Jared Goff has been working on reacting post-snap this offseason

[Riverumbbq]

By: Andrew Ortenberg | June 24, 2019 4:50 pm ET

Jared Goff has made incredible strides the past couple of seasons. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback has gone from looking lost as a rookie, to making the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. His transformation even culminated in a Super Bowl run as a 24-year-old last season.

But Goff would be the first to tell you that his development isn’t complete, and he still has a lot of things to work on. The Goff-Sean McVay partnership has worked wonders so far, but the duo isn’t letting the success go to their heads. Goff indicated earlier this offseason that he was working on getting through his progressions a little quicker during OTAs, and now we have more confirmation that’s been an area of focus.

In his recent MMQB column for Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer broke down what exactly Goff has been working on during OTAs and minicamp. Breer writes that “the Rams spend their spring trying to master their own offense,” and that “the offensive calls going in this spring routinely put Goff and the offense in a spot where they have to react post-snap.”

This means Goff is focusing on improving at adapting to what the defense calls, and going through his progressions rapidly with little time to react to what he’s seeing.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It seems to be paying off so far, as Breer has been told that “Goff’s done a better job this spring in more quickly getting to his second read, then to his third read or checkdown.” Ever since Goff started to break out, his success has been diminished by detractors who credit McVay for most of the Rams’ success.

The criticism has never been very fair, but it’s also true that Goff’s game isn’t perfect. He struggled at times under pressure last year, like during the Bears and Eagles games, and wasn’t always prepared when things broke down. Clearly he’s making it a point of emphasis this offseason, and it sounds like it’s working. Breer writes that the Rams are calling plays in practice that purposefully won’t line up well with what the defense is showing, forcing Goff to react after the snap and get out of his comfort zone on his first read.

Although Goff more or less did all he could to extinguish the ‘system quarterback’ label once and for all last season, doubts have persisted. If Goff can get even better at playing off-script and adjusting on the fly, he should put all those doubts to rest permanently in 2019.

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[Psycho_X]

Wow, great to hear. If Goff can improve that part of his game he’ll be a top 3 QB. That’s my only criticism of his last season that he tended to hold the ball to long and focus on first read when he gets uncomfortable. He had issues using checkdowns as well in some games. This’ll be fun to watch.

Get this part of Goff’s game better in conjunction with McVay cleaning up tells and making better adjustments when things aren’t working and the offense will be unstoppable.

 

[snackdaddy]

It was refreshing our QB wasn't Captain Checkdown like Bradford was. But sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. If the first read or two isn't there just take what the defense gives you. They do have a couple guys who turn a short pass into a big gain.

I consider this all a part of Goff's growth process. McVay put him into some good positions to utilize his arm. But sooner or later defenses figure it out and take the first options away. His thought processing becomes as important as his arm. It seems like Goff is just fine with the pre-snap reads now. If he improves with the post snap reads, the sky's the limit for this kid and the offense.

 

[JonRam99]

IIRC the throw to Everett in the NFC Champ game was an off-script throw, and he made a great YAC play. Most of Seadderall's offense seems to be scramble drills, and it gets them lots of yards, so why not us??

 

[nighttrain]

i fondly remember Warner's check-downs to Faulk, beautiful
train

 

[Flint]

IIRC the throw to Everett in the NFC Champ game was an off-script throw, and he made a great YAC play. Most of Seadderall's offense seems to be scramble drills, and it gets them lots of yards, so why not us??

I forget where I saw it but the stat was that Goff was pretty good out of the pocket and I think we’ve seen that. The pass to Everett and the one to Kupp in the corner for a td come to mind, but this offense has been so good at defining his reads maybe it surprises him when the guy isn’t open.
These are the layers you get to when you have creative offensive guys and continuity over time. This is how the really good ones get really good, once you have the foundation then you can get into the fine details, which is what I hope we’re seeing now.

 

[Mackeyser]

It was refreshing our QB wasn't Captain Checkdown like Bradford was. But sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. If the first read or two isn't there just take what the defense gives you. They do have a couple guys who turn a short pass into a big gain.

I consider this all a part of Goff's growth process. McVay put him into some good positions to utilize his arm. But sooner or later defenses figure it out and take the first options away. His thought processing becomes as important as his arm. It seems like Goff is just fine with the pre-snap reads now. If he improves with the post snap reads, the sky's the limit for this kid and the offense.

Yep, one of the most infuriating things about Brady is that he and the system always scheme for the checkdown to not be an afterthought. So at the end of the game, he seems to be able to march down at will for a chance at a FG or a TD depending on what is needed to win.

And it deflated a defense to no end when they basically do everything right and they still die a death by a thousand cuts with checkdowns and small scrambles that keep the chains moving.

 

[RamFan503]

“the offensive calls going in this spring routinely put Goff and the offense in a spot where they have to react post-snap.”

And yet even if he starts to master this, they'll STILL persist with the McVey talking into his ear BS.

 

[Akrasian]

And yet even if he starts to master this, they'll STILL persist with the McVey talking into his ear BS.

Sadly, while the talking heads believe this, none of the teams do, so the price to extend him is going to be astronomical.

 

[Ram65]

McVay and Goff have to adjust better when defenses are creating more pressure. They can't keep trying to throw longer routes when getting quickly pressured. McVay needs more quick hitters for Goff while Goff needs faster release times.

McVay does't seem to use the shorter throws where receivers are hit in stride or Goff isn't making that throw if available. They need to figure it out because the offensive line can't always give Goff lots of time to throw. They can expect defenses to start coming after Goff with greater effort this year.

 

[oldnotdead]

Reading defenses comes with years of experience. I have no doubt each year we will see Jared grow in his ability to not be surprised. Until then, this fire alarm drilling will serve him well.

 

[Memento]

I propose a nickname for Goff: The System. Like Tyrion Lannister once said, wear it proudly, even if others mock you for it. We have a system. It works. But it wouldn't work without Goff. He's the key to the system.

 

[Merlin]

Talented and young QB who has a strong drive to work and improve. Talented and young play caller who has a deep understanding of what his QB needs to do in order to improve.

The only surprise to me is that there are actually idiots in the media that don't realize what's coming.

 

[Akrasian]

Talented and young QB who has a strong drive to work and improve. Talented and young play caller who has a deep understanding of what his QB needs to do in order to improve.

The only surprise to me is that there are actually idiots in the media that don't realize what's coming.

Other coaches know, but yeah, some of the mediots are still trying to cover themselves for labelling him a bust for being thrown in poorly prepared into a kindergarten sophisticated offense his rookie season. Fisher and co should have been preparing him as the starter from the get-go - and had a real OC for the #1 overall pick. They'd made the investment, make the most of it.

 

[HE WITH HORNS]

His only real weakness is that he isn't good under pressure. When he has a clean pocket, he's one of the best, but when they start getting in his face, that's where he needs to improve. I suspect that will come with time, still a young guy.

 

[Legatron4]

His only real weakness is that he isn't good under pressure. When he has a clean pocket, he's one of the best, but when they start getting in his face, that's where he needs to improve. I suspect that will come with time, still a young guy.

It’s not that he isn’t good. He just hasn’t found that consistency with it. I’ve seen him fire a pass over the middle with dudes barreling down on him. He just sometimes struggles doing it every time.

I think we’re going to see a lot more hot reads this year. Teams are going to come after him and we’re going to watch him hit a guy on a slant or check it down immediately. It takes time but Goff/McVay are the perfect combo to get it done.

Once they master how to handle the blitz/pressure, it’s going to be over for the rest of the NFL.

 

[MauiRam]

His only real weakness is that he isn't good under pressure. When he has a clean pocket, he's one of the best, but when they start getting in his face, that's where he needs to improve. I suspect that will come with time, still a young guy.

I think you could say that about many if not all NFL quarterbacks. Brady comes to mind. Goff has made some astonishingly good plays while under pressure, but has struggled when his protection breaks down completely. Even Brees and Rodgers have been rattled under constant pressure. I believe Goff will improve in that area significantly this year. Specifically, Jared's awareness of ball security could be improved upon when his protection breaks down. I believe it will this season.The game will slow down for him incrementally as each season's lessons accrue under his belt.