Stafford may refresh McVay’s career, but not in a way you think

Not flawed, just not experienced

A young and inexperienced quarterback Jared Goff was not ‘flawed’, at least no worse than any other top quarterback in their first five seasons. He was not as broken as many have portrayed him. He was simply the first and only quarterback to Sean McVay’s team.  And like a first-born child, he was going to have the benefit of an offensive setup better-than-his-last-team.

And like a firstborn child, McVay wanted to give Goff every opportunity to develop into an elite quarterback. He calls all the plays, he sets the personnel packages onto the field. It was a controlled environment for Goff. The lines were not suggestions, they were barriers. Stay within the lines, please.

When a play succeeded, MeVay appreciated the fact that his quarterback got it right. But when the play failed, he hovered like a helicopter. Post-game explanations for flawed plays invariably included the ‘it was there, Goff just didn’t see it’ component. And so, the need for Goff to fall down and go ‘boom’ was something to be avoided, eliminated. Where the career tracks of many young quarterbacks featured losing teams but flashy plays, Goff never had the benefit.

In his second year, he led the LA Rams to an 11-5 finish and his first NFL Playoffs experience. On his third season, he led the LA Rams to a 13-3 record, an NFC Championship victory, and a Super Bowl appearance. So much success. But in terms of a normal NFL quarterback, he was still trying to develop consistency and accuracy.

For comparison, the class of 2019 would now be leading their team to a Super Bowl appearance. That class includes Kyler Murray, Drew Lock, Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, Will Grier, Ryan Finley, Jarrett Stidham, Tyree Jackson, Clayton Thorson, or Gardner Minshew. I may be overly skeptical, but I do not anticipate any quarterback from this class-leading their team to the Super Bowl this season.