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October 30, 2016 at 7:14 pm in reply to: Rams face questions about their quarterback and run game at the bye week #56393
znModeratorRich Gannon mentioned that when he watched film of the Rams the blocking schemes sometimes inexplicably left a defender unblocked even when the defense wasn’t stacking the box.
Gannon’s comment got lots of play on the boards.
Personally, when I watch, I don’t see it. There is not this routine problem consisting of unblocked DEs taking out the runner before the play gets started. Rather, the problems have been multiple when they show up and are of different kinds.
I can’t see this situation where they sit down during the bye to review the offense and after a few game tapes Fisher goes “hey…aren’t we supposed to block defensive ends too?” with the coaches going “oh yeah! duh! 7 whole games of that and we never noticed.”
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znModeratorThere is still the issue of penalties. This is the 5th straight season of being one of the worst in the league. Then again, I just watched Oakland break the record for most penalties in a game, and they still won!?
But to address the point, I’m enjoying the offense. The lack of a running game hurts, but the improvement in the passing game, and especially among the WRs has been great to watch.
And the improvement on 3rd down conversions. As I mentioned, they haven’t been that good at that since 2003.
Fix the things that need fixing (running game, inconsistency on defense) and this is actually a very good lookin team.
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October 30, 2016 at 2:07 pm in reply to: Rams face questions about their quarterback and run game at the bye week #56373znModeratorWhat is the definition of insanity? Not changing anything but expecting different results?
I get that the reason why the Rams can’t run is complex. It’s not all about the o-line. Some of it has to do with the defense not respecting the passing game and overloading the LOS. But as I’ve pointed out before Eric Dickerson set the NFL rushing record of 2,105 yards running against 8 and 9 man fronts that didn’t respect the Rams’ passing game. If you have competent run blocking you can still run effectively if you stick with it.
Not that moving GRob inside is magically going to fix the running game but it could help. Certainly can’t hurt.
BTW, I think Snisher drastically overestimated this o-line’s ability after last season.
I don’t think Dickerson is a fair comparison. That was a multi-pro bowl OL with a HOF running back.
I don;t think there;s a world where you can say “if Eric Dickerson with a multi-pro bowl veteran OL can do it, why can’t anyone else.”
It’s like saying, if Tom Cruise and Keith Urban can appeal to Nicole Kidman, why can’t we.
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znModeratorAnd against the Giants the offense (345 yds gained) and defense (232 yds against) both played pretty well. Turnovers killed them.
Yes the real problems aren’t the ones usually stated.
We’re told the offense is dead last in yards. No it’s not. The Rams can’t pass. Yes they can.
BUT they kill themselves with turnovers.
PART of that also is that the defense was inconsistent through those 5 games,
AND it is still true that the running game needs to be fixed.
So sorting out myth from fact…some things are way better than people seem to realize. And the obvious problems remain. No running game, up and down defense.
With those 2 problems you create a third. You rely on the passing game on offense, but meanwhile it;s a team and a qb who were set up to do well with a running game and a tough defense.
Nevertheless, even with the turnovers, that offense made gains that go unacknowledged. For example the last time the Rams were anywhere near the top 10 in third down conversions was 2003.
The question then becomes, do they fix the things that ACTUALLY DO need fixing? Because if they do IMO they are set up to do well.
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znModeratorOur offense got better and we lost all three games.
I want the offense to suck, again.
They’ve been better for 5 games.
I just produced stats for 3 because it was easier. Someone already did the stats for 3.
And they were worse in the first 2 games and still won one.
October 30, 2016 at 5:06 am in reply to: Rams face questions about their quarterback and run game at the bye week #56334znModeratorHe leads a Rams offense that ranks 30th among 32 teams in the NFL, averaging 307.6 yards per game. The Rams are 25th in passing, 29th in rushing.
These numbers, IMO, are based on a mistake. The mistake is, the numbers are season averages which count the 1st 2 games. I argue that they improved so much in so many areas on offense after those 2 games that averages that include them give a false picture. If you look at the last 5 games they are not nearly that bad. The more realistic picture would come from an average of the last 5 games, not all 7 including obviously the 1st 2. In fact the first 2 games are so bad they drag stats down for the season in several categories.
And I prove that with numbers. Here: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/where-does-the-offense-rank-last-3-games/
When you see the differences, they’re dramatic.
October 29, 2016 at 10:27 pm in reply to: What to do? Which games will you watch with the Rams off? #56329znModeratorI was thinking about Eagles/Dallas.
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znModeratorWhere’s the ACL injuries when ya need one?
…yes, I’m damned to Hell. I know this.
You want to see Goff, I guess.
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znModeratoroff the net from sstrams
this is happening in my backyard .. several old friends of mine are being forced to move – didn’t know they lived out there…
he sent out notice that everyone living on Lake Diversion, on his new property, have until January to move.. they either need to move their houses or abandon them… He states its to restore the lake to its natural state, but all of us know its probably to make room for some huge development project… This was on the news here yesterday with Lake Diversion residents crying and screaming – all while showing the Rams logo in the background…. geez….
a handshake used to be all you needed because people trusted each other.. The Waggoners owned the property forever and if they leased the land out to people to build on, people trusted them not to pull the rug out from under them.. and they didn’t for decades.. But, unfortunately they sold the property and the new owner had other plans for his newly acquired property – which I’m sure will not be to take the lake to its natural state, as he claims..
That’s his decision and his right as property owner.. But, he really should give these people more time to make arrangements – most are retired with little to no income and can’t afford to move their houses or buy new ones…
They build houses because the landowners are not supposed to yank the leases from under them.. Stan decided to do so,and, as we all know, its not to improve the ecosystem… So, i’m really sad for these people who have a whole 6 months to move their structure or abandon them..
And, they have no financial help in moving – they are on their own.. my guess is most will have to abandon their homes because they won’t be able to afford to move them – that’s a pretty big deal to move a house…
On the news last night they mentioned one of the residents did contact Korenke’s attorney’s – the ones listed on the notice that they were served.. The resident asked about any financial compensation and the lawyer replied there would be none – they would be considered trespassing after the deadline in January..
I think what bothers me the most is the relatively short amount of time these people are being given to move their houses or whatnot.. Its tough for retired people, with little to no income, that have lived in these same houses for 4 decades to find a way to move their house, or find new housing somewhere else in 6 months..
… when they flashed it was his property, and the Rams logo behind him, it was extremely embarrassing to me that he was doing this… Oh well, he’s on a roll this year….
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Anyways, I’m listening to the radio this afternoon and I guess on Saturdays we get that show “give me the VIN.com” or whatever – national show where people sell their cars to givemetheVIN.com live n the radio.. Anyways, THEY got to talking about this situation and how bad it is.. so, apparently its a well-known situation nationally now… And, of course, they mentioned the Rams SEVERAL times in the conversation.. Always gotta drag the Rams into it…
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The question has come up about the possibility of moving the houses.. this particular resident took a camera crew on a tour of her house to show it would be impossible – the exterior is made of stones, which would crumble if moved.. so, that house, and I’m sure many more will be abandoned due to inability to move them..
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Kroenke also got one of the other local lakes, Lake Kemp, as part of the Macgregor Ranch purchase.. That’s a bit disturbing because not only do I have friends who lease their property on Lake Kemp, as well, its one of two main lakes in our water shed.. So, not sure how that works, but Kroenke could literally quadruple our water rates since a lake he owns is a primary source of water for the area.. But, we’ll see what happens.. I’m surprised this story has gotten as big as it has.. Don’t think it’ll change anything, but always got my fingers crossed…
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znModeratorAsked if thought about changing quarterbacks — Zorn was 2 of 17 for 25 yards and sacked six times for minus-55 — Patera said no because “we did not have the ball long enough to establish if the quarterback was playing well or not.”
Under the frosty cool surface of gray professionalism, he burns.
BTW I saw that game the day it happened (on tv of course) and part of it was, the defense got to Zorn. He was about as skitterish as you can get without just curling up in a fetal. Several times, he had a chance to get the ball off and couldn’t hit the receiver.
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znModeratorSome of us lost this month’s access to the LA Times.
Is there anyone who still has access and can copy that article and post it here?
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znModeratorSee I know what all this means.
Kroenke forced Fisher to take Goff because Kroenke knew all of the following: Fisher will not start Goff until late in the season and then will claim that because they are winning with a rookie qb Kroenke can’t fire him.
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Ok, but what if Kroenke is a bust? What then?
w
vGoff will be forced to cut him.
Same old Rams. Very weak at owner development.
znModeratorSteve Wyche
LOS ANGELES RAMS: Goff getting ready to go. Rams coach Jeff Fisher has planned for a while to get rookie quarterback Jared Goff more reps during the Week 8 bye. Publicly, he’s said that this was a great opportunity to get him more work for a day or two because starter Case Keenum has a handle on the offense and doesn’t need the extra time.
However, after the Rams dropped three straight games, why wouldn’t they give those reps back to Keenum and an offense that was not on the same page in a loss to the Giants in London? The answer: The Rams are getting Goff ready.
From everything that I have been told, Goff has made progress in terms of learning the offense. As for executing it? That is still unknown.
I’ve also been told by people with the Rams that they would have felt fine putting him on the field should Keenum have been injured. Of course, they really had no choice. If coaches were to opt for Sean Mannion instead of Goff to step in for Keenum, that would show they might have missed on Goff with the No. 1 overall pick — at least in the short term.
Keenum absolutely is not the main reason that the Rams have fallen to 3-4. He is the most obviously replaceable part, though. If L.A. loses to Carolina in Week 9 to fall to 3-5, it will be time to make the switch.
Yes, the Rams play three of their next five on the road, but whatever the scenario, they have to get Goff going. If he struggles, will the team be that much worse? If he succeeds, it can be better.
znModeratorItz hard to see clearly when the Rams keep losing year after year after year, after year, after year, after year, after year. I forget how many years its been, so I’ll stop at seven.
I wouldn’t know. I only take em one loss at a time.
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znModeratorThats what i noticed to, and i think we all did — the accurate throws under duress. It looked
pretty special to me.Yes. And there was SOME of that in the pre-season too. Then, though, it was more the kind of throws. He made some throws that had me going “whoa” the instant I saw them, live in real time.
So, even in the pre-season. If you sort through all the “not ready freddy” stuff Goff was doing and focus in on some of his better plays, you see some great throws. Just the combination of elements that made them unique. Quick release, zip, accuracy, precision…like (IMO) the TD to Britt against the Vikes
which is at 2:35 in on this vid
znModeratorRams’ struggling offensive line will remain as constituted
Alden Gonzalez
Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher has “not given any consideration” to changing the configuration of his offensive line, regardless of the ineffectiveness that has plagued it.
Its most integral member, left tackle Greg Robinson, leads the NFL with 10 total penalties, a figure that includes those who have been declined. Five of the six offensive linemen who have received significant playing time rank within the bottom 48 percent at their respective positions, according to grading systems used by Pro Football Focus. And behind that group, star running back Todd Gurley is tied for the fewest average yards before first contact.
“We need to be more productive in the run game,” Fisher told reporters when asked to assess his offensive line after Wednesday’s practice from Thousand Oaks, California. “We need to minimize the penalties.”
Offensive tackle Greg Robinson, right, has graded out as the fourth-worst tackle in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire
Fisher has publicly disagreed with several of the penalties called against his team this season, but the Rams nonetheless rank third in total penalties this year (68) and first in total penalties since Fisher’s first year in 2012 (650).The most troubling ones come from Robinson, the former No. 2 overall pick who is in his third year of attempting to prove he was worth his slot. Robinson has graded out as the fourth-worst tackle in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. He ranks 70th among the 73 tackles with enough snaps in pass blocking and 72nd among 75 in run blocking. Just as bad, he leads the NFL in penalties one year after ranking second with 16 of them.
The 24-year-old told the Orange County Register on Wednesday that he believes those calls stem mostly from “a bad reputation” that was built up over his first two seasons, saying opposing defensive linemen are now throwing their hands up as they rush to draw calls.
“Greg is going to be a really good player,” said Fisher, who has stated that he is not considering moving Robinson to a guard position. “He’s highly athletic. I thought, for the most part, he played an outstanding rusher in [Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul on Sunday], and he held his own in this game. There’s no harder position to play, besides the quarterback position, than the left tackle position, especially when you’re going to throw the ball.”
The Rams have been somewhat adequate in pass blocking, with Case Keenum absorbing contact 31 times, fewer than 12 other quarterbacks (though a big part of that is Keenum averaging 2.29 seconds before throwing a pass, tied for third-fastest in the NFL). But run blocking has been dreadful, which is disappointing for a Rams team that drafted seven offensive linemen from 2014-15 and has yet to see the group come together.
Rob Havenstein, the second-year right tackle who didn’t allow a sack in 13 starts last year, has been their best, ranking 28th among 75 qualified tackles by Pro Football Focus. But second-year right guard Cody Wichmann, who has started six of seven games, is 57th among 79 guards. Another second-year player, Jamon Brown, who has started once at right guard and has filled in periodically, is 45th. Left guard Rodger Saffold, a seventh-year starter, ranks 41st. Tim Barnes, a fifth-year pro who is in his second year as the starter, is 29th among 35 centers.
Behind them — though, to be fair, not entirely because of them — Gurley ranks 38th among 40 qualified running backs in rushing yards per attempt (3.01) and is tied with the Buccaneers’ Charles Sims for the fewest average yards before first contact (1.34). Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson recently blasted the Rams’ offensive line, saying: “Sooner or later, somebody’s going to knock into that backfield and hurt [Gurley].”
But no changes are expected.
znModeratorSee I know what all this means.
Kroenke forced Fisher to take Goff because Kroenke knew all of the following: Fisher will not start Goff until late in the season and then will claim that because they are winning with a rookie qb Kroenke can’t fire him.
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znModeratorRams remaining schedule with current defensive rank:
Carolina 24
Jets 16
Miami 22
Saints 29
NE 14
ATL 26
Sea 6
SF 30
Cards 2Rams need to go 6-3 to finish 9-7.
if they finish 9-7 the Detroit and Giants game may bite them in the ass from making the playoffs. 2 conference games that they clearly should’ve won…..
if the defense holds up they can win at least 8 of those games…the 9th being new england
znModerator“TRIPS is probably the most significant agreement of the 20th Century”
Why? Hacksize me. (My Thursdays are almost as busy as my Tuesdays.)
znModeratorRams staying the course – at QB, and on offensive line
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-733444-offensive-robinson.html
THOUSAND OAKS – Jeff Fisher is not afraid of commitment. Even if that commitment means more of the same issues on the Rams’ struggling offense.
Following the team’s third straight loss Sunday, Fisher reiterated the Rams would stay committed to Case Keenum as starting quarterback, even as the team limped into the bye week, with top overall pick Jared Goff waiting in the wings. Two days later, the embattled coach offered a similar vote of confidence in his offensive line, which, through seven games, has been a glaring weaknesses.
“We’ve got guys that can play and that can back up,” Fisher said Wednesday, during the Rams’ only bye-week practice. “I’ve not given any consideration (to making changes).
Instead, the Rams will stay the course with an offensive line that was supposed to begin jelling this season, after two seasons of strategic construction. In 2014 and 2015, the Rams made a concerted effort to build their line through the draft, using seven of their 20 draft picks on offensive linemen.
But so far, any signs of growth have been lost in a glut of penalties and horrendous run blocking. Earlier this month, the Rams’ offensive line ranked second-to-last in Pro Football Focus’ offensive line grades, and it’s not hard to see from where those issues stem.
They begin in the backfield. Todd Gurley, last year’s offensive rookie of the year, is averaging just 3 yards per carry – 37th among qualifying running backs. A year after Gurley busted 11 runs of 20-plus yards, his longest carry through seven games is just 16 yards.
Fisher has been hesitant to fault the offensive line for issues in the run game. Those up front, however, understand they deserve some of the blame.
“We’re protecting a lot better in the pass game, but in the run game, we’re lacking,” left tackle Greg Robinson said. “We need to get that going. I feel like Todd is at the line and the holes just close. I can’t really explain it.”
Robinson does, however, claim to have an explanation for the litany of flags he’s drawn this season, which have been a major strain on a less-than-explosive Rams offense.
A year after leading all NFL offensive linemen in penalties (16), Robinson is again the most penalized in the league (10) by a margin of three penalties. If he continues at his current pace, Robinson will end the season with more penalties than any NFL offensive linemen since 1999, when NFLPenalties.com began tracking flags.
Robinson blames those calls on a “bad reputation” he earned in his first two seasons. Opposing defensive linemen, he believes, have been throwing their hands up as they rush, in hopes of drawing holding calls.
“(The referees) are looking for anything,” Robinson said.
Even on plays when he isn’t flagged, the third-year left tackle hasn’t shown the progress many hoped he would. He’s not alone in that distinction, though. Right tackle Rob Havenstein has also had a disappointing first half, after an impressive 2015 in which he allowed zero sacks and was never flagged.
As the second overall pick in the 2014 draft, though, Robinson was a significant investment. One in which the Rams are still waiting for a return.
“I feel like I’ve made a lot of strides,” Robinson said. “It’s not perfect. I don’t expect it to be. I can’t be too hard on myself because there are a lot of good things that I see, but the main thing is fixing mistakes and trying my best to really be strict on myself.”
Whether Robinson can make those changes remains to be seen, but the Rams are confident he will. On his radio show, Fisher was asked if a struggling Robinson might shift inside to guard.
He replied by saying he has “no intention” of making any such change. On Wednesday, he offered more confidence in his left tackle.
“Greg is going to be a really good player,” Fisher said.
FIRST-TEAM REPS
Two days after a report suggested the Rams believe top overall pick Jared Goff is still “a long way away” from being ready at quarterback, the rookie backup took most of the first-team reps under center Wednesday.As he denied the report, Fisher suggested that Goff’s place as Keenum’s immediate backup was a sign he’s confident the rookie could step in and play.
Fisher said he was pleased with Goff’s performance Wednesday, and if Keenum were to go down with an injury, he wouldn’t change anything about the Rams’ offensive scheme to cater to Goff.
“He’s a play away, and he knows that,” Fisher said. “If he wasn’t making progress, he’d be a No. 3.”
In a season in which six rookie quarterbacks have started before him, Goff said he’s “tremendously more comfortable” now than he was two months ago.
“I feel confident that if my number is called, I’ll be ready to go,” he said.
znModeratorand we got stuck in Fairfield, Illinois for a couple of days
from the wiki:
History
Fairfield is most famous for being the hometown of the Shelton Brothers Gang, notorious bootleggers who fought it out with the Harrisburg, Illinois based Birger Gang to control criminal activities in Southern Illinois. During the first half of the 20th century gang leaders Carl, Earl and Bernie Shelton made Fairfield a household name. Based on testimony of Charlie Birger himself, the Shelton Brothers were convicted for a 1925 unsolved mail carrier robbery of $15,000 and were sentenced to 25 years. They were released a few years later. Birger dominated bootlegging in Southern Illinois until he himself was hanged in Benton for the murder of West City Mayor Joe Adams in 1928. After serving their time, the Shelton brothers built a new criminal empire. Based out of East St Louis, one of the most prosperous cities of its day, they controlled all vice from Peoria and southward.
They met their demise at the hands of the Chicago mob and an insider Charles “Blackie” Harris. A land dispute led to Blackie joining forces with the Mob to kill off members of the Shelton gang. His most notable victim was Carl Shelton, the leader. He was ambushed several miles southeast of Fairfield, shot from his Jeep. Bernie was killed at his Peoria roadhouse. Earl moved to Jacksonville, Florida and became a successful land speculator.
znModeratorWhat?
Am I reading that right?
Throw out the SF and SEA games, and they are 5th in 3rd down and YPA?
Yes. You read that right.
Third down conversion percentage.
First 2 games: 22.2%. So bad it is below the current 32nd ranking.
Last 5 games: 46.2%. Last I looked that would be 5th.YPA.
First 2 games: 4.13. So bad it is below the current 32nd ranking.
Last 5 games: 7.8. Last I looked that would be 5th.BTW, and I don’t have a first 2/last 5 breakdown on this, here’s another stat. “Big passing plays” of 25 yards or more (this metric includes RAC, it’s not all “ball in the air only.”) On this stat, Rams are tied for 3rd in the league.
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znModeratorThis article is incomplete. Follow the link (duh) for the rest. My monthly free access quota at the LA Times page ran out. If however anyone who still has access feels like copying the rest of the article to this thread, I would appreciate it.
And zooey comes through. Thanks zooey. I took out my copy and kept yours.
So, kids, sometimes Uncle Moderator needs help. Like now. If you would go to the liquor store and pick up my special medicine, I would appreciate it. The store owner knows all about it and keeps a special tab. You;ll be fine.
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znModeratorznModeratorNow, I don’t think Keenum IS the reason the Rams are losing, but I don’t know for sure. I don’t know what the calls are, and if he is going through his progressions, or just checking down to the safe stuff. In other words, I don’t know what he ISN’T doing, only what he IS doing. But I assume he is not just throwing 2 yard passes and ignoring open WRs 13 yards downfield. Because if he was doing that, the coaches would be pissed. So I assume he is more or less doing what he is asked to do, and it seems to me, that he is doing that adequately. As has been said many times, he is a good #2. Nothing more than that. He isn’t a strength, and he isn’t a trainwreck. He will be employed in this league for years to come.
You say a lot of things in that post I agree with. Basically, a solid running team with a good defense was going to get by with a game manager qb who didn’t have to carry the team.
And it has been the opposite. Keenum is stretched past his normal limits trying to carry a team that can’t run and has an up and down defense.
I will say this though. Keenum’s problems show up in the clutch when it all hinges on him to come back from behind. They were in that situation 5 times and won just 2 of them.
BUT in relation to the specific paragraph I quote, in spite of the shortcomings, no Keenum has done okay outside of those clutch, end of the game situations.
That’s really visible in the numbers.
IF you agree that they improved and changed on offense, at least passing, since games 1 and 2, then you see some startling numbers. They WOULD be ranked, for example, 5th in both 3rd down conversions and yards per attempt … pretty big milestones since they’ve been bad at both for a long time.
But I don’t make that about just him. The passing game has to be constructed, gameplanned, and game day called right for those things to work like that. I see CK as just effectively executing what they ask him to.
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znModeratoryes, this is a great group of Ram fans…..
I look forward to reading this board everyday during FB season…..
apple pie a la mode please….
Glad you’re a regular JM.
znModeratorPractice Report 10/26: Goff Gets Bye Week Reps
Myles Simmons
For every team in the NFL, a normal game week is strenuous and provides only limited on-field opportunities to get work done. There’s no real limit to how much study is done off the field in preparation for an opponent, but practice reps are reserved for those who will play.
Given those parameters, rookie quarterback Jared Goff has gotten fairly limited reps with the first-team offense since the calendar flipped from the preseason to regular season. But with no team to prepare for this week, the Rams’ No. 1 overall pick took the majority of snaps in Wednesday’s practice.
“Jared got a lot of reps, as we talked about,” head coach Jeff Fisher said. “I thought he did well.”
“I thought it went well,” Goff said. “I feel tremendously more comfortable than I’ve ever felt. I feel confident that if my number’s called, I’ll be ready to go. Just waiting for that time.”
Fisher said the session consisted of the young quarterback manning numerous different situations.
“He participated in seven-on-seven, then we had a red-zone-move [period], we had a 1st-and-10 run-play-pass period, then we had a pressure period. He handled everything really well — huddle presence and understanding, snap count, Mike-ID’s,” Fisher said. “He was going against our defense — he hadn’t gone against our defense [in our offense] in a while. So I thought he did a nice job.”
As Goff pointed out, however, he has been going against the L.A. defense practically every practice on the scout team.
“It’s the same,” Goff said, downplaying the significance.
What has changed from training camp to Oct. 26 is Goff’s familiarity and confidence with the Rams’ offense. There’s no question he has a higher knowledge base than he did at the end of August.
“I just think with knowledge and reps you get confidence. And that’s with anybody at any sport, any position,” Goff said. “It’s just reps and doing things the right way, you feel better.”
On the whole, Goff described the first half-season of his NFL career as a learning experience.
“I’ve learned a lot and I hope to learn a lot for the rest of my career,” Goff said. “I don’t think this is going to be any different than the rest of my career as far as progressing and always trying to get better. Every day I treat the same, and kind of like it was at Cal — every day I try to go out there, no matter if I was a junior or freshman, and try to get better every day. That’s kind of how I’ll treat the rest of my career.”
As for the question of when Goff may be inserted into the starting lineup, Fisher has made it clear this week he plans to stick with quarterback Case Keenum for now. While as a competitor, Goff would undoubtedly like to be playing, he said he realizes staying on the sideline is part of the process.
“I’m not going to sit here and complain or gripe,” Goff said. “I’m going to support Case and continue to get ready, and be ready, and continue to be confident in myself, and be ready when the time comes.”
But with Goff consistently dressing as the backup signal-caller, it’s clear the No. 1 overall pick is steadily improving.
“He is, he’s a play away — and he knows that,” Fisher said. “If he wasn’t making progress, he’d be a No. 3.”
And should a situation arrive where Goff were to play, Fisher said the club would not have to pare a gameplan down offensively.
“We would not change a thing,” Fisher said. “We wouldn’t scale anything back, we wouldn’t change a thing. He’s got that good of a feel for what we’re doing.”
“I’m confident in myself and confident in what I can do,” Goff said. “I feel like if my number gets called, I’ll be ready. But it’s not up to me to decide when that time is. That’s what coach Fisher and all those other coaches get paid for — is to make those decisions.”
“But, yeah, I’m confident in what I can do,” Goff continued. “I’m confident I’ll be ready when the time comes.”
znModeratorznModeratorznModeratorWell, I saw some things in Hard Knocks that concerned me a bit.
If they blew this pick the franchise will suffer for years. When you go all-in on a player like they did for Goff–you’d better be damn sure about him. Either they can’t evaluate properly and just rolled the dice, or they were just that desperate.
My take? First JT is the only person saying what he is saying about Goff. You don’t hear that anywhere else. I take it with a grain of salt.
Second? The switch from Cal to the pros was huge. None of this is surprising. It gets down to the fact that unlike most high-picked qbs, Goff went to a team that CAN stick with “win now” mode. Name the last high-picked qb that is true of. They are not common. Most high-picked qbs go to teams that CAN’T win now, they’re in rebuilding mode. So since as a rule you accept losses when you start a rookie qb, unlike those rebuilding teams, Rams chose “win now.”
That would be a problem if it were true that the ONLY way to develop a qb is live reps. But all of NFL history demonstrates that’s NOT true. You can develop qbs both ways. Throwing them to the wolves, or sitting them and making them watch and learn. Both ways can work.
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