The Rams traded a lot to move up 14 spots and take Jared Goff with the no. 1 overall pick in 2016. But the former Cal State star’s debut did not turn out as hoped. The Ringer writes that “only 11 quarterbacks have finished a season with at least 200 attempts and a lower amount of yards per attempt than Goff’s 5.31.” Goff started in seven games, and the Rams lost all seven of those games. Many people, The Ringer writes, wrote Goff off as “a lost cause.”
But then the Rams hired Sean McVay. The biggest challenge he and his staff faced? “Fixing” Goff, writes The Ringer. During the Rams’ 1-1 start, Goff has played better. He’s thrown for 530 years with two touchdowns and one interception, but most promising is that the Rams have 12 recorded completions of 20-plus yards. This is equaling their total from Goff’s seven starts last year, writes The Ringer.
Though there have been flashes of “rookie moments” this season, The Ringer says, Goff is proving to be a much more competent NFL quarterback.
McVay and quarterbacks coach Greg Olson first had to restore the 22-year-old’s confidence, The Ringer reports. They wanted to build trust with him and explained that what they were trying to teach him “is solely intended just to get (him) better.” Luckily, it did not seem like Goff had suffered any long-term mental damage from his first season and Olson saw Goff as “a blank slate with excess natural throwing ability.”
The coaching staff made footwork the most important lesson, The Ringer explains, because that facilitates everything else.
Trent Dilfer, a 14-year NFL veteran and former ESPN analyst who has known Goff since 2012, said the most “glaring” issue with Rob Boras’s scheme the year before was that there were no “gimme plays.” These are short, simple throws built into offenses. So this year, more were incorporated into the playbook, The Ringer explains.
The Ringer writes that the Rams have also started leaning on play-action throws for their passing game. He has strong conviction when making them, which shows that he has gained more confidence.
Olson says that while there is improvement, Goff is “nowhere near” where they are hoping to get to.
“So far, he’s done a lot of good things, but he still has a long way to go,” Olson said to The Ringer. “And he’d be the first guy to tell you that.”
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