OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Jared Goff lined up with Todd Gurley in the backfield, Brandin Cooks, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods at receiver, Andrew Whitworth protecting his blind side and the Ravens’ first-team defense (Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley, Brandon Williams, Jimmy Smith and the rest) facing him.
The Rams quarterback never looked rattled and only occasionally looked pressured. He clicked with his old teammates and his new with relative ease. He did it in 11-on-11 drills and in seven-on-sevens, and he came off as if he'd been doing it all of his brief NFL life.
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In fact, this is still just Goff's second year in head coach and offensive guru Sean McVay's system. It's his first training camp with his new No. 1 receiver, Cooks, last seen in Super Bowl 52 with the Patriots. The Gurley in the backfield is not the one from last training camp, when he was coming off accusations of being a "bust" in 2016 and was yet to turn in a rebound season that made him an MVP candidate.
Goff himself had worn that label for a while, as Jeff Fisher took forever to give in and start Goff in a lost season the former coach himself didn't survive.
Year 2 of the Goff-McVay combo carries high expectations. The first (and best, for now) signs that the Rams will meet them came in their joint practices in Baltimore this week — ahead of a Thursday preseason game in which Goff might not even play.
Both the quarterback and coach came out of the joint practices sounding as if they’re right where they thought they would be, and where they ought to be.
"Any time that you're able to continue to get a bunch of different reps — you always talk about repetition is the mother of learning — he's gotten a lot of different looks at some of these concepts," McVay said of Goff after Monday's session. "So, he's more comfortable playing with the guys in the huddle, being able to have that continuity, where really Brandin is the only new guy in that huddle with him that he had last year."
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Added Goff: "I think as time goes on, you just continue to get more comfortable. We're starting to rep the same plays over and over again, and our good plays over and over again — starting to figure out what we like, what we’re good at.
"When that happens, I think you become more comfortable with it and stuff starts to roll a little bit better."
Asked if playing in McVay's offense for a full season has helped, Goff said with a chuckle, “You've got to ask him those questions. I don't know. I think there's definitely part of that where we're a little bit more comfortable and not so much unknown."
Remember, when the Rams were less comfortable and the offense was more unknown — and when they had the now-departed Sammy Watkins and Tavon Austin, among others — they led the NFL in scoring and were 10th in total offense. Gurley led the league in rushing touchdowns and yards from scrimmage even while resting for the season finale.
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In a league full of teams that loaded up on offense in the offseason, the Rams gave Goff an additional weapon in Cooks (and a new contract to Gurley, for the RB's peace of mind). And they counted on Goff getting a year better.
"I think you do see him get more comfortable, but it's practice," McVay said. "Looking forward to really evaluating those guys in those game-type of situations. But, (I) feel really good about Jared, knowing how difficult that position is in the entirety of what we ask of the quarterback position specifically.
"But he's definitely improving, and I think you definitely see him having a total command of what's going on right now."
