Pride of Detroit
We were wrong about Jared Goff.... a lot. Here’s a look back on some of our historically bad takes on the Lions QB.
On Monday, Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions agreed to a new contract extension that makes the Lions quarterback the highest-paid player in franchise history. It’s a remarkable redemption story for Goff, who was unloaded to Detroit with a haul of draft picks so the Los Angeles Rams could chase (and win) a Super Bowl with Matthew Stafford.
It is truly a best-case scenario for Goff because many—if not most—athletes who are treated like he was with the Rams never fully recover. And it speaks to Goff’s incredibly high character that he was able to mentally persevere that time (and the 3-13-1 year in Detroit) and come out an even better quarterback.
But it’s also worth taking a moment to look back at our own feelings back in 2021 when the trade first went down. The overwhelming feeling about the trade was that Goff was a bridge quarterback, a salary-cap dump to maximize draft capital return, or somewhere in between. Were there some believers in Goff? Sure. But landing in Detroit of all places—with a brand new head coach people were already ridiculing, and an under-the-radar first-time general manager—certainly seemed like long odds for Goff’s career to resurrect.
So let’s look back at Pride of Detroit back in 2021, not just in an effort to ridicule ourselves or “pull receipts” before Brad Holmes can. But let’s celebrate how both Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions managed to beat the odds and get to a place where nearly everyone believed they weren’t truly capable of reaching.
Here are all the times we were wrong about Jared Goff:
Note: Okay, this isn’t a comprehensive list, because I would have to go through hours and hours of podcasts to find some truly bad takes. But the following represent some of the most notable “wrong” takes we had.
What the heck happened to Jared Goff? — February 1, 2021
An analysis piece from myself just a day or two after the trade went down. There is nothing egregiously wrong here. In fact, my conclusion was actually quite accurate:
“If there’s anything his time with the Rams has taught us, it’s that the Lions will need to build (or maintain) a solid offensive line, rely heavily on play-action with a real threat running the ball, and find themselves a deep-ball threat or two.”
Okay, phew. Not so bad. But this is just the beginning.
Open thread: What are your expectations for Jared Goff? — February 1, 2021
John Whiticar posed this question in the short aftermath of the trade. And like many people around the time, he pretty much viewed Goff as a bridge quarterback.
“I think he will be a middle of the road quarterback for the next two seasons before being traded or released.”
To be fair, the take was a little more nuanced than that.
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