Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
“Super Bowl quarterbacks for 400, please!”
Question: “Jared Goff is the next Tom Brady.”
Answer: “What is, ‘no?’”
In case that doesn’t make any sense—and it might not—that’s a long-winded way of saying that Jared Goff is not the next Tom Brady. And that’s not any kind of knock on Goff; no one is the next Tom Brady. No one in the past. No one in the present. And no one in the future.
Brady the GOAT
After all, Brady is arguably the GOAT of quarterbacks, of all players in NFL history, and among athletes of all time. At the very least he finds himself in all of those discussions. The 41-year-old is a five-time Super Bowl champion, a four-time Super Bowl MVP, a three-time NFL MVP, and a 14-time pro Bowler. He has led the league in passing touchdowns four times and in passing yards on three occasions. Brady has taken the New England Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances (including this one) dating back to the 2001 season.
"Jared Goff is really, really good. He's clearly capable of winning the Super Bowl, he outplayed Drew Brees and is talented more so than Tom Brady at this point in his career." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/KEOcIvojYL
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 29, 2019
Goff is “only” eight Super Bowls away from catching Brady in that department; that’s closer than most! The former No. 1 overall pick (2016) is taking baby steps toward a long and successful NFL career, but is time to pump the brakes on any kind of talk that puts him in the same sentence as Brady. In fact, it wasn’t so long ago that Goff was briefly considered a bust. The former Cal signal-caller threw for just five touchdowns while turning the ball over 12 times (seven interceptions, five fumbles) in seven games as a rookie. He completed only 54.6 percent of his passes during his first year as a professional.
Playoff push
But a little experience has gone a long way, and it must be said that Goff’s marked improvement over the past two seasons has put him the mix among the game’s best quarterbacks. The Novato, Calif. native threw for 3,804 yards and 28 touchdowns to go along with only seven interceptions in 2017. This year he amassed 4,688 yards through the air to go along with 32 TDs and 12 INTs while helping the Los Angeles Rams become one of the most prolific and dynamic offenses in the NFL.
Goff is 2-1 in his playoff career heading into Super Bowl LIII. The Rams never got anything going when they hosted Atlanta during wild-card action last season, losing 26-13. Goff was solid but unspectacular while completing 24 of 45 attempts for 259 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. Solid but unspectacular is what the 24-year-old has been this postseason, with the key difference being that his team is perfect 2-0. Goff went 15-of-28 for 186 yards with no TDs or INTs against Dallas before going 25-of-40 for 297 yards with one score and one pick during an overtime win in the NFC Championship at New Orleans.
It cannot be overlooked that Goff came up with without question most important play of his career in OT at the Superdome. On 2nd-and-13 from the Saints’ 45-yard line, Goff somehow avoided a sack and flung what was basically a no-look pass to tight end Tyler Higbee for a six-yard gain that put L.A. in field-goal range—in range for Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein at least. Two plays later, Zuerlein booted a 57-yarder to win it 26-23 and send the Rams to Atlanta.
That was amazing. But for Goff it was more of a Patrick Mahomes moment than a Brady moment.
Good but not great
Goff is capable of making the occasional brilliant play, his arm strength is impressive if not elite (kind of like Brady), and he rushed for a career-high 108 yards during the 2018 regular season. For a 6’4’’, 222-pounder, his mobility is deceptive. With that kind of skill-set, Goff has put up big numbers and will continue to do so.
But he has a long—and I mean long—way to go in the winning department before he can be compared to Brady; or Peyton Manning; or Drew Brees; or even Matt Ryan, who does not yet have a Super Bowl triumph to his credit. A victory on Feb. 3 would do wonders for Goff in year three of his budding career and put him in position to join the sport’s group of elite QBs, but…greatness? The sample size right now is too small to go that far. “Very goodness?” Sure.
