Jared Goff’s thumb ‘continuing to progress well,’ but Rams have yet to name wild-card starter against Seahawks
Rams coach Sean McVay, starting quarterback Jared Goff and backup John Wolford all spoke to reporters in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.
Their collective message about who will start behind center Saturday in Seattle in the wild-card meeting with the Seahawks?
That decision will be announced on game day.
“I think it’s important to use every day as an opportunity to evaluate and ultimately make the best decision for our team for this week,” McVay said during a Zoom call.
Los Angeles is continuing to evaluate the progress of Goff, who missed the regular season finale against the Cardinals following thumb surgery on his throwing hand less than two weeks ago.
The Rams’ regular starter for much of his five seasons has been listed as limited in practice all week, but “was able to do everything that we asked” during Thursday’s session, McVay said, and didn’t have any setbacks.
In his first media availability since the Week 16 loss to the Seahawks when he broke the thumb, Goff remained vague on the likelihood of starting in the wild-card game, but said his thumb “feels good.”
“It’s continuing to progress well,” he said. “I think that’s what my message is going to be.”
While there is no way to simulate a game, McVay said Goff has progressed well in drills. Goff’s been shown in videos taken by reporters the past two days taking snaps, rolling out and throwing during individual drills.
“In terms of the ball handling, throwing the ball, some of the things that you would maybe have concerns about, he’s done everything in his power to continue to get himself ready to go,” McVay said. “That’s where I would just say I’ve been very impressed, and it’s a credit to how he’s handled this.”
McVay said Goff has done “everything in his power” to handle the situation with his thumb.
“He’s rehabbing, he’s attacking the opportunities that he has at practice,” McVay said. “I think it’s a real credit to him, and I’ve been pleased with the progress that he’s made. … I’ve been extremely impressed with just watching him handle the situation, coming back working hard, doing all the little things the right way, and that’s exactly what you want to see from your quarterback.”
Goff said whether he’s starting when the Rams visit Lumen Field or not, he will “be ready to go.”
“I’m in the mindset that if I have to play at any point I’m ready to play,” he said.
Should the Rams decide Goff hasn’t progressed enough, they’ll turn to Wolford again, who impressed in his debut against Arizona, helping Los Angeles secure a playoff spot.
“I’m trying to treat it like I would any other week,” Wolford said. “Whether you’re the 2 or the 1, in my mind your preparation should be the same. You’ve got to be ready to go.
“You never know when your number’s going to be called, so not much has changed in that regard, and I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing the past 17 weeks.”
Echoing what Goff said, Wolford said he’ll “be ready to play if asked to” against Seattle.
Goff said he and Wolford have become close friends working together in Los Angeles, and he is always willing to help his teammate, as he did last week from the sideline. Goff said he gained a different perspective in only his second missed start in four seasons.
“You gain a lot of appreciation for being out there and being healthy,” he said. “ … My whole life I’ve just always kind of played and never had injuries to deal with, and you take that for granted at times.
“That gave me an absolutely new perspective on it for sure.”
Wolford said his time spent working alongside Goff has made him a better player.
“I think we have a great relationship,” Wolford said. “It’s one where we’re both helping each other, trying to get each other better and we both have a lot of respect for how the other one operates. I have nothing but respect for Jared. He has made me a better player, and hopefully he would say the same about me.
“We’re part of a team and within that team we’re part of a group, and the goal is to be the best that we can be in our position group. I think we have an understanding of that and have pushed each other throughout the year and helped each other throughout the year.”
Regardless of who is named the starter, Goff said he feels confident in the Rams’ chances at another postseason run, beginning with Saturday’s third meeting of the season with the Seahawks.
“I think we’re positioned well,” he said. “Obviously we’ve played these guys many times over the years, and we played them two weeks ago. We both know each other well, and they’re a team that has had some success and we’ve had some success against them. It’ll be a good matchup. We’ll be ready to go.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 6:10 PM with the headline "Jared Goff’s thumb ‘continuing to progress well,’ but Rams have yet to name wild-card starter against Seahawks."
