alt-right extremist and Breitbart chairman-turned-chief White House strategist Steve Bannon, who led Breibart as it grew increasingly radical with headlines like, “Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy.”

“What does it mean that someone who delighted in offending people, who delighted in having a laugh at Muslims and women, is now at the center of power?” Newman asked Yiannopoulos.

“I delight in offending people. I think the grievance brigade, victimhood, the idea that hurt feelings are some kind of special currency — I think that needs to come to an end,” Yiannopoulos responded.

Bannon shouldn’t be worried about people’s feelings, he added. And why is that?

“Because America has been ruled for 30 years by people who are too worried about what other people feel, not what other people think. And too worried about feelings versus facts,” he continued, saying “social justice warriors,” feminists and the Black Lives Matter movement are “preoccupied with feelings first and facts later.”

“They spread conspiracy theories and propaganda about the wage gap and campus rape culture,” he said with a cringe. “This stuff isn’t real.”

Well, actually, those things are real. Unfortunately, research has shown that at least one in five female college students has faced sexual abuse or assault (and many cases go unreported). And the wage gap is very real, with women earning consistently less — from 58 cents to 87 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

Challenged again by Newman, he followed up the non-facts with this:

“I care about facts,” he said. “I don’t care about your feelings.”

And then things got more confusing. Newman brought up another past statement of his, in which he said we’re living in a “post-fact universe.”

And then Yiannopoulos was like, actually, facts aren’t everything.

“Just telling the facts are no longer enough,” he responded. “You now have to be persuasive, charismatic, interesting and funny. Just telling people things isn’t enough anymore.”

What a tangled web we weave.

wv wrote:

How’s Chris Long been doing? Anybody know?

w
v

He’s a good, if not splashy, role player in the Patz “slash” type DL/LB role. He has actually taken more snaps than any other Patz DL. But again that’s not a splashy group so stats don’t pile up. He has 1 sack and 21 tkls/assists. The Rams depend a lot more on aggressive individual playmaking, so those would not look like good stats from a Rams DE…but for a Patz machine style player, it seems to be decent.

Mackeyser wrote:

Both of them reading a book about eating ass…LMFAO!

And then looking askance at one another’s book and rolling their eyes.

One book is about “making it simple,” another book is about the “intricacies.”

So each rolls their eyes at the other.

wv wrote:

Moore argued EPA’s regulations “are intentionally designed to shut down our domestic energy industry.” …

Well let’s see how much damage can be done in 4 years.

Or we can wait for the future and write books for curious europeans. Like, 2016 and the Auto-Destruction of American Empire. That would probably be marketable about the time the coastlines begin to disappear.

A warning to the world about the dangers of christian fundamentalism.

Here’s why now was the time for Jared Goff to become Rams’ No. 1 QB

Charles Robinson

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/heres-why-now-was-the-time-for-jared-goff-to-become-rams-no-1-qb-232524146.html

Quarterback Jared Goff has progressed past the rudimentary stages of learning and is ready for the next step in his offensive development. That’s why he will finally start Sunday for the Los Angeles Rams, a league source told Yahoo Sports.
It’s not because head coach Jeff Fisher feels the need for a spark. And it’s not because general manager Les Snead is feeling pressure to get the No. 1 overall pick onto the field. The source said the timing is a matter of Goff having illustrated to the staff that he’s ready to graduate inside a fairly patient plan. That’s what has kept Goff off the field up to this point – his absorption of the scheme and ability to make quick assessments and correct decisions during his reps.

In the end, it was never really veteran Case Keenum who stood in the way. Instead, it was always Goff who controlled the winds of change with his progress. And until about two weeks ago, that advancement was steady but incremental.
The Rams staff has known this day was advancing quickly since watching Goff take reps with the first-team offense during the Week 8 bye, the source said. Goff had a chance to illustrate that he was processing information more rapidly and accurately, translating classroom work onto the field without having to ask questions. Once the staff saw his processing pick up with regularity, the decision to elevate him to the starting spot became a matter of picking the right time.
This week against the Miami Dolphins was most suitable because it gives Goff an opportunity to open at home, a window that wouldn’t be available again until Dec. 11. And with no guarantee of postseason games, waiting that long might not leave enough time in the regular season (only four games) for Goff to make adjustments or rebound from any struggles.
The final seven games represent a mini-season of sorts, with plenty of time to absorb an array of scenarios. This week also gives Goff an opportunity to break the seal on his regular season one week before a four-game slate that will challenge the offense considerably. After the Dolphins, the Rams (4-5) face the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots in back-to-back road games that will require a scoring clip far higher than the 15.4 points Los Angeles has been averaging. Then comes another potential shootout with the Atlanta Falcons, before a Dec. 15 (Thursday night) game on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, who are suddenly looking like an NFC elite again.
Nobody on the Rams staff is kidding themselves about that stretch. It will be a trial by fire for Goff and the players around him who are tasked with finding quick continuity under trying circumstances. It’s also coming at a time when the fan base has grown restless – displayed most obviously when the home crowd was chanting for a Goff insertion during the 13-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Nov. 6.
But fans shouldn’t expect the offense to suddenly catch lightning in a bottle. The scheme isn’t suddenly changing, nor are the skill position players surrounding the quarterback likely to flip a switch and play at an All-Pro level. That’s not what this change is about. Plain and simple, it’s about Goff’s next step in his education – getting a glimpse at where he’s headed and what work needs to be done over the next seven weeks and into the offseason. It’s also about figuring out what parts of the scheme suit him best, where tweaks can be made and what personnel needs are most pressing as it pertains to building around Goff.
Until all of that information can be culled, the most positive aspect of this move is this: The Rams are finally getting some traction in fully integrating Goff into a pro-style system. From his first few months after the draft, the staff knew their biggest hurdle: implementing its pro-style scheme and pushing Goff beyond the fairly simple no-huddle spread offense he ran for three seasons in college. The Rams are finally starting to feel comfortable in that effort.
It doesn’t mean Goff will be a revelation. It doesn’t even mean he’ll be good during this seven-game stretch. It means that he becomes only the second rookie quarterback this season who is being elevated at the choosing of his staff. While a lot has been made about five other rookie quarterbacks already having started this season, the reality is only one of them – the Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz – got his first start strictly out of a staff assessment that he was the best quarterback to start. All the others (even the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott) got opportunities that were advanced because of injuries.
Goff didn’t get that. Instead, he had another luxury: A coaching staff and front office that refused to put him onto the field before they felt it was the proper step. Whether they were right in their assessment remains to be seen. But there’s no denying the Rams took their time with this move.
Now it’s on Goff to show two things: That the Rams took all the right steps leading to this moment, and that he’s ready to return the patience with his biggest stride yet.

Rams quarterback Case Keenum on demotion: ‘Honestly, I wasn’t happy. I want to play’

RICH HAMMOND

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/keenum-735721-goff-rams.html

THOUSAND OAKS – The transition might have been inevitable, but it didn’t sting Case Keenum any less.

On April 14, the Rams traded up for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and Keenum, a reasonable, intelligent man, knew the future. The Rams would draft a quarterback. That rookie eventually would take his job, almost certainly before the end of the season. Still, Tuesday’s news, the loss of his starting job, stung.

“Obviously surprised,” Keenum said of his reaction. “Honestly, I wasn’t happy. I want to play.”

It’s not going to happen, barring an injury. Jared Goff is the Rams’ quarterback for the rest of this season and Keenum, who battled up from the practice squad to win the starting job, is the backup.

Goff, Coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Rob Boras have been effusive with their praise of Keenum’s play and attitude. Boras went so far as to say he loves Keenum dearly. They talked about how he would remain a captain and help Goff, and how his attitude would help the Rams win games.

Keenum? He said all the correct things after Wednesday’s practice, but not surprisingly, he was not in a light, joking mood, one that suggested he had reached a level of peace with the job changed.

Asked if it surprised him to lose his job after a victory, Keenum said, “Yeah. Yeah it did.” Asked if he could share the explanation he got for the change, Keenum said, “No. That’s Coach Fisher. Ask him.”

It’s fairly obvious, though. Jeff Fisher said consistently, since April, that Goff would play when he showed himself ready. Not necessarily when Keenum struggled, not at any predetermined point. The competition, such as it was, was always Goff vs. Goff, not Goff vs. Keenum.

Now, at least in Fisher’s eyes, Goff is ready. Fisher informed his coaches of the impending change Monday night, so they could factor it into the game plan, which is handed over to players on Tuesday.

Not much will change, offensive coordinator Rob Boras said. The Rams will continue to script their first 16 plays, and Boras and Goff will discuss which plays Goff feels most comfortable running. With his greater arm strength, Goff might allow the Rams to expand their play-calling and throw deep often.

“We’re going to find out,” Boras said. “He’s tall. It’s a big man’s game at a lot of positions. He’s tall. He can see. Everything we talked about. His delivery. How quick he is. He’s decisive. We saw how tough he was at Cal. We hope he doesn’t have to be that tough and take hits, but we saw his toughness. His ability to escape and make plays. His intelligence. We’re excited about seeing him take off on Sunday.”

Goff wasn’t made available to reporters Wednesday, and won’t be until after Sunday’s game against Miami. Boras praised Goff’s practice, even though there’s a worrisome spot.

Starting center Tim Barnes missed practice with a foot injury he sustained late in Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets. Backup Demetrius Rhaney would take over for Barnes, who has made 25 consecutive starts, and the Rams would have a rookie quarterback and a new center, a scary proposition.

Still, the Rams have expressed optimism that Goff can improve the Rams’ often moribund offense.

“He’s excited, as he should be,” Fisher said. “It’s a challenge. This game is not going to define his career. It’s a good defense but he’s excited about the opportunity. He’s working hard. He’s great in the huddle. The offensive group just moved on and they’re excited about it.”

Perhaps, but teammates also seemed to be sad for Keenum. Offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said he was a little surprised that the move was made after a victory but that the line would do everything possible to support Goff.

Asked what he would tell Rams fans, who chanted for Goff two weeks ago during a home loss to Carolina, Saffold said, “You got what you wanted, so be out there in full force.”

Many got what they wanted. Not Keenum, who went 7-7 as a starter. That’s not bad, since expectations were low for Keenum, who went undrafted then briefly held a starting job with the Houston Texans.

Keenum said he has accepted his role and would continue to do everything possible – on the field, in the film room and in the locker room – to help Goff, but Keenum retained something of a defiant streak.

Asked about the things he brought to the team (during his starting stint), Keenum interrupted with, “What I still bring to the team.” Keenum said that even though he was aware of Goff’s presence and what it meant, he didn’t look over his shoulder this season and “took ownership” of the Rams’ offense.

“There’s always stuff I could have done better,” Keenum said, “but I thought I put my team in a chance to win. Obviously we didn’t win, and there’s a lot of games that we’d like back and feel like we should have won, but that happens across the league. And we’re still in the hunt. We’re still in the playoff hunt.”

— X — wrote:

David Horowitz (a Jew) wrote that article. A Jew writing about another Jew is not anti-Semitic, and it doesn’t make Bannon anti-Semitic by virtue of transitive property.

I know. I never said he was anti-semitic. He has been accused of that, but I think of him more as a typical hard right catholic type (of a kind with which I am very familiar) who is going to be more clueless about these kinds of issues than overtly bigoted, even in his own mind. He is actually very similar to our governor (LePage).

And at the same time I believe HIM, though, when he says that the alt.right definitely includes anti-semitic sentiment (from my post above, Bannon speaking:) “Are there anti-Semitic people involved in the alt-right? Absolutely. Are there racist people involved in the alt-right? Absolutely. But I don’t believe that the movement overall is anti-Semitic.”

• This reply was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by zn.

Just stuff from different sources.

***

Steve Bannon: “Trump is a product of a seething populism and nationalism that is the driving political force.”
“Are there racist people involved in the alt-right? Absolutely.”
“I do not believe we have a major race problem in this country. I just don’t.”

***

from Karen Hunter’s program on SiriusXM radio in July, Bannon denied systemic racism too. How? Well using his own life experience, of course:

I don’t think it’s a systemic race problem in this country … My own life experience. I’ve just seen in communities like Richmond, Virginia and in the United States military when I was a naval officer … I don’t see systemic racism in the military. I don’t see systemic racism in these communities.”

***

Then he went on to localize that fun thing that white people say when they note that President Obama is black, as though that means everything is fixed: “Cities like Richmond and Baltimore and Philadelphia have black mayors, have black city councils, have black police commissioners. How can it be systemically racist if these men and women today are actually in control of the city?”

***

Here is a sampling of some articles published during Mr. Bannon’s tenure that drew criticism:

• “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy” A December 2015 article by Milo Yiannopoulos, who was later barred from Twitter when he was accused of inciting racist and sexist attacks on the actress Leslie Jones, told women that birth control “makes you fat,” “makes your voice unsexy,” “makes you jiggle wrong,” “makes you a slut” and “makes you unsexy all the time.”

• “Roger Stone: Huma Abedin ‘Most Likely a Saudi Spy’ With ‘Deep, Inarguable Connections’ to ‘Global Terrorist Entity’” A June 2016 article by Dan Riehl chronicled the belief of Mr. Stone, a Trump adviser, that Ms. Abedin, an aide to Hillary Clinton, was connected to a terrorist conspiracy.

• “There’s No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews” A July 2016 article by Mr. Yiannopoulos argued that it was women’s fault that tech firms hired so few of them.

• “The Solution to Online ‘Harassment’ Is Simple: Women Should Log Off” A July 2016 article by Mr. Yiannopoulos argued that women were “screwing up the internet for men by invading every space we have online and ruining it with attention-seeking and a needy, demanding, touchy-feely form of modern feminism.”

***

Bannon also argued that “the progressive narrative … is all about victimhood,” and suggested that the push for equal rights for minorities is about unfairly claiming they were being oppressed. According to BuzzFeed, Bannon said, They’re either a victim of race. They’re victim of their sexual preference. They’re a victim of gender. All about victimhood and the United States is the great oppressor, not the great liberator.

***

Then, according to The Hill, there was the more recent article, written about Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, which he titled, “Bill Kristol: Republican spoiler, renegade Jew.” Some have argued, of course, that Yiannopoulos, not Bannon, should be the only criticized for these pieces (and, uh, to be clear, he totally should), but according to Vanity Fair, Bannon was behind Yiannopoulos all the way, and told the magazine, “did you hear about Milo? It’s great.”

***

But while Bannon seems to consider himself separate from anyone identifying as a racist, according to NBC News, in a sworn declaration in a 2007 court filing, Bannon’s ex-wife accused him of making anti-Semitic comments about their daughters’ private school, The Archer School for Girls. According to the document, Bannon said, “…the biggest problem he had with Archer is the number of Jews that attend. He said that he doesn’t like Jews and that he doesn’t like the way they raise their kids to be ‘whiney brats’ and that he didn’t want the girls going to school with Jews.” In a tweet Sunday, John Weaver, former chief strategist for Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s presidential campaign, took Bannon to task, calling him a “racist” and an “anti-Semite.” But Bannon’s rep denied that he made any anti-Semitic remarks, and told NBC “Mr. Bannon never said anything like that and proudly sent the girls to Archer for their middle school and high school educations.” (Romper’s request for comment was not immediately returned.)

***

On charges of anti-Semitism from former Breitbart editor-at-large Ben Shapiro “Are there anti-Semitic people involved in the alt-right? Absolutely. Are there racist people involved in the alt-right? Absolutely. But I don’t believe that the movement overall is anti-Semitic.”

***

The Southern Poverty Law Center Has Described Breitbart as Being on the ‘Extremist Fringe’
Trump campaign CEO and former executive chairman of Breitbart News Steve Bannon arrives for the Wisconsin rally. The center, which tracks hate groups in the country, labeled Breitbart part of the “extremist fringe of the conservative right. Racist ideas. Anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideas –– all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the ‘alt-right.’” The SPLC defined the alt-right as “a loose set of far-right ideologies at the core of which is a belief that ‘white identity’ is under attack through policies prioritizing multiculturalism, political correctness and social justice and must be preserved, usually through white-identified online communities and physical ethno-states.”

***

Mother Jones says Breitbart has cheered “white nationalist groups as an ‘eclectic mix of renegades,’ accusing President Barack Obama of importing ‘more hating Muslims,’ and waging an incessant war against the purveyors of ‘political correctness.’” Mother Jones quoted Bannon as denying the alt-right is “inherently racist. He describes its ideology as ‘nationalist,’ though not necessarily white nationalist.” Mother Jones said he compared the Alt-Right to European nationalist parties and said, “If you look at the identity movements over there in Europe, I think a lot of [them] are really ‘Polish identity’ or ‘German identity,’ not racial identity. It’s more identity toward a nation-state.”

***

Under Bannon’s Leadership, Breitbart Openly Embraced The White Supremacist Alt-Right. Andrew Breitbart despised racism. Truly despised it. He used to brag regularly about helping to integrate his fraternity at Tulane University. He insisted that racial stories be treated with special care to avoid even the whiff of racism. With Bannon embracing Trump, all that changed. Now Breitbart has become the alt-right go-to website, with Yiannopoulos pushing white ethno-nationalism as a legitimate response to political correctness, and the comment section turning into a cesspool for white supremacist mememakers.

***

Daily Wire editor-in-chief, former Breitbart editor, and vocal Bannon critic Ben Shapiro called the claims that Bannon is racist “overstated,” he noted that Bannon has nonetheless courted the alt-right and the anti-Semitism and racism that go along with it, and he will do so as long as it serves his purposes: “The alt-right, in a nutshell, believes that Western culture is inseparable from European ethnicity. I have no evidence Bannon believes that personally. But he’s happy to pander to those people and make common cause with them in order to transform conservatism into European far-right nationalist populism. That means that the alt-right will cheer Bannon along as he marbles Trump’s speeches with talk of “globalism” — and that Bannon won’t be pushing Trump to dump the racists and anti-Semites who support Trump anytime soon. After all, they love Bannon — actual white supremacists like Peter Brimelow called his August appointment “great news,” and Richard Spencer explained, “Breitbart has elective affinities with the Alt Right, and the Alt Right has clearly influenced Breitbart. In this way, Breitbart has acted as a ‘gateway’ to Alt Right ideas and writers. I don’t think it has done this deliberately; again, it’s a matter of elective affinities.” That doesn’t mean Bannon will push racist or anti-Semitic policy, or that he’ll be anti-Israel himself — unless it serves his interests.”

***

Bannon: “When two-thirds or three-quarters of the CEOs in Silicon Valley are from South Asia or from Asia, I think . . . ” he didn’t finish his sentence. “A country is more than an economy. We’re a civic society.” While Bannon didn’t explicitly say anything against immigrants, he seemed to hint at the idea of a white nationalist identity with the phrase “civic society.”

***

In the wake of Trump’s election, the number of racist and anti-Semitic attacks across the nation has exploded, a fact many experts attribute to the “normalizing effect” of Trump’s bigoted campaign rhetoric, a sort of, “Well, if the president of the United States can say it, why can’t I?” Bannon appears to support an ideal of America that he calls a “civic society,” with Judeo-Christian values and implicitly white, European roots. In a recently unearthed tape of Trump appearing on Bannon’s radio show, the future White House strategist questioned why so many South Asians were working in Silicon Valley. The economic benefits of such highly skilled immigrants, Bannon told Trump, do not outweigh the negative impact on what Bannon incorrectly labeled American “civic society.”

***

Here are headlines about diversity and multiculturalism from Breitbart.com that have been posted under Bannon’s leadership as the site’s executive chairman:

***

ME: anyway enough for now.

Rams: Jared Goff ready to take over at quarterback

Rich Hammond

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161115/rams-jared-goff-ready-to-take-over-at-quarterback

THOUSAND OAKS >> This is it. No more flirting, winking and whispering. Jared Goff and the Rams are walking forward, hand in hand, into whatever the rest of this NFL season might hold.

Vows officially were exchanged Tuesday in a Cal Lutheran meeting room. Coach Jeff Fisher committed to Goff for the final seven games of this season and Goff pledged to validate the Rams’ confidence in him.

After seven months of what seemed to be cold feet, Fisher has handed the Rams’ offense over to Goff, who will make his first NFL start (and appearance) Sunday against Miami at the Coliseum. Goff, the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, finally has nudged aside Case Keenum and become the face of the franchise.

“I don’t want to say it’s a new era, that it’s a new start, but in a lot of ways, it is,” Fisher said.

Goff and Fisher are excited. They said so, a combined total of 17 times in 16 minutes when they spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s practice, and not because Britney Spears and Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson attended practice.

Certainly, there is anticipation. Goff’s arm strength and overall skill level has the potential to elevate the Rams’ offense, which statistically is one of the worst in the NFL.

Implicit, though, is some fear. For better or worse, everyone is about to discover whether Goff is worth the pile of picks that the Rams handed to Tennessee in April for the right to move up in the draft.

What if things go wrong? What if Keenum actually was the better option all along? Fisher, rightfully, cautioned against judging Goff based on one game, but there’s nothing like a first impression.

“Very excited,” Goff said when asked to describe his emotions after meeting with Fisher. “It’s been a long time, feels like, since I’ve gone out there and played, and I’m excited to get back out there and play.”

If nothing else, nobody can say Goff was rushed. Fisher, who alone held the decision about which quarterback to play, remained adamant for months that Goff wouldn’t play until he showed he was ready. Fisher remained steadfast, even as the Rams lost four consecutive games and the offense slumbered.

Fisher seemed ambiguous, at best, when asked what had changed, what motivated him to move from Goff when he had indicated, as recently as Monday, that Goff would remain his backup quarterback.

“He was yesterday. He’s not today,” said Fisher, who added that the decision had been a progression.

The carefully parsed words now can stop. Goff is the present and the future. On Monday, Fisher had described his young quarterback as being “anxious and confident.” Goff agreed with half of that.

“The anxiety is over,” Goff said. “I’m good now. I’m excited. I’m confident and ready to go and ready to play. I’m ready to get back to playing football and getting back to doing what I love, my job, and hopefully start what will be a long career.”

That’s the expectation. The Rams, at 4-5, remain only 1 1/2 games out of an NFC playoff spot. They’ve won twice this season without scoring a touchdown, so even though Goff remains an unknown quantity, the thought is that if he can improve the offense, even marginally, the Rams could thrive.

Fisher said the Rams won’t have to reduce their playbook with Goff under center, and could actually expand it because of Goff’s attributes, which including a stronger arm than Keenum.

“I saw a lot of stuff from the sidelines, as much as you can see,” Goff said. “I learned a lot from the things Case did, both good and bad. It’s been a long process, trying to pick up everything and get ready for it, and I think I have. I think I’ve been ready for a little while. I feel good and feel excited.”

The change had been inevitable for months, even when Goff struggled in the preseason and was inactive for the Rams’ season opener against San Francisco.

Even as he continued to go back to Keenum, Fisher praised Goff’s development, in the film room and in the huddle. Goff, who turned 22 last month, left Cal after his junior season and seemed to have some catching up to do. In college, he never took snaps under center or called plays on the field.

A learning curve is to be expected, particularly given that Goff is accompanied by an inconsistent offensive line and a running game that has been nonexistent for much of this season. But there’s no turning back for Fisher, who declared that Goff would remain the starter for the rest of this season.

“Oh yeah, we’re committed to this,” Fisher said. “We didn’t do what we did this offseason, and trade for Jared, to come in and just spot-play him over the next five or six weeks.”

It’s a tough situation for Keenum, the 28-year-old veteran who essentially did what was expected, no more and no less. Keenum, a former practice-squad player who took over as the Rams’ starter late last season, has completed 61 percent of his passes this season, with nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Fisher said Keenum would be Goff’s backup and would continue as a team captain.

“Case is a pro,” Fisher said. “He understands. He doesn’t like it, but understands and appreciates his opportunity and is going to do everything he can to help make Jared successful. He’s a class act.”

Practice Report 11/15: Goff’s First Session as QB-1

By Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-practicereport/Practice-Report-1115-Goffs-First-Session-as-QB-1/9089ac99-49a2-4763-9f12-fd6812cc9d8d

The decision has been made — No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff will make his debut as the Rams’ starting quarterback against the Dolphins on Sunday at the Coliseum

“I felt in my heart — I was getting closer and closer over the last couple of weeks. I felt like this was the best time to go ahead and turn the keys over to Jared,” head coach Jeff Fisher said after Goff’s first practice as the starter. “We’re excited for him. He had a good day today. He’s into the plan, he’s really excited.”

“It’s been a long time, it feels like, since I’ve gotten out there and played,” Goff said. “I’m excited to get back out there and play.”

Fisher informed both Goff and Case Keenum of the change Tuesday morning. And both Fisher and Goff were complimentary of Keenum’s contributions to the team after the session.

“He sat me and Case down and just told us, just straight up,” Goff said. “Again, I was excited. I’ll say it now, I can’t stress enough how awesome Case has been before this, in training camp, in OTAs, now this has happened after. On and off the field, I can’t stress enough how good of a teammate and how awesome he’s been with it.”

“Case was voted a captain when the preseason was over, and he’s still a captain,” Fisher said. “His leadership, and his enthusiasm, and his commitment, and everything – you can’t ask for anything more out of somebody. It’s the same thing that I shared with the team today, as far as Case’s job and what’s he’s done, the difficulties we’ve had offensively, which were not necessarily his fault, but it’s time. It’s time to move on.”

Fisher said he got to that point by seeing the weekly progress Goff has made, particularly as it relates to him being the backup quarterback. It’s all part of the patience the head coach has been stressing since draft night.

“When he got the reps over the last three or four weeks, they were right, they were good — they were good decisions,” Fisher said. “So it was time.”

Serving as the backup since Week 2 against the Seahawks, Goff said he was able to glean plenty from observing.

“I learned a lot about how the league works, how Sundays work, how the practice week works, how you work in the classroom and everything in between,” Goff said. “I’m thankful for that experience and thankful for everything that I’ve gathered over the last, however many weeks it’s been. But at the same time, I think it’s time and I think I’m ready, ready to move forward and play.”

“He’s had an opportunity to observe things and that experience is extremely valuable,” Fisher said. “It’s hard for me to describe to all of you how that experience is, but it is valuable.”

With Goff taking reps with the offense in practice, teammates have had an opportunity to see how he’s grown each week.

“Jared throws a good ball,” tight end Lance Kendricks said. “He’s very poised in the huddle, and he knows — he’s confident in the playcalling now. He’s had time to kind of sit back and learn, and learn his progressions, and learn his hots and all that stuff.”

“He’s been really watching Case and just trying to understand how to be a leader, how to be able to adjust to certain looks,” offensive lineman Rodger Saffold said. “And he’s taken that step forward. And, obviously, the coaches feel comfortable with putting him in right now.”

There will be some adjustments to Goff as he gets integrated within the offense. For one, receivers will have to refine their timing with the rookie signal-caller. But the offensive line will also have to develop chemistry with the new quarterback, in order to best protect him.

“With a new guy back there, obviously it’s a different personality, different way someone might talk, might think about things a little differently. So, there’s going to be some — I don’t want to say ‘feeling out,’ [because] it’s not going to take that long,” right tackle Rob Havensteinsaid.

“We’ve been playing with Jared. Jared’s been playing with us. We’ve seen him, he’s seen us,” Havenstein continued. “So it’s all the same stuff. But in terms of, I guess, overall chemistry, theoretically it’ll take some time to go ahead and get that officially kind of locked in.”

But making sure Goff is protected well is one of the biggest ways his teammates can help ease the transition for him into being a starting quarterback.

“Our biggest job is to make him feel comfortable back there, as well as help him out when he does need to see different things here and there,” Saffold said.

“We just have to make sure we are very in sync with what we’re doing as far as playcalling and protection, and make sure we keep him clean,” Kendricks said.

When it comes to the playbook, Fisher said Los Angeles will not have to reduce anything for the rookie. In fact, it might be the opposite.

“There are some things that we will expand because of the arm talent, you know, the stuff down the field,” Fisher said. “We have to block better up front and that includes in the run game and protection. We have to make plays down the field, we have to get the ball in the end zone when we have opportunities to help him, and defense has to play better.”

Any time a quarterback plays his first game, it’s a significant challenge. But that may be even more true on Sunday, as Miami comes in having won their last four games in a row — including a 31-24 victory over the Chargers last week.

“They’ve won four in a row now, have a great defense, a great front seven, obviously, with the guys they have there, but their back half is good, too,” Goff said. “They’re going to be a good challenge for us and we’re excited.”

And the Rams should be. As Fisher said Tuesday, this is not a one-week decision, but one where L.A. will be committed to Goff going forward this season and likely beyond.

“We didn’t do what we did this offseason and trade for Jared, to come in and just spot-play him over the next five or six weeks,” Fisher said. “We’re doing this for two reasons, one, I feel like this is the best decision. And two, he has a chance to help us win football games.

“Offensively our numbers are where they are. We’re hoping that he’s going to help us improve,” Fisher continued. “I will caution everybody to evaluate him on this game. It’s unfair to evaluate a quarterback just on one games performance. But I will guarantee you this, he’s going to prepare and be ready to play.”

QUINN UPDATE

Defensive end Robert Quinn attended Tuesday’s practice, though he watched it from the sidelines in street clothes.

“He’s doing well, we got good results back,” Fisher said. “It’ll be a day-to-day thing with Rob, as far as getting back on the field.”

As you’d expect, Quinn’s teammates were glad to see him well.

“It was good to see him stroll in this morning and be chipper and up beat,” defensive tackle Michael Brockerssaid. “So it felt good to see him and see his face this morning.”

Mackeyser wrote:

Oh, and if these assholes actually pass a Muslim registry, I think we should ALL register and render it moot.

There’s a big movement for that. If there’s a Muslim registry, non-Muslims should register. Choke the machine.

FISHER: There are some things that we will expand because of the arm talent, you know, the stuff down the field. We have to block better up front and that includes in the run game and protection. We have to make plays down the field, we have to get the ball in the end zone when we have opportunities to help him, and defense has to play better.

And, I think they can do all that.

.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/quinn-735574-defensive-rams.html

GUARDING GOFF

For those hoping for a soft landing spot for Jared Goff, a date with Ndamukong Suh and the Dolphins’ upstart defense isn’t exactly ideal for the rookie quarterback’s first start.

Miami is on a four-game win streak, thanks in large part to a renewed effort from their defensive front. Led by Suh and Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake, the Dolphins’ defense has 12 sacks in that four-game span, after tallying just 10 in its first five games.

The Rams’ offensive line has allowed 23 sacks this season, but with a rookie now under center, the pressure to keep him upright in the weeks to come will no doubt be elevated.

Offensive tackle Rob Havenstein suggested that pressure to play better up front was there before Tuesday’s quarterback change.

“We want to perform better offensively,” Havenstein said, “and a lot of that comes down to how we play as an offensive line.”

Though, the lion’s share of pressure, literally and figuratively, will be on Goff to stay composed against such a fierce Miami front.

“Goff is going to have to be able to sit in there with pressure and throw a good ball,” offensive guard Rodger Saffold said. “It’s never going to be perfect, but once again, that doesn’t change the job. (For us), the job is the same. Keep him away from as much pressure as we possibly can.”