Case Keenum has the chance of his career
Case Keenum is the recipients of either great timing or the dumbest of luck. Either way, Keenum, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent when he was signed by the Houston Texans in 2012, is the undisputed starter in Los Angeles.
For Rams fans, it seems a bit odd. This couldn’t have been the imagined script on the evening Los Angeles made that fateful call to the Cal quarterback that they were taking him with the number #1 pick. The day after, it seemed like a fait accompli that Keenum would be the dutiful veteran backup to the future of the franchise, Jared Goff.
Not so fast.
To hear Rams players talk about it, this is, and has been Keenum’s team. While they certainly accord the number #1 pick the appropriate respect and consideration he’s mostly due, they are absolutely ‘all in’ on the veteran and have no problem saying so.
Regardless of how Case Keenum got here, he’s here. As a veteran of the politics and timing of such things, he finds himself at an interesting place and on an interesting team. The Rams have gone all in on Keenum to, and did it fairly early, conceding that Goff is, essentially, not near the top of the depth chart and won’t be anytime soon.
Also, and like Jeff Fisher himself, Keenum has the added benefit of time. Jared Goff isn’t pounding down the door to the starting job, he’s stuck between lost and not so lost in the Los Angeles offense. His progress is incremental, and doesn’t show any sign of increasing once the Rams get back to the business as usual the regular season brings.
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The game at Minnesota that puts a wrap on the much hyped preseason for Los Angeles will feature a lot of Sean Mannion, and likely a little less of Jared Goff as Goff nurses an injury. Maybe Mannion even works his way up to the number 2 spot, but that seems like something Jeff Fisher knows is a concession to those who question Goff in the first place.
As for Case Keenum, the dye appears cast in 2016 for the relatively young NFL veteran. Who would have thought that the conventional wisdom attached to a #1 pick, a quarterback no less, would lead to a pretty solid grip on the starting job in L.A. Whether he’d acknowledge it or not, this is a gift not often accorded to the designated number #2 by that same conventional wisdom.
Keenum has an opportunity to put more and more distance between himself and Jared Goff. While the rookie seems to be the one who’ll supply the bulk of that distance with his freshman-like play, It’s Keenum who has the goods, be them what they are, to keep the rookie firmly ensconced on the Rams bench. Players like him, and more importantly, so does Jeff Fisher.
Like I said, this is great timing, the dumbest of luck, and a gift this league rarely affords; a real chance for a ‘never could be.’
For Case Keenum, nobody’s first pick for most, if any NFL franchise, this is a rare opportunity indeed.
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