TRANSCRIPTS: Rams QB Jared Goff - Media Availability - August 27 2020 QB Jared Goff

TRANSCRIPTS: Rams QB Jared Goff - Media Availability - August 27 2020
QB Jared Goff

(On the team meeting that occurred in the middle of practice and on keeping important social justice conversations going)
"Yeah, we’ve had a few discussions about it. That was not the first time. I think just in the midst of what’s going on in the NBA, the MLB and other sports right now is just, you know, we wanted to be forward and really getting into focusing what we’re going to do on the field. Kind of clear the air a little bit and allow guys to speak, allow guys say what’s on their mind, if they have anything. I thought that was great. I told (Head Coach) Sean (McVay), I thought that was awesome for him to do that and set the tone for what our team is about and how we want to handle things like this.”

(On how the decision to practice today came about as several other NFL teams decided not to)
“Yeah, I mean, we spoke this morning as a leadership group and there was never any talk of that. Obviously, respect to other teams for making their decisions. But, as a group, we talked about what can we do to affect change? What can we do to take action? There wasn’t much talk about cancelling anything. As we see, that was going to move the needle for anyone. We wanted to practice and we also wanted to have real discussions about what we’re going to do as a team and what we’re going to do as leaders to effect change.”

(On being any closer to knowing what that exactly is to effect change)
“I think it’s going to be a lot more than just words at this point. There needs to be action and that’s where we’re at and that was a lot of the discussion today. We talked about it in the summer. We talked about it leading into training camp. We’ve talked about it in training camp. And this morning, having some people in there that have the ability to organize some of this stuff for us, we were able to sit down a lot of leaders and really put together a good plan. The details of that plan are not finished and they will be soon. But, it’s really positive and I think it’s going to effect change.”

(On how the leadership council came to be and who’s on it)
“I think that would be a better question for Sean (McVay), he created this. But really, it’s the veteran guys that have been here for a while who have shown to kind of do the right thing day in and day out. It’s really most of the veteran guys. I think part of Sean’s idea was to create a group that he was able to bounce ideas off, whether it was a tweak in the schedule, whether it’s even more serious things like this that are bigger than football. Just some things to have a little bit better pulse of the team as far as what we’re thinking and what guys within the locker room are thinking. I thought that was awesome from his as a head coach to have that kind of foresight creating this, really back in April, is when I believe it was created.”

(On what the council covers)
“Everything. Everything from how do we want to handle hotel stays this year, how do we want to handle a lot of things. A lot times, it’s Sean (McVay) just making sure we’re ok with what we’re going to do and before he tells everyone. There is often where he’s, obviously, you guys know him, he’s a great listener and he’s willing to listen to the leaders on the team for input on decisions like that.”

(On CB Jalen Ramsey’s $1 million donation)
“Yeah, it’s amazing. Anytime anyone is able to donate, not only that amount of money, but what seems to be his time, his effort, and his commitment to his home city and his hometown, it’s special. He’s a tremendous guy and a tremendous teammate. A lot of people know him for how loud he is on the field and how much he talks, but this dude works as hard as anybody and is really in it for the right reasons. I think something like that, you can really tell, it’s similar to what I spoke to earlier, he’s not interested in talking about things anymore. And neither are a lot of us. It’s about actually doing something and making a difference, whether that’s monetary, whether that’s time, whether that’s influence, whatever that may be. It’s time to step up and actually do something. I know we’ve been saying that for a long time, but I think today was a little bit of a step in the right direction.”

(On how he feels when he sees these recent events)
“Well, of course when you first see the video – it’s disgusting. You’re horrified by it. I think you know, obviously, as a person that is not experiencing these injustices every day, I do my best every day to work on being a better listener, a better ally, and a better teammate and speak up when I see things that are not right and see things that are wrong. And at the same time, I’ve said it again, is taking action. Doing something. Personally, I have some things in the works that I’m doing that I hope to effect change. I think as a team, coming together over stuff like this and really putting in a plan of action and giving my role as a leader on this team and being my best as a leadership in that division that has nothing to do with football. But, doing my best and listening to the guys and hearing what they want with a situation that really doesn’t affect me directly, but is affecting my brothers and people that I love directly. So, it’s important.”

(On if he feels more responsibility as a white quarterback to be out front on this issue)
“Yeah. I think, like I mentioned in the summer, I do feel more of a responsibility to be out spoken, to not sit back because forever white people have sat back, for the most part, and just allowed it to happen or kind of turned a blind eye. As a leader of a team, as a leader of a community, as a leader of, you know, arguably a city, you want to be saying the right thing and doing the right thing and this is important to me. It’s something that is never going to stop, you always want to be fighting, you always want to be moving in the right direction. But I think to answer your question, yes. I think as someone that is not of color and someone that is in a position of leadership, it’s important to speak up and be outspoken.”

(On what he hopes to accomplish at Saturday’s scrimmage)
“I hope to have a good day. I think we’re just going to play the first half out there as the 1s, but I hope to have a good day – be sharp, be efficient. Offense go up and down the field, distribute the ball a little bit better than I did in the previous scrimmage. I think just take completions where they were. I thought we had a good first half last scrimmage, the second half kind of got away from us a little bit, but get back to that first half feeling we had and just distribute the ball.”

(On if he wants to take more shots down the field in the upcoming scrimmage)
“Yeah, we’ll take the shots if they are there. Our defense has done a pretty good job of taking those away up to this point, but you know, we’ll take them if they are there.”

(On if the scrimmage last week helped him get more familiar with SoFi Stadium)
“Totally helps. I think little things, like where’s the clock, where’s the play clock, where on the banner is the score. Even having referees there, you know, really them seeing stuff like that, sitting on the sideline, where you want to look on the scoreboard, little things like that that you would never think of until you are actually at the field. Where in the locker room are the showers, where’s the bathroom, where’s your training room going to be, where are you going to get tapped every day, or every week I guess. But, little things like that, I think it helps a lot.”

(On WR Van Jefferson and his improvement since first putting on pads)
"Yeah, no doubt. He keeps getting better. Everyday. He keeps showing up and getting better, and he's been getting so many reps with the 2s, that it's been kind of good for me to see from a distance, and he will get some with the 1s as the last few weeks have gone on. But he's done a really good job. Everyday showing up. It's little things every day, making plays, making catches, running great routes, strong hands. He's starting to really absorb this offense even better and you can tell."

(On the last time he heard the word ecosystem)
"Freshman marine biology at Marin Catholic High School."

(On the Rams ecosystem compared to the ecosystem he learned about in high school)
"I know nothing about the old ecosystem. I know a lot about ours now at this point and it's been good. I think (Vice President, Sports Medicine & Performance) Reggie's (Scott) kind of led that charge for us, as far as how we want to take care of ourselves sanitarily, you know, wear a mask and all that stuff. We've done a really good job of it up to this point, but we need to continue to do that if we want to stay on the right track."

(On if having no fan noise will impact the team’s communication on the field so that opponents can’t hear what they’re saying or if the fake crowd noise will assist with that)
"With what we had last week, if that's what the games going to be, I think that fake crowd noise will take of a lot of that. I think, at times, seeing from the outside looking in, that it's easy to hear like other teams words and what not, it's really not. They're so focused on what they're doing defensively, and we're so focused on what we're doing offensively, it's hard at times to – even if it's quiet – to hear what they're saying. But to answer your question, there could be, for sure. Especially at places that you're used to it being loud, in particular, Seattle. There will be a difference, obviously, for us if there are no fans and how we operate and how we want to do things."

(On if learning to command over the huddle comes with experience and confidence)
"Yeah, I think it just comes. It just takes time and something that I've felt pretty confident in for a few years now, but I continue to get better. I continue to get better at everything, every day and that's definitely part of it, as far, as leadership goes and just being the guy that everyone knows, they come up to and I just try to continue to be that every day."

(On pregame rituals and superstitions that he’s had to get adjusted going into SoFi Stadium)
"I don't think so. Nothing that would be different pregame, for sure. It'll be all the same. During the game, without fan noise, like we mentioned earlier, the operation may be a little bit different. We'll have to wait and see what they decide on as far as noise goes, but pregame, no rituals will change."

(On what a quarterback has to do to protect a receiver when he's going to him over the middle)
"I think there's a few things. It depends on where the defender is, for sure. We like to talk about putting it on his body. Often you want to throw the ball out here, but if they're running over the middle and the defenders coming this way, you want to put it on his body and slow him down a little bit. So, that would be the main thing we do, or, at times, we like to talk about pulling him downhill. If they're running an out-route and they’re going to get hit from the side they're running to, pulling them downhill away from that defender as well."

(On if he thinks he has to have an extra-something to be a receiver who wants to go over the middle)
"For sure, we've got a few of them that don't mind doing it and I appreciate them for that every day, because it helps me out and helps me trust them, but they do take a hit sometimes. There are some rules that have been tweaked a little bit that do protect them, but at the same time, it’s a dangerous game and it's a violent game and they know the risk going over the middle. So, I do my best to protect them, but our receivers coach has a good saying on stuff like that. He says, 'You can't live forever,' so that's what I tell them sometimes as a joke."
--RAMS--