The whole thing is great, but I really enjoyed this little bit. The Goffs completely get it.
Said Christen Goff: “That was so incredible. Everybody here got it. It’s not like they’re cheering his name because they are obsessed with him and they think he’s just everything. It’s because every single one of those people have been him before, or they just get that story, and it resonates with them. … It didn’t feel like fans; it felt like family.
Oh man, thanks for posting that. One of the best damn articles I’ve ever read.
A tip of the cap to the author:
Michael Silver is an award-winning NFL Senior Writer for The Athletic.
That was fantastic! I hope Dan, Brad, and Goff read that before every game. Remind themselves of the dedication to the mission even when it seemed unlikely, and let’s ■■■■■■■ go!
damn that was a good read OP, great thread !!! long read, but worth it.
Awesome thanks!
This is a Pauline opening sentence:
First came the beating, another desultory setback in the rapidly degenerating professional life of Jared Goff, the face of a flailing franchise’s enduring futility.
Since when were columnists allowed to write above a 5th grade level?
Another point worth making…
“He has the answers.”
When Goff knows how to respond to pressure, he handles it as well as anyone. It’s only when his offense lacks “the answers” to what the defense is doing that we see his play trail off.
Very nice quality written article.
Great article… The city of Detroit has the “chip on their shoulder” personality, and that’s this team and the players… Goff, St Brown, Branch, all guys who embody that same demeanor.
I also find this funny…
Goff’s commitment to intensive film study makes sense, given his physical limitations. Unlike peers such as Jackson, Allen and Patrick Mahomes, Goff can’t rely on his athleticism to get him out of jams and make off-schedule plays. “You do have to find different ways to win in the pocket because you aren’t as fleet of foot,” Goff said. “I have to play disciplined. And the work that I have to do from Monday through Friday, I feel like has to be more. That’s where I feel like I’m able to get my edge, whereas other guys have their athletic ability as their edge.”
Sounds like he knows he’s not a super hero, and has to do more in other aspects of his game to compete with those guys… I didn’t say it, HE did.
There’s another line in there from Ben about Goff’s development “It’s just an example of where he is now,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t like that when he first got here.” (referring to basically going off-script once he seen the defense’s coverage)
He’s developed his skillset into elite QB play, yet somehow if you say he’s “developed”, it’s viewed as a slight by some.
Good decision-making is the most important trait for a quarterback.
This has absolutely been key for me. Everyone knows I wasn’t his biggest fan when he showed up, and it was because of statements like that (“it wasn’t like that when he first got here”).
But he has improved so, so much, that a lot of those weaknesses have become strengths. You almost never see that. It’s someone mystifying. A ton of credit to him and a lot to our staff as well.
He’s absolutely improved… He’s playing at an elite level, obviously. He knows who he is, which is important
That is one way to take it, which makes sense with your presuppositions. I read it differently, perhaps not all superheroes wear capes(or are athletic).
Jackson Allen Mahomes win in the pocket with their athleticism, getting out of the pocket etc, he wins in the pocket, getting out of jams in a different way.
The context of super hero was superior athleticism which allows them to escape pressure and extend plays… That’s exactly what Goff is saying he doesn’t have. Which obviously he’s okay with and has improved the things he attributes he does have.
The staff have done this with a lot of players. Be patient and give them the tools. Goff, Jamo, Levi, Barnes, Iffy, Rodrigo, Anzalone are all examples of players that benefitted from patience and thoughtful coaching. It’s why I’m still excited for BroMart, Sorsdal, Manu and Vaki, and why I know that the midseason decisions to cut Buggs last year and now Houston were the right ones. If they don’t pick up the tools and work, then they don’t deserve any more patience.
This article truly encapsulates why this team is special. It is NOT just a football team! They have truly bought into the “family” concept and each person is doing their job for the sake of the next guy. This is probably why our defense is playing top-notch even with the injuries. The backups aren’t about to let anyone down! This is the culture that Brad and Dan have built! You can hear (feel?) the respect and admiration that Goff has for Dan for standing by him when it would have been easier to dump him (many of us wanted that). This is how you get the very best out of your players and team! F the “Patriot Way” this is how to build a football team! God I love this team!!! LETS F***ING GO!!!
What I find fascinating is how his mindset changing had a direct correlation to his pocket poise/awareness. To make that a little clearer; I distinctly remember both Campbell and Johnson critiquing Goff publicly about his drifting back into trouble in the pocket. I’ve equated his flipping the switch on pocket presence to their emphasis finally making a light go on for him. More to that point, when Ben is coaching details with such emphasis and clarity, it’s evident to Goff also that he needs to be on his details in the pocket for the OL to play at a high level. That’s sort of how I’ve seen it from afar. To hear Goff in this article (and others a few weeks ago), maybe it was more about clearing his head than anything. Obviously he’s being coached on the details, but more than learning it was focus. Typing that out, maybe it was focus that facilitated learning. Anyhow, just kind of fitting those pieces together in a sort of life lesson type of way.
It’s so crazy how easy it is to love this team…right down to assistant coaches, 4th stringers, front office personnel…and even players wives, families, etc.
His pocket poise is definitely one of the areas he improved greatly.
In the past, when he was getting hit, he would get skittish and his eyes would go towards the rushers instead of his pass-catchers. We saw this his first year, and it’s something a pocket passer simply cannot do, since the ONLY way he’s gonna beat a defense is to throw the pass before the rush gets there. Our elite OL has helped, obviously, but Goff has clearly worked on this part of his game. It’s to the point now that he doesn’t even notice the rush at all, he has full faith in his blockers. Sometimes to his detriment, like that fumble/int against Houston, but 95% of the time it’s a big advantage.
He also got called a slow processor back then, and there was a little bit of truth to it. But to me this was 100% because of McVay’s micro-management. Which was why I saw it as the most likely area for improvement. This perception was also exacerbated by his aforementioned habit of dropping his eyes to the rush, which would clearly make it difficult to go through his progressions.
Both areas are now huge strengths, as is his poise against the blitz, which sort of falls under the umbrella of my first point. It’s a really striking ascendance.