Los Angeles Rams head coach Jeff Fisher made a decision few expected after the 2016 NFL Draft this spring when he decided to keep first overall pick Jared Goff on the sidelines to start his rookie season. Fisher’s decision to go with Case Keenum over Goff served as an indication that the highly hyped Cal prospect wasn’t ready to be an NFL quarterback after the Rams training camp and preseason.
However, Goff has remained on the sidelines through the second month of the season despite the struggles of the Rams offense. Fisher still convinced that his prized prospect needs more time on the bench with development in mind even as his team continues to falter with Keenum under center.
The Rams currently sit at 3-4 on the season, with their trip to London last week yet another reminder of Keenum’s limitations at quarterback. The 17-10 loss to the New York Giants was the fifth time the Rams failed to score more than 20 points in a game this season. Numbers that don’t look good for Keenum, who continues to be a below average journeyman quarterback in his fifth NFL season.
Keenum also threw two endzone interceptions during the loss to the Giants, quarterback errors the difference between a 4-3 record and the Rams now 3-4 record.
Case Keenum is the 3rd QB to throw 2 Int on passes thrown into the end zone in a single game this season (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Palmer).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 23, 2016
With Keenum under center, the Rams rank near the bottom of the league in both yards per game and points per game this season. Numbers of 17.1 points per game and 307.6 yards per game are clear indicators that it is time for a change for the Rams. The most logical adjustment for Fisher is to make the switch from the below average Keenum to the first overall pick to the draft in Goff for the remainder of the season once his team returns from their bye week.
After seven games, Fisher, and offensive coordinator Rob Boras should have had more than enough time to prepare Goff to finish the season. Goff did look limited at times during the preseason, but with an extra two months of practice time, the Rams should have enough developmental ability on their coaching staff to prepare a player with first overall talent to jump in at quarterback.
Goff’s struggles in August are well documented, and his stats were enough reason for Fisher to keep the rookie on the sidelines at the time. 44.9% passing for just 232 yards with two touchdowns and five turnovers – two interceptions and three fumbles – was just not good enough from Goff to warrant the Rams rushing into things. Now, things should be different after plenty of practice time and the struggles of Keenum to argue for a switch at some point this season.
Keenum’s regular season numbers have also been arguably as bad as Goff’s preseason stats. The veteran Keenum has 14 turnovers – eight interceptions and six fumbles – to just eight passing touchdowns with yardage numbers that haven’t made up for his poor touchdown to turnover ratio. The Rams rank 25th in the league in passing yardage through Keenum’s seven starts, a number that further indicates the lack of success the team has had going with experience over potential thus far.
This was a game-ending INT that Case Keenum threw. Note how a Rams player is barely on this screen. pic.twitter.com/dPmFDQtPvn
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 23, 2016
One stat that Keenum does deserve credit for is his solid 62% completion rate this season, a stat that is a solid increase from Goff’s preseason completion numbers. Still, Fisher can’t keep Goff on the bench for a 62% completion rate if points aren’t going up on the scoreboard and wins aren’t going up in the standings. Two things that currently aren’t happening in Los Angeles with Keenum at the helm.
The Rams may want to give Keenum more time to keep his job for the rest of the season, but we are nearing the point where it is time for the franchise to stop the waiting game with their first overall selection. Some young quarterbacks need time to develop, but eventually every prospect needs to learn through starting reps. If things don’t improve under Keenum in the coming weeks, soon the Rams will be left with no choice but to take the training wheels off of Goff before the end of the season.
