PA Ram wrote:

Helping Goff make that transition is Ted Tollner, the former USC coach whose son, Bruce, is one of the agents representing the two top quarterbacks.

Interesting.

PA Ram wrote:

Multiple people with knowledge of the situation say the NFL has asked the Rams to keep their quarterback choice quiet until the draft, thereby sustaining the drama.

Also interesting, if true.

.

InvaderRam wrote:

if it is goff, do people here think we might see the rams go to a more fast tempo offense like they tried to earlier in bradford’s career? will they try to incorporate some of the air raid offense into their own playbook? did cal use the running backs in the passing game?

Doubt it. Maybe a play here or there, but I think they stick with their play action offense and Goff adapts to it.

Peer review isn’t any good at keeping flawed studies out of major papers, but it can be deadly efficient at silencing heretical views.

That, for example, is complete and utter BS.

Virtually every view we currently accept as consensus on this or that scientific subject once existed as scientific heresy.

And of course flawed studies make it into print…because they make a case that later turns out, cannot hold up.

For example, 30 years ago, anyone who dismissed the idea that black holes are real was flawed, and since then, more and more studies not only reveal their existence but actually study their behavior…to the degree that’s possible with the current technology.

The vast majority of scientific ideas that we know from the late 20th century began as maverick views that only slowly gathered support. And, all of it is STILL undergoing the process of refinement, replacement, scrutiny, and so on.

Honestly, there’s no Big Science Cookie Monster ready to be slain. It’s just this long, long process involving thousands upon thousands of different-minded people.

The only problem I see here is pretending like there IS some Cookie Monster Big Science Thing. Well, no there isn’t. Not even remotely. It just does not reduce to something that simple.

….

wv wrote:

Well its an interesting subject, for sure: “big science”

What factors influence ‘science’ and what factors might
cause scientific-conclusions to be wrong ? Its a big subject.

w
v

Science is a method. In fact it’s a long series of different ways of applying method to different objects of inquiry.

Scientists are almost invariably the first to discover whether or not this or that claim holds up. So they are the first to say what causes a previous scientific conclusion to be wrong. Doing that—ie. testing the validity of previous scientific claims–is fundamentally core to what science does.

That’s because science, unlike a creed or faith, isn’t unitary. It consists of endless trained people whose entire purpose is to disprove claims that do not hold up and replace them with ones that presumably work better (in which case others poke, prod, test, and scrutinize the new claim.)

Usually, to me, the people talking about “science” as this “thing” that “acts a certain way” are not being very scientific. It’s more like they’re talking about something they made up in their heads than the actual operations and practices of actual scientists.

To me there’s just absolutely no such thing as “Big Science.” That’s just this made up thing. There is, however, thousands upon thousands of people doing things as diverse as studying dog cognition and calculating how to use the theory of relatively so that the time in satellites can be aligned with the time on the surface of the planet (otherwise GPSs don’t work). And obviously much, much more.

…
…

What are the percentages on getting a receiver in rounds 4-7? (I know they don’t have a 7th but they’re fair game with their 2 6th rounders.)

Remembering of course that this draft is deeper than most, they say, just not as star-studded at the top.

I did a decade, ending in 2013. So 2004-13.

Out of 184 drafted, I counted 2 tiers: very good to good to fairly decent hits, and then serviceable, active “okay” guys (like Brandon Gibson).

TIER ONE: Marshall, Colston, Brown, Cotchery, Garcon, Edelman, Buffalo’s Steven Johnson (who was good for a couple of years there), Hartline, Avant, Breaston, Mike Williams (Tampa)…so that’s 12.

TIER TWO: I count around 17 guys.

Percentages…

Tier 1: 6.5%
Tier 2: 9.2%
Total: 15.7%

Going back to 1967 Rams have hit on 3 receivers in rounds 4 and below: Harold Jackson, Hakim, and Drew Hill.

NFL adversity won’t deter Jared Goff who dealt with plenty at Cal

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/draft/2016/04/22/jared-goff-california-quarterback-rams-berkeley/83360148/

BERKELEY, Calif. — The college resume of the probable top pick of the upcoming NFL draft includes throwing two interceptions returned for touchdowns in his first college game; enduring a one-win freshman season; and getting sacked 84 times in three years.

For all of the attention focused on Jared Goff’s skill set — his sound footwork and pre-snap reads, his quick release and ability to move defenders with his eyes or head — those who played with and coached the quarterback at California say his most impressive attribute can be gleaned by his reaction to those setbacks.

“He has been to hell and back,” Cal quarterback Chase Forrest, a close friend of Goff’s, told USA TODAY Sports. “That builds character.”

A 6-4, 215-pound native of Novato, Calif., Goff encountered significant on-field adversity in college, even as he amassed 26 school records at the same program that produced Aaron Rodgers. As one of the top two draft-eligible quarterbacks, along with North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, the resilience that Goff demonstrated could prove beneficial considering the uneven nature of NFL seasons — something that has been a recent hallmark of the Los Angeles Rams, the team expected to pick Goff first overall next Thursday night to start the draft.

In playing an integral role in helping the Golden Bears go from one win in 2013 to eight last year, Goff said at the NFL scouting combine in February that he “learned you kind of have to start from the ground up. It starts with hard work, hard work in the offseason, and no shortcuts.

“We had to start from the floor and build everything back up.”

It started in early December 2012, when newly hired Cal coach Sonny Dykes watched film of all the prospects who had committed to playing for Jeff Tedford, the previous head coach. Dykes was not wowed by Goff’s tape, calling the then-gangly 185-pounder a “solid” prospect.

It wasn’t until Tony Franklin, Cal’s offensive coordinator at the time, traveled to watch Goff’s Marin Catholic High team compete in a playoff game staged in southern California when that assessment changed. Franklin watched him on the sideline. He watched him between plays. He watched how he handled a superior team dominating his team for a stretch.

“Tony then said he has chance to be something special,” Dykes recalled.

The first Cal true freshman quarterback to start the season opener, Goff’s debut included throwing three interceptions, including that pair of deflected passes returned for touchdowns, in a 44-30 loss to Northwestern.

“You throw two pick-sixes in your opening game? For a lot of guys, you are destroyed,” Franklin, who now is offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee State, told USA TODAY Sports. “It didn’t bother him one bit. He had this thing about him, ‘OK, let’s go. Next play.’ Most guys don’t have that.”

What also impressed Dykes was the grit Goff displayed two weeks later as he kept getting pummeled yet kept throwing throughout a 52-34 defeat to Ohio State.

“He got hit a bunch — physically beat up,” Dykes told USA TODAY Sports about Goff’s entire freshman season. “He weathered all those storms just fine. Never had his head down. Never came in and said, ‘I’m getting hit too much, what the hell is going on?’ ”

Goff says he is especially grateful for enduring the inaugural 1-11 season, explaining that it “toughened” him and forced him to grow up, mature and become the leader of the team as a sophomore.

He continued to improve incrementally — most notably his anticipation and a quicker release — but adversity continued. In a one-point victory against Texas this past season, Goff suffered a high ankle sprain that Franklin says lingered for a month. And yet he refused to sit out drills in practice, Franklin said, and would not make excuses. (Even recently, Goff suggested the injury was not a big deal, and that he was “good” within two weeks).

“He could barely move, could barely walk during the week,” Franklin said. “You could tell he was grimacing in pain when we’d do our Peyton Manning footwork drill. He never missed a rep. He competed his ass off, and then on Saturdays found a way to go out, suck it up, limp back in the pocket, find a throwing lane and make plays.”

Franklin used to talk to Goff about his experiences on the Kentucky staff a generation ago coaching quarterback Tim Couch, who became the top overall pick in the 1999 draft of the Cleveland Browns. What helped distinguish Couch, Franklin told Goff, was how he handled erratic performances, like when he threw four interceptions against Indiana in 1998 but still managed to lead the Wildcats to victory.

Goff had an opportunity to live out a similar script last year. After he threw the fourth of five interceptions in a highly anticipated game at Utah on Oct. 10, Goff looked at Franklin and said, “Well, I guess I’m Couch.”

“I don’t know,” Franklin answered tongue-in-cheek. “Couch came back and won.”

Goff laughed.

After Cal’s 30-24 loss, he didn’t sulk. He didn’t make excuses. By the time the team arrived back on campus, Goff had moved on.

And the quarterback’s performance — he says probably the worst of his life — did nothing to diminish the opinion of Utes coach Kyle Whittingham, who told USA TODAY Sports that Goff is “the prototype quarterback. He has the whole package.”

Goff says he used that performance as an opportunity to “show I had some resiliency.” There is little doubt that on-field struggles have often been a welcomed companion for Goff, revealing his leadership and perseverance.

To that point, Goff recalled during the combine the most interesting question he fielded from league personnel during this evaluation process, a hypothetical scenario that uniquely spoke to how he handled a three-year college ride with plenty of turbulence: “If you are riding on a bus speeding down a snowy mountain, and it suddenly loses its brakes, where would you prefer to be sitting?”

Most people, Goff said, would instinctively answer the back of the bus. But for a quarterback, he noted, the answer should be different because quarterbacks should strive to be the leader who helps steward everyone else through adversity.

How did Goff answer?

“I said the front.”

Of course he did.

Former Cal Offensive Coordinator Dispels Myths Regarding QB Jared Goff

Brent Sobleski , NFL Analyst Feb 25, 2016

Former Cal Offensive Coordinator Dispels Myths Regarding QB Jared Goff

Incorrect narratives can completely warp the perception of an NFL draft prospect. Cal Golden Bears quarterback Jared Goff serves as this year’s primary example.

Over the course of the last two draft processes, the Minnesota Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater and Tennessee Titans’ Marcus Mariota experienced this problem when multiple inane knocks surfaced regarding their respective games and personalities.

Who could forget Bridgewater’s skinny knees? Or the fact that Mariota “not having any red flags was a red flag,” according to one NFL head coach and general manager, via ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy.

The predraft process is designed to discover a prospect’s problem areas before an organization invests millions into the league’s incoming talent. But the same process can go overboard and project things that aren’t present.

Nothing as outrageous as the circumference of a knee or how being so good is actually a bad thing has reared its ugly head regarding Goff (so far), but certain misnomers still exist regarding the general perception of his skill set even after there’s been enough time to fully digest his game.

The primary negative narrative surrounding Goff deals with the system in which he played and how it’s viewed as it pertains to translating to the next level.

Concerns regarding Goff extend beyond the Golden Bears’ spread system, too. His frame (6’4″, 215 lbs) and slight stature continually come into question. Arm strength, or lack thereof, always becomes a talking point. The fact Cal wasn’t hugely successful during his three seasons in Berkeley can even be used as a slight.

All of these things can and will be used against Goff when discussions arise about his viability as the top quarterback in this year’s draft class and his potential as a franchise-caliber talent.

In order to build a better understanding of Cal’s offense and Goff, Bleacher Report went right to the source and discussed both with the Golden Bears’ former offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin.

Franklin originally recruited the skinny quarterback from Novato, California, in Sonny Dykes’ first year as Cal’s head coach.

During their three seasons together, Goff was a three-year starter, set 26 school records, broke the Pac-12 single-season records in passing yardage (4,719 yards) and passing touchdowns (43) and took Cal to its first bowl game since 2011.

Franklin discussed exactly what was expected of his quarterback in an interview before he left Cal to be closer to home as Middle Tennessee State’s new offensive coordinator.

Bleacher Report: When Goff declared as a junior entrant to the NFL draft, I found it unique that you put out a press statement at the same time. In it you said, “I hope Jared gets lucky and ends up with one of the few coaches in that league who recognize a skill set and develop it, rather than the one who only criticizes his collegiate experiences and attempts to make football a much more complicated game than it really is.”

Why did you feel it was necessary to put that out there for everyone to read?

Tony Franklin: As a college coach and former high school teacher for 16 years, I think there is an elitist status in the NFL where they look at their game as something comparable to curing cancer and only a few people can understand it.

When I watch NFL film—and I frequently do—I see a game that is no different than college. The only difference is how you teach it. There are a couple of ways to teach it. I think you teach it in a manner of how someone learns. Or you can try to make something incredibly sophisticated or complicated in a long-winded teaching method.

If you’re a good teacher, the goal is to make things simple to the point where your students can be successful.

There’s just some form of an elitist attitude. It makes me sick to my stomach when I hear an NFL coach say, “These college coaches don’t teach these guys anything anymore. It takes me three years to get all of the bad stuff out of them.”

Basically, what they’re saying is anything that is wrong or negative can be traced back to college or high school. Anything that is good is because they’re such a genius.

I believe in the exact opposite. The best teachers and coaches are high school coaches. The second best are college coaches. And I think the worst are in the NFL.

Every time someone comes out and is productive, the first thing they say in the NFL is he’s a product of the system. Why is that bad? Why is it bad to be productive in a system that produces points and moves the ball? As an offensive coach, this is what you’re supposed to do.

If you do this, why is it a negative thing? It doesn’t mean it makes these young men NFL players.

My understanding is somewhere between 2 and 3 percent of Division I players have a chance at playing in the NFL. Why should you create a system that is only to help the NFL be better when 97 percent never play at the next level?

The objective is win games, have fun, score points and be something people want to come and see.

B/R: At its core, the NFL isn’t a developmental league. Have you ever had former players come back and say, “I didn’t receive a chance because I was considered too much of a project” or anything along those lines?

TF: The NFL is a talent league. If you have enough talent for what they’re trying to do, they’ll give you an opportunity to be successful.

I think it’s interesting in the NFL that a lot of the same franchises are always successful, while other franchises are always unsuccessful.

It falls on having good people. Good teams have good coaches. Bill Belichick has gone through so many offensive coordinators. It doesn’t really matter who is there, they’re going to be really good, because he’s the best coach in the league. You never hear them griping about players coming from certain systems.

All he does is take guys who are good human beings with physical skills, and he develops them into good football players.

I believe this to be true of other franchises that are successful.

Sure, it takes some guys longer to develop than others. This isn’t any different from the college level.

B/R: When many look at the Air Raid—or Bear Raid—offense you helped craft over the years, it’s often referred to as a check-with-me offense with simple reads and throws. How do you react to those claims?

TF: First of all, I hate when people call our deal the Air Raid. I don’t like it. It all goes back to a time when there was an offense called the Air Raid. If you ever coached with anybody in that, people take credit and say, “Yeah, they do what we do.”

If you watch our offense, that’s not who we are. We want to run the football. We tried to run the football. If we can, we do run the football. We have a tremendous amount of play-action passes and big sets. We have sets with seven offensive linemen in the game at the same time. We have sets with two or three tight ends in the game.

We weren’t a check-with-me system. There are times in my career where I did that, because it helped us win games. But our offense now is built upon progression reads.

There are many plays when you watch Jared, he gets to his fifth progression. It’s a straight dropback system where he goes through his progression and tries to get to that fifth read within three seconds. If he doesn’t, he’ll be in trouble, because he’ll be sacked.

We do a tremendous amount of run-pass stuff where we have a run play called with a two- or three-route combination on it.

He’s taking the snap as the coverages take place, fitting the ball into the running back’s stomach and needs to make a decision whether he’ll hand the ball off or throw to the first or second read in the progression.

It’s all based on post-snap reads.

Another thing we do with him, he was able to change protections at any time. He was allowed to change the play at any time. He probably had to do more than any NFL quarterback does right now.

A lot of what Jared did: I call a play with two or three guys running routes within the play. Pre-snap, he can come up and change everything. He could change the play completely if he wanted to do so. He could just change the protection. Or he could wait until the ball is snapped and make a decision based on what the defense did.

I try to make everything simple for the quarterback, but it doesn’t mean it’s simple. It’s my job to make him believe what he’s doing is simple. So, we tried to teach in simplistic terms.

Instead of saying, “when they’re in Cover 8 or 6 and the safety does this, you automatically do that,” I didn’t give him automatics. We talked in theories. Theoretically, this is what they’re trying to do, but it doesn’t mean it’s going to work.

Ninety percent of defensive coordinators after something went wrong with a player say, “We misaligned,” or “we didn’t get the check,” or “the strong safety got the check, but the free safety didn’t.”

Most of the time, defenses don’t know what they’re doing.

If I tell Jared as a quarterback, “If the safety does this, you should automatically go to this,” I’m not giving him rules that actually work. I’m giving him rules that are supposed to work. It doesn’t mean they do.

What I do is teach him what they’re trying to do. Therefore, if there is something easy within the progression and you want to take it, great, do that.

Otherwise, let’s go through the system and see if one, two, three, four and five are going to work if we’re dropping back like we’re supposed to.

B/R: It’s not always about the system. There are traits that allow an individual to separate himself from everything else. Could you go into more depth of a progression-read offense and what you’re teaching quarterbacks?

TF: For example, the play we call is North-Whip-Z. We’re in a two-by-two formation. Regardless of how the running back lines up, the quarterback’s understanding is we’re running a play with a high, medium and low read.

At the beginning of the play, he’s going to identify whether he has a one- or two-safety look. We understand a two-safety look prior to the start of the play might not remain the same once the ball is snapped.

Does it look like they’re going to be in man or zone coverage? Does it look like they’re going to blitz? If they are going to blitz, is it a man or zone blitz?

Having all that information in his brain helps him determine how fast he must get through his progression.

His progression on the aforementioned play is going to start with a corner route. The corner route is going to come opposite of the tag. For example, I called North-Whip-Z. In my brain, I know the Z (receiver) is on the right side. Therefore, the corner route is going to be on the left side.

If they’re in a two-safety look, I’m going to catch the ball, start in my drop and take a really long, slow first step. By the time I finish my first step, I’ll know whether they stayed in two safeties. If they stayed in two safeties, my eyes are going to stay on that corner route until I hit my last step.

Once I hit my last step, if I have enough grass, the corner hasn’t bailed and I’m talented enough to fit the ball there, I’m going to throw the corner route.

If the safety opened his hips and came off the hash mark, I know I have a chance with the sluggo route. In the NFL, they call it a slant-and-go. It means he is coming off the hip of the Y (receiver) on a corner route, and he’s going to split the two safeties.

If I didn’t throw the first read in the progression, my eyes are now going to go to the second read in the progress. The second read is the post route. If there is enough grass, they’re still in Tampa 2 and the “Mike” (linebacker) didn’t drop too deep, the quarterback should be able to fit the ball in there.

However, let’s say the Z (receiver) got rerouted along the way. I hit my last step. I came off my first and second reads. I immediately must go to the third read.

The third read is by the running back. He runs what we called a hold route. He went and tried to grab the dropping Mike backer to get his attention and pull him back. If the Mike got too deep, the running back is coming to an eight- to 10-yard hook route. If he’s open, I’m on it as my third read.

If the running back isn’t open, the last thing to get the quarterback out of the play is a whip route by the outside receiver. The outside receiver pushed up the field three steps. He then pushed inside five steps. On the fifth step, he stuck his toe in the ground and went back to the sideline. That’s the quarterback’s get-out-of-trouble guy.

Anywhere along the way if I noticed they rolled the safety one way, I know I’m likely not going to get the corner or post routes, but I’ll have the hold or whip routes.

However, your guy, Jared Goff, tells you the safety got too much depth and he’s good enough to throw a skinny post between the corner and the safety. If his talent allows him to do that, I’m going to throw that wrinkle into the play.

There’s an example of it against the Texans Longhorns. Jared hit his last step. They rolled to a single safety. He threw a perfect back-hip toss. If he threw it to his receiver’s front hip, the safety could have made a big hit. It turned into a 20-yard pickup.

That’s why he’s an NFL player versus other quarterbacks I’ve had. They may have been the best player in the league, but they can’t make that throw.

B/R: When some argue Goff needed another year in school to develop, what exactly does that mean? It seems so cliche simply because he only played three years as a true junior. Did you feel the same way—other than for selfish reasons?

TF: When Aaron Rodgers went to the NFL, was he ready to play in the first year? Nobody knows, because he didn’t need to play.

He sat there three years behind a Hall of Fame player in Brett Favre. Everyone says that’s the ideal situation.

Andrew Luck then comes in and plays from the beginning, and he’s a great player. Everyone says, “Well, the system prepared him to be great.”

Luck didn’t have the best year this past season before getting hurt. So what happened? Did he get worse? Was he coached to the point he was coached out of him? Did the talent around him get worse?

Nobody really knows, but everyone has an opinion on the subject.

With Jared—first of all—any time a young player has an opportunity to be a first-round pick, he should take it. It’s easy for all of those sitting behind a desk to say he isn’t ready and should stay another year.

Why? Why should he stay another year?

If you have an opportunity to obtain a life-changing income that most of us work 50 years and never make, why would you do that?

Second, the only time you ever get truly ready is to go somewhere and play. Nobody is ready until he gets a chance to go out there and do it.

Jared will physically get bigger and stronger. He did so over the years during his time at Cal. Whether or not he’s successful will depend on the team he goes to, the talent around him and how good of coaching he gets.

B/R: You mentioned both Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck, but let’s take this to a more personal level. You were on Kentucky’s staff when Tim Couch was the Wildcats quarterback before being selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 1999 NFL draft.

What similarities and differences do you see between him and Goff?

TF: There are a lot of similarities in the fact they both had phenomenal feet. That’s the one thing we worked incredibly hard at with Jared. We wanted him to have Peyton Manning feet. Manning is the one guy in the NFL who consistently gets more accurate throws because of his footwork.

We want them to be incredibly hot, like a typewriter. He’s always ready to throw the ball. He finds throwing lanes by moving his feet into proper position without taking steps. That’s what we teach.

The one thing everyone seems to be in consensus about Jared is he has a great feel for the rush, finds throwing lanes and his footwork.

That’s the one thing about him: He doesn’t get rattled. Tim was the same way. Tim didn’t get rattled. He found throwing lanes. And he was incredibly accurate.

The difference with Jared, he has a much better arm than Tim had. Tim had an average arm at best. Jared has a far livelier arm.

People call Tim a huge bust. I don’t think he was a huge bust. If you go back to what he did, the franchise was a huge bust. Tim eventually had some shoulder issues and couldn’t throw the ball very well at all by the end of his career.

They both love playing football. Jared would go out and play even if nobody watched. Tim was the same way. Jared wants to study the game.

My advice to him was to get a really good coach to prepare for the NFL draft process and listen to all the advice you can get. Ultimately, be who you are and what got you to this point while developing his own style.

If you watch the great ones, they all have something that’s their own.

During his career, he’ll likely have eight to 10 quarterback coaches. If he listens to every one of them, he’ll be completely screwed up.

B/R: Couch suffered greatly in the NFL due to a shoddy offensive line. Constant pressure can ruin a career. Goff was under duress quite a bit during his Cal career as well. Has there ever been any question about having to deal with constant pressure and how he responded?

TF: Jared got hit a lot. A lot of it was due to our run-pass options. We would have a run play called and the offensive line is blocking for that play, and he has three- or four-receiver routes off the run play.

Jared understood he was going to take one right in the mouth on some of those plays, but he had a potential touchdown by making the pass. He threw it and got hit in the mouth.

To me, this is one thing I saw in him: Jared Goff never flinched in three years of taking brutal hits.

He handles pressure as well as any quarterback who will ever play. He understands it. He shows zero fear. He has a great natural feel in the pocket. That’s something you’re born with.

He’s been trained incredibly well to work really hard in finding throwing lanes. He does a great job of doing so.

He doesn’t panic when a free blitzer comes through the line. He doesn’t panic when an O-lineman loses a D-lineman. He’ll wait until the last second before making his throw, and he’ll take shots because of it.

B/R: His ability to take punishment obviously leads into the next question. Goff is 21 years old, a true junior and listed at 215 pounds. He’s viewed as having a slight frame. Can you tell us how much weight he’s actually put on during his three years at Cal and how sturdy he can be as an NFL quarterback?

TF: I don’t know the actual number, and I’m guessing a bit here, but he’s put on at least 30 pounds. He came in as a pencil. He worked really hard to do so through his nutrition and the strength program.

He’s like most young men. When you’re 21 or 22 years old, they haven’t reached their full strength or muscle structure. It’s one of the reasons why I think he’ll continue getting better.

The product you have right now is good enough if surrounded by the right players. He’s good enough to be a successful quarterback tomorrow.

If he’s not surrounded by good players, he’ll be the same as every other quarterback who entered the NFL, and he’ll take a beating. It then comes down to luck whether he holds up or not.

I think his body structure and strength will continue to get better, and it’s good enough now to survive for a team that can protect him.

(Goff’s official measurements at the NFL combine came in at 6’4″and 215 pounds with nine-inch hands, per ESPN.com’s Louis Riddick.)

B/R: One thing often undersold during the draft process is a player’s off-the-field stuff. If I asked about his work ethic, study habits, how his teammates view him and overall intangibles, could you tell us about the person you saw every day on and off the field?

TF: The No. 1 quality he has that separated him from any great player: He showed zero selfishness. He never cared about stats.

When he broke Marcus Mariota’s (Pac-12 Conference) record for most passing touchdowns in a season, I would bet you any amount of money that he didn’t have any idea what the record was. The same thing for yardage records.

At the end of ballgames—whether they were close or blowouts—he would come to me and tell me to run the football if we needed to do so. He didn’t care if we pounded the ball. He wanted to win the game.

Teammates could have easily been jealous due to all of the recognition he received. But he always took the criticism on himself. He always praised his teammates.

When you have that type of personal leadership and the understanding of it, teammates never get jealous. That’s what he had: teammates who supported him, weren’t jealous and knew all he wanted to do was win.

The other thing that was amazing to me is we had six guys catch 40 or more balls. I believe it’s only the second time in college football history. We also had three running backs run for over 500 yards. Jared did a phenomenal job of distributing the ball to the open guy.

He also realized if one of his targets didn’t have a catch, he needed to get him the ball.

As for his work ethic, my office was right next to the film room. I believe in meetings being short—only 30 to 45 minutes. A lot of film work for a quarterback who plays for me is done on their own. I’m not making you do it. I just know if you’re doing it, you’ll be great. If not, you’re probably not the starter.

He was one of those guys in the film room who studied, constantly asked questions and wanted to learn all of the time.

And he’s not a guy you’re going to read in the papers doing something he shouldn’t be doing. He’s a good guy. A fun guy. He goes out with his teammates, and they appreciate it.

He also understands he needs to train his body to be the best he can be, and he’s being watched all of the time.

Louis Riddick breaks down why he has draft prospect Jared Goff going No. 1 over Carson Wentz in his 2016 mock draft, saying that he has “a lot more faith” in him than others do. (1:03)

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:15303510

Ron Jaworski breaks down the strengths of both Jared Goff and Carson Wentz and who has the edge at the quarterback position. (2:15)

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:15303806

Zooey wrote:

Well, I thought Williams was doing a good job, but I always admired Bud, so I’m okay with them bringing him back.

Lost me.