Countdown to Camp Goff’s growth should help Rams offense in 2019

[CGI_Ram]

https://www.therams.com/news/countdown-to-camp-goff-s-growth-should-help-rams-offense-in-2019

Countdown to Camp Goff’s growth should help Rams offense in 2019

We’ve reached the end of our Countdown to Camp series with the game’s most important position at quarterback.

Rookies report to UC Irvine on Wednesday and veterans on Friday before the team’s first practice on July 27.

So without further ado, here’s a look at the Rams’ group behind center.

QUARTERBACKS

After years of the position being in flux, the Rams traded up for the No. 1 overall pick back in 2016 and used it to select Jared Goff. While his rookie year didn’t go how anyone would have liked, Goff has been one of the most productive signal-callers in the league over the last two seasons under head coach Sean McVay.

In 2017 and 2018 combined, Goff threw for 8,492 yards with 60 touchdowns and just 19 interceptions in the regular season — good for a 100.8 passer rating. Goff’s also averaged 8.2 yards per attempt and 12.9 yards per completion over both years, too, as Los Angeles finished No. 1 and No. 2 in scoring.

Those years, however, came with John Sullivan as Los Angeles’ center — and Goff frequently complimented Sullivan on the way the veteran would help set up the offense for success with his calls at the line of scrimmage. Sullivan is no longer with the team, as second-year center Brian Allen is expected to take over the starting duties. And that means Goff should have some expanded responsibility at the line with his young center.

But that’s an expected step for a quarterback progressing into his fourth season in the league. Training camp will be a good measuring stick for how both Goff and Allen will handle the change.

Behind Goff, Los Angeles brought in Blake Bortles as a backup this offseason in order to elevate the position. Bortles has known success in the NFL, particularly the 2017 season when he led Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game. Bortles has 73 career starts and has thrown 103 touchdowns over five seasons as a pro. He’ll likely see plenty of action during the preseason.

Brandon Allen — another former Jaguars draft pick — has been with Los Angeles for the last two seasons as the club’s third quarterback. With Bortles on board, Brandon Allen likely slots into that role once again.

Los Angeles also singed quarterback John Wolford for depth. Wolford played his college ball at Wake Forest before signing with the Jets last year as an undrafted free agent. He then started seven games for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football, completing 63.1 percent of his passes for 1,617 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

 

[Merlin]

Statistically I expect the passing game numbers to dip just a bit. And I attribute that to the expectation of a more productive run game that will be carried in part by improved depth at the RB position. Henderson is a big improvement. He will be able to do more of TG's workload than the others, and he'll also flip the field for us when spelling TG.

End result will be a team more prepared for the playoff grind with an ability to pound the ball if teams want to dick around with passing game focus.

 

[FarNorth]

Statistically I expect the passing game numbers to dip just a bit. And I attribute that to the expectation of a more productive run game that will be carried in part by improved depth at the RB position. Henderson is a big improvement. He will be able to do more of TG's workload than the others, and he'll also flip the field for us when spelling TG.

End result will be a team more prepared for the playoff grind with an ability to pound the ball if teams want to dick around with passing game focus.

If the run game is better the Rams will be in really great shape. But personally I have more confidence right now in Noteboom and Allen as pass blockers, not yet so sure about power and downfield blocking for runs. Also expect the passing game to excel with Kupp returning, Goff getting even better, and Reynold as 4th receiver. I do think the Rams need more to use more varied formations and to make better use of tight ends and rbs in the passing game.

 

[Zaphod]

Statistically I expect the passing game numbers to dip just a bit. And I attribute that to the expectation of a more productive run game that will be carried in part by improved depth at the RB position. Henderson is a big improvement. He will be able to do more of TG's workload than the others, and he'll also flip the field for us when spelling TG.

End result will be a team more prepared for the playoff grind with an ability to pound the ball if teams want to dick around with passing game focus.

Most definitely, plus the younger line should make much fewer mistakes with run blocking, so I do expect to see more rushing attempts mixed in.

 

[Faceplant]

If the run game is better the Rams will be in really great shape. But personally I have more confidence right now in Noteboom and Allen as pass blockers, not yet so sure about power and downfield blocking for runs. Also expect the passing game to excel with Kupp returning, Goff getting even better, and Reynold as 4th receiver. I do think the Rams need more to use more varied formations and to make better use of tight ends and rbs in the passing game.

I see this as well. While I want the Rams to be more balanced like they were last year, I see them throwing the ball more this season. If successful, that could be a benefit come the post season if TG is fresh and the TEs are that much more seasoned. Add in Henderson. Superbowl baby.

 

[ArkyRamsFan]

I
Although I think our scoring will decrease a bit this year I'm not worried because I am convinced the defense will take up the slack and be better, even much better than the last 2 years on Wade's watch.
Look for the Rams to win more 24 - 17 type of games rather than the 35 - 32 shoot outs we've seen recently. This will bode well for us as it will prepare the boys for the tough grind of NFL playoff style football.

At any rate I'm excited for this season to get started and am really looking forward to seeing a lot of new young talent start to shine, especially on the defense.

~ArkyRamsFan~

 

[Hram]

How about we win a bunch of games 35-17.

 

[rams1fan]

Henderson may indeed come in and light it up. But how come no one ever mentions Malcolm Brown averaged 4.9 YPC last year?

 

[Akrasian]

Henderson may indeed come in and light it up. But how come no one ever mentions Malcolm Brown averaged 4.9 YPC last year?

In 43 attempts. The year before he averaged 3.9 YPC in 63 attempts. Let him have a year that's both healthy and productive, and he'll be mentioned as a good RB, and not just a useful backup. As it is, daydreams about an RB being productive belong to the rookie who starred in college at least, not the 5th year RB who has never gotten 300 yards rushing in a season.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Statistically I expect the passing game numbers to dip just a bit. And I attribute that to the expectation of a more productive run game that will be carried in part by improved depth at the RB position. Henderson is a big improvement. He will be able to do more of TG's workload than the others, and he'll also flip the field for us when spelling TG.

End result will be a team more prepared for the playoff grind with an ability to pound the ball if teams want to dick around with passing game focus.

I think Gurley gets close to 1,000 recieving yards. I expect a lot of screens and passes to him in space that he takes up the field for 60-80 yards.

 

[Merlin]

I think Gurley gets close to 1,000 recieving yards. I expect a lot of screens and passes to him in space that he takes up the field for 60-80 yards.

That would not surprise me. But I also think Henderson is going to prove to be quite deadly in the same usage. Very excited to see how McVay plays him against teams' focus on Gurley.

 

[majrleaged]

Blocking has kept young RBs out of the line up. It probably will this year with Henderson. In my opinion, will see him, just not as much as many think. Brown will be the #1 back up. He is versatile and experienced. Maybe later in the season that will change, but early on I think Henderson will mostly be used in more of Tevon's old role his last season and in returns.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Goff's growth to me is the number one story going into and coming out of camp. Can he improve on reading defenses? Can you take on parts of Sullivan's job that Allen may not be ready for? Can he improve in more passing situations (obvious passing situations from down and distance from shotgun and not under center).

He's been very good and can light up 90% of the teams in the league but I want to see him improve so he can knock off the other 10%.

 

[Merlin]

Blocking has kept young RBs out of the line up. It probably will this year with Henderson. In my opinion, will see him, just not as much as many think. Brown will be the #1 back up. He is versatile and experienced. Maybe later in the season that will change, but early on I think Henderson will mostly be used in more of Tevon's old role his last season and in returns.

Brown's a good blocker in pass pro but his problem was getting injured at a moment in which the team needed him.

The other depth options, yeah, the trust wasn't there and rightly so.

Re: Brown being RB2... I doubt that happens. But even if it does Henderson will assume his duties sooner than later. I would guess he'll be RB2 by midseason at the latest in that scenario. They'll work his pass blocking hard and he'll do well because he's a team type who won't mind getting dirty.

 

[oldnotdead]

Personally I think the pass protection should be as good or better with Allen and Noteboom. Noteboom in particular should help things. If you breakdown the play of both Saffold and Sullivan last year you would see that both played well in the run attack, but they both had lapses in pass protection. Sullivan was a pretty good center in calling oline blocking calls, but physically he was out-matched at times. There were times he simply was slow to react to stunts or delayed blitzes by LBs. Saffold has always been a run first kind of LG. He had his own issues in pass protection where at times he struggled. He struggled at times in passing off blocks leaving Whitworth to cover his mistakes. Most of the time Whit did but there were times he couldn't. Some of those sacks and pressures attributed to Whit last year were actually caused by Saffold. When I say this, the KC game I believe it was comes to mind. Their DC obviously noted the issue and exploited it in his game plan.

IMO this is why the FO deemed both expendable and not worth the high cost of trying to extend either. Personally I think it was a good move and in the long term don't see a downgrade at all. In the long view I think the Rams are going to have a very good oline. Noteboom may not be the road grader that Saffold was but I think he's going to be much better in his pass blocking.

Oline calls is largely a matter of experience, and I expect some issues early but by the end of the season Allen should be fine. Besides he had a full year to learn from Sullivan and Kromer. In the run game, I don't expect a problem at all. The Rams use a zone blocking scheme. The LT in that scheme really is expected to do a lot of second level blocking. That calls for a LT with good feet, i.e. good movement skills. That is something Noteboom has, so the rest is technique. The same can be said with the center. A lot of double blocking and second level blocking. He also looks like he has the movement skills to do it. That may be the real reason they chose Allen over Blythe as their starting center of the future. As I've pointed out about Blythe is he appears to struggle in that type of blocking.

That's why I really don't expect there to be an issue in the run game. In an outside zone scheme it's really more about moving the LOS horizontally getting the LB's to lose gap control creating the hole for the RB to exploit. Inside zone is slightly different but the concept is the same. If your oline has the athleticism to get out and make second level blocks then the run attack will be successful no matter what zone scheme you use.

 

[FrantikRam]

Statistically I expect the passing game numbers to dip just a bit. And I attribute that to the expectation of a more productive run game that will be carried in part by improved depth at the RB position. Henderson is a big improvement. He will be able to do more of TG's workload than the others, and he'll also flip the field for us when spelling TG.

End result will be a team more prepared for the playoff grind with an ability to pound the ball if teams want to dick around with passing game focus.

I expect the yards/TDs will flip a little.

Gurley had a TON of 1 and 2 yard TD runs - essentially TDs that Goff/WRs "earned" but were given to Gurley because we're all about winning - so I have no problem with that. But projecting out some progression for Goff and the WRs (Kupp back, in his 3rd year, Cooks in 2nd year, Woods is a stud, Everett will be getting better, Henderson a good receiving back), I see roughly the same amount of yards with closer to 40 TDs.

A great example is our first game against the Cardinals last year - Goff only had one TD, Gurley had three - and Goff's came in garbage time. But our run game was hugely ineffective and the offense was carried by the passing game (because of how AZ played D against us) - Goff got us down inside the 10 yard line four times, and three of those Gurley cashed it in.

I'm not saying that I expect McVay to throw more in those situations - although that's possible - I anticipate that through progression, more experience, and random chance that more of those will get into the endzone this year.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Anyone thinking the Rams OL will be better without Saffold and Sullivan, at least for the first several games, is deluding themselves. The loss of Saffold will expose Whitworths' age and no way Allen recognizes and calls line play like Sully. Allen will get schooled by wiley DT vets early and often.

I hate to be a doom and gloom prognosticator, but losing a pro bowl caliber LG and a vet C who has seen everything, and replacing them with basicly 2 rookies, is bound to have numerous problems before they get it down. I expect major growing pains for the OL and Rams offense.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Anyone thinking the Rams OL will be better without Saffold and Sullivan, at least for the first several games, is deluding themselves. The loss of Saffold will expose Whitworths' age and no way Allen recognizes and calls line play like Sully. Allen will get schooled by wiley DT vets early and often.

I hate to be a doom and gloom prognosticator, but losing a pro bowl caliber LG and a vet C who has seen everything, and replacing them with basicly 2 rookies, is bound to have numerous problems before they get it down. I expect major growing pains for the OL and Rams offense.

isn't it a little too early to be making this prediction? why don't you wait until you see them in camp and how they fare against the dline.

.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Oh, I will Kurt, watch them in camp. And , no, I don't think its too early to be prepared for some early growing pains by the OL.

Lets agree to revisit this thread after week 4, and I'll gladly eat some crow if no one is bitching about the OL.

By the way, I'm not saying Noteboom and Allen are bad, just young and inexperienced and the Rams HAD to make this move. I'm just saying don't expect it to work right away.

 

[kurtfaulk]

Oh, I will Kurt, watch them in camp. And , no, I don't think its too early to be prepared for some early growing pains by the OL.

Lets agree to revisit this thread after week 4, and I'll gladly eat some crow if no one is bitching about the OL.

By the way, I'm not saying Noteboom and Allen are bad, just young and inexperienced and the Rams HAD to make this move. I'm just saying don't expect it to work right away.

i get it but these two have had a year of training to get up to speed. whenever noteboom was thrown into a game last season because of an injury the oline didn't miss a beat. i'm pretty sure allen had a chance to get in there as well and held his own. small sample size i know but they didn't seem to be over matched. you would assume they would be even better this season.

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