Lions QB Jared Goff – Media Availability – October 24, 2021
Lions QB Jared Goff – Media Availability – October 24, 2021
(On the emotions he’s feeling after a tough loss)
“Yeah, they’re all the same. They all count the same. Disappointed, but we definitely played better this week as a whole. We had our chances, that’s for sure. We had our chances to win that game and make some plays and they made a couple more than we did.”
(On what he would have done differently in the fourth quarter in the red zone when DL Aaron Donals broke through)
“I mean, nothing… He made a great play and so did (CB) Jalen (Ramsey). Those two guys are the best at their position for a reason. They made a great play on us. If I had to do it again, probably throw it out of the end zone, but that’s the look we wanted, a play we wanted, and unfortunately I got hit on it.”
(On the incompletion to RB D’Andre Swift)
“Yeah, we talked about it. We’re on the same page now. Just a little miscommunication.”
(On the emotion of returning to the Rams and seeing some of the people that he knows)
“Yeah, pregame, I kind of didn’t think about it until after, but there’s a lot of guys I never saw after the trade. And being able to see them and say hello and catch up for two minutes was good. It was healthy and it was good. Then once the game started, like I said during the week, it was very as usual. It really felt like any other game.”
(On how meaningful it was that his old teammates stopped post-game to speak to him)
“Yeah, I got a lot of memories with a lot of those guys and a lot of lifelong friendships. We did some pretty special things here in my five years here, so it’s something I’m definitely really proud – what we were able to accomplish while I was with LA. It’s always cool to see that and have guys that mean something to you.”
(On speaking to Rams Head Coach Sean McVay and former teammates postgame)
“A lot of guys saying, ‘Good job,’, and me echoing that to them. That’s pretty typical of postgame is just ‘Hey, good job’, ‘Appreciate it’, ‘Good job’ ‘Appreciate it.’ That was pretty much it. Getting to talk to some of my former teammates and friends was good to ask, ‘How’s your family?’ and that whole thing. But, (OL Andrew Whitworth) Whit – it’s amazing he’s still doing it and that’s what I told him. I said, ‘I don’t know how you’re still doing it.’ He is as good as they get. I guess to expand on it, it was good to see all those old friends.”
(On if that was his first time speaking to McVay since the trade)
“No, no… a few other times.”
(On how badly he wanted to win this game out of the other 75 or so he has played)
“I really didn’t. I know that’s what you think. Of course, I want to win them all. Yeah, if we would have won this it would have maybe a little bit more of a special meaning to it, but we needed a win. We still need a win, regardless of who we’re playing. That’s what we’re focused on right now. Unfortunately, we’re 0 and seven and need to make something happen here and get on the board. At the same time though, playing like we did today and having so much positivity happen is good to see, but still not enough.”
(On if it feels like the Lions are a 0-7 team)
“We’re a lot better than our record shows. Ultimately, in this league that doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. I can say that as long as I want, but until we win some games, we can’t really prove it. I do believe we are a lot better than 0-7. And we have had some chances to win this year and just ultimately haven’t done it. But with that being said, teams that do win games in this league win games for a reason and vice versa. So, we need to find a way to get on that side of it a little more often.”
(On the sense of pressure when the margin of error between wins and losses is so small)
“I love our guys and I think that’s the number one thing, is our coaches and our guys in that locker room. I don’t care what you guys say about the roster, we got dudes who fight and that’s all I can really ask for. I love these guys, and we’re going to keep fighting until the end. You guys have seen it week after week. We fight. We battle. We play to the best of our ability and, unfortunately, it hasn’t been enough. We need to do things to fix it, but there’s always pressure and that margin for error that he talks about is just, that’s where we’re at. And that’s what we’re tasked with. But, I wouldn’t do it with anyone else other than in that locker room.”
(On if he has ever had a game with two successful fake punts and a successful onside kick)
“No. No. And all of them successful right? That was part of the plan. (Lions Head Coach) Dan (Campbell) didn’t tell anybody until today. They’ve got a high-powered offense and keeping those guys off the field as much as possible. At the same time, we’re running the ball well. We’re doing some good things on offense to get us back on the field. So, that was definitely part of the plan for him, and it worked, obviously.”
(On what the team’s response was to Campbell wanting to start out aggressively)
“’Great. Yeah, let’s go.’ And then after we got that first one, it was alright. I didn’t know he was going to do three. I knew he was going to do one. The other two hit me by surprise, too.”
(On if he feels like the Lions are progressing despite their record)
“Yeah. It’s the same conversation of like moral victory versus, like, what’s the actual record. I think when you really watch it on Mondays and you break down the film and you see what it looks like, then you can kind of assess that and see where we’re at and I don’t know. I haven’t watched it, but I would have to believe there was a lot more, better stuff out there today than there was last week. And so, yeah, you can say that’s in the right direction. But at the same time, our league’s based on results. And they don’t care if you’re getting better or if you’re improving or if you look better one week after another. It’s winning and losing and ultimately we need to do that.”
(On confidence in WR Kalif Raymond and using him as a weapon after an early drop in the game)
“Yes, (Lions WR) Kalif (Raymond) is a perfect example of the guys in that locker room that fight. He fights. He’s where he needs to be. He’s on time. He’s reliable and he’s going to get the ball because of that. He dropped that screen early, but that was unusual for him. So, you want to come back to him and get him involved. You can see the type of explosive ability he has. Even the diving catch down the sideline. That’s not a regular receiver play. So, I love giving him the ball as much as I can and I’m starting to build a good rapport with him.”