http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/r...ed-goff-was-right-move-and-would-do-it-again/
Rams GM insists moving up to draft Jared Goff was right move and would do it again
Goff started just seven games and didn’t do much to make many believers think he is a star in waiting
By Pete Prisco
INDIANAPOLIS -- Almost a year after trading a bevy of picks to the Tennessee Titans to draft quarterback
Jared Goff with the first pick in last April’s
NFL Draft,
Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead said here this week that he would make the same move all over again.
Even though Goff started just seven games and didn’t do much to make many believers think he is a star in waiting, Snead is emphatic that the team made the right decision and would still do it again. We would expect him to say that, but Snead laid out some of the reasons why.
“Yes, no doubt,” Snead said during a break here at the
NFL Scouting Combine. “Last year we were sitting at No 15 (in the first round) and we knew we had to find a long-term starter. We then identified Jared and we liked Carson (Wentz) too. I always say this about the calculus equation. Needing one is part of the equation. Identifying one is another part. But the toughest part is how do you acquire that guy. We found a way and decided to do it. That’s why we made the move.”
Snead said the team also looked at this year’s draft potential and realized they had to make a move last season, rather than wait. That’s why they gave up a No. 15 last year, this year’s first (No. 5 overall) and a handful of other picks to move up to the top spot.
As it turns out, this year’s quarterback class isn’t a strong one, so it made sense. Would you rather have Goff or Clemson’s
DeShaun Watson or
North Carolina’s
Mitch Trubisky?
I’d rather have Goff, which is why the Rams making the move was the right one.
Snead (right) likes what he saw from Goff (left) during his rookie season. USATSI
Yet there are those around the league who wonder if Goff can be the guy for the long haul. Goff lost all seven of his starts and completed 54.7-percent of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. That’s bad accuracy, no matter if he’s a rookie or not.
It didn’t help that the Rams’ offensive line was a disaster, running back
Todd Gurley struggled and the outside receivers were little more than average. The Rams finished 3-13 and coach Jeff Fisher was fired during the season.
“There was adversity, road blocks, hindering type issues,” Snead said. “But it was the first step for him to becoming a franchise quarterback. He didn’t blink. He didn’t mope. He didn’t shake his confidence. We saw a lot of what we saw at Cal in college, but what we didn’t know was when things went bad how would he handle it. And none of that shook him.”
Now Goff has a new coach and a new system. Former Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay takes over as coach, and he is considered one of the bright offensive minds in the league. That should help Goff, but the team needs to get more pieces around him.
“Once we get Jared in the building, it’s going to be about teaching our system,” McVay said. “Seeing how he processes things, and he’s able to handle the above-the-neck information and then be able to translate it to grass once we get on the field. You see the traits. You see the characteristics. I am really excited to how he retains information, how it translates to the grass. But very excited about Jared and some of the things we’ve seen from him on tape.”
New Rams coach Sean McVay says he is eager to work with Goff. USATSI
Goff has spent time this offseason working with Tom House, who has worked with a lot of NFL passers on motion and mechanics. House works with
Tom Brady, so it has to help Goff.
The next step will be to spend time with McVay, but league rules prevent that from happening until later this month. The big jump for Goff this season will be getting through his progressions better. As a rookie, quarterbacks tend to get to the first or the second, but not the third or the fourth. You can’t win consistently in the league without getting to the third and fourth progression.
“He definitely got to two, but not three or four,” Snead said. “Those things are evolving. But his big thing will be calling protections at the line of scrimmage. Sean is a big believer in calling protections at the line of scrimmage. That’s a big pat of what he needs to do. He didn’t do that in college. He did very little of that last year. That’s something he has to work on.”
Even so, there is no remorse for Snead.
“No, none,” he said. “We looked at a lot of factors and made the move. We are happy we did.”
Time will tell, but judging by what’s in this year’s draft class, I tend to agree.
