Goff enjoys idol moments
Jared Goff’s idol tour makes its second stop Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
A week after squaring off against future Hall of Famer Drew Brees at New Orleans, Goff will duel with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who like Goff grew up in the Bay Area.
“Obviously, he’s one of the greats — if not the greatest,” Goff said. “Always looked up to him and have been a fan of his.”
Goff, 22, is seeking his first win in his third NFL start. Brady, who began his NFL career in 2000, is 178-52.
Goff completed 17 of 31 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 49-21 loss at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He also had a pass intercepted and lost a fumble.
The No. 1 pick in the draft showed progress from the exhibition season and from his first start the previous week against Miami.
“Everything improved and the game is starting to slow down,” he said this week after practice. “It’s starting to feel more comfortable every day out here and every week on Sundays.”
Brady, winner of four Super Bowl titles, did not play in the first four games this season because of the “Deflategate” suspension.
He has passed for 18 touchdowns with only one interception.
Goff is eager to play against Brady.
“I need to stay focused on their defense, but at the same time it’s going to be cool to see him out there, maybe see him cross the field in warmups or something,” Goff said. “It’ll be cool to be on the same field for sure.”
After calling an ultraconservative game in Goff ’s first start, offensive coordinator Rob Boras opened the playbook against the Saints.
Goff passed for a touchdown on the first possession, completed another after a Saints turnover, and capped the first half by ending a twominute drive with his third touchdown pass.
“You saw it coming, and you prayed that it was going to happen,” Boras said of Goff’s improvement from the first game to the second. “You just didn’t know if it was going to come to fruition, and it did.
“It just proved it wasn’t too big for him. You saw the way he moved in the pocket. He made some big-time throws. It was a really good first half for him.”
In the second half, Goff did not appear rattled after he was sacked and fumbled, nor after he had a pass intercepted.
“That’s kind of the best way to go about it as a quarterback — not get too high, not get too low,” he said. “Obviously there are times that you’re going to be excited and there’s going to be times where you’re not very happy, but forget about it as soon as you can because the next play is the most important one.”
New England Coach Bill Belichick said it can be difficult to prepare for a quarterback who has not played many NFL games.
“We watch what we can watch,” he said. “We’ve watched some preseason games and we’ve seen him the last couple of weeks.”
Goff said Brees offered no particular message when they shook hands after the game. “Just said, ‘Good luck, stay healthy’, and wished me the best,” he said. “I told him that I’m a big fan of his and I appreciate it.”
Quick hits
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is scheduled to undergo back surgery Friday, according to multiple reports. Tight end Martellus Bennett has 42 catches, four for touchdowns . ... The Rams were off Thursday. They will practice Friday and then depart for New England.