Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff didn’t have the kind of rookie season many may have expected from a #1 overall draft pick. Many people may point to the inept coaching from former Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. Others may also point to a bad offensive system or a lack of offensive playmakers outside of Todd Gurley and Tavon Austin.
While all are valid points, Goff still underwhelmed while fellow top pick quarterback Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles, enjoyed a much smoother transition to the NFL and had a much stronger season from a performance standpoint.
A new coaching regime in Los Angeles is part of the effort to help develop Goff into the player the Rams believe he can be. Rams quarterbacks coach Greg Olson believes that Goff is going to meet and exceed expectations.
Olson believes that Goff has a really “high ceiling”.
“Nothing that I’ve watched so far has deterred me from that same evaluation,” Olson said, per The Los Angeles Times. “I’m just real excited to get a chance to get with him and have a chance to work with him.”
“It wasn’t a great situation,” Olson said, referring to the Rams situation in 2016. “There should be a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2,” he continued.
“A lot of things he was doing at Cal, he did it at the line of scrimmage with one-word codes,” Olson said. “There’s a little bit more to that in the NFL.”
Olson has worked with quarterbacks Drew Brees (when he was at Purdue), Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and Jacksonville Jaguars signal caller Blake Bortles.
“With these young players,” Olson said, “the quicker they get in and get assimilated to an offensive scheme, and have a chance to get with their coordinator and get with their head coach, and really learn the offense, the better chance they’ll have for success.”
The Rams new, young coach Sean McVay is bringing excitement to the franchise who has has to suffer watching the ineptitude of Jeff Fisher’s run as the head honcho, one that many analysts were critical of.
McVay worked extensively with Kirk Cousins while he was offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, so he brings an acumen the Goff development project as well and is confident that they can make this venture a success.
“It’s very important for all of us to be on the same page,” McVay said. “We’ll all be on the same rhythm as far as what we’re communicating to Jared, what the expectations are.”
While a new regime usually brings a renewed excitement to a franchise Rams fans should be extra excited based on how many quarterback-specialty coaches are now in the fold in Los Angeles.