LOS ANGELES — As Jared Goff addressed his status as the face of an NFL franchise in the country’s second-largest market, he sounded awfully similar to the most dominant athlete in town.
“I’m very honored that they decided to do what they did, trade the picks to take me with the first pick,” Goff said. “I don’t take it lightly at all.”
But…
“I want to win some games before I worry about all that stuff,” he said.
This was a classic Clayton Kershaw delivery, a polite acknowledgment of public sentiment while simultaneously informing fans of his main priorities.
Seven weeks after Goff said all the right things at his introductory news conference, the rookie quarterback was still saying all the right things Thursday in the Coliseum at an unofficial welcome-back party for the Rams hosted by the Los Angeles Sports &Entertainment Commission.
Goff came across as polite but serious, guarded but honest. When asked lighthearted questions — about his interactions with onetime social-media nemesis Yasiel Puig, for example — Goff offered respectful but short responses. His most expansive answers pertained to the work he would put in to become the quarterback the Rams envision.
He went out of his way to mention that he plans to live north of Los Angeles, the implication that he wants to be close as possible to the team’s training facility in Thousand Oaks.
“I’m not naive to the fact that I need to be able to play well and win if I want to enjoy this city and whatever comes with it,” Goff said.
The kid projects a confidence that indicates he knows where he wants to go and has a general idea of how he plans to get there. He might not light up a room, but he should command respect, so long as he performs.
While his measure as a quarterback won’t be known until he is hit by an NFL defensive end or linebacker, his demeanor continues to inspire confidence.
Goff is already the story of this off-season.
“Focal point,” said Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, who is intimately familiar with the role.
Dickerson was one of the guest speakers at the Coliseum on Thursday, along with the likes of Jim Everett, Jeff Fisher and Les Snead. Even in this company, Goff was the star in the eyes of the fans who paid $550 to enter the stadium.
The question on everyone’s mind was about the 21-year-old.
More specifically: When will Goff replace Case Keenum as the Rams’ starting quarterback?
Fisher offered no clarity, probably because he couldn’t.
“It’s play them when they’re ready,” Fisher said. “You can set them back if you play them too soon. When that is, I don’t know. That may be the opener, that may be some time after.”
Only so much can be revealed by practicing in shorts without pads, as Goff and the Rams did in their recently completed organized team activities in Oxnard.
That being the case, Goff should be under great scrutiny in training camp, which starts late next month at UC Irvine.
The NFL’s preseason is generally unworthy of significant attention, but that won’t be the case here. Goff’s development and readiness will be measured in the exhibition games.
“You still have to connect brain tissue to athletic ability and that takes time,” Everett said. “There’s no substitute for experience. I have a feeling that Jared, just like Troy Aikman, just like some of the other young guys, like myself in my first year, will have to learn on the job.”
Especially when lining up behind a young offensive line.
But Everett acknowledged that learning curves for quarterbacks are shorter today than when he played.
“They don’t get hit as much,” Everett said.
In addition to rule changes, Everett mentioned how quarterbacks are now protected from late hits by the various cameras that are set up around stadiums.
“Back in the day, if the ref didn’t see it, you got away with it,” Everett said.
The Rams play their first preseason game Aug. 13 at home against the Dallas Cowboys. Their first regular-season game is Sept. 12, on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.
“The No. 1 thing is they need him,” Everett said. “They really do need him and they need him to play at a higher level early.”
Los Angeles will be watching.
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