Jared Goff has repeatedly demonstrated throughout the 2023 season that he possesses the required intangibles to be the Detroit Lions’ starting quarterback. The senior signal-caller will never be mistaken for the strongest arm or the most prolific passer. Nonetheless, he’s gotten the job done under center with skill and just the appropriate moxie and poise more often than not.
No matter how many times Goff has been struck or sacked in a game this season, he has never been noticeably scared. He’s always gotten straight back up and dismissed the previous play as if it were nothing.
It’s something Lions head coach Dan Campbell spotted Goff doing before he started tutoring the veteran quarterback.
“From afar, you always – I’ve alluded to this before, but just standing across the sideline from him, I always thought of him as a very – I just saw him in big-time games at our place, and to watch him stand in there and make another throw and get hit and get off the ground, I always thought of him as a tough player,” Campbell said in reference to Goff earlier in the week. “And so, with that, you think of, he’s probably pretty resilient to be able to do the things he does.”
There’s no denying that Goff, who is already in his sixth NFL season, exudes tenacity. It’s a quality that helped the wily veteran lead the Lions to the NFC North division title, the team’s first in 30 years. It’s also the one that has allowed Goff to endear himself to Campbell.
“Until you’re around him (Goff), like I’ve been around him, I don’t want to say it surprised me, but yet, you really get to understand just how resilient he is and how his ability to bounce back – he can look at a situation and take it for what it is,” Campbell said. “This isn’t a case of, ‘All of a sudden, I’ve transformed into a – I’m no longer a competent quarterback, or I’m not accomplishing stuff.’ ‘I’ve got to do this with my footwork,’ is all it is. I need to accelerate my development. I’m getting too far into the pocket.’ He can look at it, consider the content, and fix – autocorrect without losing trust.
“He realizes, ‘I’ve just got to fix this.'” I just need to get better at this.’ And he never becomes too high or too low. And I believe that’s where you want your quarterback to be. As a result, he’s really tough.”
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