Jared Goff (16) during rookie minicamp at River Ridge Fields. Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
OXNARD, Calif. — As the Los Angeles Rams wind down the second week of Organized Team Activities, their work with rookie quarterback Jared Goff is beginning to reveal itself.
For Goff, that means a heavy workload, an intense learning curve and more than just NFL caliber defenders flying at him at warp speed.
It’s information overload multiplied by an incredibly advanced level of play both alongside and opposing him.
The result?
Pretty much exactly what you’d expect for a rookie quarterback making the jump from college to the NFL.
Some good. Some bad. Moments of clarity and moments in which things are moving too fast and the command and understanding of his responsibilities not nearly progressing as quickly.
Like when he threw interceptions on two consecutive pass attempts during 11-on-11 drills on Wednesday, followed by a perfectly thrown 20-yard touchdown pass to rookie free agent wide receiver Nelson Spence at the back of the end zone.
All of which is to be expected, especially when you are talking about a rookie quarterback breaking in a new offense under first-year offensive coordinator Rob Boras.
Yes, Boras was handed the reins of the offense 12 games into last season, and the Rams responded by going 3-1 down the stretch with a more balanced attack.
But taking over as a coordinator late in a season is not nearly the equivalent of assuming control in the offseason. With the benefit of OTA’s and training camp. Boras is putting his imprint on the Rams’ attack. So a lot of what is going on right now is new to everyone, not just Goff.
You can imagine the challenge.
“There’s ups and downs. That’s part of the process with everybody,” Boras said. “There’s enough of our offense that’s new right now that it’s kind of uncomfortable for everybody. And we’re trying to make it comfortable. And when that happens, we’ll all feel good. But right now it’s uncomfortable.”
Nevertheless, Boras is impressed with what he’s seen thus far of his new quarterback.
“We’ve been real happy with Jared. I know the one thing that’s been said. He works really hard at it. And he’s a very prideful man,” Boras said. “And he’s going to only keep getting better, the more comfortable he gets.
“But it’s a process. There’s going to be ups and downs. There’s going to be good and bad. But just don’t make the same mistake twice, and we say that to all the guys. We understand you’re going to make mistakes, just don’t repeat them.”
And when Goff has made mistakes – like the two picks he threw on Wednesday – he’s already shown an ability to quickly move on. It’s an essential trait for a young quarterback.”
“Really, that all comes with reps,” Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said. “Jared saw a couple things out here that he hadn’t seen before. The ball ends up in the defensive player’s hands and the best thing about the play was, watching the huddle and he goes, ‘Hey, that one’s on me. That one’s on me, let’s go to the next play and we’ll go on.’ He doesn’t dwell on those things.”
