LA Rams QB Jared Goff gloves are on for NFL Divisional Round

LA Rams QB Jared Goff is practicing in gloves to prepare for NFL Divisional Round at Green Bay

In most situations, when the LA Rams are getting serious about an upcoming game, you might expect the phrase ‘the gloves are coming off’ to indicate that the team is taking everything seriously. That is not the case this week. In fact, the indication that Rams quarterback Jared Goff is so serious about the NFL Divisional Round game at Lambeau field is the fact that Goff is putting the gloves on.

Yes, that’s right. Goff is practicing throwing the football in gloved hands. Is this a big deal, no deal, or just a minor blip on the radar screen? Let’s discuss why wearing gloves may offer more to Jared Goff than just cold weather protection in the NFL Playoffs Divisional Round?

It fits Goff like a glove

Donning a glove for an NFL quarterback is not just a matter of accessorizing. It changes the feel and grip of the football. For the latest quarterback glove options, the technology has improved significantly from the old golfing glove options. The latest market for quarterback gloves offers warmth, padding for protection, significantly better grip on the football, and even the option to continue to use them in the future.

Gloves have been an option for quarterbacks for years. Currently, only Teddy Bridgewater is the only active quarterback who uses gloves. But other quarterbacks have used gloves in the past. Let’s investigate the use of gloves in the NFL:

As you can see by the demonstration above, gloves add a little bit of everything to the quarterback. Right now, that may be a positive development for Goff, as he would most certainly benefit from better ball control as the thumb on his throwing hand heals.

What is Goff in for?

The fact is that Jared Goff is not a glove-wearing quarterback. Goff will have an adjustment period with gloves. What is that like? Well, Rams legendary quarterback Kurt Warner discussed the impact of a glove when New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady donned a glove.   Why did Rich Eisen discuss Brady’s glove with Warner? Well, Kurt Warner made it a point to throw with gloves in his career.

Warner went to gloves when he felt less control over the football. And former Giants quarterback Phil Simms discussed how the use of gloves greatly enhances the ability to throw tight spirals on shorter distances. It was the gloves that rescued Warner when he played for the Arizona Cardinals.

The fix is in… the gloves?

Warner threw for too many interceptions. Per Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt

"‘Kurt thought playing [with gloves] made a difference,” said Whisenhunt, who went to a Super Bowl with Warner, “and that played a big part of it. I just knew that if it helped to cut down on the turnovers I was 100 percent for it.’ – per CBS Sports.com writer Clark Judge"

The fact is that Kurt Warner turned to gloves to cut down on turnovers. Quarterback Phillip Rivers pondered gloves to cut down on turnovers. Now LA Rams starting quarterback Jared Goff is donning gloves for different reasons.

But what if the use of gloves truly gives Goff more ball control? What if Goff suddenly returns to the former version with such a healthy TD to INT/Fumble ratio? Sometimes fate drops a building on your head to change your track. But more often than not, it’s the smallest of differences that change a person’s course. Helping a stranger, going on that first date when you are almost too nervous to do so, and perhaps donning gloves that change a quarterback’s career.

Could this make that much of a difference? In some minds, not even winning a Super Bowl will change some opinions about Rams quarterback Jared Goff. But my mind is not made up just yet. This could be a game-changer. And I don’t want my crossed arms to get in the way of any future standing ovation if it does.