LA Rams News: OC O’Connell repackaging O for QB Goff

Taking ownership means different things

Many have cited reservations about LA Rams quarterback Jared Goff from the perspective that they feel Goff’s NFL success is based more on running head coach Sean McVay’s offense than based upon his own ability to read defenses, extend plays, and make accurate throws to anywhere on the football field.

That perception may be the initial impression of O’Connel as well.  In a recent interview with TheRams.com reporter Stu Jackson, O’Connell shares this about QB Jared Goff:

"“There’s a layer going into his fifth year, his fourth year in the offense, of ownership, where you feel strongly about presenting him with a plan where he could truly have some ownership, while also understanding at the end of the day, it’s just about being great with the details of doing his job,” O’Connell said during a video conference last month.”– Kevin O’Connell as per an interview with Stu Jackson of therams.com"

Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

Just something that needs to change in 2020

Ownership can mean accountability. In that instance, it’s oftentimes from the perspective of someone who is in denial, and ownership forces persons who perform to be subjected to potentially negative consequences. But in this case, it’s more likely the sense of being able to dialogue, to give input, to have a say in what the offense will do. You see, ownership also means having a vested interest. To ensure the success of any change or reform,  forcing them to take ownership opens the floor with “How would you do it?” questioning, and then modifying that response to cover all steps required to make that change permanent and monitored.

So posing the ownership principles to Jared Goff means soliciting his input as to how to correct the 2019 offensive struggles, and then vetting his suggestions with additional questions, creating an action plan, creating methods to track progress, and then rolling it out.  That ensures that Goff has a vested interest in improving the offense, and not falling into a passive-aggressive response whereby he denounces the play but projects the responsibility upon the coaching staff. 2020 will be the year of many changes for the LA Rams. Hopefully, one of the more prominent changes is the emergence of LA Rams quarterback Jared Goff among the NFL’s top five quarterbacks of 2020.