Quote
AlbaNY_Ram
"We needed dependable and reliable pass catchers on the perimeter," the Rams executive told me. "The quarterback needs to know that his top targets are going to be where they're supposed to be, when they're supposed to be there. Woods and Kupp will be in the right spots. That alone will help Goff become more consistent."
When I read this ...
When I read this, my reaction had a different emphasis. But you do very well to isolate this quotation.
Of course, we all know that a QB's performance is dependent on the other offensive units. Many acknowledge the effect of poor OL play. And we have been aching for a "#1 WR" ever since Torry retired.
But what is not, I think, often enough noted is the importance of a QB having
FAITH in his WR/TEs. In the NFL, a QB has to throw the ball on or before the break, into tight windows, and to receivers who are actually covered. A QB who can't do that will flounder.
The conditions for being able to do this include the ability to read, passing accuracy, and nerve. But none of this adds up to anything if the QB can't trust the WR/TEs to be in the right place at the right time, get open, battle for the ball, and make the catch. Imagine a QB trying to thread the needle of NFL pass defenses
WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO TRUST HIS WR/TEs!Well, that's what Ram QBs were doing last year. And Goff was a rookie, making huge adjustments to an alien offensive scheme
AND NOT BEING ABLE TO TRUST HIS WR/TEs!Many here, I think, would share my sense that, by last season, a team culture of slack, lazy lethargy had enveloped the team. In the WR/TE corps, especially, it seemed that no one was really accountable. You could run lazy routes, fail to get separation, and drop the damn ball and, ho hum, that's just the way things were around the Rams.
I think it affected those rookie WR/TEs last year. The longer the pre- and regular seasons went on, the more they dropped the ball. It's hard for me to believe that ALL of them had stone hands. In sports, slack performance can be very contagious, and I think that these youngsters lost their way in a team funk.
As for Goff, we all know the OL sucked and the coaching was poor. But I recall seeing him, early in the pre-season and in games, make some fine throws that were dropped. Drops then seemed to dog him and he would slide into a funk of his own. I am convinced that lack of faith in his WR/TEs played a big role in Goff's poor performance.
Now, of course, I promise nothing. I don't know if a few of those younger WR/TEs can be rehabilitated. I don't know how much of Goff's poor performance can be attributed to lack of faith in those guys. I think it had to be a significant factor, but I can't say how significant or how good he might or might not be when he starts trusting his pass catchers.
But of course that's the point. We don't know. We KNOW that the coaching and team culture and performance of the WR/TE corps stank last year. We know that it sapped Goff's performance. We DON'T KNOW how much or how good he might have been. What I would argue, in line with what Brooks appears to be saying, is that judging Goff as a bust is a pretty questionable call when you consider the team culture-ruined WR/TE corps he was throwing to.
Now, looking forward, I actually do feel there's good reason for hope in improvement. Our team culture is being transformed by a fiery, young, energetic HC who loves offensive football. McVay WILL NOT accept lethargic, lazy route running and dropped balls. The culture of the receiving corps is going to change, even if it requires further cuts and FA acquisitions. McVay WILL demand that his receivers be where they are supposed to be, get open, and catch the ball. If they don't, they'll be gone. And, of course, the veteran Woods, a solid, efficiently productive WR will help.
I cannot imagine that we will not see improved performance and a steep decline in dropped passes.
And I cannot imagine that Goff won't be buoyed by growing faith in his receivers. For him not to significantly boosted by this, he would have to be a complete stiff who can't read a defense or make a throw at all. And I just don't think that's who he is. In college, he made lots of plays, including scores of brilliant throws into very tight windows. I saw flashes of that in him last year ... again, flashes far too often neutralized by drops.
I will be shocked if both Goff and his WR/TEs don't significantly improve their performance this year as they learn to have faith in each other. I actually believe that is very unlikely to happen.
How much? I dunno. I can easily see them getting to the middle of the pack. More than that? who knows? But enough to let us take some pride in our offense again.
And if it happens, take special note of the bond developing between Goff and his receivers. That's the synergy that transforms a few physically gifted players into a high-performance unit.
Have a little faith ...
