Jared Goff takes snaps with Rams' first team

Jared Goff takes snaps with Rams' first team

By Gary Klein

[www.latimes.com]

As milestones go, it wasn’t groundbreaking.

It was incremental.

And once again Jared Goff performed without major error.

On Tuesday, the rookie quarterback for the first time took snaps with the first-team offense during a training camp practice.

The opportunity came during a two-minute drill, another step in preparing the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft for Saturday’s exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys, and a march toward possibly starting the Sept. 12 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

“Jared’s handling everything well,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said. “We want him to just relax on Saturday night.”

Case Keenum will start against the Cowboys but Coach Jeff Fisher has said that Goff would probably play a half.


Fisher said Goff’s reps with the starters would increase but reiterated that there would not be a quick decision regarding when Goff might ascend to the top of the depth chart.

“We’re going to start him when he’s ready to play,” Fisher said. “It’s all about the process. It’s about being patient.”

Goff had taken reps with the first-team offense during training camp walkthroughs, but Tuesday marked his first time working with starters in a live situation.

The period started awkwardly with what appeared to be a miscommunication on a pass play. But Goff came back and delivered two consecutive strikes to tight end Lance Kendricks and another to receiver Tavon Austin before a running play and a field goal.

“He took the ball right down the field and got points,” said Fisher, who noted that Goff would benefit from working with starting center Tim Barnes.

“Tim is so smart up front,” Fisher said. “Tim can take some of that load off of him and just let him play.”

Remote control

The Rams became the latest NFL team to debut remote-controlled tackling dummies.


The padded “Mobile Virtual Players” are capable of moving quickly in all directions.

“They’re pretty cool,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “For me doing linebacker drills, I can read the dummy and just kind of do what I’ve got to do and actually hit it too.

“You’re actually hitting a moving target instead of something that’s sitting still. In the game of football, nothing’s sitting still.”

The technology has a place in the NFL and all levels of football, Fisher said.

“In this day and age when we’re so concussion conscious and contact conscious, live contact between players you want to reduce as much as you can,” he said. “But you still have to have the contact. This is an opportunity to hit a bag that’s moving. And a bag that moves around pretty fast.”

Fisher operated the remote control after the morning walkthrough.

“If I could get it to go up stairs, I’d have them do bed check,” he said, jokingly.

Quick change

Receiver Brian Quick signed what is a considered a one-year “prove-it” deal during the off-season.

Quick, a second-round pick from Appalachian State in 2012, acknowledges the situation.

“You have to come out there and grind if you want to go get something,” said Quick, who will be paid $1.75 million. “Let actions control everything.”

Quick caught only 10 passes in 13 games last season. He has 64 receptions, seven for touchdowns.

The 6-foot-3 Quick has made several impressive leaping catches during camp, and appears to be making strides under Mike Groh, the new receivers coach and passing game coordinator.

“’He’s staying healthy and he’s running all day long, which is good,” Fisher said. “Hopefully, that will transfer over to production in the preseason games.”

Notes

Cornerback Trumaine Johnson intercepted a pass by Keenum and also broke up a long pass toward the end zone. … Keenum made several impressive throws, including one delivered sidearm. Rookie receiver Michael Thomas dropped a long pass in the end zone. … Second-year receiver Bradley Marquez is quietly enjoying a productive camp and making multiple catches during team drills. … Andrew Donnal got extensive work at right tackle after Rodger Saffold came out of an early drill. … Running back Malcolm Brown broke off several strong runs. … The Rams have a special-teams practice Wednesday.