Of the many words one can use to describe the offense of the Los Angeles Rams during the 2016 NFL season, entertaining would probably be the last one to come to mind. Aside from the absent scoring and lack of production, rookie quarterback Jared Goff failed to confirm the legitimacy of his draft selection.
However, his rough outing did not deter Goff from seeking out help from the best this offseason. According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, the former first overall pick has started working with 3DQB, a quarterback training facility well-known for their notable work with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.
Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur commented on Goff’s new training regimen:
“I’ve seen the benefits,” LaFleur said while meeting with Rams reporters on Thursday. “What those guys do is pretty valuable, and it’s not always obviously with the time constraints that we can work with these guys. And I think they offer some things that maybe we can’t as coaches, from just a strength and conditioning standpoint in terms of how these guys train and keep their core strong, keep their shoulders strong.
LaFleur has seen firsthand the effect Tom House and Adam Dedeaux of 3DQB have had after spending the last two seasons as quarterbacks coach for the Falcons. One key factor he mentioned is the importance of staying consistent throughout the entire season:
“You’re talking about a long season for these quarterbacks. I didn’t see Matt Ryan fall off from day one to the Super Bowl. His arm strength was as good as it was at the end of the season. I think a lot of that was a credit to how he trained.”
While Goff still has much to prove after his disastrous first year, it should be noted that the fault hardly lies completely with him. After benching Case Keenum for Jared Goff to help salvage the season, the rookie struggled heavily behind a mixture of a subpar offensive line, inconsistent receiver play, and some flat-out terrible play-calling.
Hopefully, with the new training regimen, fans can start to see the flashes of poise that they have become so accustomed to seeing from players like Brady and Ryan.
