Matt Stafford Traded to Rams

[thirteen28]

If Goff was the kind of player that folks including myself thought he was, then why was the ENTIRE TEAM behind starting Wolford. And we know this because of their behavior during the Cards game and during the beginning of the Seattle game.

What else would they do? Goff couldn't play against the Cards, they had no choice but to go with Wolford? How does it reflect on Goff at all that they were supportive of a guy who had to play because the starter was injured?

As for starting Wolford in Seattle, Goff was still only 12 days removed from thumb surgery and as we saw, he couldn't throw the ball well. So, again, was the rest of the team NOT supposed to support Wolford because Goff didn't start, while everybody knew his thumb still wasn't 100%?

Supporting a healthy Wolford does not mean not supporting Goff who was less than 100%. Just a weak-ass argument.

Also, as much as I appreciate Goff toughing it out to get back onto the field, WHERE WERE HIS TEAMMATES???

Were you in the locker room after the game? Do you think they gave him a cold shoulder? Do you think none of them said anything to him after he gutted it out, including a perfect TD pass to Woods that broke Seattle's back?

Even McVay complimented Goff after the game for toughing it out.

Honestly, it's just kind of pathetic that so many feel the need to talk down Goff's character or his level of respect from his teammates to justify this trade. Talk about his decline in play all you want, talk about how you think Stafford is an upgrade. But please, the conjecture is just bullshit.

 

[thirteen28]

You have to earn respect first before you can be disrespected. And, if work ethic is even a remote possibility you don’t deserve respect.

Oh, so Goff earned no respect when he played at a high level here? And his offseason workouts show a lack of work ethic?

Ok.

 

[btfd16]

I think the only real shot was work ethic/respecting Wolford more. I feel like IQ, not taking explosive plays and mobility was kind of assumed/known by even us fans.

 

[PhillyRam]

This is fascinating... We have a trade involving a QB, who won a lot of games and many big ones, and who the "experts," never gave any credit to when his team won those games. In fact many would say they won them in spite of him.

So he is traded for a QB, who has won few if any "big games" and in fact lost a ton of games with little team success throughout his career. Yet these same talking heads blame everyone else for that dismal record and claim this QB is among the best.

Now that all may be true, but it will be interesting to see if all of those widely accepted assertions bear out to be true.

 

[badnews]

Then people should probably stop saying things like "the Rams could have handled this better".

There are plenty of people that will be coming around to the opinion that Goff was in the wrong on this and that the Rams were actually nicer than they should have been about it - by virtue of McVay never calling out another mediocre player and never saying about a player what he said about Goff, and then reports from the media about his work ethic coming in.

If people form that opinion - and it's not one that anyone has to agree with obviously - but if they form that and then posters talk down McVay for it or say they could have handled it better.

Going to be some responses.

What? Im not sure what connection you're trying to make. The reason some of us say they could have handled it better is because they could have.
Sure, after the fact the players will close ranks, give the company line, articles will justify actions and if anyone doesn't like the way they handled it they will keep their mouths shut.

The reason some of us say the team could handle it better has nothing to do with kicking anyone while they are down nor does it have to do with being for or against anything- many fans don't like the way they handled it.

They got rid of the kid after overpaying him, then went out of their way to sever ties, hurt his potential value and basically be less than 100% professional.

 

[blackbart]

Oh, so Goff earned no respect when he played at a high level here? And his offseason workouts show a lack of work ethic?

Ok.

What he did the first two years with McVay was awesome. The last two years, not so much.

if he had continued to grow and not turned the ball over at an alarming rate he would still be in horns.

 

[thirteen28]

What he did the first two years with McVay were awesome. The last two years, not so much.

if he had continued to grow and not turned the ball over at an alarming rate he would still be in horns.

That has exactly what to do with my last response to you, re: work ethic and respect?

 

[BatteringRambo]

Phenomenal work @IowaRam
"The coach and his new quarterback happened to be among a number of NFL people in Cabo last week—Saints coach Asshole Face and QB Drew Brees, Rams LT Andrew Whitworth and others were nearby, too, over the last few days."

 

[FarNorth]

Initially was not.

They were given the chance to up it. Washington's offer was better, initially their 1st and 3rd this year, iirc.

But at the end of the day the Rams outbid 1/4 of the NFL, correct?

 

[PhillyRam]

What he did the first two years with McVay were awesome. The last two years, not so much.

if he had continued to grow and not turned the ball over at an alarming rate he would still be in horns.

Is it possible that McVay's offense didnt grow and maybe, just maybe, McVay needed Gurley as much as Goff did as teams got used to playing his offense?

An offense who over the last two yrs had zero explosive players. No one with 4.3 speed or even 4.4 speed. No gamebreakers that can take it to the house like a Tyreke Hill or DJ Metcalf or Adams or Hopkins, etc... No physical specimens like Derrick Henry or Deebo Samuels, Mike Evans, or Travis Kelce.

Maybe losing Gurley's explosiveness and Cooks deep speed was a bigger issue when paired with teams catching up to his schemes, than the so called Goff regression?

And I didn't even mention the loss of Saffold and Sullivan, two vets that helped the run game and pass protection until Sullivan began breaking down in 18'. And of course 19' and the losing of multiple OL starters by midseason.

So not as simple as some want to believe by putting it all on Goff.

 

[thirteen28]

Is it possible that McVay's offense didnt grow and maybe, just maybe, McVay needed Gurley as much as Goff did as teams got used to playing his offense?

An offense who over the last two yrs had zero explosive players. No one with 4.3 speed or even 4.4 speed. No gamebreakers that can take it to the house like a Tyreke Hill or DJ Metcalf or Adams or Hopkins, etc... No physical specimens like Derrick Henry or Deebo Samuels, Mike Evans, or Travis Kelce.

Maybe losing Gurley's explosiveness and Cooks deep speed was a bigger issue when paired with teams catching up to his schemes, than the so called Goff regression?

And I didn't even mention the loss of Saffold and Sullivan, two vets that helped the run game and pass protection until Sullivan began breaking down in 18'. And of course 19' and the losing of multiple OL starters by midseason.

So not as simple as some want to believe by putting it all on Goff.

Great post. All of those issues really clouded the evaluation of Goff. Nobody can argue that he didn't play worse in '19 and '20, and nobody can really argue that there are thing that were definitely within his control upon which he needed to make improvements. But in light of all the other things, I think it's shortsighted to conclude - as some (not all, but some) have - that he was the only thing that caused our offensive production to decline.

 

[blackbart]

That has exactly what to do with my last response to you, re: work ethic and respect?

You don’t know any more about his work ethic than any of the rest of us. It has come out and that means someone thinks he was not putting in enough effort. If it is factual he doesn’t deserve any respect.

 

[thirteen28]

You don’t know any more about his work ethic than any of the rest of us. It has come out and that means someone thinks he was not putting in enough effort. If it is factual he doesn’t deserve any respect.

Well I do know that nobody said shit about his work ethic until very recently when McVay and Snead started talking him down. And nobody said shit about his work ethic during the offseasons when he was working with other QB coaches.

 

[Bearrister]

What is Stafford like against the blitz?

This video is long but shows many different plays from earlier this year, including a breakdown of Stafford against various pressures. I’ve watched a lot of Stafford highlights the last few days and am looking forward to his time here, but it’s also good to get a more complete picture with some of his not-so-good plays:


View: https://youtu.be/lRbIG6CJ4FE

 

[blackbart]

Is it possible that McVay's offense didnt grow and maybe, just maybe, McVay needed Gurley as much as Goff did as teams got used to playing his offense?

An offense who over the last two yrs had zero explosive players. No one with 4.3 speed or even 4.4 speed. No gamebreakers that can take it to the house like a Tyreke Hill or DJ Metcalf or Adams or Hopkins, etc... No physical specimens like Derrick Henry or Deebo Samuels, Mike Evans, or Travis Kelce.

Maybe losing Gurley's explosiveness and Cooks deep speed was a bigger issue when paired with teams catching up to his schemes, than the so called Goff regression?

And I didn't even mention the loss of Saffold and Sullivan, two vets that helped the run game and pass protection until Sullivan began breaking down in 18'. And of course 19' and the losing of multiple OL starters by midseason.

So not as simple as some want to believe by putting it all on Goff.

Ok know for sure they were not running the same number of deeper routes it’s well documented and the stats show it.

Honestly it doesn’t matter what you me or anyone else on ROD thinks. Goff is not a Ram, Stafford is and his ability to throw the ball, read defenses and make plays off schedule is undeniable.

 

[blackbart]

Well I do know that nobody said shit about his work ethic until very recently when McVay and Snead started talking him down. And nobody said shit about his work ethic during the offseasons when he was working with other QB coaches.

Goff is no longer the Rams QB and no amount of posts in ROD is going to bring him back.

 

[Mackeyser]

How do you know the entire team was behind Wolford? Jared was hurt. What was the entire team supposed to do? Not be supportive?

I don't get the need by fans or the team to kick him while he's down.

The argument is over. McVay got his buddy, the fans got rid of the excuse for why we aren't winning enough so not sure why all the extra blows are necessary.

I'm not bagging on Goff.

I asked the question.

The team seemed to energetically support Wolford and not Goff even as this year, he had some notable moments.

However, the biggest red flag came after the Seattle win.

Questions about AD's injury, sure. Questions about Big Whit coming back the next week, yeah.

But how many teammates took to social media to shout out their QB who played on 12 days with a broken thumb? It was pretty gritty.

Where were they?

My point is that if there's going to be accusations of a lack of support of Goff by McVay, then that extends to the team writ large because in maybe the grittiest performance of his career... he got next to nothing from his teammates.

Are the Rams full of rat bastards or is there more to Goff's story than what Mike Silver would have us believe?

Seeing as I don't think the Rams are full of rat bastards... I think there's more to it.

 

[JRobinson]

Goff is no longer the Rams QB and no amount of posts in ROD is going to bring him back.

Be careful saying anything negative about Goff, you may be labeled as a hater.

 

[SWAdude]

Am I really the only one that was curious what Wofford could bring to the team and really disappointed when he got injured and could not return?

I just know by a long shot I was not.

That does not fair well for your franchise QB.

 

[Mackeyser]

What else would they do? Goff couldn't play against the Cards, they had no choice but to go with Wolford? How does it reflect on Goff at all that they were supportive of a guy who had to play because the starter was injured?

As for starting Wolford in Seattle, Goff was still only 12 days removed from thumb surgery and as we saw, he couldn't throw the ball well. So, again, was the rest of the team NOT supposed to support Wolford because Goff didn't start, while everybody knew his thumb still wasn't 100%?

Supporting a healthy Wolford does not mean not supporting Goff who was less than 100%. Just a weak-ass argument.



Were you in the locker room after the game? Do you think they gave him a cold shoulder? Do you think none of them said anything to him after he gutted it out, including a perfect TD pass to Woods that broke Seattle's back?

Even McVay complimented Goff after the game for toughing it out.

Honestly, it's just kind of pathetic that so many feel the need to talk down Goff's character or his level of respect from his teammates to justify this trade. Talk about his decline in play all you want, talk about how you think Stafford is an upgrade. But please, the conjecture is just bullshit.

I have been one of Goff's staunchest supporters on this forum and I'm not questioning his character.

What do I base what I said on? Thanks for asking.

I'm basing it on either no or tepid acknowledgements regarding Goff's play by coaches and teammates. The reaction to Wolford was palpably different.

I saw no shoutouts on Twitter and saw none cross referenced from Instagram. Unfortunately, that's a big deal with the kids these days.

Also, can we get straight about McVay. Did he totally disrespect Goff or compliment him? Because we're talking about the same moment. What McVay said when asked was "he did what he could", iirc. That might have been the GB game, I don't recall fully. His support was tepid and THAT WAS NEWS because he'd never done that before.

So, I dunno what they did in the lockerroom, but I do know how the team responded to the two players.

And as one of Goff's biggest supporters at that time (I still really like him and wish him the best in Detroit when not against the Rams), I was shocked at their reactions.

It begged questions that we still don't know answers to and maybe never will.

And when we get them, if, say, Goff admits to what's been insinuated, will folks relent?

I remember prior to Chris Long being drafted, I reviewed his tape and said he had shitty footwork and he'd need to fix it to be successful. The ENTIRE year got dogged out about hating Chris Long which I absolutely did not.

What did Chris Long say in his end of the year interview?

"I really need to work on my footwork"

I bring this up because I dunno and am asking the questions. I already admitted to being very wrong about Stafford.

If it turns out that Goff was as culpable as it looks he may have been (not entirely, no one's saying that), are folks gonna acquiesce or go down with a death grip on the dogma that Goff was the victim here.