LA Rams will pit Goff in fierce QB competition this season

McVay needs new quarterback capabilities to invigorate his game planning on offense

How many times do you rearrange the furniture in your house? Well, if you are married to a Gemini woman, that can be several times a month. While that can be disruptive and busy-work, it also forces the residents in that home to consider other patterns of furniture placement to make the home just as warm and inviting, if not more so.  And there it is, the benefit of changing because it forces the human mind to reorder stored knowledge and experience into new patterns, and perhaps with an even greater positive outcome.

The difference between McVay calling plays for Wolford and McVay calling plays for Goff seemed to be noticeably different in two distinct ways. For Goff, McVay seemed to have unmet expectations. Routinely mentioned in post-game press conferences was the inevitable phrase: ‘We got the look that we wanted, but didn’t seem to connect on the throw’.

Goff has been the only quarterback to play for McVay in a meaningful game until the season finale against the Arizona Cardinals. So what does that do for the innovative process? What has changed for the LA Rams in their offense over the course of the past four seasons? Well, the receiving corps has changed a bit. And the running backs have gone through a bit of transformation. But Goff is Goff. Dependable, predictable, and the constant concerns over whether good Goff or bad Goff will show up.

Time for a cool change

Meanwhile, when Wolford played his one and only game, McVay seemed to beam with a bit more pride: ‘I liked what he did out there. He made the right decisions on where to go with the football’. That set the stage for the end of the year press conference where head coach Sean McVay stated clearly ‘Jared Goff is the starting quarterback, right now’.

That brings us to the here and now. McVay has stagnated in his offensive strategies. Even as Goff had regressed, McVay’s playcalling seemed to fall into a very predictable pattern. If the running game was effective in a close game, invariably the Rams would turn to pass on first and second down, only to turn to the run with a third down and long situation.

The Athletic’s Rich Hammond was ingenious in sarcastically pointing out the irony of the play calling during games. After all, it’s always better to laugh in the face of frustration. Of course, rumors of alternative quarterbacks and their availability will continue to make the news this offseason. The Rams could make a bold move this offseason.

In the end, the Rams will place a fork in the road. But I’m becoming more skeptical with a major move this offseason.  The team made great strides, yes. But the loss of Staley on the defensive side of the ball will refocus the team to securing the defense first and foremost. The Rams will give this offense one more shot at improvement. Of course, drafting a quarterback this year makes perfect sense, just as adding a fullback does as well. But the clock is now ticking for Jared Goff.  And that message is already loud and clear.