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Jared Goff: We don’t pay attention to low outside expectations
Posted by Myles Simmons on August 12, 2021, 10:11 AM EDT
Detroit Lions Training Camp
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Jared Goff is used to being on a team with high external expectations.
That’s not so any longer, now that he’s the starting quarterback of the Lions — a team that’s lost double-digit games in each of the last three years.
But Goff has still compiled a record of 42-27 in his 69 games as a starter. That mark is 42-20 over the four years he played under head coach Sean McVay.
So even as Goff went through what he described as a “sour” ending with the Rams, he recently told Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times that he’s looking forward to what’s ahead.
“It’s the challenge that’s so fun for me,” Goff said. “The outside expectation is low. That’s fine. We don’t pay attention to it. But the challenge that I have and we all have is to build this thing from the ground up.”
Having been a starting quarterback for several seasons now, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick said he’s “obviously matured.” He’s expecting that aspect of his game will aid in Detroit becoming a contender.
“I’ve learned a lot. I’ve seen the game from a new perspective and appreciate it more than I ever have,” Goff said. “This gives me the ability to be that veteran guy and be that leader for a lot of these young guys and transition into that part of my career.”
Goff helped the Rams win plenty of games, but he also has earned a track record of being prone to turnovers. He recorded 38 giveaways over the last two years with 29 interceptions and nine lost fumbles. Irrespective of the outside expectations, if Goff is going to help turn the Lions into a winner, those numbers must improve in 2021 and beyond.
