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Rams' long-term success begins and ends with Jared Goff
The Rams really need Jared Goff to solidify himself as their starting quarterback. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
Alden Gonzalez
ESPN recently put together power rankings based on how each NFL team is positioned for the next three seasons.Insider The Los Angeles Rams finished 28th. That is, um, not good. It's not good because, well, 28th is bad. It's really not good because of what the next three seasons represent for this franchise. Thanks to heavy rainfall in a city that never experiences heavy rainfall, these next three years now constitute the buildup to the Rams -- and the Los Angeles Chargers -- moving into their vast, opulent $2.6 billion stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Rams -- 13 years removed from their last playoff appearance, 14 years removed from their last winning season -- want to become legitimate contenders as quickly as possible. More specifically, they want to ensure they are a playoff-caliber franchise by the time they move into that new stadium. ESPN's Louis Riddick, Mike Sando and Field Yates don't believe they will be -- at least not as currently constructed. The trio graded each team's roster, quarterback, draft, coaches and front office, and crunched the numbers to come up with a final score. The result: 27 of the 31 other teams are, in their minds, better positioned for success from 2017 through 2019.
The Rams can't have that. They can't have an uninterested fan base in the nation's second-largest media market, and they can't play second fiddle to the Chargers in a stadium they themselves are funding. Leading up to training camp, we're going to take a look at the five things that need to happen in order for the Rams to be a lot better than the 28th-best team at the conclusion of this three-year stretch.
No. 1: Figure out the quarterback position.
The Rams' offensive struggles aren't just a last year thing. They aren't just a Jeff Fisher thing, either. The franchise's ineptitude in this department runs a whole lot deeper. Ten years, to be exact. The Rams' offense has ranked outside of the top 20 in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) every year since 2007. Yes, 2007. That stretches through five head coaches -- two of them on an interim tag -- and seven offensive coordinators. It's a plague.
During that 10-year run from 2007 to '16, the Rams saw 14 different quarterbacks make starts for them. They are, in some semblance of order: Marc Bulger, Gus Frerotte, Brock Berlin, Trent Green, Kyle Boller, Keith Null, Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum and Jared Goff.
Now, about that last guy:
The Rams moved up 14 spots to draft Goff No. 1 overall in 2016, as you probably already know. It didn't go well. You might have heard that, too. Goff, widely considered relatively raw coming out of Cal, never challenged for a starting spot during training camp and never won a game during the season. He took control of the offense during the final seven weeks, completing 54.6 percent of his passes, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt, throwing five touchdowns to seven interceptions, and finishing with a Total QBR of 22.9, dead last among those who started at least five times.
Is it really fair to judge Goff off that one season? Aside from the fact that it's only a seven-game sample, and that he was only 22, and that he was transitioning out of a collegiate offense that didn't require him to call a play from the huddle or take a snap from under center, his supporting cast was atrocious. The Rams' offensive line was a mess, enough of one that Todd Gurley, the Offensive Rookie of the Year just a season earlier, barely had room to breathe. Their receiving corps continued to be less than adequate. And the entire Fisher-led staff entered 2016 with one season of directly coaching NFL quarterbacks.
You don't have to be some wide-eyed optimist to believe we might see a completely different Goff this year, now that offensive-minded Sean McVay has taken over as head coach and now that Goff has an entire year of NFL football under his belt. There's talent there. A player doesn't get drafted before everybody else without it, regardless of whatever circumstances played into it. It's all about whether the Rams can actually tap into it and finally develop a legitimate, reliable starting quarterback, the kind this organization hasn't had since Bulger hung it up.
Yes, Sean Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015 -- and the man Eric Dickerson wants as his quarterback -- looms in the background. Sure, Kirk Cousins will probably be available next offseason. And of course, next year's draft looks a little bit more promising at quarterback, especially if USC's Sam Darnold declares early. But what the Rams really need is for Goff to solidify himself as the guy. It's why he's the focus of the final entry in this series. Goff becoming a bust could set this franchise back another half-decade. Goff figuring it out can help make the Rams a sustainable winner quickly.
Goff added about 10 pounds since the start of the 2017 calendar year. He was exceedingly present throughout the offseason program, and he has already impressed teammates on the field.
He's doing everything he can.
"He wants to be great," said offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, who spent the last two years working with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. "He’s doing everything that we’ve asked him to do, and then some. He’s working hard every day. I think he’s getting better every day."
[www.espn.com]
The Rams really need Jared Goff to solidify himself as their starting quarterback. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
Alden Gonzalez
ESPN recently put together power rankings based on how each NFL team is positioned for the next three seasons.Insider The Los Angeles Rams finished 28th. That is, um, not good. It's not good because, well, 28th is bad. It's really not good because of what the next three seasons represent for this franchise. Thanks to heavy rainfall in a city that never experiences heavy rainfall, these next three years now constitute the buildup to the Rams -- and the Los Angeles Chargers -- moving into their vast, opulent $2.6 billion stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Rams -- 13 years removed from their last playoff appearance, 14 years removed from their last winning season -- want to become legitimate contenders as quickly as possible. More specifically, they want to ensure they are a playoff-caliber franchise by the time they move into that new stadium. ESPN's Louis Riddick, Mike Sando and Field Yates don't believe they will be -- at least not as currently constructed. The trio graded each team's roster, quarterback, draft, coaches and front office, and crunched the numbers to come up with a final score. The result: 27 of the 31 other teams are, in their minds, better positioned for success from 2017 through 2019.
The Rams can't have that. They can't have an uninterested fan base in the nation's second-largest media market, and they can't play second fiddle to the Chargers in a stadium they themselves are funding. Leading up to training camp, we're going to take a look at the five things that need to happen in order for the Rams to be a lot better than the 28th-best team at the conclusion of this three-year stretch.
No. 1: Figure out the quarterback position.
The Rams' offensive struggles aren't just a last year thing. They aren't just a Jeff Fisher thing, either. The franchise's ineptitude in this department runs a whole lot deeper. Ten years, to be exact. The Rams' offense has ranked outside of the top 20 in Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) every year since 2007. Yes, 2007. That stretches through five head coaches -- two of them on an interim tag -- and seven offensive coordinators. It's a plague.
During that 10-year run from 2007 to '16, the Rams saw 14 different quarterbacks make starts for them. They are, in some semblance of order: Marc Bulger, Gus Frerotte, Brock Berlin, Trent Green, Kyle Boller, Keith Null, Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Kellen Clemens, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum and Jared Goff.
Now, about that last guy:
The Rams moved up 14 spots to draft Goff No. 1 overall in 2016, as you probably already know. It didn't go well. You might have heard that, too. Goff, widely considered relatively raw coming out of Cal, never challenged for a starting spot during training camp and never won a game during the season. He took control of the offense during the final seven weeks, completing 54.6 percent of his passes, averaging 5.3 yards per attempt, throwing five touchdowns to seven interceptions, and finishing with a Total QBR of 22.9, dead last among those who started at least five times.
Is it really fair to judge Goff off that one season? Aside from the fact that it's only a seven-game sample, and that he was only 22, and that he was transitioning out of a collegiate offense that didn't require him to call a play from the huddle or take a snap from under center, his supporting cast was atrocious. The Rams' offensive line was a mess, enough of one that Todd Gurley, the Offensive Rookie of the Year just a season earlier, barely had room to breathe. Their receiving corps continued to be less than adequate. And the entire Fisher-led staff entered 2016 with one season of directly coaching NFL quarterbacks.
You don't have to be some wide-eyed optimist to believe we might see a completely different Goff this year, now that offensive-minded Sean McVay has taken over as head coach and now that Goff has an entire year of NFL football under his belt. There's talent there. A player doesn't get drafted before everybody else without it, regardless of whatever circumstances played into it. It's all about whether the Rams can actually tap into it and finally develop a legitimate, reliable starting quarterback, the kind this organization hasn't had since Bulger hung it up.
Yes, Sean Mannion, a third-round pick in 2015 -- and the man Eric Dickerson wants as his quarterback -- looms in the background. Sure, Kirk Cousins will probably be available next offseason. And of course, next year's draft looks a little bit more promising at quarterback, especially if USC's Sam Darnold declares early. But what the Rams really need is for Goff to solidify himself as the guy. It's why he's the focus of the final entry in this series. Goff becoming a bust could set this franchise back another half-decade. Goff figuring it out can help make the Rams a sustainable winner quickly.
Goff added about 10 pounds since the start of the 2017 calendar year. He was exceedingly present throughout the offseason program, and he has already impressed teammates on the field.
He's doing everything he can.
"He wants to be great," said offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, who spent the last two years working with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. "He’s doing everything that we’ve asked him to do, and then some. He’s working hard every day. I think he’s getting better every day."
[www.espn.com]
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