Outside the Los Angeles Rams' organization, the expectation is that Jared Goff will start from the get-go. I expect him to start Week 1. Rams fans expect him to start Week 1. You, maybe, expect him to start Week 1. Goff (hopefully) expects to start Week 1.
The bounty of picks the Rams gave up to obtain the No. 1 overall pick, coupled with the anemic assembly of passers behind the rookie suggests Goff should start.
The young quarterback, however, has a lot of work ahead to secure the job when the season opens in September.
NFL Media's Steve Wyche reported on NFL Total Access on Thursday that Goff has a long way to go before he's ready to face NFL defenses.
"Jared Goff is nowhere near being ready to start Week 1," Wyche said on NFL Network. "He's only had offseason workout practices, but he's swimming in it. ... Training camp is vital for him. I spoke to one team official that said they are looking forward to seeing him in pads and preseason games because his ability to improvise are some some of his strengths. But do not be surprised -- I know the expectation is for him to start Week 1 -- but don't be shocked if Case Keenum is the starter, because, again, Jared Goff has a long way to go."
Wyche's report echoes what Rams coach Jeff Fisher said of Goff on Thursday.
"It's intellectually, it's learning the system," Fisher said, via TurfShowTimes.com. "He's got all the physical tools, makes all the throws and does all that, it's just learning the system and then applying it to what we would call a fairly sophisticated defensive system. That's hard. ... I also said that we'll start him when he's ready. I didn't say that to imply that he was going to start the opener. I said, we have options."
Goff clearly needs as many reps in training camp as possible, but Fisher continues to insist Keenum is the Rams' starter, "for now." When asked if he would give Goff all of the first-team reps in training camp to accelerate his learning curve, Fisher replied:
"No, we're going to change it up with the reps. Case is our starter right now, so Case needs the first-team reps. To give Jared the opportunity -- and (QB) Sean (Mannion) for that matter -- to run with the first-team, it's easier to evaluate them," Fisher said. "We'll change things up. Once we get in there and we'll make some decisions as to who plays when and how much in the preseason."
It's normal for a coach to insist young players earn playing time. However, we still believe Goff's talent far outweighs that of the other quarterbacks on the roster. In the NFL, talent wins out.
