Case Keenum: A Backup Quarterback in a Starting Role
The quarterback position is one of the most scrutinized in all of professional sports. The player at this position must lead the offense and often the entire team. In today’s passing league, his numbers are often indicative of a team’s final result. Quarterbacks sell jerseys and they regularly become the face of their team, thus general managers are on an eternal search for that ever elusive franchise signal caller.
The Los Angeles Rams have been on this search for a long time.
After a legacy of greats like Roman Gabriel, Vince Ferragamo, Jim Everett, Kurt Warner, and Marc Bulger, the Rams have had little success finding the face of their offense. They thought they found him in their 2010 number one overall pick Sam Bradford, but after a Rookie of the Year debut, his injury-laden second season forced them to trade him for the Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Foles. With Foles, the Rams saw a massive drop in productivity and decided to move their starting quarterback to the bench in favor of backup Case Keenum.
Keenum ended 2015 with the starting gig while posting backup numbers like four touchdowns, 165.5 yards per game, and a 60% completion percentage. As a result, in the 2016 draft, general manager Les Snead took California Golden Bear Jared Goff with their number one overall pick, making a bold statement about their vision for the future of the franchise.
However, head coach Jeff Fisher later announced that Keenum would be the starter until Goff was “ready”, upsetting fans all around the country. Whether this was faith in Keenum, or Goff’s inability to acclimate to the NFL level, Keenum was now the Rams starter.
Keenum was not acquired to be the starter and even when he was named the starter, it was with the condition that he was simply keeping the seat warm for Goff.
After week four and a 3-1 start, the seat could not be any warmer.
Who is Case Keenum? Can he perform as the starter for the Rams, or any NFL team? Is he a solid backup option that can keep a team even in a starter’s absence? Or is he something else entirely?
Keenum as a Team Leader
First and foremost, an NFL player, whether quarterback, linebacker, or long snapper, must lead his team to victory. Failing this is failing the position and team itself.
Since he has been the Rams’ starter, Keenum has led the team to a 6-6 overall record: 3-2 to end 2015 and 3-4 to start 2016; both of those included three game win streaks and notable wins in Seattle and in Arizona.
Week six of the 2016 season saw Keenum put up his best numbers with 27 for 32 passing attempts and 321 yards to seven different receivers and three touchdowns. However, the one blemish, an interception, happened on what could have been the game-winning drive.
He followed this with his worst performance posting a painful four interceptions, though many of them cannot be attributed to his play. However, the fact remains that the loss was recorded, their third in a row and fourth of the year. After the cheers and winning streaks, Keenum’s team now held a losing record and his numbers led many to believe this was a result of his poor play.
Keenum’s even record is the epitome of mediocrity, whether directly attributed to him or not. As a team leader, he has been unable to establish a standard of excellence and a culture of winning. As a quarterback, this is his responsibility and every blemish in the loss column will ultimately been seen as a shortcoming on his or any starting quarterback’s part.
Keenum by the Numbers
Without a doubt, 2016 has been Keenum’s best year statistically. In his first stint as a game one starter, he has averaged a respectable 244 yards per game, 12th among quarterbacks, and led his number one receiver Kenny Britt to rank as the 11th overall receiver in terms of yards in the NFL, and sixth in the NFC. Although Keenum does not lead many statistical categories, he does fall second in one, beaten only by New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick: interceptions. Keenum has ten interceptions, and four losses to show for it.
In addition, he enters the bottom tiers in many other key statistics including 22nd overall in completion percentage, 27th in passer rating, and dead last in qualifying quarterbacks for QBR.
When it comes to other statistics, his numbers hover just above average. As previously mentioned, he ranks 12th in total yards, as well as in yards per game. He is 13th in completions and tied for 14th in touchdown passes. His receiving corps has not done him any favors in many of these stats, but once again, a quarterback is the ultimate leader on the field and it is his job to work and communicate with his targets. Successes and failures always begin with the first to get the ball off the snap.
On these stats alone, he may just look like a lackluster starter. However, the Rams have just done what no team has done in nearly 20 years: changed home cities. This is the ultimate opportunity to rebuild. Mediocre and lackluster should not be a part of any conversation with this franchise looking to reestablish itself in the colossal Los Angeles market. Just above average does not cut it in any industry in Los Angeles and it should not suffice in their NFL franchise.
The team started with this logic, trading a handful of very valuable draft picks for the number one overall, which they then used to select a quarterback. Yet, for some reason ten interceptions and four losses later, he has yet to see any playing time.
Goff and the Future
Coach Fisher has made it painfully obvious that Jared Goff will not start until he is ready, but when is someone truly ready to start in the NFL?
This year has seen many rookie standouts from first-round picks like the Dallas Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott, the Houston Texans Will Fuller and the Philadelphia Eagles Carson Wentz, as well as later picks like the Chicago Bears Jordan Howard and the Cowboys Dak Prescott. Were these players “ready” to start, or were the coaches just willing to let their talents start to develop in real situations? Yes, when it comes to the quarterback position, readiness is much more of a concern, as their responsibilities are much higher than their counterparts, but the argument could be made that the best teacher for a young player is in fact, real world experience.
There have been recent comparisons of the situation to the rookie season of Super Bowl winner Eli Manning. Manning had a very rough start to his NFL career, at one point recording a 0.0 passer rating and having to be benched at half time. However, coach Tom Coghlin saw the writing on the wall and after three straight losses after a 4-1 start, he benched Kurt Warner to let his number one overall pick take the reins. Manning’s reputation is history now and his two Super Bowls, two Super Bowl MVPs, and four Pro Bowls attest to the brilliance of Coach Coghlin and his ability to recognize a problem and take the proper calculated risk with his mind on the future of the organization.
As Goff continues to be kept on ice, the Rams have continued to struggle. They have essentially matched the 2004 New York Giants’ slips and are by all accounts set to slip even further. Faith in Keenum is waning, and with his own slips, one can understand why.
Conclusion
No one has any idea if Goff can win NFL games right now. We know Keenum can. We also know he can lose them in some of the most painful ways imaginable.
The Rams will enter their bye week one game below .500 and without an overload of excitement on the offensive side of the ball. The team is very patient in its look at Keenum, and it has gotten them three great wins so far as well as some exciting play, though far too inconsistent for him to be considered a true NFL starter.
Coach Fisher gladly admits this, but keeps penciling him in as the first string signal caller. Every coach has a certain style and mindset, so critique is always a touchy affair. Also, the coach is the one who must decide the future of the team, and he takes all the heat for every choice. However, with a new city and a new chance to build a solid franchise, time can be fleeting for anyone who remained during the move. Surely, a losing team’s management will not stay intact long.
When will fans see their promised starter? Week nine? In the next few weeks? Next year? If the losses continue to pile up, he’ll surely see the field, right? The same man who famously preached against 7-9 BS on Hard Knocks, would not stay stubborn on his initial prognosis while his team literally sinks to that same record. Right?
