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http://www.espn.com/blog/st-louis-r...ms-franchise-quarterback-its-a-matter-of-when
IRVINE, Calif. -- After every play Jared Goff runs in Los Angeles Rams practice -- good or bad, pass or run -- someone goes up and talks to him. Sometimes it’s offensive coordinator Rob Boras. Sometimes it’s quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. But after literally every single snap Goff took in practice Tuesday, a coach spoke with him.
“We want to make sure that he’s seeing what we’re seeing and make sure he’s looking at the right things,” Weinke said. “So yeah, after every single play, that’s part of the learning curve -- make sure you’re seeing what you’re supposed to see.”
You can’t watch Goff practice without being impressed. He looks great. His footwork, whether it’s dropping back from under center or from the shotgun sets he ran exclusively in college, is sound. His arm strength is unquestionable. He’s a stellar athlete built for the position at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. You can see why the Rams traded up to draft him No. 1 overall.
But after every single play, when you see how much teaching Goff’s coaches are doing, you also understand how far he has to go.
“I’m asked all the time, ‘Is he going to start the opener?’ I don’t know,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We drafted him. We traded up to draft him. He’s going to be our franchise quarterback. When he gets under center full-time, I don’t know when that is. And I’m not going to rush him to do it.”
So what does Goff, who’s still taking second-team reps while incumbent Case Keenum takes the first-team reps, have to show the coaches to convince them he’s ready?
“We are looking for him to continue to command the huddle -- which he’s doing a hell of a job [at], so continue to command the huddle,” Weinke said. “Continue to make good decisions in the passing game and collectively understand all of our checks in the run game.”
Not as simple as it sounds. Goff is working to master the protection schemes for which he didn’t have responsibility in college at Cal but does with the Rams. He’s working to learn the terminology of an offense that’s trying to fuse what Adam Gase ran in Denver and Chicago (passing game coordinator Mike Groh worked under Gase in Chicago) with the West Coast principles in which Boras was trained.
“That’s going to be the biggest thing for him coming from his offense -- coming up to the line of scrimmage with multiple things he’s responsible for,” Weinke said. “He hasn’t called a play in the huddle for three years, because [Cal’s] offense is called from the sideline. The growth in his ability to be able to call a play with confidence from OTAs to now is huge. And now, it’s his ability to understand our protections, make the adjustments and then, with time, he’s going to have a better understanding of where to throw the football.”
With time. That’s the key. How much time, they won’t say. But watching Goff and talking to his coaches about him, you don’t get the feeling it’s going to be long.
IRVINE, Calif. -- After every play Jared Goff runs in Los Angeles Rams practice -- good or bad, pass or run -- someone goes up and talks to him. Sometimes it’s offensive coordinator Rob Boras. Sometimes it’s quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke. But after literally every single snap Goff took in practice Tuesday, a coach spoke with him.
“We want to make sure that he’s seeing what we’re seeing and make sure he’s looking at the right things,” Weinke said. “So yeah, after every single play, that’s part of the learning curve -- make sure you’re seeing what you’re supposed to see.”
You can’t watch Goff practice without being impressed. He looks great. His footwork, whether it’s dropping back from under center or from the shotgun sets he ran exclusively in college, is sound. His arm strength is unquestionable. He’s a stellar athlete built for the position at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. You can see why the Rams traded up to draft him No. 1 overall.
But after every single play, when you see how much teaching Goff’s coaches are doing, you also understand how far he has to go.
“I’m asked all the time, ‘Is he going to start the opener?’ I don’t know,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We drafted him. We traded up to draft him. He’s going to be our franchise quarterback. When he gets under center full-time, I don’t know when that is. And I’m not going to rush him to do it.”
So what does Goff, who’s still taking second-team reps while incumbent Case Keenum takes the first-team reps, have to show the coaches to convince them he’s ready?
“We are looking for him to continue to command the huddle -- which he’s doing a hell of a job [at], so continue to command the huddle,” Weinke said. “Continue to make good decisions in the passing game and collectively understand all of our checks in the run game.”
Not as simple as it sounds. Goff is working to master the protection schemes for which he didn’t have responsibility in college at Cal but does with the Rams. He’s working to learn the terminology of an offense that’s trying to fuse what Adam Gase ran in Denver and Chicago (passing game coordinator Mike Groh worked under Gase in Chicago) with the West Coast principles in which Boras was trained.
“That’s going to be the biggest thing for him coming from his offense -- coming up to the line of scrimmage with multiple things he’s responsible for,” Weinke said. “He hasn’t called a play in the huddle for three years, because [Cal’s] offense is called from the sideline. The growth in his ability to be able to call a play with confidence from OTAs to now is huge. And now, it’s his ability to understand our protections, make the adjustments and then, with time, he’s going to have a better understanding of where to throw the football.”
With time. That’s the key. How much time, they won’t say. But watching Goff and talking to his coaches about him, you don’t get the feeling it’s going to be long.
