When evaluating the Detroit Lions quarterback situation, ESPN’s Louis Riddick was not exactly deeply insightful regarding Jared Goff.
ESPN recently did a three-year NFL power ranking projection (subscription required). The Detroit Lions landed at No. 28, despite seeming to be on a solid track entering Year 2 of a build/rebuild.
The primary question mark of any future outlook for the Lions is who the quarterback will be. Without totally knowing that, it’s just hard to say much confidently about where things can go. The only thing that feels certain is that it won’t be Jared Goff, regardless of how well he plays this season.
To anoint Goff as the long-term quarterback is to accept a ceiling for your team. The Rams did not accept it anymore, and made the move to replace him with Matthew Stafford.
Louis Riddick did not exactly offer a huge revelation regarding Jared Goff
When naming the best NFL analysts around, ESPN’s Louis Riddick is somewhere on the list. He gets yearly looks to become a general manager for a reason.
When asked if Goff was a holdover or part of the Lions’ rebuilding process, here’s what Riddick offered (h/t to SI.com).
I’m going with the latter; the long-term quarterback answer is not on the roster. Until they find better than Goff, the Lions will be lacking at the most important position, relative to every other team in their division.”
No offense to Riddick, but he said nothing especially insightful about Goff and the quarterback situation in Detroit as he gave the obvious answer to the question.
The Lions won’t reach their ceiling (dare I say a playoff win or two in the same year?) until they’ve got a quarterback who can elevate the situation. Of course they had one for 12 years in Stafford, but he couldn’t overcome the failings all around him very often.
It feels like a match between a well-constructed roster and a top-end long-term quarterback could come fairly soon in Detroit. But the roster isn’t there yet, and Goff is not that quarterback.