Five questions as Rams make second appearance on Hard Knocks
The No. 1 overall selection of the 2016 draft, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff’s every move was under a microscope the day he arrived at the team’s facility.
That tough transition from college to the NFL was made even more difficult by the fact that it all played out nationally, first with the Rams appearing on HBO’s Hard Knocks in training camp and then on Amazon Prime’s “All or Nothing” during the regular season.
Well, fast forward to 2020 and a more mature and accomplished Goff will get his second opportunity to star on HBO’s reality TV show. The Rams are joined by L.A.’s other NFL team, as the Chargers appear on “Hard Knocks” for the first time.
The season-premiere episode of “Hard Knocks: Los Angeles” debuts on Tuesday, 10 p.m. Eastern Time, 7 p.m. Pacific Time.
“It’s fun. It’s a much different vibe, obviously, this time around,” Goff said. “It doesn’t feel like they’re there as much as it did in my rookie year.
“I think for whatever reason, it felt like they were always around. And this year, it feels like they’re in the background a little bit. It’s probably a testament to our team, the way we’re focused, and focused on the right things and being really dialed in on football. It feels good. It hasn’t been an issue at all. I think they’re using it as more of a fun thing this time around.”
After helping lead the Rams to a Super Bowl two years ago, Goff took a step back last season. How he rebounds from an uneven performance in 2019 is one of five storylines to watch:
Can Goff turn things around after a disappointing 2019 campaign? The Cal product threw a career-high 16 interceptions and posted a pedestrian 86.5 passer rating in his fourth NFL season playing behind a banged up offensive line, with an inconsistent running game.
This offseason, Goff said he’s gotten back to the basics, focusing on cleaning up his movement inside the pocket to improve his accuracy and decision making on game days. Goff also should get some help from new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, a rising star in the NFL coaching ranks who joined the Rams this offseason.
How that relationship develops between O’Connell and Goff should be something to watch during training camp as the Rams try to get Goff back to his accurate, efficient ways as a passer.
Goff also should work to get back to his strength as a play-action passer, a staple of head coach Sean McVay’s offense.
How do the Rams Handle Covid-19 pandemic? Under the direction of Reggie Scott, the team’s vice president of Sports Medicine and Performance, the Rams implemented a well-thought out process to create a clean and safe environment for players and staff as the league trudges through the Covid-19 global pandemic.
They include a massive, circus-like tent with no walls for coaches to hold team meetings outside for better air flow, pre-packaged meals and contract-tracing clips to track who players have interacted with on-site.
The Rams already had offensive lineman Chandler Brewer opt out because of his history of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Also, two Rams’ players landed on the reserve/Covid-19 list in defensive lineman Michael Hoecht and outside linebacker Terrell Davis.
While they appear to have taken a proactive approach to creating a safe and healthy environment, with all of the unknowns in dealing with this serious health issue, unexpected events are bound to happen. It will be interesting to see how McVay, general manager Les Snead and the rest of the staff deal with those events on a weekly basis.
How do Rams, Jalen Ramsey deal with contract situation? Ramsey passionately spoke about his contract status after briefly leaving a zoom interview last week, emphasizing that he’s not concerned when a new deal is consummated.
However, Ramsey also showed up to training camp last season in Jacksonville with an armored truck loaded with money, so suffice to say creating that generational wealth for his family is important.
Ramsey is worth every penny. He’s one of the best cornerbacks and defensive players in the league. So how Ramsey’s agent David Mulugheta handles negotiations with Snead, along with Ramsey’s interaction with his teammates and staff, will be something to keep an eye on.
What’s the transition look like for Aaron Donald in new defense? After playing a career-high 121 snaps at defensive end last season, I asked Donald if he thought we’d see more of that trend in 2020?
“You’ll have to wait and see,” a coy Donald responded.
How Vic Fangio protégé new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley will use Donald, Ramsey and others on that side of the football will be another focus on the show.
Considered the best defensive player in the NFL, Donald totaled just 12.5 sacks last season. Staley will be tasked with figuring out a way for Donald to reach his full potential.
Who replaces Todd Gurley? The Georgia product totaled 5,404 rushing yards – good enough for No. 6 all-time for the Rams. Gurley was named the league’s offensive player of the year in 2017, twice led the NFL in rushing touchdowns and earned three Pro Bowl invitations during his five-year tenure with the team.
With Gurley now playing for the Atlanta Falcons after his release during the offseason, the next man up for the Rams has big shoes to fill.
Entering his sixth season, Malcolm Brown, an undrafted rookie out of Texas signed by the Rams in 2015, is the most experienced back on the roster and likely will get first crack to replace his good friend in Gurley.
But the Rams also have other options waiting in the wings, including this year’s second-round selection Cam Akers, last year’s third-round selection Darrell Henderson and 2018 sixth-round pick John Kelly.
All four likely will get a chance to earn carries this season.
“Whatever role they have us playing, I know that all of us will buy into it,” Brown said. “We’ve got a lot of versatile guys. We all have our own skill sets, and I know the coaches will do a really good job of putting us in positions to succeed.”
