The obstacles Jared Goff encountered as the University of California’s starting quarterback steeled him for what he would need to endure if the Browns were to draft him as their savior.
Tony Franklin, Cal’s offensive coordinator during Goff’s three collegiate seasons, is certain.
“If I was going to go out right now and restart a franchise and I wanted the picture of my franchise to be that community, that town, toughness, the ability to fight and to compete under adversity,” Franklin said during a recent phone interview, “I’d sure as hell want Jared Goff to be my franchise quarterback because he’s got all those qualities.”
Goff’s talent has made him a legitimate candidate to be selected second overall by the Browns on April 28, but his grit would be even more vital should he join the team that has had 24 starting quarterbacks since 1999. Not only will the organization’s next quarterback of the future feel the incessant, suffocating pressure from a championship-starved fan base, but he’ll also be pitted against high-profile teammate Robert Griffin III out of the gate.
“I’m confident, and I think I can be successful anywhere,” Goff said in February at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about possibly uniting with the Browns, who went 3-13 last season.
It wouldn’t be the first daunting task he’s met.
In 2013, Goff was considered an underdog in a quarterback duel with Zach Kline, but he won the job and became the first true freshman to start a season opener for Cal. The debut, by the way, didn’t go as planned. Two of Goff’s passes were deflected, intercepted and returned for touchdowns in a 44-30 loss to Northwestern.
The Golden Bears went on to finish 1-11 in Goff’s first season. Elected a captain the next two years, he helped them improve to 5-7 in 2014, then 8-5 last season, capped by a 55-36 win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. It was Cal’s first winning season since 2011 and first bowl victory since 2008.
“That program is in good shape now and a lot of the credit goes to him,” said Franklin, who’s now the offensive coordinator for Middle Tennessee State University.
The Browns could give Goff a shot to spearhead a turnaround in Cleveland. They were front and center at his March 18 pro day, and he reportedly visited them Thursday. If they’re determined to pick a quarterback at No. 2, Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz would be the choice.
Browns coach Hue Jackson has been close to Cal’s program for years. A Los Angeles native, Jackson was the team’s offensive coordinator in 1996 and pushed to become its head coach in 2013, but the school hired Sonny Dykes instead. So Jackson has kept tabs on Goff from afar.
“The guy’s a gym rat,” Jackson said at the NFL owners meetings. “He comes early and stays late. He’s been in a situation before where he had to be a part of what I call a reboot.”
Jackson also explained he’s impressed by Goff’s throwing ability, footwork, quick release and how he passed a test when Browns associate head coach-offense Pep Hamilton (who recruited Goff as a coach at Stanford University) surprised him by squirting water on the football at his pro day. Goff threw the wet ball well despite his less-than-ideal hand size of 9⅛ inches.
But above all, Jackson likes Goff’s poise in the pocket under pressure, highlighted by a tendency to plant his back foot in the ground and deliver the ball with a defender running toward him. It’s the first trait Jackson seeks when he evaluates quarterbacks.
“He’s an incredibly physically tough kid that has taken brutal shots during his time as a quarterback at Cal, and he never flinches,” Franklin said.
Goff routinely studied the footwork of future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning in an effort to improve his pocket presence, but he also has a natural gift for it.
“If you ever look at the rush, you can’t be a good quarterback,” Franklin said. “You have to feel the rush. ... It’s one of those things that you can teach to a degree, but you can’t teach it as good as [Goff does it]. He’s the best that I’ve ever seen.”
Many analysts believe Goff is the most polished quarterback in the draft and the best equipped to play immediately in the NFL. He had a tremendous amount of responsibility in Franklin’s spread, shotgun offense, a source of widespread misconception.
The offense has been labeled an “Air Raid” system, but Franklin resents the term because some assume it’s predicated on a one- or two-read passing game. Conversely, Goff advanced to a fourth or fifth progression on plenty of plays, Franklin said. He had the authority to change plays and protection calls at the line of scrimmage as well as switch from running to passing plays based on quick post-snap reads. Then he’d often manipulate defenders with his eyes.
“He probably had more on his plate than any quarterback in college football,” Franklin said.
Every prospect has flaws, though, and the main criticisms of Goff are related to his size. With smaller-than-average hands, he fumbled 23 times at Cal but only four times last season. And at 6-foot-4 and about 215 pounds, he’s viewed as slight by some in the NFL.
Franklin said he purposefully limited the upper-body workouts of Cal’s quarterbacks and believes Goff will bulk up at the next level. He said Goff arrived at Cal as a 178-pound twig.
“I’ve gained about 10 pounds every year since I was about 14,” said Goff, who went 14-23 at Cal, completing 62.3 percent of his passes with 96 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. “So I’m 21 now and I weigh 215. Maybe when I’m 24, I’ll be 245. I can always improve on that, but at the same time, I was pretty durable during college. Took a lot of hits, took a lot of sacks and was able to get up from every one.”
The son of former major league catcher Jerry Goff started all 37 games. Franklin said Goff pushed through a high-ankle sprain for weeks after suffering it Sept. 19 against Texas.
“He could barely move in practice,” Franklin said. “He could barely function at all, and yet he went out the next three games and he performed at a high level.”
Perhaps the Browns won’t be able to resist the toughness Goff brings to the game’s most important position.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.