Andrew Whitworth's comments on Jared Goff show how much he respects the QB
Cameron DaSilva
[
theramswire.usatoday.com]
The Los Angeles Rams have seemingly made all the right moves the last two years, culminating in a trip to Super Bowl LIII. From the additions of Brandin Cooks and Aqib Talib to Ndamukong Suh and Robert Woods, it’s been a near-perfect two years for Sean McVay and Les Snead.
Arguably the best acquisition was the signing of Andrew Whitworth, who’s been phenomenal in protecting Jared Goff’s blindside from the day he stepped foot in L.A. He’s not just an elite left tackle, either. He’s a terrific leader and has a strong connection with the young quarterback despite being 13 years his elder.
After the Rams’ win over the Saints on Sunday, Whitworth shared some high praise for Goff, showing the level of respect he has for him. And now, he wants to win the Super Bowl for Goff, because he deserves it.
“He’s just a special kid. I’ve said it since we came to training camp and really since the day I met him, I’ve realized that he’s a special kid,” Whitworth said. “I told my wife before these playoffs started, this is the first year that it really wasn’t about me. I really honestly felt like I was more nervous for these playoffs because I believe in Jared Goff and I believe he deserves to win and I just want to be right about that and that’s what it means most to me. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Goff isn’t an overly vocal leader. He doesn’t scream and shout on the sideline the way his Super Bowl counterpart Tom Brady does. He does it differently, as evidenced by his straight-faced attitude and toned-down voice in post-game press conferences.
That’s not to say he isn’t competitive or that he can’t “rally the troops” when necessary. He can, and he did on Sunday.
“Jared came in the huddle and said, ‘This is how it’s going to be,’” Rob Havenstein told The Athletic. “He gave us a little direction. It wasn’t life changing. It was, ‘Hey, this is my huddle. This is the way it’s going to be done. This is the way we’re going to roll.’”
Goff didn’t have his best game ever on Sunday. His numbers weren’t eye-popping and he only had one touchdown. But given the magnitude of the situation and the way he played in the second half and overtime to lead the Rams to victory, it’s hard not to give the 24-year-old some credit for beating Drew Brees in the Superdome – something no quarterback had ever done in the playoffs.
“The way he played today, I mean honestly the whole game, I can’t say enough about him,” Whitworth said. “His performance was amazing, and to beat Drew Brees in this arena, this is one special place to play. These guys are really good here and really hard to beat. You just cannot say enough about Jared’s job today.”
Next up, Goff will take on the greatest quarterback of all time in Brady. And you can bet Whitworth has unquestioned confidence in Goff that he’ll lead them to victory.
