Seeing the name Jared Goff connected with the Eagles always takes me back a bit. Not necessarily to a specific game, but more to a period where I really got into the habit of tracking player movements and narratives, kind of a personal practice I developed.
It really kicked off around the time Goff was traded from the Rams to the Lions. There was so much noise around quarterbacks back then, as always, right? And Philly was still figuring out its long-term situation, even with Hurts showing promise. So, my routine became digging into these potential scenarios. What was I doing? Honestly, just spending hours watching clips, reading discussions on forums – basically immersing myself in the ‘what ifs’.
My Process Back Then
My whole practice was less about hardcore stats and more about the story and the fit. I’d:
- Watch Goff’s Rams film: Specifically looking at moments under pressure versus when he had time. It became obvious pretty quickly, even just watching casually, how much better he was with a clean pocket. That wasn’t some genius insight, but confirming it for myself was part of my process.
- Think about coaching and systems: Could Goff work in Philly’s system at that time? My gut feeling, even back then, was probably not. The Eagles seemed geared towards a more mobile QB, and Goff, while capable, wasn’t that guy. He needed a structure built around his pocket passing, which is exactly what he eventually got in Detroit.
- Follow the narrative: The whole “first overall pick being traded” angle was fascinating. It felt like a major career crossroads for him. Seeing him written off by many, only to bounce back later, was interesting to track in real-time.
Why did I get so into this specific practice? Well, I had some unexpected free time back then. Things had shifted in my professional life, leaving me with gaps to fill. Instead of just passively consuming sports news, I made it an active thing. Analyzing player arcs, like Goff’s potential (or lack thereof) fit with a team like the Eagles, became a structured way to spend my time. It was a mental exercise, almost like solving a puzzle with incomplete pieces.
I remember thinking Goff wasn’t a guy who could just create magic out of nothing like some QBs. He needed the right setup. People hammered him for not being great under pressure, and yeah, that showed up on tape. But man, give him time and structure, and he could dice defenses up. Seeing him do well in Detroit later felt like a validation of that simple observation from my ‘practice’ sessions.
So, when I see “Jared Goff Eagles” now, it doesn’t spark a debate for me about whether they should have pursued him. It just reminds me of that period, my little routine of analyzing player narratives, and how sometimes, a player just needs the right environment to thrive – something my casual deep dives back then seemed to suggest for Goff, away from the pressure cooker situations or systems not built for him.
