Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay showed Jared Goff clips of getting hit to improve game

In a recent podcast, Mark Schlereth revealed that in Sean McVay’s first meeting with Jared Goff, he showed him a montage of him taking hits from the defense.

The offense of the Los Angeles Rams helping make history last season by going from worst to first in scoring was perhaps one of the biggest the stories from 2017, mainly because nobody expected it to happen.

A big part of this turnaround was the remarkable 180-degree turn by the franchise quarterback, Jared Goff.

Obviously, new head coach Sean McVay was a big reason behind the success, but it was Goff that showed the NFL world he has what it takes to succeed in the league, despite all of the uncertainties as a rookie.

Recently on The Stinkin’ Truth Podcast, Mark Schlereth told a story he heard from McVay when he visited practice to prepare to call games. Here is what he said:

"The first thing he showed Jared Goff was film clips, not of him completing touchdowns and not him making great decisions and not him scrambling around. He took pictures, he took film clips of him getting blasted and getting back up. And said, ‘You know what, your toughness is what your teammates respect. You have earned the respect of your teammates because you’ll take a shot. And they didn’t do a good job of protecting you last year, you didn’t have the weapons. Let me take care of that; we’re gonna fix that. But you have the ultimate authority and you can lead your football team because of that authority because you displayed unbelievable toughness and your guys will rally around you.’"

If you have followed the Rams for a few seasons, you remember the kind of shots he is talking about.

Goff started seven games in 2016 as a rookie, and was sacked twenty six times, showing just how horrendous the offensive line really was.

He did not always make great decisions, and yes, he looked a lot like a rookie. But as McVay’s private film session showed, he got right back up and in doing so, earned the respect of his teammates.

In 2017 he was sacked one fewer time, despite starting fifteen games (most of the started rested in Week 17). Goff also threw 28 touchdowns and the same number of interceptions (seven) as in his previous year.

However, the most important change may have been the confidence and the leadership Goff gained from that session with McVay.

As Schlereth says, “You talk about psychological warfare for your quarterback!”

Goff is hoping to come out and improve on last season, which of course is always easier said than done. With a new weapon in Brandin Cooks along with the continuity on the offensive line, here’s to hoping that Goff makes it happen by elevating his game to an even higher level in 2018.