Practice Report 8/17: Goff Working with Starters, Showing Consistent Progress

Practice Report 8/17: Goff Working with Starters, Showing Consistent Progress

By Myles Simmons

[www.therams.com]

The Rams have had 12 days of training camp practices. After each one of them, head coach Jeff Fisher has directly addressed or been asked about No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff.

Fisher has been a NFL head coach for two decades, so he’s no stranger to day-to-day questions about a quarterback. But that doesn’t mean he’s going to have a flowery answer every time.

“I thought he was fine,” Fisher said Wednesday. “I need a card to hold up that says, ‘Jared was fine,’ and put it back down.”

Still, to the untrained eye, some days look better than others. And Wednesday appeared to be one of the best practices Goff has put together since the start of training camp.

The Cal product looked in command and made strong throws throughout the day — in one-on-ones with wideouts and cornerbacks, seven-on-seven drills, and with the first-team offense in 11-on-11.

“I want to be more comfortable every day. I feel like I am,” Goff said. “Every day I get more comfortable and get more fluid and more in a rhythm. Stuff becomes more natural every day. So, it’s been going well.”


There were a couple throws in particular that illustrated Goff’s passing prowess on Wednesday afternoon. One was a nicely placed ball right above the cornerback and into the hands of wide receiver Brian Quick for a touchdown in one-on-ones. And in seven-on-seven, Goff fired a strike deep down the right side of the field to wide receiver Bradley Marquez, which the receiver caught with room to run.

“Especially with seven-on-[seven], you don’t get too many chances like that to run a fly like that,” Goff said, noting the Rams’ defense does “a good job playing deep, and don’t get beat deep often.

“You don’t throw many of those in camp, especially against our defense, so it’s nice,” the rookie added.

When Goff takes snaps with the starters and performs well as he did on Wednesday, it shows just how much his comfort level has increased. Fisher said the club has been getting Goff in with the ones in walk-through sessions, and is trying to have him do at least one period with the group during practice. 


“I feel as comfortable with them as I do … with the other guys,” Goff said. “I just try to improve every day, and try not to make it more than it is.”

“Every day there’s something that he does better and different, especially in the huddle and his understanding — a check here or a check there and a ball out quick,” Fisher said. “He’s progressing.”

These are elements of the game Goff’s teammates are noticing as well. Wide receiver Kenny Britt said he’s seen “big strides” from Goff on a daily and weekly basis. Running back Benny Cunningham said he’s observed the progress as well, relaying how offensive players want to have a group conducive to the rookie’s success.

“I just want him to be comfortable,” Cunningham said. “Any way we can make him comfortable, whether it’s protection, routes — just trusting us so it makes his job easier. We just want to try to create that environment for it.”


The more Goff works with the first-team offense, the more he sees Los Angeles’ first-team defense. His counterpart on the unit, middle linebacker Alec Ogletree, said it’s clear how the degree of difficulty rises once a rookie runs with the starters.

“it’s a difference from going against guys that you just played against in college versus guys that have been in the league and been in the defense,” Ogletree said. “And we’ve got a pretty good defense out here, so he’s seeing a lot of stuff that he may not see on game day.

“But you can definitely tell the difference from the first day when he came out here to now,” Ogletree continued. “He’s lightyears different from the first day. He’s picking up the offense a lot faster, able to get in and out of the huddle and just do different stuff. You can tell he’s learning a lot more. He knows where to throw the ball as it’s gone on. So practice makes perfect. He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s definitely getting better.”

As cliché as it is, Goff appears to be taking practices day by day, focusing on doing the little things to increase his comfort. His approach seems to stem from a line he often goes back to: not making anything bigger than it is.

“I tend to be able to do that and make it the same game it’s been for my whole life,” Goff said. “I recognize that’s part of why I was able to be successful at Cal and in high school and before that, because I’m just trying to go out there and have fun, honestly. At the end of the day, if you’re not having fun, there’s no reason to do it. I want to have fun every time I go out there.”

For Saturday’s game, Goff may have a chance to have some fun with the first-team offense at the Coliseum.

“Right now — as we go into the discussions —I’d like to get Jared a shot with the ones in this game,” Fisher said. “Whether that’s a series or two series — I don’t know. We’ll try to be more specific for you.”

Of course, Goff’s first preseason appearance was cut short for precautionary reasons after the quarterback experienced some discomfort in his non-throwing shoulder. That may provide a touch of extra anticipation for Saturday’s matchup against Kansas City.

But Goff isn’t one who needs much outside motivation.

“Yeah, I think I’d look forward to it regardless,” Goff said. “But I’m definitely excited to get back out there and get a chance to compete and show what I can do.”

EXTRA POINTS

— The Rams held tight end Tyler Higbee and running back Aaron Green out of practice on Wednesday. 

“They’ve not been ruled out for the game by any means, but they needed a break,” Fisher said.

Safety/linebacker Mark Barron has not been ruled out of Saturday’s game either, though he also did not practice on Wednesday.

Offensive lineman Isaiah Battle has been working his way back to practice, but went back in with trainers after having an issue in a pass rushing drill.

“He’s been dealing with a little knee issue and some swelling and I think it kind of buckled on him,” Fisher said. “It doesn’t look like there’s anything serious. We still have not ruled him out for the game.”

— Defensive end Robert Quinn should be back with the team tomorrow after watching his sister compete in the Olympics. Competing in the 100m hurdles, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn knocked over the eighth and ninth hurdles before falling through the 10th.