Jared Goff, Sean McVay push back against claims that Rams’ play-calling is ‘cheating’ or ‘immoral’

[fearsomefour]

I love ya, brother, but I'm sorry, that's just too far.

Ehhhh.
Doesn't matter.

 

[bomebadeeda]

I actually found it funny, that an "Old School" Coach like Arians semi endorsed it by saying some guys you would like to talk up until the 5 second mark. Believe me, if there was anything wrong w/ this practice.....that would be one guy who would cry from here to the Texas line.....but that he didn't......speaks volumes.........

 

[Mikey Ram]

Yet another reason to hate Chris Simms. What is this assholes problem? I swear he has a vendetta against Jared Goff for some weird reason. Get a life Simms....

http://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/2...hat-rams-play-calling-is-cheating-or-immoral/

Jared Goff, Sean McVay push back against claims that Rams’ play-calling is ‘cheating’ or ‘immoral’
By RICH HAMMOND

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

NFL coaches are allowed to talk to their quarterbacks through the in-helmet headset until the 40-second play clock ticks to 15, at which point communication is cut off. That time typically is used to call plays while players are in the huddle, but in the Rams’ case, it seems as though they sometimes get to the line of scrimmage early, then have Coach Sean McVay, left, make calls or adjustments for Jared Goff, right. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Image


THOUSAND OAKS — Sean McVay, perhaps the most excitable coach in the NFL, can say a lot in 25 seconds. Rams quarterback Jared Goff is charged with processing all those words.

Is it too much? After studying film, writers and commentators theorized this week that McVay feeds audible calls to Goff, through in-helmet communication, while the Rams are at the line of scrimmage.

That is, even in the strictest of NFL rules interpretations, totally legal. A coach is allowed to talk to his quarterback until the 40-second play clock ticks to 15, at which point communication is cut off. That time typically is used to call plays while players are in the huddle, but in the Rams’ case, it seems as though they sometimes get to the line of scrimmage early, then have McVay make calls or adjustments.

McVay has come under some media criticism from pundits who apparently feel that relaying audibles to a quarterback is a step too far. Quarterbacks, some said, should have to make some decisions on their own, and not be force-fed information about what plays to audible to, and where to throw the ball.

“To say you’re in his ear – and I’ve seen some of the things out there – I think it’s a discredit to what Jared has done,” McVay said after Wednesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran.

“With the experiences that I’ve had in Washington (as offensive coordinator) and here, it’s totally the quarterback’s discretion as to whether they want me to talk to them and give them reminders, or if they say, ‘Just give me the play and let me play the position.’”

If anything, McVay is just doing a better job of maximizing his time by speeding up the Rams, and both Goff and McVay noted that Goff has the ability to ignore McVay and change to something totally different.

McVay said that, to his knowledge, most NFL coaches operate the way he does, going up to the 15-second mark of the play clock if needed. Both Goff and McVay seemed a bit flummoxed that commentators around the league might take issue.

“Sometimes he talks all the way up to 15 seconds,” Goff said of McVay. “Sometimes he talks for five seconds. Sometimes he talks for 10 seconds. It all varies. Just like every other quarterback in the league, it stops at 15 seconds and we run the play. But he’s great on the headset, though. He does a great job, and gives me as much or as little information as I need.”

It doesn’t seem to be a problem within the league, though, perhaps because McVay isn’t the only coach to do it. He’s just the first one to be noticed. The Rams play Arizona on Sunday, and during a conference call on Wednesday, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians expressed no problem with McVay’s communication.

“It’s not the first time it’s been done, that’s for sure,” Arians said. “When you have a young quarterback in a new system, it helps tremendously. You wish you could talk to him all the way to five seconds, but when they cut it off at 15, it’s hard. But no, that’s a great tool.”

Not everyone agrees. Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms went on a national radio show Monday and declared McVay’s tactics to be not only “cheating” but also “immoral,” a rather personal level of vitriol.

Simms didn’t mention that, just as McVay can be in Goff’s ear when the Rams are at the line of scrimmage, it’s not an inherent advantage. The opposing defensive coordinator is allowed to talk to one of his players – usually the middle linebacker – until the same 15-second mark on the play clock.

So, yes, McVay might be clueing in Goff on which matchup to exploit but, at the same time, the defensive coordinator very well could be exhorting his linebacker to blitz through a certain gap.

“It’s about the players,” McVay said. “If you have some players who like to have some extra information, great. They can always decipher whether they utilize it or not. The players I’ve been around, they like that. But it is a part of the game and it’s something that we’re utilizing in different ways.”

Regardless, it’s still up to Goff to make the plays, and last Sunday against New Orleans, he showed that his success isn’t completely dependent on McVay.

Late in the second quarter, Goff dropped back, stood in the pocket and motioned for rookie receiver Josh Reynolds to change his route. Reynolds cut to the back of the end zone and Goff threw a 7-yard touchdown pass which gave the Rams an important 10-point lead.

“That was all him. That was a bad call by me,” McVay said. “He did an excellent job to be able to sit in there, to remain a passer with great protection. He was directing traffic, and that’s what special players do. … Josh and him are on the same page, and he delivers a great ball.” QUOTE

Simms' problem is that Goff is NFL QB material and has was never more than Phil Simms' waterboy kid...Couldn't make it being Simms' kid...That opened the door, but he wasn't close to good enough to walk through it...So the next best thing is to try go knock guys that were...Jealousy is an UGLY thing...

 

[LesBaker]

that Rams’ play-calling is ‘cheating’ or ‘immoral’

Not everyone agrees. Former NFL quarterback Chris Simms went on a national radio show Monday and declared McVay’s tactics to be not only “cheating” but also “immoral,” a rather personal level of vitriol.

freaking crap journalists.

See..............to me the fact that he used the words cheating and immoral lets me know he is sensationalizing a nothing story. Those are powerful words but they don't fit with what's actually happening at all, he's gaslighting.

He's not worth reading or listening to.

 

[Dxmissile]

To me it’s Genius. Before we always had a problem getting the calls in because Goff was getting two plays at a time and that was causing us to use a lot of timeouts but things changed and this is when.

When Sullivan got hurt ANd Blythe had to step in it forced McVay to change things up because Sullivan made all the line calls and protections so with him being out McVay needed extra time so that Goff could do those things. That’s when it seem like to me all this started. He started giving Goff one play get them lined up and start directing traffic. It improved our timeout usage and it maximized Goff talents. They realized that it worked for them both so they kept doing it. Like all good teachers say learning don’t stop at the classroom and Goff getting instruction in live games is paramount.

 

[Zaphod]

Maybe Simms is really just trying to say that the NFL rule book is immortal and that he is cheating on Brady.

It's still inconceivable to me that Goff went from being in one of the worst situations for a young quarterback to one of the best.

 

[bubbaramfan]

Maybe Simms was really talking about Brady and Billicheck? Or maybe not. If he had called them "Cheaters" and "immoral" he probably would have been fired.

 

[Mikey Ram]

Wouldn't it then follow that it should be ilegal for coaches to be able to call in plays at all...Let's go back in time to when QBs called their own plays..Maybe some guys are better at it than others, ya think ???

 

[bluecoconuts]

Frankly, I think what Goff does could be more difficult being that he's always moving and processing.

In some ways it is. McVay isn't just teaching him how to read the field like a great signal caller, he's teaching him how to read the field like a coach. That is what makes a great player special, the ability to read the field like a coach. Faulk could do it, Warner could do it. Goff will do it.

 

[Varg6]

People always wanna bitch about something, don’t they?

 

[Soul Surfer]

Chris Simms may have a chip on his shoulder because he realizes he doesn't have 10% of the talent of Jared Goff.

 

[Soul Surfer]

People always wanna bitch about something, don’t they?

Success breeds jealousy.

 

[Soul Surfer]

I love it lol, really digging that ditch and doubling down with some of his recent comments. Idiot.

Doofy actually works for Bleacher Report according to Wikipedia.

 

[MTRamsFan]

"Chrissy" Simms wants 5 minutes of fame, and this is what he decides to talk about? Simms is a "freaking couldn't hack it, wearing his mamma's panties, NFL QB wanna be!"

 

[Psycho_X]

Maybe Simms is really just trying to say that the NFL rule book is immortal and that he is cheating on Brady.

 

[snackdaddy]

This isn’t something new. Coaches have been doing this forever on both sides of the ball.

Yeah, like McVay said its still up to the players to adjust and make a play.

 

[MTRamsFan]

I already sent him my thoughts about his claim on Twitter and I think everyone else with a Twitter account should do the same. Call him out on his unsubstantiated claim. His Twitter is @CSimmsQB.

 

[JoeBo21]

what a fuckin TOOL

 

[majrleaged]

To me it’s Genius. Before we always had a problem getting the calls in because Goff was getting two plays at a time and that was causing us to use a lot of timeouts but things changed and this is when.

When Sullivan got hurt ANd Blythe had to step in it forced McVay to change things up because Sullivan made all the line calls and protections so with him being out McVay needed extra time so that Goff could do those things. That’s when it seem like to me all this started. He started giving Goff one play get them lined up and start directing traffic. It improved our timeout usage and it maximized Goff talents. They realized that it worked for them both so they kept doing it. Like all good teachers say learning don’t stop at the classroom and Goff getting instruction in live games is paramount.

How do you know they werent doing this since preseason and Goff and McVay just got better at it as the season has progressed? Did I miss an article or interview or sounds of the game?

 

[bomebadeeda]

I really doubt McVay just "invented" this for this year. I'm sure he probably did it last year in Washington. The reaction from Arians told me that. Simms thinks he's "uncovered" something that has probably been used since the introduction of helmet radios. But the "out of the loop" media just caught on........