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znModeratorSCOUTING REPORT: Not close to possessing the play strength needed to block on NFL level.
SCOUTING REPORT: earned the 2015 Walter Payton Achievement Award, which is given to the student-athlete in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge who best shows character and team spirit.
HEMINGWAY: “I love the professional game and all the resources you have to better your game. I’m really going to take advantage of that,” Hemingway said.
BRANDT: Small-school guys like Hemingway tend to leave college underdeveloped for a variety of reasons, such as a comparative lack of resources and weight facilities — South Carolina State, for example, doesn’t have a tight ends coach on staff.
I like the math on this.
Underdeveloped smooth athletic TE who didn’t have the training facilities or the coaching loves the “resources” pro teams have.
I hope this kid develops, I really do. Sounds like a good story.
..
znModerator–
formatted by chris00cm
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Round 6 Pick 177
Temarrick Hemingway, Tight End, South Carolina State
Age: 22 – Height: 6’5″ – Weight: 244 lbs. – Arm Length: 34″ – Hand Size: 10″ – Combine 40 time: 4.71 – 3 cone: 6.88
“Experts” Take:
Lance Zierlein
STRENGTHS Fluid, graceful gait with long, easy strides. Has short area movement like a basketball player. Nightmare matchup for linebackers with his whip routes and whip counters underneath. Has legitimate separation quickness. Raw, but moldable athlete. Gets off the snap and into his routes in a hurry. Can stop and open up with suddenness. Physical runner after the catch. Poor quarterback play slighted his true production potential.
WEAKNESSES Has lean frame that screams wide receiver over tight end. Not close to possessing the play strength needed to block on NFL level. Head ducker into contact and allows hands to spray wide of defenders framework. Route work was extremely limited and will require extended work on next level. Hands are suspect. Had issues with double catches and scouts question toughness to secure throws with looming safety nearby.
DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 6 or 7
NFL COMPARISON Wes Saxton
BOTTOM LINE Intriguing vertical potential as matchup-based tight end, but his lack of play strength and route running experience could make him a long-term project if he is ever to become a true NFL contributor.
—
Dane Brugler
STRENGTHS: Skyscraper with arms and projectable frame. Uses his reach to extend and highpoint, climbing the ladder. Big-bodied target to split defenders and manipulate the middle of the field. Long, fluid strides to accelerate off the line of scrimmage and threaten the seam. Flexible lower body to make strong cuts and create separation at the stem. Smooth route-runner, using patience and body fakes to sell patterns.
Stabs at the catch point, not allowing traffic to alter his focus. Good pop at initial contact as a blocker. Worked hard to develop his frame, adding 60+ pounds since arriving at South Carolina State. Well-respected individual and earned the 2015 Walter Payton Achievement Award, which is given to the student-athlete in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge who best shows character and team spirit.
WEAKNESSES: Lean-limbed and lacks prototypical thickness and build for the position. One-gear athlete and lacks variety in his routes. Most of his patterns were within seven yards of the line of scrimmage and didn’t give the secondary much to worry about on film. Picks and chooses his aggressiveness at the catch point.
Not doing much after contact as a ballcarrier and doesn’t run as big as he looks. Holds the ball too loose, leading to fumbles. Upright blocker and struggles to sustain. Late to recognize blocking angles and gain proper positioning. Below average career production, especially in the end zone with only two combined touchdowns the last two seasons.
IN OUR VIEW: Even though he is incredibly raw in several areas, Hemmingway is an intriguing size/speed athlete with upside to secure a NFL roster spot if given time to develop his power and mental toughness – day three developmental tight end in the mold of Ladarius Green.
Highlights:
==
znModeratorL.A. RAMS’ T.J. MCDONALD ARRESTED FOR DUI
http://www.tmz.com/2016/05/10/l-a-rams-t-j-mcdonald-arrested-for-dui-allegedly-hits-parked-car/
L.A. Rams safety T.J. McDonald was arrested for DUI early Tuesday morning after cops say he crashed into a parked car … TMZ Sports has learned.
We’re told McDonald waited for police to arrive and when they got there, cops noticed something was off about the 25-year-old … so they brought him to the station for a DUI screening.
He was eventually arrested for DUI — not alcohol related. We’re told officials believe there may be medication involved. He has since been released on his own recognizance.
We reached out to the Rams for comment — so far, no word back.
znModeratorLA Rams surprise high school football team with equipment donation
Denise Quan
They haven’t played a game yet, but the Los Angeles Rams have already scored a win with one local school, and it couldn’t have been more timely.
L.A. Rams defensive end Robert Quinn — along with the team’s mascot “Rampage” — surprised the Cleveland High School football team Tuesday with an equipment donation, and posed for pictures with the players.
“I love giving back to the community,” Quinn said. “It’s what I’m about, and what the Rams are all about.”
The donation, described as a “spirit pack,” included clothing, gloves, cleats and helmets.
The gift came weeks after vandals broke into the office of Cleveland’s football coach, Matt Gentle, and stole more than $7,000 raised to buy equipment that the team’s players needed for spring training.
Efforts to replace the money fell short, so Samantha Koerner, mother of player Zak Koerner, contacted the Rams for help.
“Somebody suggested I send an email to the (Rams) C.O.O. I thought he wouldn’t read it. He certainly wasn’t going to respond,” Samantha explained. “Within five minutes, he emailed me back and said, ‘The Rams are on it. We’re going to do what we can to help.’”
Zak, a junior who plays corner, receiver and safety said he had no idea his mom planned to contact the Rams.
“She didn’t tell me until after she did it. If she would have told me before, I probably would have told her not to do it,” he said.
As for meeting Quinn, Prince Latson, a wide receiver at Cleveland high, said it was an incredible experience.
“I was really surprised to see one of my favorite players come here and really show up,” Latson said. “I was caught off-guard. What big team would come down to a high school? It’s just amazing.”
The team, newly returned to Southern California after years in St. Louis, got an assist with the donation from Adidas Football and Gamebreaker Helmets, which produces protective sports headgear
znModeratorRams Report: Introducing Rookie Tight End Temarrick Hemingway
Valerie Wardlaw
https://lasentinel.net/the-la-rams-report-introducing-rookie-tight-end-temarrick-hemingway.html
Oxnard, CA – Two thousand four hundred and fifty-eight miles – the distance Temarrick Hemingway traveled from Orangeburg, SC to reach the Rams rookie training camp in Oxnard, CA. Hemingway, a 6-5, 245 pound tight end, the 177th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft from South Carolina State University (SCSU) stepped onto the Rams practice field filled with wide-eyed excitement and pride at being a member of the newly minted Los Angeles Rams. Hemingway says he is “ready and willing to work hard for his opportunity of a lifetime.” When asked about his thoughts as he took the field, Hemingway didn’t hesitate to say “my great-grandma.” “I spent a lot of time with my great-grandma and she always told me that if I worked hard for what I wanted, I could obtain what I really wanted in life. I wish she was here to see this.”
Temarrick follows in the very large footsteps of NFL Hall of Famer, Pro-bowler, the late David “Deacon” Jones, a former SCSU Bulldog (1957-58), taken in the 14th round of the 1961 draft. Jones would go on to become a member of Rams Fearsome Foursome (1961-71). It’s been 19 years since the Bulldogs have had two players selected in the same draft. Hemingway joins his Bulldog teammates defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (89th overall pick by the Pittsburg Steelers) and defensive back Antonio Hamilton who signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders.
Temarrick was born in Loris, SC but raised 19 miles away in North Myrtle Beach where shag dancing still reigns supreme. He said he always knew he would “play something.” “Growing up, I played football and basketball but football was my thing,” Hemingway said. He considers former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson his role model not only because he holds 15 NFL records but because “he carries himself well, he’s respected on and off the field and I admire that.” “Calvin works hard and I have that same type of work ethic.”
Described as a “tight end that can block,” Hemingway knows he has his work cut out for him. At South Carolina State University, he finished his career with 93 catches for 1,056 yards, earning first-team ALL-MEAC honors in 2015 as the Bulldogs’ second-leading receiver, 38 receptions for 418 yards, and one touchdown. “The terminology is a lot different and the speed of the pro game is so fast but it’s coming along quite well.” “I love the professional game and all the resources you have to better your game. I’m really going to take advantage of that,” Hemingway said. He joins Tyler Hibee, tight end from Western Kentucky forming one of the youngest tight end corps in the NFL.
Coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough, in his 14th season as head coach at SCSU had this to say about Hemingway, “Temarrick is a diamond in the rough. He has great hands and he’s special. He’s extremely bright and his best days are ahead of him.” “Temarrick has overcome some pretty tough surroundings and I think the Rams will be pleasantly surprised by his discipline and great work ethic,” Pough said.
South Carolina State University is no stranger to the NFL, as three of its former players have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Marion Motley in 1968, Deacon Jones in 1970, and Harry Carson in 2006. Coach Pough has four players currently on NFL rosters: Joe Thomas (Greenbay Packers), Raphael Bush (New Orleans Saints), Phillip Adams (Atlanta Falcons), and Marshall McFadden (Oakland Raiders).
Hemingway is hopeful that his South Carolina family will get to see him play this season at the Coliseum and he wants them to have the opportunity to visit and see the sights of Los Angeles. “It’s hard not knowing a lot of people here. I cried when the Rams drafted me and I’m just so grateful for the chance they are giving me. I’m looking forward to getting to know the people and the area.” When asked whom he would like to meet and have dinner with, Hemingway chose Oprah Winfrey, Floyd Mayweather, and President Barack Obama. Well…Temarrick this is Hollywood…land of dreams and some dreams do come true!
znModeratorhis red zone stats are jaw dropping. that’s what excites me the most.
and his feet in the pocket look great.
as i’ve said before bradford in the pocket could never sense where the pass rush was coming from.
i think goff could be bradford with better pocket presence and better vision. facing that much pressure and still having the ability to find receivers. he should be way ahead of sam in those departments.
It will be interesting in a couple of years to rank all the best Rams qbs from the 70s on.
I say from the 70s on because very few of us have seen them play in earlier years.
Goff I am pretty sure will be on that list. But Bradford will too. Bradford was the Rams’ Drew Bledsoe.
It will be interesting to rank Goff with these guys (alphabetical order): Bradford Bulger Everett Ferragamo Warner.
I don’t count Green because he didn’t play enough for the Rams to be ranked.
And for the inevitable arguments that show up whenever this topic comes up— no, sorry, I simply cannot count Rubley on that list. If you’re going to be one of those who insist on fighting over that, go start your own board. The Rubley wars are over. It’s done. Finito. Move on.
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May 10, 2016 at 1:21 pm in reply to: some teams take an altered approach to their rookie minicamps, a la Fisher #43783znModeratorRams take time to educate rookie class before finishing contracts
Nick Wagoner
LOS ANGELES — As most of the NFL world seemed to engage in a sort of race to sign their rookie classes last week, the Los Angeles Rams again sat out the proceedings.
Since Jeff Fisher and Les Snead took over as coach and general manager, respectively, in 2012, the Rams have had a set plan for how and when they intend to sign their draft class. More often than not, it’s resulted in the Rams being one of the last teams to sign their rookies.
It’s an approach similar to how Fisher views his first interaction with the rookies as more of an orientation than a minicamp. Before handing over big checks to a bunch of young men who have never had access to that kind of money, Fisher first wants to focus on educating them.
Now that the rookie orientation is over, that process can begin and it will include something a little different this year as the NFL will be joining in that educational process. In years past, the drafted rookies have attended the annual rookie symposium in Ohio. Now, the league is dispatching representatives to each NFL city to give more personalized attention to each team.
“The NFL’s going to come in and address and make a presentation to the ‘rooks,’” Fisher said. “We’re going to continue and do the same things that we’ve always done. We’ll have meetings starting next week with respect to financial planning, life skills and decision making and all those things that we cover. Social media, media relations and the list goes on and on and on. They’ll be educated once we’re done with (rookie) camp. The draft classes are always used to going to the symposium for three days. This has a chance to be a little bit more intimate. I think it has a chance, from the standpoint of the guys being able to absorb more information, I think it may work out better. Plus, we can also participate in them.”
It’s an approach that makes plenty of sense in today’s NFL landscape. Since the new collective bargaining agreement came into effect in 2011 and the rookie salary cap was put in place, there’s not much drama to the rookie deals. The contracts are essentially slotted and there’s little room for negotiation, which means that it’s not all that hard to get deals done. That’s why so many teams are able to quickly sign their rookies after the draft.
In recent years, director of player programs La’Roi Glover has brought in people in various fields to offer the rookies short seminars on things like money management, buying or renting a home and other important life skills before a contract is offered and signed.
In the past few years, the Rams have traditionally signed their rookie class at some point in mid-June. They signed their 2013 group on June 13 and the 2014 and 2015 classes on June 12. It’s probably a safe bet that the Rams will target a similar timeframe for this year’s six drafted rookies.
znModerator5) Good analogy is Peyton Manning.
You know some folks kept saying the “Fisher qb” is a McNair type. I doubted that. I thought the Fisher type qb is just a good qb—any type or style.
So many thought it would be Wentz because Wentz is more like McNair.
What sometimes gets forgotten is that Fisher coached in the same division with Manning. Preparing to defend Manning and watching film on him twice a year could, or so you would think, lead to appreciation for those kinds of abilities.
So he took a Manning instead of a McNair. Yes McNair was his qb but then he knew what a Manning could do from coaching against him.
…
znModeratorfrom off the net
—
RockRam
1) Goff better than Wentz in mental part of the game, and in pocket movement and pocket skills. About the only things where Wentz is superior is arm strength and running ability. But Goff has more than enough arm strength. Goff accurate at every level on the field. Very confident. Aggressive.
2) Goff better than Winston or Marriotta.
3) A very good leader.
4) Fast processor of info, moves through his progressions rapidly, excellent field vision, always in balance to make accurate throws.
5) Good analogy is Peyton Manning.
6) Rams did the right thing and got good value in the trade
7) Goff does more than just make the right read, he understands the underlying concepts and so can adjust on the fly
8) Fisher a better coach than his years so far with the Rams; probably not as good as his Superbowl year. A solid HC, good at developing young talent.
9) Goff only the 2nd QB Fisher got to choose….the other was McNair. Other QBs forced on him by ownership or circumstance.
10) Expect around a 5-11 to 6-10 year. The best if everything goes right probably 8-8. Only way they make the playoffs is if Arizona or Seattle collapse (and he says not likely).
11) Goal with choosing several young WRs and TEs is for Goff and them to grow together.
12) Thinks several of the WRs have a chance to be very good; named Thomas and North. Cooper a slot guy, perhaps later a WO. Thought Spruce could be a Steve Smith type of possession WR.
13) Tavon Austin a gadget player. Few gadget players ever become good all around position players.
14) Believes long term stability at QB and with the Coaching is the key to long term success in a franchise.
15) Timed 40 speed overrated for WRs. Start and stop ability, route running, good hands far more important. 4.7 plenty fast to be a very good NFL WR if the player has quickness, good route runner, very good start/stop ability. Isaac Bruce an example. Spruce is similar.
znModeratorCoaching. I know people will disagree here with me. But I don’t trust Fisher.
Well I DO agree with you—yes, agreed, you do not trust Fisher.
znModeratorRams hoping the ‘other’ Michael Thomas turns into a draft steal
Nick Wagoner
LOS ANGELES — New Los Angeles Rams receiver Michael Thomas didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called during the NFL draft.
Sitting at home with friends and family in Chicago, Thomas watched as former Saints running back Deuce McAllister stepped to the podium and called his name with the 47th overall pick in the draft. Under normal circumstances, Thomas would have been excited for the culmination of his football dreams. But there was one big problem.
New Orleans was picking a different Michael Thomas. The Saints went with the Ohio State version, a player who had long been pegged as a first or second-round choice and had attended the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Instead of landing with the Saints or at any time in the second round, Thomas had to wait much longer to hear his name again, listening intently for the designation of “from Southern Mississippi” to be sure it was right.
As it turned out, the Rams finally came calling in the sixth round, using pick No. 206 to secure Thomas’ services. For Thomas, being chosen behind someone sharing his name wasn’t nearly as surprising as having to wait until the draft’s penultimate round.
“I was anticipating going earlier, but I was just being patient and didn’t let it get to me,” Thomas said. “I just knew I was going to get picked, but I didn’t know when.”
Actually, Thomas had some preconceived projections for his draft status that fall in line with where the other Thomas went.
“To be honest, probably second through the fourth, no later than the fourth,” Thomas said. “But, obviously that didn’t happen. I just stayed patient and kept thinking positive about it and here I am.”
Thomas’ surprise at lasting as long as he did is actually well-founded. After bouncing from junior college to Southern Miss, Thomas was one of the country’s most productive receivers. In 2015, he finished with 71 catches for 1,391 yards and 14 touchdowns. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, it wasn’t like Thomas lacked size and reports pegged his 40-yard dash time at his pro day in the 4.4-4.5 second range so speed wasn’t necessarily the issue, either.
Of course, had Thomas posted those numbers at the combine, his stock probably would have soared when matched with his production.
“It was really a surprise,” Thomas said of not getting a combine invite. “That just motivated me more to keep going. That put a lot of fire in me to keep going, keep working hard, and thinking positive the whole way through.”
Thomas said after the draft that he didn’t think the lack of a combine invite hurt his stock but he also couldn’t quite put his finger on why he didn’t go earlier. Even the deeper analytical sites like Pro Football Focus believe Thomas has the look of a potential late-round bargain. PFF recently named Thomas one of its top 10 sleeper picks in the draft after giving him the 11th highest grade of all wideouts in this year’s draft class.
According to PFF’s metrics, Thomas averaged 2.98 yards per route run, which was fifth best among receivers in the class.
“Michael is a guy who played at Southern Miss, and played on the outside there,” Rams general manager Les Snead said. “He ran a lot of routes for them and caught a lot of balls. What you notice about him is being able to catch the ball when there was a defender near him, and pluck the ball out of the air when somebody was covering him or draped on his back, per se.”
After the draft, one Rams personnel man agreed with the assessment that Thomas could be the sleeper of the class. In joining the Rams, Thomas finds himself in position to make a run at a roster spot.
In terms of true outside receivers, the Rams have only Kenny Britt and Brian Quick on the roster. Britt and Quick will be unrestricted free agents after the season and Quick has never lived up to his draft status as an early second-round pick. If Thomas can pick up the offense and NFL route tree in short order, he should have a chance to not just secure a spot on the 53-man roster but possibly even contribute as a rookie.
“I bring dynamic playmaking skills,” Thomas said. “I can stretch the field, make things happen, make plays, execute plays, and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing with the Rams. Keep making plays, executing, and winning games.”
And perhaps make a name for himself in the process.
znModeratorWas moving up for Jared Goff — or any quarterback — a bad idea?
Nick Wagoner
The actual results of the trade between the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans won’t be fully realized until the Titans use what’s left of the picks acquired from the Rams next year.
Even then it will be too early to take stock of how those players drafted by the Titans and Rams fared. But ESPN senior writer Peter Keating’s latest column asserts that it’s not too early to declare a winner in the trade itself.
Keating writes in the next issue of ESPN The Magazine that the Titans fleeced the Rams and the Cleveland Browns ran circles around the Philadelphia Eagles in their respective trade-ups for the top two quarterbacks in the draft.
In making the case that the deal was bad for the Rams, Keating points to the “Loser’s Curse,” a research paper which argues that performance declines the lower you go in the draft but that decline isn’t nearly as quick as many teams believe. He also lists the names of quarterbacks taken in the top five of the draft after a team moved up to get them. The list — Jeff George, Kerry Collins, Ryan Leaf, Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez, Robert Griffin III — isn’t too inspiring.
Of course, history shows that such bold moves haven’t really worked out for teams making those trades to move up. But if Goff finds a way to buck the trend and become the franchise quarterback the Rams hope he can be, nobody will remember or care what the Rams gave up to get him.
znModeratorWho did he go up against? Just curious.
I mean, if it was mediocre pass-rushers
than it aint that impressive, right?w
vSF was 29th in sacks.
Say what you will but it’s NOT 32nd.
So you can quit your Rams-hating on this one.
.
znModeratorBut i can tell you that I rub elbows with the people he is describing all the time. Routinely. Very common here. Identity-politics-one-noters.
Well you say “tohm-A-toe”, and I say “zoo-keen-EE.”
I think that’s a Beatles song.
.
znModeratorMaybe, the Democraps wake up and see that the DNC crowd
has ruined the party and turned it into Republican-lite,
and maybe they realize they need to turn left — toward Bernie-type candidates.Well…IMO? Flat bloody chance.
May 10, 2016 at 8:40 am in reply to: Stan Kroenke’s memory may be a little foggy on Kurt Warner #43756znModeratorSome boards, you see people nail SK on this one. Some boards, you see people nail Thomas for even discussing it. I personally kind of note it with some interest but not even enough to break out popcorn. People just come from different places on this, and there’s more than just 2 views of it. I have no personal emotional stakes in the move, plus I don’t judge people who do–either way. I just found Thomas to be a decent beat writer in a small market where it was easy for the team to shut off access, and that he did fine with that. I didn’t always agree with him. If he has a vendetta for SK, it doesn’t matter to me either way…SK ought to be big enough to survive that, and it’s nothing compared to how the LA media treated Georgia. If SK becomes unpopular for whatever reason in LA, he will long for the days when his one media issue was JT picking on him now and then (that’s just because the LA media market is bigger and with so many sports loyalties to draw people’s attention, far less forgiving). I personally don’t feel loyalty to owners…and remember with some sense of distant mild post-traumatic stress syndrome the days back in 2000 when criticizing Zygmunt was the one thing you could do on message boards to draw down “pile-on” fury. Eventually everyone turned on Zygmunt. But at the time the few critics were saying “let people have different views.” It doesn’t matter to me if someone admires SK or attacks him—that’s a plausible range of different views, and I don’t have any stake in how that goes. I think SK kind of put himself out there for some criticism on this one, but then it’s a small thing and will pass without any real effects. I think JT has moments of anti-regime bitterness but then that doesn’t bother me either. I just try to be objective about the whole thing, though that just means in the end that I think having different views is healthy. I never agreed with everything JT did or said, but even in my strongest disagreements it never crossed the line into disdain or dismissiveness. Right now, JT knows more about the Rams than any LA writer, but then that situation won’t last. My hope is that it genuinely is a competitive media market and we get several good sources on the Rams, competing with each other to be the best. In terms of just reading about the Rams that would be best for us nomad fans anyway.
May 10, 2016 at 8:20 am in reply to: John Clayton & others: how soon will Goff be ready to start #43755znModerator. Steadily bringing along your new franchise quarterback, a la Aaron Rodgers, is a nice idea. But in today’s NFL, with quarterbacks at a premium and job security so rare, it’s not exactly a realistic one.
I don’t see the reasoning there. “Aaron Rodgers” who sat for a couple of year is not the only alternative to starting week one.
I personally don’t care when he starts…but I imagine it would be in the first half of the season. I also don’t think it matters that much. I don’t think job security is an issue, I think Keenum has enough to do fine for however long it is, and I trust the coaches on this one.
Bradford started immediately, and in some ways had more to learn about pro offenses than Goff does. But then in 2010 the Rams had the league’s 3rd easiest schedule v. now when they have one of the toughest schedules in a competitive division with a couple of great defenses.
To me this isn’t controversial. I don’t see any critical need for urgency, and I don’t think my own impatience translates into good football reasons.
May 10, 2016 at 8:04 am in reply to: John Clayton & others: how soon will Goff be ready to start #43753znModeratorAnalysis: Rams rookie Jared Goff should begin season as starting QB
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/season-715358-rookie-rams.html
When Jared Goff made his debut at rookie mini-camp in Oxnard last weekend, the Rams’ top overall pick couldn’t quite get his timing down. Operating at half-speed, the rest of the Rams offensive rookies were apparently moving too slow for him.
For now, though, that pace is just fine for Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who insists he’ll be deliberate in bringing along the player the Rams brass wagered the team’s future on. On draft night, even as he repeatedly called Goff their “franchise quarterback,” Fisher made no promises the talented rookie would be the Day One – or even Week 1 – starter.
“We aren’t going to subject him to fail,” Fisher said. “We aren’t going to come out Day One and announce that he is a starter. It’s going to happen pretty soon, sooner than probably later. We have some things to do coaching wise, he’s got to learn our offense, he’s got to get to know his teammates, get in sync with his receivers. So when that happens, I don’t know, but that has always been our philosophy.”
This trepidation makes sense, in theory. Steadily bringing along your new franchise quarterback, a la Aaron Rodgers, is a nice idea. But in today’s NFL, with quarterbacks at a premium and job security so rare, it’s not exactly a realistic one.
Not since JaMarcus Russell in 2007 has a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall been on the bench for his team’s Week 1 matchup. Jameis Winston (2015), Andrew Luck (2012), Cam Newton (2011), Sam Bradford (2010), and Matt Stafford (2009) were all thrown into the fire. In fact, of the 24 quarterbacks over the past decade who started eight or more games in their rookie season, 16 were named Week 1 starters.
And the eight who weren’t insta-starters don’t exactly make up a star-studded list of signal callers. Aside from Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater, who both got their first starts in Week 4 of the 2014 season and have been moderately successful since, that group includes the likes of Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Colt McCoy, Josh Freeman, Vince Young and Matt Leinart. Only Gabbert is currently on an NFL roster.
So, as the last 10 seasons suggest, if you’re good enough to make it as a future franchise quarterback, chances are you’re probably starting from Day One. Even as Rams coaches attempt to beat the drum for Case Keenum this fall, that will more than likely be the case with Goff, too.
How he does once he’s named the rookie starter, recent history tells us, is far more of a mixed bag.
The Rams, with a Pro Bowl running back and a strong defense in tow, will be better equipped for success than most teams that opt to start a first-year quarterback. But there’s no ignoring how rare it is for a rookie quarterback to lead his team to an above-.500 record. Only six first-year quarterbacks since 2006 have won at least nine games in their rookie season – Luck, Robert Griffin III, Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan, and Joe Flacco – and all six have been to a Pro Bowl. (And yes, I, too, nearly forgot Griffin went to a Pro Bowl.)
That said, it’s not entirely fair to quantify the individual performance of a rookie quarterback by wins. In his rookie season in 2011, Cam Newton won just six of his 16 starts on the struggling Panthers but finished with an approximate value of 19, according to Pro Football Reference – the highest single-season value of any rookie in the last decade. For comparison’s sake, in his MVP campaign last season, Newton’s approximate value of 20 led all quarterbacks.
Few rookie signal callers prove that valuable in their first season, though. The average approximate value of NFL quarterbacks with eight-plus starts last season is 11.7, according to Pro Football Reference. In terms of first-year quarterbacks over the past decade, only six even managed to surpass that average single-season baseline – Ryan (14), Newton (19), Luck (13), Griffin III (18), Wilson (16) and last year’s No. 1 pick, Winston (13).
Goff will have his fair share of obstacles to overcome in order to join that exclusive rookie club. His transition from Cal’s Air Raid offense to a distinctly pro-style set will likely mean plenty of growing pains early. Not to mention that the Rams pass offense, which finished dead last in the NFL in 2015, isn’t exactly replete with proven weapons to prop him up, either.
“It’s going to speed up more, the windows are going to be tighter, the receivers are going to be moving faster,” Goff said. “You want to transition to the speed. It is something I am ready for.”
For now, though, his coaches insist there is no rush. Another four months remain before the Rams open the season on Monday night in Santa Clara against the 49ers. And while Fisher acknowledged “the goal” is to trot Goff out then as the starter, the Rams might play coy about that position battle until then.
“He can handle it,” Fisher said after Goff was drafted. “When he steps under center? I can’t tell you.”
But I can. And if recent history tells us anything, you can go ahead mark your calendars:
Sept. 12. Week 1. The beginning of the Jared Goff Era in Los Angeles.
May 9, 2016 at 9:49 pm in reply to: John Clayton & others: how soon will Goff be ready to start #43751znModeratorExpectations will be high as Los Angeles Rams rookie Jared Goff makes transition to NFL
Sam Farmer
http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-nfl-rookie-quarterbacks-20160510-story.html
Before he moves forward as Rams quarterback, Jared Goff needs to move backward. Again and again.
The No. 1 pick in last month’s NFL draft is making the transition from a spread to a pro-style offense, taking snaps from under center for the first time since his freshman year in high school. It’s a fairly common transformation these days — fellow first-round pick Paxton Lynch faces a similar learning curve with the Denver Broncos — but it’s more complicated than meets the eye.
“Passing the football is rhythm and timing,” Rams quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke said during a rookie mini-camp last week. “When I’m under center, that rhythm and timing is different than when I’m in the [shot]gun. If I haven’t done it since I was 14 years old, and now I come to this level with the speed of the game, there’s a transition.
“We felt like this kid has the mental capacity to pick it up, the physical ability to be able to make the transition, and we saw it today. We had a walk-through earlier, and from that walk-through to the second walk-through he got better. So there’s growth on Day 1, and that’s what we truly believed in when we drafted the guy.”
The Rams say they won’t play Goff until he’s absolutely ready to step into the job and that they’ve got a sturdy bridge player in quarterback Case Keenum, who has won NFL games. But the reality is, the days of sitting a high-drafted rookie the way the Philadelphia Eagles did with Donovan McNabb, the San Diego Chargers did with Philip Rivers or the Green Bay Packers did with Aaron Rodgers are distant memories.
The expectation is a first-round rookie steps in and plays right away, especially one that cost so much in terms of draft picks, the Rams making an unprecedented trade up from No. 15.
Goff is not alone in that category. Carson Wentz, the No. 2 pick, is shouldering the same expectations in Philadelphia, as is Lynch in Denver. Second-round pick Christian Hackenberg is in the spotlight with the New York Jets, even as the expectations are that the club will eventually work through its contractual impasse with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
And the stage is set for a quarterback competition in Cleveland, which took USC’s Cody Kessler in the third round. Although many evaluators think that taking Kessler that early was a reach and that he’s best suited to be a No. 3 and work his way up, the Browns seem to be more comfortable inserting him sooner. Cleveland, which has had 24 starting quarterbacks since re-launching as an expansion franchise in 1999, signed Robert Griffin III in March.
“If there’s a team that has a 15-year vet or if there’s an open competition, I’m treating it as if I’m the starter,” Kessler told reporters last week. “I’m going to come in there and compete for a spot, but I’m not going to be arrogant.”
It used to be that young quarterbacks sat, sometimes for years, and learned at the elbow of reliable veterans. A seismic shift happened in 2008, when the Atlanta Falcons took Matt Ryan with the third pick, the Baltimore Ravens took Joe Flacco with the 18th and both quarterbacks not only started their entire rookie seasons but also reached the playoffs. No rookie quarterback had done that before. (Peyton Manning was the Day 1 starter for the Indianapolis Colts a decade earlier, for instance, but the Colts went 3-13 during his rookie season.)
Since Ryan and Flacco entered the league, at least one rookie quarterback has started his team’s opener, among them the Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford, the Colts’ Andrew Luck, the Oakland Raiders’ Derek Carr and last year’s Nos. 1 and 2 picks, Jameis Winston of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans.
Rams General Manager Les Snead was a scout in Atlanta when the Falcons drafted Ryan and said the team started him only because he was ready to go, not because of external pressure to do so.
However, Snead said the league could be in a “swing cycle” back to the time when it was OK to sit a rookie quarterback for a while because of what he sees as a widening gap in styles between NFL and college offenses.
“It’s still relatively simple to go and pick out, ‘That guy has the traits to play in the NFL and be successful,’ ” Snead said. “What’s getting harder is, how long is it going to take that guy — whether he’s a wide receiver, an offensive lineman, or a quarterback — to be ready? You’ve got to learn to take a snap for the first time, even if that seems odd. Learn to call a protection, learn multiple cadences. We all know that while you’re learning something, you’re a little slower. So the key is, don’t put the guy out while he’s still a little slower while he’s learning it.”
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, who led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl victory, said the act of dropping back to pass is more complex than most people realize. A quarterback’s drop meshes with the route timing of his receivers, so a passer will know by his own feet where his receivers are at any given point.
“The hard part is developing that timing when you’re in shotgun and you’re not taking a drop,” said Warner, now an NFL Network analyst. “That to me is the hardest part. I think all of these quarterbacks can develop an ability to drop back and throw from under center. But there’s no question when you’re learning a million different things and trying to get acclimated with the speed, the last thing you want to have to work on is being able to take a center snap and drop back five yards and think about that aspect of things, when you really want to be thinking about just the mental side of playing this game.”
Sonny Dykes, Goff’s coach at California, said the transition could be easier for Golden Bears quarterbacks, who are asked to make sophisticated reads of a defense.
“What I think gives our guys a chance at the next level is … we do a lot of full-field reading,” Dykes said. “So Jared, a lot of times it’s based on, ‘If this guy does this, you do this.’ We asked him to read pre-snap and before the snap decide, ‘I’m throwing it here.’ We also ask him to read one specific guy, a half-field read. ‘OK, if this guy does this, throw it to this guy.’ We also ask for full-field reads, where he drops back and may start to the left, and he’s going to progress all the way through his reads and get to his fourth or fifth read.
“Just what they’d ask [in the NFL]. I don’t know what else they’d ask a guy to do.”
Dykes has no concerns about Goff making the under-center transition quickly and seamlessly.
“Sure, there’s some footwork things involved,” he said. “If you were talking about a guy here that had slow feet or wasn’t good in the pocket, I could see where you could say he’d have a hard time adjusting. But we’re talking about a guy here that’s got as good a feet as anybody I’ve ever seen. That’s what makes him unique.”
znModeratorfrom MMQB: http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/30/nfl-jared-goff-cleveland-browns-tim-couch-2016-draft
from an article published before the Rams trade-up
…
Cleveland’s signing of Robert Griffin III clouds the Browns’ QB future but doesn’t seal it. Only $6.75 million of Griffin’s contract is guaranteed, and that total isn’t enough to preclude them from dealing Josh McCown and pulling a trigger on a quarterback with the second overall pick. . . .Goff appeared to have the inside track—and with good reason. He was the first true freshman to start under center for Cal in the school’s history, and by the start of his junior season he’d developed into the most complete quarterback in the country. As a thrower, his accuracy down the field and outside the numbers might be his greatest strength. Goff’s favorite throw of last season came in Cal’s win against Texas in mid-September. On a 4th-and-3 in Longhorns territory, he dropped back to the 25, turned his head to the left to hold the free safety and finally whipped back to the right and floated a throw to Kenny Lawler just inside the pylon. There’s a reason Goff was First Team All Pac 12. He can put the ball wherever he wants to. He’ll make it rain out there.
Great arms come along all the time, but by the end of his time at Cal, Goff’s control—of both his surroundings and the Cal offense—is what put distance between him and the rest of the country’s prospects. His pocket presence seems preternatural. Goff navigated traffic with what seemed like a sixth sense during his final year at Cal, side-stepping rushers and finding throwing lanes while never fixating on those chasing him. He says he never sees actual rushers, only “flashes of color” in his peripheral vision, and it shows. Last season was also the first in which Goff was given complete audible power at the line of scrimmage. When he felt the need to change a play, there was a green light to do it.
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znModerator’ll believe it when I see it.
Consider me doubting Thomas.
I won’t root any less hard on Sunday, but I’ve seen and heard all this before. And… yeah. Still have yet to see even 8 wins.
Dear Thomas,
My view of course is very different. I think 7 wins under those conditions last year is actually very encouraging.
Now would I bet the farm on them improving this year?
Well since I don’t own a farm, it’s a moot question.
Yours sincerely, Hopeful Hank
May 9, 2016 at 2:28 pm in reply to: Stan Kroenke’s memory may be a little foggy on Kurt Warner #43721znModeratorThomas: Who knew? Kroenke helped discover Warner
Jim Thomas
Stan Kroenke’s alter ego took over at a news conference held before a small public audience in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 15. He laughed, cried, joked — but most surprising of all, he showed up to answer questions. (AP Photo)
Just when you thought the universe of people who helped discover Kurt Warner had long since been exhausted, along comes Stan Kroenke.Kroenke, who gave zero interviews over the Rams’ last four years in St. Louis, can’t shut up now that the team is in Los Angeles. In his latest escapade, a recent interview with Jarrett Bell of USA Today, Kroenke recalled giving Dick Vermeil advice on Warner in 1998.
“Dick Vermeil asked me my opinion of who the third quarterback should be,” Kroenke told USA Today. “I told Dick, ‘OK, I’ve never even played football but you want my opinion? The kid from Northern Iowa can see. He’s got vision. It’s like a really good point guard (in basketball). Some guys have it. Some guys don’t.”
In 1998, Tony Banks was firmly ensconced as the starter. Steve Bono was acquired in a trade with Green Bay to be the backup. That left Will Furrer and Warner, who was signed as a “street” free agent early that offseason, competing for the No. 3 job.
Exactly how Kroenke came to his conclusion about Warner’s vision is uncertain. For one, Warner was assigned to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe that spring, so he didn’t participate in the Rams’ minicamps or OTAs.
For another, even back then as Rams minority owner, Kroenke almost never attended practice. And in preseason that summer, Warner threw all of four passes in exhibition play.
So apparently either Kroenke is a quick study in terms of what little he may have seen on the practice field. Or he was grinding out practice tape or NFL Europe film in his spare time.
On Saturday, Vermeil told the Post-Dispatch he doesn’t recall having that conversation with Kroenke. “But if he said it, I’m sure it was true,” Vermeil said.
Vermeil said Kroenke was almost timid about engaging with the team at that time, perhaps in deference to majority owner Georgia Frontiere. Whenever Kroenke was around, which wasn’t often, Vermeil said he tried to update him on what was going on with the team.
Keep in mind, Mike Martz had yet to be hired as offensive coordinator. In 1998, he was working as wide receivers coach for Washington. General manager Charley Armey was around, and he told the Post-Dispatch on Friday that he wasn’t privy to any conversation Kroenke may have had with Vermeil on the subject of Warner.
But Armey did have this to say about keeping Warner that year:
“The decision to keep Kurt Warner was 100 percent Dick Vermeil,” Armey said. “Everybody was lobbying for other people, including the next year when Trent Green got hurt. Some guys wanted Jeff Hostetler and some guys wanted Jeff George. Dick Vermeil stuck to his guns.”
Once the coaches got to see Warner on the practice field over the course of the 1998 regular season, respect grew for him. Armey told a reporter midway through the ’98 season that the team already had a quarterback on the roster who was much better than Banks — Warner.
When Vermeil hired Martz as offensive coordinator after the ’98 season, he told him to take a good look at Warner — both the practice film and NFL Europe tape — because he was the Rams’ scout team quarterback in ’98, and the starting defense had trouble stopping him.
And even though the Rams went 4-12 in 1998, they finished 10th in total defense and third in passing defense that year, so Warner was going against good personnel every day running the scout team.
Warner, in fact, won the offensive service award, as voted on by the coaching staff, as the team’s outstanding practice player in 1998.
Even saying all that, there is this long-forgotten fact about the Rams and Warner: He was exposed on the expansion list for the Cleveland Browns after the ’98 season.
There for the taking. The Browns didn’t claim him, so Warner stayed a Ram for a 1999 season that ended with a Super Bowl championship.
Warner’s response to the Kroenke story was as follows via his Twitter account:
“Trust me, he wasn’t only 1 responsible for discovering me … Haha all good I don’t care who gets credit!”
znModeratorHe had Roddy White, came from a pro style offense, threw on only 40% of plays, many on play action and he played in a weak NFC South.
That enabled such a turnaround.
Well the division wasn’t mentioned, but White was mentioned, the pro style offense was mentioned, and the percentage of pass plays (45% actually) was mentioned.
The parallels are these.
Rookie qb, revamped Boudreau OL, strong emphasis on the running game.
Though another difference is that the Rams have a much stronger defense than the Falcons did.
But bringing this up is not to make predictions, it’s just to discuss standards of assessment. For example, I said: Ryan had an 87.7 qb rating that year, which is more or less what ought to be expected of Goff.
I disagree that the Goff situation is not similar to that of Flacco, Ryan, or Roethlisberger. In fact it’s more like it than not. The opposite situation in one where the team has nothing, like most teams picking 1st in the draft, and try to build around a qb who is their first major acquisition. That’s just not the Rams situation.
There are pieces on offense. So for example (and it’s just an example) in previous years Kendricks has led the team in catch percentage. Gurley. And we don’t know what else yet, but it won’t be nothing.
They had one of the toughest schedules in the league last year too (3rd actually) and managed to pull out a 7-9 season even with a young then injured line, a melted down Foles and an “okay but no better than that” Keenum, and multiple key injuries on defense.
If they could do that they can hold their own now too, IMO.
And btw I don’t think adapting to a pro offense will be a huge issue for Goff. It wasn’t that much for Bradford in 2010, and if anything, Goff is further along in that regard than Bradford was.
znModeratorAn integral element of that moral economy is displacement of the critique of the invidious outcomes produced by capitalist class power onto equally naturalized categories of ascriptive identity that sort us into groups supposedly defined by what we essentially are rather than what we do. As I have argued, following Walter Michaels and others, within that moral economy a society in which 1% of the population controlled 90% of the resources could be just, provided that roughly 12% of the 1% were black, 12% were Latino, 50% were women, and whatever the appropriate proportions were LGBT people.
There’s some truth to that…and also a lot of bs to that.
For his argument to work there have to be a lot of people with fixed, one-note political visions. So for example if you’re into LGBT issues you can’t notice class, or capitalist power structures.
Well I know so many people who defy that one-note idea that all I can do when I read statements like that is roll my eyes.
The problem isn’t “identity politics,” it’s what he thinks it is. The problem is his overly categorical perceptions. I routinely rub elbows with people who just don’t reduce to his simple categories. Really—I mean for me, that’s an everyday thing.
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znModeratorAlright though I take issue with your use of the word “win”.
Fair enough.
znModeratorNo, since I didn’t misconstrue your point. Review what you wrote and you’ll see I’m in agreement about teams taking into account people like teammates who have dealt with the player. You even suggested teams might have seen something in his interviews with NFL teams for the draft. Again I agree. What we don’t agree on and what you have never posted proof of in this case or any other is if the dad was used as a negative mark by any NFL team in the players downgrading. There is no proof of that and I contend that the ass clown writer should be sued by the dad.
Look this is over. I will just clarify. NONE of the things said about why Cook dropped is open, explicit, “owned by teams,” direct, or any of that. It all has the same status. We get hints teams didn’t like the way he interviewed…we get hints that toxic dad may have been an issue. It’s all hints.
That’s the third or 4th time I’ve said that. We’re not going anywhere. Neither of us is going to change, and this is becoming the kind of bickering we shut down on this board.
So along with me, give it a break. Everyone knows what each of us thinks and no one will “win.” Move on. Okay?
znModeratorOK good, we have gotten the issue out of the way that no NFL team has cited anything about this guy’s dad as being among the negative marks used in his downgrading.
No…that’s not what I said. Don’t misconstrue my point. What I said was that no team openly said anything about why they downgraded Cook. They didn’t openly say the stuff you believe, any more than they openly said the stuff you DON’T believe.
So my point was they never said THIS, either:
. The downgrading was due to people who had dealt with him personally whether as a teammate or NFL draft interviewee.
My point, then, was that no team said anythingexplicitly. It was all leaked whispers. You may choose to believe one set of things and not the other, and that’s your personal choice. But you aren’t going to “win” an argument about which kind of leaked whispers count and which don’t. That’s simply a matter of opinion.
I also quoted enough to show you the “toxic dad” issue does not reduce to one reporter.
And I put in the “agree to disagree” qualifier too, because if I am just repeating myself, then, it’s not a discussion. It’s just a quarrel we should put a halt to. This kind of bickering is not common on this board, so learn when to graciously say “yeah okay we just differ on this.” I said “But then on the mighty toxic dad issue, we will each believe what we want, which is fine.”
So we’re done. Your view is known, mine is known. Right?
.
znModeratorRams left impressed by first look at rookies
Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/29147/rams-left-impressed-by-first-look-at-rookies
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams held their annual rookie orientation over the weekend, offering the team its first chance to see its new crop of rookies up close.
The group of rookies included the six the Rams drafted, 19 undrafted free agents and a pair of tryout players. Rams coach Jeff Fisher’s plan for the rookies during the orientation is always to limit time on the field to short drills and a general walk-through pace while emphasizing everything that goes into making the transition to the NFL.
Still, Fisher came away with a positive first impression of the 2016 rookie group.
“They’ve done a really good job, just really impressed with the whole group,” Fisher said. “We’ve got a lot accomplished. As we have referred to this in the past as an orientation, as opposed to a minicamp, and in essence that’s what it is. We’re monitoring their speed and explosive movements and things like that, particularly because they are a little bit behind the veterans. They adjusted, they did a nice job. We got a lot of offense and defense in; we got some special-teams work going.”
In addition to that light on-field work, the rookies got their first weightlifting session with strength coach Rock Gullickson and sat through a variety of meetings ranging from an introduction to schemes to how the Rams go about their business and practices.
While the veteran Rams are still going through the offseason conditioning program, Fisher makes it a point to keep the rookies separate from the older players for a little while longer.
“As we continue to move in to our offseason program, we’re going to kind of keep them separate from the veterans for about a week or so,” Fisher said. “Work them in the afternoon and just let them observe, just to ensure that we get them caught up to that conditioning level where our vets are.”
Of course, as is often the case, not all of the rookies will get to stick around for the immediate future. NFL rules stipulate that rookies can’t join their team full time until their school year is complete. Many of the teams in the Pac-12 Conference, for example, are on the quarter system and have finals later than other schools. That means quarterback Jared Goff will have to return to school briefly before he can return.
“I know he’s looking forward to coming back,” Fisher said. “We have a number of players that have to leave because their exams aren’t over — Jared being one of them. But, most everybody will be back next weekend. Those that do leave, we have about a half dozen or so that are leaving, but the rest of the guys will be here and participate throughout the offseason program.”
Fisher said the rookies that do get to stick around will have their first chance to meet the veterans on Monday. They’ll then begin integrating the rookies and veterans in advance of the start of organized team activities, the first of which is scheduled for May 31.
“They’ll be meetings together and things like that,” Fisher said. “As a matter of fact and they’re looking forward to it, they get to introduce themselves to the veterans on Monday morning at the team meeting. That’s always amusing.”
znModerator2016 Rookie Camp Highlights – Day 1
See the best shots from the first day of the Rams Rookie Orientation.
znModeratorGoff grateful to get on field
The Associated Press
OXNARD, Calif. — After months of pre-draft preparations leading to a memorable night in Chicago, Jared Goff is finally getting to do what he loves most with his fellow newcomers to the Los Angeles Rams.
The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft went through his first practice alongside the Rams’ rookies and undrafted free agents at the coastal temporary training base Friday. Although the Rams didn’t do much at full speed, their new quarterback was simply grateful to be in a helmet instead of a suit, and on a field instead of in a classroom.
“It was nice to get out here,” Goff said after practice. “Get running around, get to sweat a little bit, throw the ball around, play catch.”
Goff capped off a day of meetings and studying with two hours of deliberate practice. The Rams are still a month away from any full-squad workouts, but Goff intends to use the weekend as an opportunity to begin building chemistry with the fleet of rookie pass-catchers acquired along with him last weekend.
Goff has plenty of work to do before he suits up with the veterans during organized team activities next month. He is already hard at work on learning the Rams’ offense, realizing he’ll need every minute of experience if he hopes to fulfill coach Jeff Fisher’s goal for him to start the season opener.
“It’s almost like you’re learning a different language,” Goff said. “It’s like you’re going into Spanish class. You have to become fluent in Spanish over however long a time it is. There’s a lot of stuff that translates, that I kind of understand that it’s a different word, and there’s lots of stuff that I’m learning. Today it went really well. I felt like I picked it up as the day went on and got better.”
Along with the entire Rams’ playbook, he is always working on improving his technique under center after a college career spent in the shotgun at California. Goff took plenty of snaps under center in his first practice, but the finer points of the skill will be tested later.
Goff intends to prove he doesn’t lack basic NFL skills because of his background in Cal coach Sonny Dykes’ Bear Raid offense.
“There is a lot that translates,” Goff said. “Most of the (shotgun) stuff translates, all of it. There’s under-center stuff that I’m picking up as I go, and it’s gone really well so far.”
Goff’s teammates haven’t yet seen the full strength of his arm, but fellow rookie draft picks Tyler Higbee and Pharoh Cooper are eager to catch plenty of passes from him. Goff and Cooper exchanged excited texts about their future during the week between the draft and the rookie camp.
“You want to just be the guy you are and the person you are, to be the leader of my rookie class, per se,” said Goff, who plans to “just work as hard as I can, make everyone buy in and just be a good teammate and be the best player I can be.”
Goff is just downstate from his native Bay Area, but receiver Nelson Spruce is even closer to home. The undrafted free agent signee is from Westlake Village, California, a short drive from the Rams’ temporary offseason headquarters in Oxnard and just a few minutes from their more permanent regular-season training home in Thousand Oaks.
Spruce, the Colorado product who became the Pac-12’s career receptions leader last season, already had a connection with Goff before the rookie camp. They worked out together before the NFL combine, already building up a rapport.
“I’ve been throwing with him for a couple of months,” Spruce said. “I think he’s the guy that’s going to lead this entire organization, so I’m excited to see what he does. … Any little advantage I can get, I’m going to take. That little chemistry I have is going to pay off, especially at the beginning.”
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