The Los Angeles Rams surprised a lot of people when they made a huge climb up the 2016 draft board to draft Cal quarterback Jared Goff. The Rams surrendered two first rounds picks, two second round picks, and two third round picks to climb from No. 15 to No. 1.
Goff entered the NFL with plenty of questions coming out of Cal’s wide open offense, and it was not entirely surprising he was not the starter right out of the gate. However, as Case Keenum struggled, pressure grew and Jeff Fisher eventually inserted Goff into the starting lineup in Week 10.
In five starts, Goff has completed 54.66 percent of his passes for 879 yards and four touchdowns, with five interceptions. There have been some very solid plays, but there have been a lot of questionable plays. And of course, it does not help that he has been playing in Jeff Fisher’s offense with some questionable talent around him. It’s a story we’ve heard so many times before.
This week, I took a few minutes to chat with Turf Show Times writer Sean Wilkinson. I obviously was curious about Goff and how fans have received him. Wilkinson had this to say about the rookie quarterback.
It's a mixed bag among Rams fans when it comes to Jared Goff. Some of the more impatient fans are already calling him a bust since he's performing no better than Case Keenum did in his stint as starter. The more patient fans realize that the system and supporting cast aren't nearly reliable enough to help Goff succeed.
As I mentioned earlier this week when we discussed RB Todd Gurley's struggles, the offensive line isn't doing Jared Goff any favors. When the OL is able to provide Goff with a clean pocket, the receivers are letting him down with drops as well. That's only part of the issue though.
It's prudent to mention the growing pains (nearly) every rookie QB goes through. There are times where it's clear that Goff is a rookie. It's common for there to be mistakes and poor decisions by a rookie QB - and that's OK.
I like the kid's gumption though. In a blowout loss to the Falcons two weeks ago, he put his body on the line to score on a QB sneak. Then last week he took a huge lick from Richard Sherman when he tried to find the end zone again. While it's unwise to have your QB taking hits like that - interim coach John Fassel has already spoke to Goff about better protecting himself - it's clear he has a passion for the game and pushes himself, maybe a little too much in this case.
I was a Goff proponent prior to the Rams trading up to No. 1 to draft him, so I'm a bit biased here. But I think the common rationale among Rams fans is that Goff will be OK if the Rams can get a competent coaching staff in here to exploit the talents of Goff, Gurley, and WR Tavon Austin.