I don’t want to discredit the comeback, but I find it funny that when Stafford engineered comebacks he got called Stat Padford, and now when this new regime does it suddenly its they are scrappers etc.
Personally, I view this game as an utter blowout.
The good news though is Dan Campbell said it exactly right: They aren’t talented enough to make the mistakes they made. That shows he is grounded in reality.
Perhaps, Tyrone Williams being in concussion protocol will give Cephus a chance to shine.
Anyway, what was the “illegal touching” penalty about on his 24 yard catch that was taken away.
He stepped out of bounds, upon running back inbounds that player cannot be the one to initiate contact.
Assume the rule is there mainly to stop players running out of bounds and the blindsiding opponents with a hit on punt and kick returns
Nice job Wes!
He stepped out of bounds earlier in the route. Once you step out you are basically dead from catching the ball.
I think Goff is the more accurate passer. I believe both Goff and Stafford are quality NFL QB’s you can win with given the right circumstances. They are just night and day different. Stafford plays based on his arm talent. He is a gunslinger naturally because he can fit throws in really tight windows. He can throw players open or give them an opportunity to make a play on the ball. Stafford looks to go deep before he looks for his outlet.
Goff has less arm talent and plays within those limitations. When he throws a 20 yard, 30 yard or 40 yard pass the defense simply has more time to react and make a play on the ball. So he HAS to play more cautiously. But he can put it downfield accurately when he has an open reciever. I honestly think Goff would have struggled with KG and MJ because they do not create a lot of separation. But given recievers that can create space and Goff is excellent. So I don’t think it is a matter of who is better. I think it is a matter of putting them in the proper style of offense that will fit their skillset.
Goff will be better at the short and intermediate game because he is a more accurate passer. Stafford will be better in an intermediate to long game because he has the arm talent.
I was sorry to see Stafford go because I enjoyed watching him play and he was a great advocate for the team and city. But I think we picked up a player in Goff that can take this team where we want to go. I don’t buy the stopgap talk. He has proven he can play at a high level in this league and I expect him to do that here. We will just see a different style of play.
Good observations and appreciate the insights!
That throw from Goff was pretty rare in college too. Kenny Lawler was the only leaping guy he had that was money on those types of throws. It is encouraging to see Goff add that to his arsenal so early in the season.
The other throw I’d like to see is the quick flick deep that Carr did twice on Monday night (including the game winner). If he could more often throw a 30 yard pass without step into it and wind-up like, he will be able to stretch the defense.
I think we are starting to see the the influence of Lynn/Brunell on Goff. As to Stafford/McVay, it doesn’t appear that Stafford is running the wide stretch plays yet. Wonder if they will come once the Rams play better defenses.
@Ramskullion ?Lastly, McVay was on the verge of losing it on Sunday night but then the Rams pulled away and he was fine. Definite honeymoon right now. When will the Rams face their first adversity? Buccaneers? Seahawks? Not until the 49ers in November?
LOVED that shit. Forgot all about it.
Yup for sure.
I sure hope it doesn’t require TW being out for the staff to realize that Cephus deserves more looks.
He looked good last year… and he looked good week 1.
Throw him the damn ball…
Yeah - I think Cephus, Amon and Benson show potential to be a decent WR group. None of them have really had the opportunity to show what they can do. Play the youngsters this year and find out what you have. If they stink you can upgrade in the offseason.
Williams is our best WR IMO. He is physically capable of being our WR1. The concern I had with his signing was his health. He’s been out a lot the last couple of years between a torn labrum and plantar fasciitis the year before.
This was a brutal hit where he was hung out to dry a little on a late throw. Hopefully he can get back on track.
And also, I think Cephus still has spot opposite Williams. He’s not a typical Z with his speed but he can be effective. He knows how to get open.
This was really my one big concern watching Goff in this game. He lead receivers right into big hits a couple of times. He’s going to get his receivers killed if he’s not careful.
Ty-Will was an intriguing pick-up by the new Lions braintrust. I’d have been happy to have him on The Rams this year. After that meteoric rise from UDFA obscurity to 1000 yds starter, he gets basically demoted by Lynn in his first year as HC, relegated to #3 behind Keenan A & Lynn’s first ever draft pick, Mike Williams.Then he lets him walk in FA.
Is Lynn tacitly admitting a mistake ? Did Ty Will’s game develop with The Raiders in some way that was lacking in SD ?
I think it’s both. Not sayin’ Ty > Mike, but not taking guys like Mahomes, Watson, or even Lattimore probably banged the first nail into Lynn’s HC coffin down the road.
I have a lot of Raider fan buddies here in the SF Bay Area, They pointed out that Ty-Will was remarkably good on third & medium/long with The Faiduhs year before last, despite the foot injury. Not a huge sample size, but 13 catches on 16 targets, 12 getting the first down , on 3rd & 4 to 3rd & 9 is tasty, even tastier when he averaged over 19 yds per in those big boy pants situations.Much better than he was in similar situations with SD, despite more playing time/better health.
Given what Lynn saw Keenan do from the slot in SD AND Campbell saw Thomas do from the slot in NO, I think Lynn might see Williams as much more than a speedy deep threat with jump ball size.
I also really like Raymond. Very cool video linked below (am I supposed to embed or link here ? ) from which I learned a lot about how routes are run & some of the subtle things that make them successful. Loved that sideline catch vs SF. Both he & Cephus flashed in a way that is encouraging for their relationship with Goff,imo, not just highlighting their individual skills; those plays require trust and real synch. Great to see that early on, even if vs a prevent D.
Speaking of synch, I don’t necessarily agree on the “hung out to dry” /“late” characterization of that play in which Tyrell got clocked. Not gonna reflexively defend Goff on everything, but he rarely makes a WR reach up for a pass , exposing them to a rib shot- the true definition of “hanging out to dry”, imo & he didn’t in this instance, either.
How do you know the ball was late ? You sure Tyrell was at the right spot at the right time ? I’ve seen JG make that throw a gazillion times to Kupp/Woods/Higbee ,et al & they often catch it in stride & turn upfield to the sideline for YAC. Maybe it was late, maybe it was a hair inside. Maybe neither. Maybe just a well-timed hit that was a tad high. The result was nasty but it really didn’t look like a Burfict headhunting job to me; kind of play that we would have oohed over 20 years ago, tbh. Definitely a flag by the rules these days, but tough to call that malicious, it was so bang-bang. I’ll take any chance to hate on a Whiner, but I can’t there.
I don’t think you’ve seen anything from Benson & Saint, either, yet that their potential suggests they will contribute as this pass offense gets in its groove. That’s the really exciting thing.
Nice post. I think Goff was late on a lot of his reads on Sunday. If I’m not mistaken that was one of the reasons McVay was unhappy with him.
To me, being hung out to dry isn’t just a high throw. Its putting your WR in a position to get injured and that includes late throws into traffic.
This. Stafford loved the high throws that ended up getting Golladay pounded. Goff (in an admittedly small sample size) seems to enjoy leading RBs into LBs and WRs into safeties.
Your position on Fields might be making you see things in Goff’s performance a little more definitively negative than the evidence on Sunday offers. The OL shuffle, the newness of it all -scheme/players/ minimal pre-season reps, the strong defensive opponent could all have contributed to the synch issues. If it’s still an issue after 3-4 games, we can re-visit…lol…
Nah, never read anything about Goff’s accuracy on the short/medium range passes in general being an issue for Mcvay. McVay’s issue , like many others, was always about Goff not adapting to either the 6/1 defense that disrupted the short game & the late-declaring deep zone stuff that safeties are deploying to smother the deep game now that they don’t have to worry about Gurley galloping at them like an enraged bull on roller skates, if you can gallop on rollerskates…lol…
I think there’s some truth to that, but it’s also true that the supporting cast deteriorated significantly as well- worse OL, less explosive run game, failure to develop Everett or Reynolds into a jumpball deep/RZ threat or replace Cooks’ speed. I don’t think McVay as a playcaller/ designer has developed enough either. His stubborn adherence to 11 personnel, shockingly predictable run game, and unwillingness to adapt in-game to the above defensive counter-punches really hung Goff out to dry, if we’re using the expression to mean anything that puts a player in a position to fail. Cost us a SB & stunted Goff’s development/undermined his confidence, imo.
Goff is really good at not throwing his players into head on collisions. Partly with Accuracy as Ramskullion mentioned and partly by throwing the receiver to space.
One thing you will see from Goff is the only time he throws it low to where only his WR can catch it is when a SAF is coming in hot over the top.
Kupp and Woods led the league in YAC, which is partly Goff’s placement and McVay’s scheme.
He will not get his WRs killed.
I was definitively negative on Goff before Fields was in the picture. I believe he was a product of McVay’s system to a large and substantial degree. I don’t believe he is trash, but I don’t believe he is an upper tier QB either.
I do not discount the possibility of some this simply being rust (as noted earlier) or some of these other factors you mention. I’m sure that was some of it.
I do not believe Goff is the answer long term. However, he does give us some flexibility to not HAVE to draft a QB next year.
I specifically read a well-articulated article on what was driving McVay nuts about Goff back in the winter. I wish I could provide it, as it was quite specific with screen shots of All 22 etc.
But, I would love to be wrong all on him and hope I am. Would like nothing more than for him to see great success here.
Wes…I love your post. I thought Goff looked good overall. We moved the football. Yep, he missed some early throws but he got better as the game wore on. No, he isn’t Matt in 2021. Matt is better right now. But Goff made some killer, pressure throws. We went for it on 4th and Jared didn’t shit the bed.
To me the defense is the story of the game.
I liked our new kicker.
The kick returner has got no juice. That felt like a mistake. Our rookie RB needs to dress and play that role.
The guys that played over Julian Okwara and Levi need to sit this week. They did nothing.
Losing Okudah isn’t a loss past depth. He looks like he doesn’t get it here either. What a shame.
Barnes and our rookie CD need serious reps now.
Hope isn’t lost at all. I am excited about the next game.
