My thoughts for when Goff is healthy, not for this next game. Probably more about next year, actually.
I’m no fan of QB by committee, so pick a QB and train the heck out of him. That QB will be Goff, I’m sure.
Hire a legit OC and let him call the plays. McVay should transition into an executive type HC because even he has too much on his plate at gametime. Consequently, important things are not properly managed and his O then suffers. A pure QB Coach with a like mindset wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. I would move mountains to try to get Goff back to at least a top 10 QB status.
My evidence? This O has been in a downward spiral since mid ‘18. Yeah, Gurley became injured and Cooks had to be jettisoned, but c’mon. It’s not as if they were replaced by chopped liver and the other 9 O players from ‘19 are pretty much the same, aren’t they?
Goff is currently a mess and it seems to be largely an above the neck thing. Is it an O philosophy ‘no turnover’ overreaction, does he have some other unknown injury, a scheme thing, or what? I dunno and I don’t care. Just FIX it! WTH happened to that ‘genius’ O Coach that we once had?
Get the TE’s back in the O game plan. The reasons are obvious. Make D’s once again defend every blade of grass.
Get together with Kromer and develop a plan to upgrade this OL’s run blocking ability. Might require a FA at C or maybe a high draft pick there. Hate to spend a 2 or a 3 on C considering all of our other needs, but a stud C for this O could be invaluable. He’s in on every snap and his blocking impacts that crucial interior on every single play, making him surely one of Goff’s best friends and a helluva security blanket. I thought we could ‘make do’ with Blythe but I no longer think we can go far in the playoffs with a ‘make do’ C. And I’m not at all sure that our future starter is on the roster. Sooooo...
The above would be a nice start toward ‘fixing’ this stumbling O. And it would perhaps cost only the acquisition of a stud C one way or the other. Everett is a goner, so they must decide whether Hopkins can start next year or should they draft another TE, bearing in mind that it typically takes 2-3 years to bring along a rookie TE.
Assuming that Staley remains, I’m sure that he can fill holes he sees in his current D. Including those that will come from departing UFA’s. So I’ll save commentary on D for another time.
Bonamego will surely be fired and hopefully McVay will be more successful in choosing Bonamego’s replacement. Gay played well and Hekker is fine. Just need to improve coverage and return units. Should be very doable by a competent ST Coordinator.
Bottom line? ‘Fix’ this O and we are a SB caliber team. Top 5 in the entire league. So, THAT’s how important fixing this O is. We’re counting on you, Coach...
