Is Goff the real deal? We’ll see Sunday

The inexplicable wait for the Los Angeles Rams to turn to prized rookie Jared Goff as their starter at quarterback is over. The Rams announced this week that Goff will take over for Case Keenum beginning with this weekend’s game at home against the Miami Dolphins.

So now Goff will show why the Rams traded up to make him the top overall selection in this year’s NFL draft, and the sport’s return to Los Angeles will begin to actually matter, right?

Well, maybe. Goff first must show that he can play. And the delay by the Rams in going to him as the starter, even without an established veteran quarterback on the roster, leads to the question: Did the Rams begin to wonder after drafting Goff whether they perhaps had made a mistake?

If Goff is the real deal, he comes into a relatively promising situation. The Rams have Todd Gurley to potentially generate a running game on offence and they have the league’s seventh-ranked defence. What they need is some competent quarterback play. They’re only a game below .500, with a record of 4-5, despite Keenum being the NFL’s 30th-rated passer.

“Of all the rookies, I (originally) thought he’d be the guy to play first,” a personnel executive with one NFL team said. “I certainly thought he’d play before (Philadelphia’s Carson) Wentz and (Dallas’s Dak) Prescott. I thought the situation there called for it and I felt like the circumstances were pretty favourable. Shows what I know.”

Goff becomes the sixth rookie league-wide to start at quarterback this season; he joins Wentz, Prescott, Cleveland’s Cody Kessler, New England’s Jacoby Brissett and Denver’s Paxton Lynch. Prescott has become a league MVP candidate after inheriting the Cowboys’ starting job when Tony Romo was hurt during the preseason. Wentz has the Eagles above .500 after becoming the starter when Sam Bradford was traded to the Minnesota Vikings eight days before the season.

But Goff sat and waited while coach Jeff Fisher said the rookie would start when he was ready — and not a moment before. That perplexed some in and around the league, given the Rams’ lack of a proven alternative.

The Rams need more from Gurley, who ran for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games last season as a rookie but has only 515 yards in nine games this season. He’s averaging 3.1 yards per rushing attempt, down from 4.8 yards per carry last season.

Part of the problem has been the play of the Rams’ offensive line. There usually has been nowhere for Gurley to run. But that also is, in part, attributable to the fact that opposing defences have had little regard for Keenum and have focused on stopping Gurley.

The Rams rank 31st in the league in total offence (yards gained) and last in scoring offence. It would be difficult for things to be any worse with Goff in. If he can be at least a threat in the passing game, the offensive production should improve and Gurley might be able to return to his rookie-year form.

“I think they can run the ball better than they have so far,” the front office executive said. “I know they can play defence. I still think there are some good pieces in place there. I don’t think it’s a terrible situation for the kid.”