[Will0120]

Although I think Goff should not be starter right away, I wouldn't call a former KR in the NFL the Gold Standard for QB evaluation. Especially after watching only one practice.

I believe he has been doing scouting for quite a few years after his playing days though. So I don't believe this is just another talking head trying to generate headlines. Not saying he is right or wrong exactly, just that it's probably not coming from an uninformed perspective.

[aeneas1]

for me it's not a "start goff now because i want to see the rookie play" thing, or even a "start goff now because he's the rams' only chance at offensive success" thing... instead it's a "start goff now because he's the guy you decided is the rams' qb of the future, you spent a ton to get him, and he needs live game experience" thing... that and, again, i'm just not convinced anything is gained by having a rookie qb hold a clipboard for a year or two, especially a high pick qb, i think it's a myth...

look at roethlisberger, wilson, flacco, ryan, carr to name a few contemporary qbs; are we to believe goff doesn't have sufficient ability or the skill set to start his rookie year but they did? if that's the case why did the rams pick him? also, i think it's a weak argument to point to an injury risk, whether it's because of a perceived porous offensive line or inexperience, this is the nfl, all qbs get hit, a lot, it comes with the territory and the huge paycheck, and as rams fans well know it doesn't take a big hit to sideline a qb for many,many, many games... play the guy, starting with game 1.

[/zn/]

are we to believe goff doesn't have sufficient ability or the skill set to start his rookie year but they did?

But I don't think anyone thinks it's a matter of ability or skill. It's about how this set of coaches feel about him being ready to run this offense. Rams offense includes a lot of audibles plus sight adjustments on passing plays, and from everything we're hearing, they're not dumbing it down for a rookie. In fact as was pointed out in another article, most Ds go vanilla in training camp for rookie qbs and GW is just not doing that. He's going up against multiple looks and lots of disguised coverages. They threw him in the deep end. He'll come through obviously, just a matter of how soon. Goff will start...and if it's game 1 I am fine with that. If it's not I am fine with that too.

[BrendanOC6]

Although I think Goff should not be starter right away, I wouldn't call a former KR in the NFL the Gold Standard for QB evaluation. Especially after watching only one practice.

I believe he has been doing scouting for quite a few years after his playing days though. So I don't believe this is just another talking head trying to generate headlines. Not saying he is right or wrong exactly, just that it's probably not coming from an uninformed perspective.

I'm not saying uniformed in my first comment. He isn't an expert at the QB position by any stretch. Just the fact that he would declare he is not ready after one practice viewed tells you he isn't an QB scout. QB position is a different animal

[moklerman]

It's going to be VERY disappointing if Goff can't a) learn this system and/or b) beat out Keenum by the end of preseason. There are no excuses for Goff to not be starting by week 1. The system isn't too complex, the incumbent isn't entrenched.

[/zn/]

It's going to be VERY disappointing if Goff can't a) learn this system and/or b) beat out Keenum by the end of preseason. There are no excuses for Goff to not be starting by week 1. The system isn't too complex, the incumbent isn't entrenched.

Yes it is a complex system actually. The qb calls protections, the qb audibles into and out of pass/run plays, and the passing game depends heavily on sight adjustments, which means that the WRs and qb have to be reading the defenses the same way.

[moklerman]

It's going to be VERY disappointing if Goff can't a) learn this system and/or b) beat out Keenum by the end of preseason. There are no excuses for Goff to not be starting by week 1. The system isn't too complex, the incumbent isn't entrenched.

Yes it is a complex system actually. The qb calls protections, the qb audibles into and out of pass/run plays, and the passing game depends heavily on sight adjustments, which means that the WRs and qb have to be reading the defenses the same way.

I think you know that I'm speaking relative to the rest of the NFL. I don't think there's any way that the Rams are running something more complex than everyone else and IMO, their offense has got to be easier overall considering the emphasis on the run game.

As far as the QB and WR's seeing things the same way, there's only one cure for that. Goff will have to be on the field learning with them.

[aeneas1]

It's going to be VERY disappointing if Goff can't a) learn this system and/or b) beat out Keenum by the end of preseason. There are no excuses for Goff to not be starting by week 1. The system isn't too complex, the incumbent isn't entrenched.

Yes it is a complex system actually. The qb calls protections, the qb audibles into and out of pass/run plays, and the passing game depends heavily on sight adjustments, which means that the WRs and qb have to be reading the defenses the same way.

I think you know that I'm speaking relative to the rest of the NFL. I don't think there's any way that the Rams are running something more complex than everyone else and IMO, their offense has got to be easier overall considering the emphasis on the run game.

As far as the QB and WR's seeing things the same way, there's only one cure for that. Goff will have to be on the field learning with them.

spot on... this is football, goff has been playing the game since he was a child, the notion that the complexities of the nfl game would elude him are just plain silly imo...but he played out of a spread at cal, and scouts have said he was much more effective vs man than zone in college, big deal, that describes most 1st round qbs entering the nfl, and the only way to get up to speed with the nfl game, is playing the nfl game... moreover the number one challenge young nfl qbs seem to point to is not the playbook, or their new responsibilities as an nfl qb, or their relationship with other skill position teammates, instead it's the speed of the nfl game, and it's a speed that can't be duplicated in camp or preseason play, it can only be experienced playing games that count... btw the author of the article stated that goff possessed prototypical nfl qb size at 6'4", 215 lb, that's not prototypical to me, he needs to pick up some weight, and no doubt will...

[/zn/]

spot on... this is football, goff has been playing the game since he was a child, the notion that the complexities of the nfl game would elude him are just plain silly imo

Good thing no one said that then. No one said anything would "elude" him.

All that is being said here is that the Rams staff need to be satisfied with a certain level of development before he starts. I personally said I don't care if he starts game 1 or later, and that it's not an issue for me.

But I do see why they would take their time with him.

For one thing, I don;t know how many people realize this, but, with Foles crashing, there is now only one Air Raid offense qb who has transitioned successfully to pro style offenses. That's Keenum. The Cal offense was a variation on the Air Raid. There are a number of things you have to get under your belt to make that transition. Calling plays in the huddle, lining up under center and then getting down the timing of 3 and 5 and 7 step drops, play action from under center which means having to turn your back on the defense and then reacquire it. That's just some of the stuff and it's on top of normal rookie adjustments, not just as a qb (reading disguised fronts) but as a player (speed of the game).

And the pro offense specific stuff has to be learned at the level of 2nd nature. Not thinking, but automatic acting and reacting. That takes time no matter who you are.

And the witnesses who see him going through this stuff say mostly it's timing---he's still thinking. Which makes perfect sense since it has only been OTAs plus 1 week of training camp.

On top of it most (not all) teams adjust to the rookie qb instead of making him go through everything the hard way. That came up when Greg Wms. and Fisher discussed the fact that they were not going to scale back the defense for Goff...he was going to have to learn how to react to a defense that shows a lot of different looks and likes to disguise coverages. No not everyone does it that way.

Oh and relative to the rest of the league, a team that puts the protections on the qb, builds in a lot of run adjustments, and is heavy on sight adjustments, IS more complex. In Indy in Manning's day for example they focused on execution and kept everyone's role simpler for the sake of execution. That contrasts heavily with a team like the Patz which is deeply into sight adjustments in comparison.

Anyway. In those circumstances, the coaches are just basically saying they will bide their time until he is up to speed. That MAY mean he may not start the first few games.

And. So what.

I am not even offering a prediction. Mostly because like everyone else I don't really know, but also because I don't care and don't think it's a real issue when he starts.

And for the record I was openly good with the Goff pick before it happened and have since said that I see a lot of special Warner and Brady traits in him. So none of this is against Goff. I am a big Goff advocate.

The patience on the part of the coaches may be necessary for a bit, it may not, but I don't think that pretending this is a simple transition (it's not) allows us a real, full story about what's going on.

And I don't see anyone anywhere saying he CAN'T do it.

...

[moklerman]

spot on... this is football, goff has been playing the game since he was a child, the notion that the complexities of the nfl game would elude him are just plain silly imo

Good thing no one said that then. No one said anything would "elude" him.

Speaking of which, I said the system shouldn't be "too" complex for Goff to learn. Not that it wasn't complex. But if Goff, who was supposed to be pro ready, can't pick up enough of the offense to get on the field, then that'll be a disappointment. Ever since Keenum took over last year, the Rams haven't really asked much of the QB position.

For what he cost, Goff BETTER be able to step in and do what Keenum was doing last year. Hand the ball off and don't F things up. That's all. And that's not too much to ask for a QB who was drafted #1 overall in recent years. If Goff can't even do that, then he was way overpriced.

I fully expect him to be on the field opening day. But like I said, if he's not, that'll be disappointing.