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Did Rams coach Sean McVay open the door to a QB competition between Jared Goff and Sean Mannion?
Rams coach Sean McVay, left, talks with quarterback Jared Goff, right, as offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur stands between them during practice, Monday, June 5, 2017, in Thousand Oaks. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE
Quite a bit was made last week when Rams coach Sean McVay commented on his team’s quarterback situation with second-year starter Jared Goff and third-year backup Sean Mannion.
To recap, McVay said Goff “has done a nice job getting better,” but then added: “but you always want to make sure that you’re playing the guy that you feel like gives you the best ability to win football games, because we owe it to our coaches, to our players and to this organization to do that.”
The second part of that quote led some in the media — mostly national reporters who weren’t present when McVay made the comment — to speculate that perhaps Goff wasn’t playing well enough in OTAs to keep a tight hold on his job as the starter, or that the quarterback competition is a dead heat with Mannion potentially on the verge of supplanting Goff.
Having been on hand when McVay made those comments I didn’t read too much into them. Quite frankly, McVay has preached the same message almost from the moment he was hired. And he has carried it out through OTAs as there’s been a lot of mixing and matching throughout the first team offenses and defenses.
Wide receiver and tight end, in particular, have offered an assortment of different personnel groupings and packages. At times, rookies Josh Reynolds and Cooper Kupphave lined up with the first unit alongside Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee. Other times, Nelson Spruce, Woods and Kupp were the first-team wideouts with rookie Gerald Everett at tight end.
The competition runs deep. And that will continue through the rest of off-season workouts, training camp and into the season. Across the board.
Thing is, McVay can’t preach that team-wide message only to reverse course when it comes to quarterback. Especially at this point of Goff’s career when, frankly, he hasn’t yet established himself as an NFL starter. That wouldn’t sit well with the rest of the locker room. Nor should it.
All that said, of the practices I’ve attended Goff has taken all the starter snaps and looks crisp, sharp, decisive and assertive. Nothing in his play thus far — or in comments by teammates or coaches on or off the record — indicates any sort of pause or concern that Goff isn’t making a strong stand for himself.
Quite the opposite, actually.
Just to be sure, I circled back to McVay about last week’s comments after the Rams finished up their workout Monday.
Here’s what he said:
“We talk about we’re going to constantly evaluate guys. Jared is our guy. We have a lot of confidence in what he’s done. But, we have confidence in Sean as well. It was certainly just what we preach to our team about – we’re going to play the guys that give us the ability to win football games and the guys that are competing at the highest level.
“Clearly, Jared has done that so far. It’s a one-day-at-a-time process, but what he has done is just picking things up. He’s getting better every single day and he’s definitely commanded that role. He did that again today. I think you guys saw how well he performed in a lot of the different situations. It’s encouraging and that’s why we can’t wait to go back and look at this tape.”
McVay also talked specifically about the early stages of working with Goff:
“It’s hard until you actually work with a guy. You evaluate the traits and the characteristics, but I think what he’s done above the neck in terms of the way that he’s handled the different things and situations that we’ve put him in, been very pleased so far,” McVay said. “We know that game-like atmosphere, you try to create that so that you can mimic and emulate those situations in practice. But, until you’re actually live as a quarterback, that’s when you truly get challenged. You’re having to move with the rush, avoid guys that can really tackle you. That’s always the best evaluator. I think he has done a nice job improving every single day and that’s what’s going to give us a chance.”
My take is this: I’d be shocked if Goff doesn’t emerge as the clear-cut starter by the time the Rams open the season against the Indianapolis Colts. That isn’t a knock on Mannion — who has looked good in OTAs — but the more you watch Goff, the more you see the skill-set that made him the consensus No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback in last year’s draft.
It’s up to him to keep that job throughout the season, of course. And his success doing that will rely on him continuing to develop and improve as well as a revamped offensive line, wide receiver group and new coaching staff holding up their end of the bargain.
As McVay likes to say: “We not Me.”
But for now, I wouldn’t read anything unusual or alarming into what McVay said last week.
By all indications, Goff is making a strong case for himself as the starter. And the Rams are noticing.
[www.ocregister.com]
Rams coach Sean McVay, left, talks with quarterback Jared Goff, right, as offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur stands between them during practice, Monday, June 5, 2017, in Thousand Oaks. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
By VINCENT BONSIGNORE
Quite a bit was made last week when Rams coach Sean McVay commented on his team’s quarterback situation with second-year starter Jared Goff and third-year backup Sean Mannion.
To recap, McVay said Goff “has done a nice job getting better,” but then added: “but you always want to make sure that you’re playing the guy that you feel like gives you the best ability to win football games, because we owe it to our coaches, to our players and to this organization to do that.”
The second part of that quote led some in the media — mostly national reporters who weren’t present when McVay made the comment — to speculate that perhaps Goff wasn’t playing well enough in OTAs to keep a tight hold on his job as the starter, or that the quarterback competition is a dead heat with Mannion potentially on the verge of supplanting Goff.
Having been on hand when McVay made those comments I didn’t read too much into them. Quite frankly, McVay has preached the same message almost from the moment he was hired. And he has carried it out through OTAs as there’s been a lot of mixing and matching throughout the first team offenses and defenses.
Wide receiver and tight end, in particular, have offered an assortment of different personnel groupings and packages. At times, rookies Josh Reynolds and Cooper Kupphave lined up with the first unit alongside Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee. Other times, Nelson Spruce, Woods and Kupp were the first-team wideouts with rookie Gerald Everett at tight end.
The competition runs deep. And that will continue through the rest of off-season workouts, training camp and into the season. Across the board.
Thing is, McVay can’t preach that team-wide message only to reverse course when it comes to quarterback. Especially at this point of Goff’s career when, frankly, he hasn’t yet established himself as an NFL starter. That wouldn’t sit well with the rest of the locker room. Nor should it.
All that said, of the practices I’ve attended Goff has taken all the starter snaps and looks crisp, sharp, decisive and assertive. Nothing in his play thus far — or in comments by teammates or coaches on or off the record — indicates any sort of pause or concern that Goff isn’t making a strong stand for himself.
Quite the opposite, actually.
Just to be sure, I circled back to McVay about last week’s comments after the Rams finished up their workout Monday.
Here’s what he said:
“We talk about we’re going to constantly evaluate guys. Jared is our guy. We have a lot of confidence in what he’s done. But, we have confidence in Sean as well. It was certainly just what we preach to our team about – we’re going to play the guys that give us the ability to win football games and the guys that are competing at the highest level.
“Clearly, Jared has done that so far. It’s a one-day-at-a-time process, but what he has done is just picking things up. He’s getting better every single day and he’s definitely commanded that role. He did that again today. I think you guys saw how well he performed in a lot of the different situations. It’s encouraging and that’s why we can’t wait to go back and look at this tape.”
McVay also talked specifically about the early stages of working with Goff:
“It’s hard until you actually work with a guy. You evaluate the traits and the characteristics, but I think what he’s done above the neck in terms of the way that he’s handled the different things and situations that we’ve put him in, been very pleased so far,” McVay said. “We know that game-like atmosphere, you try to create that so that you can mimic and emulate those situations in practice. But, until you’re actually live as a quarterback, that’s when you truly get challenged. You’re having to move with the rush, avoid guys that can really tackle you. That’s always the best evaluator. I think he has done a nice job improving every single day and that’s what’s going to give us a chance.”
My take is this: I’d be shocked if Goff doesn’t emerge as the clear-cut starter by the time the Rams open the season against the Indianapolis Colts. That isn’t a knock on Mannion — who has looked good in OTAs — but the more you watch Goff, the more you see the skill-set that made him the consensus No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback in last year’s draft.
It’s up to him to keep that job throughout the season, of course. And his success doing that will rely on him continuing to develop and improve as well as a revamped offensive line, wide receiver group and new coaching staff holding up their end of the bargain.
As McVay likes to say: “We not Me.”
But for now, I wouldn’t read anything unusual or alarming into what McVay said last week.
By all indications, Goff is making a strong case for himself as the starter. And the Rams are noticing.
[www.ocregister.com]
