Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff Deserves More Respect
The Motor City is up in arms about Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff’s PPF ranking. For someone who just led his team to their first NFC Championship game in 30 years, it seems downright criminal that he doesn’t have more respect on this expert tally and in the NFL, in general.
Jared Goff Needs More Respect
The experts at Pro Football Focus recently unleashed their much-anticipated quarterback rankings ahead of the upcoming season. Their rankings are considered some of the most important in the NFL, so all eyes were on the report. Let’s hope Goff’s eyes weren’t on the report, though, because his position on here is a head-scratcher. He really deserves more respect than he’s given on this tally.
Listen, I get that NFL experts, critics and analysts have their favorites. They like numbers. They like to look at football like a math equation. But, it’s not. Over the years, Goff has always been underestimated. In my opinion, he’s never really been given the respect he deserves. Being a great quarterback isn’t just about having a good arm or perfect stats. These critics are missing something in their assessments of Goff. They’re looking at this at a purely concrete level. But, that’s not how life works. If they were to asses the situation in a more abstract and intuitive way, they might realize that even without a “perfect arm,” Goff has something intangible that makes him one of the best, and most underrated, quarterbacks of his generation. He was able to mobilize his team to make it to the NFC Championship game for the first time in three decades. He’s a leader, and that’s something that also makes a great quarterback.
Now, back to that PFF ranking. Sports expert Trevor Sikkema put Jared Goff at No. 16 on the list, smack dab in the middle of all the quarterbacks. So, Goff’s Lions were among top four teams in the country last season, but he’s No. 16? Hey, you guys like numbers so much, but that math is off.
“For as much as Goff was already an efficient, in-structure quarterback, he took that to an even higher level last season,” Sikkema stated. “His 85.2 passing grade in 2023 was the highest of his career, his 3.4% big-time throw percentage was the highest single-season number since his Rams days and his 2.4% turnover-worthy play percentage was a career low.” It’s like, say what? Literally nothing in that statement would make Goff anything less than a top-10 quarterback this season. And, look at the guys ranked ahead of Goff: Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams (who Detroit beat in the playoffs), Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets (who didn’t even play last season), Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and more teams the Lions beat. Not that any of these players are bad, but Goff took his team way further last season than these guys did. I’m pretty steamed up over this. Reach out to me with your thoughts on if he deserves more respect. Also, listen to my interview with Jared Goff on my podcast, “The Squad with Anne Erickson.”
Ranking Every NFL Coach Hired for 2024
