Los Angeles Rams: Jared Goff Gaining on Case Keenum
By Erik Lambert
Initial belief was the Los Angeles Rams planned to bring Jared Goff along slowly. It seems the rookie quarterback has other ideas.
For the past few weeks the general feeling coming out of Rams headquarters was that the plan for 2016 involved veteran Case Keenum getting the nod as starter. Their reasoning seemed sound enough. They don’t want to throw their prized #1 draft pick to the wolves before he’s ready, and Keenum did go 3-2 as a starter last season before injuries ended it early.
However, the one person who may have something to say about that is Goff himself. Word out of camp is the rookie is making considerable progress in his development, both as a passer and a leader in the huddle. It’s getting to a point where even teammates on the defensive side of the ball have to admit they’re impressed with the rapid progress.
"“You can definitely tell the difference from the first day when he came out here to now,” linebacker Alec Ogletree said Wednesday. “He’s light years different from the first day. He’s picking up the offense a lot faster, able to get in and out of the huddle and just do different stuff. You can tell he’s learning a lot more. He knows where to throw the ball as it’s gone on. So practice makes perfect. He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s definitely getting better.”"
That in itself was a pretty surprising revelation, but head coach Jeff Fisher added a little extra gas to the fire when he said this.
"“Right now — as we go into the discussions — I’d like to get Jared a shot with the ones in this game.”"
That may sound a bit noncommittal but it’s actually a huge deal. The fact that Goff is making substantial progress from the start of training camp to the midpoint of preseason inevitably leads to the conclusion that the team may choose not to wait on starting him. Don’t forget the Rams have an obligation to get L.A. fans invested in their season as quickly as possible. The news that they plan to start Keenum isn’t going to help that.
This team gave up a lot to get their franchise quarterback in the draft. Goff is a California kid. People want to see him play. They won’t want to spend their money on a guy who, at least to this point hasn’t done much as a starter in the NFL. Make no mistake. If Fisher follows through on his idea and Goff has a solid enough performance, he will be starting for the Los Angeles Rams in San Francisco.