LA Rams made these 7 ‘right calls’ over the offensive line

I – Give Goff ownership

The toughest action to take is to share the ownership of something very special.  Sharing ownership does two things. It dilutes the power of the person sharing the ownership role. But on the other hand, it immediately empowers the person who is gaining a stake in the outcome. Putting responsibility on quarterback Jared Goff did not dilute head coach Sean McVay’s power whatsoever. What it did do was transfer some of the voice in the planning of the offense to Goff, and gave some of the responsibility of fixing the offense to him as well.

The LA Rams committed financial incentives to skill players, which meant that they had, have, and will have little to spend on offensive linemen going forward. So the Rams laid it on the line to quarterback Jared Goff in the offseason. The team doesn’t have the funds to shop for the elite among offensive linemen. To warrant top-dollar among quarterbacks, any improvement to the LA Rams offense would need to come from better quarterback play.

Challenge accepted

The gauntlet was thrown at Goff’s feet. For the Rams’ offense had any hope of improving, that would have to come from Goff. And he accepted the challenge.  In fact, Goff worked on his footwork, his throwing velocity, off-schedule throws and off-balance throwing motion. The fact that Goff did not expect the Rams to “fix it” but rather set out to fix himself was a sign of extreme maturity. Of course, the reality is that he was advised to do so by incoming offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell who arrived stressing the fact that Goff needed to take ownership of this Rams offense.

The LA Rams offense is a total package. It’s not separate parts functioning independently. So what happens to one part impacts the total offense. With Goff working hard not just to improve himself and pad stats, but to improve the results of the offense, the Rams can take this to the next level. This is a team that needs to be led, not managed. With the arrival of OC Kevin O’Connell, Goff is doing exactly that. Seven decisions. Seven correct calls. Of course, three games does not define the Rams season. There is plenty of football to be played. But the Rams made the right choices. What happens next depends on if they continue to do so.