After the Los Angeles Rams acquired wideout Sammy Watkins from the Buffalo Bills, they have built a solid core around sophomore quarterback Jared Goff. After an extremely disappointing rookie season, Goff is bound for a tremendous year as the Rams quarterback.
Jared Goff Bound for Breakout Season
Offensive Weapons
Last season, the Rams top two receivers were Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt. While Britt had a breakout year in 2016, he wasn’t the playmaker that Goff needed him to be for him to grow as a rookie. Britt is now in Cleveland, and Sammy Watkins has replaced him on the outside. Goff has two dynamic playmakers with both Watkins and Austin. They are both speedy wideouts who can turn a short slant route into a 40 yard gain. Add in rookie receiver Cooper Kupp and the Rams have a young receiving core to build around Goff.
The Rams also have Todd Gurley, a 1,000 yard rusher as a rookie who had a disappointing sophomore season. Last year, Gurley was focal point of the offense and opposing teams focused their attention on stopping him. Now, Gurley will have some pressure taken off of him with the addition of Watkins. Add in an improved Rams offensive line and Gurley should recapture some of the success that made him the 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
New Coaching
It would be an understatement to say that ex-Rams coach Jeff Fisher was not a huge fan of Jared Goff. He benched him up until Week 11 despite the fact that the Rams were no where near playoff contention at any point in the season. Fisher is now gone, and Sean McVay is in as the Rams head coach. McVay is the same coach who turned Kirk Cousins into a Pro Bowl quarterback in 2016. McVay’s system will allow Goff to grow and mature into a solid starting quarterback. As long as Goff is comfortable with the new offense, he should have no problem bouncing back from a rough rookie season.
Confidence
Like many first year quarterbacks, Goff looked frazzled at times. Goff seemed to lack confidence at various points in his rookie season. In addition, he did not seem all that comfortable within the Rams offense. Sean McVay’s new offensive system should mesh nicely with Goff’s skill set. At the same time, part of the reason Goff was so uncomfortable was due to the lack of first-team reps he received early on as a rookie. He was the backup to Case Keenum throughout the preseason. Thus, he never had the chance to develop a solid rapport with receivers like Tavon Austin. Now as the unchallenged franchise quarterback, he has all off-season to work with players like Austin and develop chemistry with his receivers.
In the end, Goff is bound for success in 2017. One of the biggest factors in this is Todd Gurley. If Gurley can preform like he did as a rookie, Goff can trick opposing defenses with play-action fakes and find receivers with ease. Jared Goff has the potential to reach some of the expectations set for him as the top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft this season.
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