Only nine days ago, the Rams made quarterback Jared Goff the first pick in the draft. Through two days of rookie minicamp, Goff is doing well.
“As far as Jared is concerned, I thought he did a really good job,” Fisher told reporters on Saturday. “A little frustrated at times for him because he’s setting the back foot and getting ready to go and we’re running half-speed routes, so the timing stuff doesn’t work out. So, if you see balls hit the ground or things like that, it’s all because we’re encouraging the skill players not to run full speed. He’s doing a great job of picking up our offense.”
Of course, he should be doing a great job -- he’s not facing a live rush and even if he were he’ll never be subject to getting hit during practice.
Goff won’t be doing any more practices until after exams conclude at Cal, an antiquated rule which ignores the fact that most of the draft picks left school in the rear-view mirror once the four-month draft preparation process began.
“We’ll get him some information this week so he can stay up as we continue to install,” Fisher said. “He’s handled everything. As I’ve mentioned before, he’s got that internal, competitive drive that you don’t see. He doesn’t wear it on his sleeve. He’s going to make sure that everything’s right.”
He’s already showing that he’s willing to stay late.
“We’ve given him a lot more information than we did at the private workout and in our meeting and he’s handled it without any problem,” Fisher said. “That’s the type of player that he is. I passed him last night walking to the room and he was leaving the meeting room at 10 o’clock. He’s that kind of guy. He’s spending the time.”
While spending the time is only one piece of the puzzle, it’s an indispensable piece -- if Goff intends to become a true franchise quarterback. Whether he has the other indispensable pieces will be determined once he’s on the field in a game that counts against a defense that will be counting the seconds until it has a chance to apply a solid, blindside hit to Goff’s lanky frame.