Sean McVay debunks ‘unfair narrative’ of Jared Goff causing Rams offense to decline

The Los Angeles Rams made the shocking decision to dump Jared Goff this offseason, agreeing to trade him to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford – also giving up three draft picks in the process. Goff regressed in 2019 and 2020 after a terrific first two years under Sean McVay, which ultimately led to the team making a change.

The Rams went from a top-two offense in 2017 and 2018 to a team that ranked outside the top 10 in scoring in each of the last two years. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the blame fell on Goff, who threw just 42 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions in the last two seasons.

McVay debunked the idea that Goff is exclusively to blame for the Rams’ offensive regression, telling reporters Thursday that it’s “not true at all.”

“The unfair narrative has been that some of our decrease in production is exclusively on the quarterback,” he said. “That’s not true at all. Certainly, I have a big hand in that.”

McVay put some of the blame on himself for the offense’s struggles, citing play calling and failing to put his players in positions to succeed – something he’s often criticized himself for in the past.

While he didn’t deny that the quarterback is responsible for a lot of a team’s success (or lack thereof), he emphasized that it’s not the only position that determines wins and losses.

“Football is the ultimate team sport. That quarterback position is vital to your success, but it’s not exclusively the reason for or the reason not,” he said. “There is an element that absolutely, it’s about the 10 around him. it’s about what kind of things are we doing to put our players in the most favorable spots? And when you go back and you watch and there’s a lot of layers to every snap and every single play and it’s not exclusive to the quarterback. There’s a lot of times when I’m looking back and saying, ‘Man, I’ve got to do a better job.’ And then there’s some where we’ve got to execute, whether up front, tight ends, receivers, running backs or the quarterback. That’s what makes football such a unique game.”

While Goff had his shortcoming, particularly in the turnover department, McVay wishes he was better for his quarterback in certain areas, specifically in regards to real-time communication during games.

“There are a lot of things when I self-reflect that I wish I was better for him in some instances,” he said.

McVay said he and Goff have spoken since the trade was agreed to and he wishes him well in Detroit, but he was unable to talk about Matthew Stafford due to the league’s tampering policy.