Yeah, yeah, the defense is bad — historically so — and it’s the story of the Detroit Lions season. Oh, and the reason they are 1-3 heading into Sunday’s game at New England.
Now that we’ve got that cleared up, let’s consider another story that’s percolatin’ over in Allen Park, where a quarterback who once led a team to Super Bowl then fell out of favor with his coach is rekindling chatter about the promise he once showed.
Yes, it’s time to talk about Jared Goff: The Lions’ nearly 28-year-old quarterback some thought might be a placeholder during the rebuild looks like a heck of a lot more than that.
Here’s what Kurt Warner said on NFL.com recently: “We so often forget that (Goff) took that team to the Super Bowl.”
That team would be the Los Angeles Rams. And, no, Mr. Warner, we don’t often forget. At least not around here. Though the point stands.
Here’s what else Warner said:
“He can make all the throws.”
Oh, you don’t say?
He also said that he wasn’t surprised at Goff’s level of play through four games — the league-leader in touchdowns, third in passing yards, plus the longest passing play (hey there, T.J. Hockenson) — because he finally “has pieces around him.”
This is undeniable. This also wasn’t true Sunday against Seattle, when Goff threw four touchdown passes and piled up almost 400 yards. The huddle was missing D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark, Jonah Jackson and Vaitai Halapoulivaati.
That’s five starters, by my count, including the two best skill players on the team. And still, Goff dropped back, surveyed the scene, and tossed enough passes to Josh Reynolds, Tom Kennedy, Kalif Raymond and, of course, Hockenson, to help the Lions to 45 points.
Tom Kennedy?
Yes, Tom Kennedy.
So, no, Mr. Warner, Goff didn’t have the “pieces” Sunday, or at least the “pieces” so many imagine when we say, in football parlance — or cliché — that a quarterback performed well because he had “pieces.”
It’s faint praise, isn’t it? It’s also true … for every quarterback in the NFL, except maybe Patrick Mahomes, though even he is still throwing to one of the best pass-catching tight ends in recent memory.
No quarterback excels without “pieces.” And few quarterbacks excel without a solid-to-great offensive line.
You want to know why Goff looked so good Sunday and has for most of the season? Start on that line, where two of the best tackles in the game help protect him, and perhaps the best center in the game organizes everything up front.
It’s not a coincidence that Goff’s sack rate is the NFL’s second best. His coordinator, Ben Johnson, doesn’t mind drawing up plays designed to get the ball out quickly. He likes play-action, too. Both can be a quarterback’s friend.
But mostly, Goff isn’t getting sacked because he’s behind a good offensive line. He’s got time. And that time is helping him. Shoot, it helps every quarterback.
Warner, who had one of the quickest releases in the history of the NFL, said that Goff “is a good quarterback.” And that “this is what he’s capable of.”
Well, who are we to argue? This is obviously what he’s capable of doing because, you know, he’s doing it. And he’s doing it no matter who is lining up with him.
I suspect this won’t continue if St. Brown and Swift don’t return, especially against better defenses. The Vikings gave us a glimpse of that in Minnesota, when the Lions struggled to get a first down in the final quarter with that duo hobbling around the field.
Then again, the Lions just scored 45 points without them. So what do we know?
This: Goff is playing as well as he has in several years — at least since he got to the Super Bowl with the Rams. (See, we didn’t forget!)
He also looks as comfortable as he has in a while. St. Brown said as much last month. That there was something different about him this season.
He wasn’t the only one, of course. There was talk of a different Goff all camp. But until the games count, it’s easy to dismiss that as organizational hype … or hope.
Goff, meanwhile, isn’t too keen on talking about his play and the offensive production these first four games.
“We’ve been doing some good stuff offensively,” he told reporters after practice Wednesday, “but we’ve got not much to feel great about except for the Washington win.”
He admitted he felt “comfortable.” He thinks this offense has plenty of room to grow. He likes the position Johnson keeps putting him in. And he doesn’t think he had to prove anything to himself, that he always knew he could play like this.
But?
“I’ve made a couple costly mistakes I’d like to fix,” he said.
And?
“(We’ve) been one play away a couple times,” he said.
The next step for Goff is to make that play. He had the chance in Minnesota. He’ll likely have the chance in New England.
The defense is the story, yes. Find that play and Goff can change it, even if for only a week.