Eric Dickerson: Jared Goff ‘didn’t look prepared,’ earned preseason grade of D
Eric Dickerson has become a Pied Piper of sorts for the Los Angeles Rams with the franchise’s move back to the west coast. He’s probably the most recognizable former member of the team, and this is a team — before “Hard Knocks” and yes, even before Monday night’s opener — that has needed some connection to the older generation of fans who still live in L.A.
Dickerson has let what he saw in the listless opener against the San Francisco 49ers soak in, and he has some thoughts — some really bold thoughts — about what went wrong with the Rams and what their significant problems will be going forward.
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He’s also promoting Rams great Orlando Pace, who is receiving his Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence at halftime of the Rams-Seattle Seahawks game this Sunday, which is the Rams’ 2.0 debut in town.
Dickerson spoke to Shutdown Corner on Wednesday about Jared Goff, the state of the Rams prior to their home debut and also some interesting (and funny) thoughts on Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott gunning for his record and the 1980s cult hit, “Let’s Ram It.”
Shutdown Corner: What have the past 6-7 months been like for you and Los Angeles with the team coming back — prior to Monday night anyway?
Dickerson: Prior to the game on Monday, it’s been good, but it’s been a lot of unanswered questions. What kind of team is this? Did they have this or that? Are they just going to run the ball? Is Todd [Gurley] going to have an off year? Is Jared Goff the guy of the future? And after the preseason, there were just a lot of unanswered questions.
SDC: I think one of those questions was about Jared Goff. Where were you on him entering the preseason, then during the preseason and now that he’s the No. 3 quarterback?
Dickerson: Absolutely, he was one of those questions. Everyone wants to know how he’ll perform in the preseason. I love Coach [Jeff Fisher], and I think Fish gave him an A-minus or a B-minus … I gave [Goff] a flat-out D. He just didn’t perform well in the preseason. I am just being honest. You might not like it. I don’t care if it comes from me. I just think it’s true.
He didn’t look prepared. And I think he tried to prepare. It’s just fast. It moves faster. He didn’t do a lot under center in college, and here in the pros the defenses move a lot more.
I just don’t think he’s ready to play. That’s not my call. It’s just my opinion. You can’t put him out there. You don’t want to damage him.
My example is I played with Jeff George. Great guy, great teammate. But [the Indianapolis Colts] didn’t give him the receiver, they didn’t give him the offensive line, the coordinator, the quarterback coach. It was, ‘Just get out there and do it!’ And it’s just not fair. It wouldn’t be fair to throw Jared out there now.
SDC: You mentioned coordinator in there. The Rams have Christ Weinke, a second-year QB coach, and Rob Boras, a first-year coordinator. Are they the right people to be handling Goff right now?
Dickerson: The supporting cast is not there right now, it’s not. It’s not like the supporting cast that Carson Wentz has up in Philadelphia. It’s a whole different animal. That’s why it’s a whole different development. They said he had higher ceiling than any other quarterback, but he was not game-ready. Paxton Lynch, he wasn’t game-ready either. Goff was the more game-ready quarterback, they said.
Well, it just goes to show at that position that you can become game-ready if you have the talent and the coaching. There’s pressure if you’re drafted No. 1 or No. 2 overall, but if you don’t get what you need around you …
SDC: It’s a tough call for Fisher, isn’t it? When to bring Goff in.
Dickerson: You know what? You don’t listen to the critics. You do what you think is best. You do what you have to do. You never know if he’s 100 percent ready. But you have an idea, ok, this kid is ready to take on this task.
If you put him out there Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks … now this is a good defense. Nothing against [the San Francisco 49ers], but that was not even a good team. They made the Rams look like a high-school team. The game Sunday is going to be a whole different element.
I really believe the Rams will be up for the challenge. They seem to play Seattle well. You have to get a good spanking — usually by your daddy — if they want to come out and perform better in from of 90,000 people in L.A.
SDC: Heck, Russell Wilson might not play. If Trevone Boykin — an undrafted rookie — has to step in does it make Goff look that much worse by comparison? I mean, here’s an undrafted rookie, after all.
Dickerson: Well, it would be weird. It would be tough for [Goff], yeah. But I would be shocked if Wilson doesn’t play.
This game means a lot. It’s a division game. Last week meant a lot. That was a division game and our rival. The 49ers, to me, are our rival. Not Seattle. That was a true rivalry game Monday night. And that’s why it hurt so much. They don’t like us, we don’t like them, and they gave us a good, old fashion spanking and [said], ‘Go on out of here and go home now.’
SDC: Orlando Pace — what in your mind made him so great?
Dickerson: He was a big guy. He was so athletic. He was quiet. But he was such a monster on the field. He could pass block, and usually you find a guy who can do one of the other well. But he could do both, and that’s what made him so special and so dangerous.
He could take on a big defensive end, a fast linebacker, a blitzing DB. He could run. Orlando could run for a big guy. He played basketball. He was just an elite athlete.
SDC: It seems like they don’t make tackles like him and Jonathan Ogden anymore.
Dickerson: It’s perfect you said that because those guys are just like each other, Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace. The nicest guys, soft spoke. But you put that uniform on, you put them in that three-point stance … I mean, look out.
You’re right, they don’t make them like that anymore. A lot of guys look like Tarzan and play like Jane. Well, those two guys looked like Tarzan and played like Tarzan.
SDC: So who will have more jerseys in the stands on Sunday — Todd Gurley or Eric Dickerson? You making any predictions on this?
Dickerson: [laughs] Man … it’s funny you ask this. I’ll say this: I went to watch the Rams play two years ago in San Diego — they didn’t have Todd yet. I tell you what … I saw so many of my jerseys there. I was honored — actually honored — to see them all. It stunned me. I’ve been gone from the game so long. The Rams have been gone for so long. There’s no other way to say it but [that] it’s an honor.
My thing is, I want to see them win. [laughs] I’ll be all right with losing that battle.
SDC: Did you hear what Ezekiel Elliott said about wanting to break your rookie rushing mark of 1,808 rushing yards? He’s way off pace after one week. I think you’re still looking good here.
Dickerson: Well, you know, that doesn’t mean anything because you can have a slow start and have a fast finish. That’s how it is in the NFL. I talked to Zeke — I have a radio show, and I had him on. My first question was about how the speed of the game compared from college to pro. He said the holes open and close a lot faster. Then I asked him a couple of more questions.
I ended with: ‘So, are you still going to get that 1,808?’ [laughs] He laughed. I put him on the spot. He did say, ‘It might be a little tougher than I thought.’
I know his agent, so I talked to him before the season. I told him, ‘He’s not going to get that record. Many have tried, all have failed.’
SDC: I have a very hard-hitting question for you here. My college, Frank Schwab, ran an oral history this summer on “Let’s Ram It” — the music video you guys did back in the 1980s with the very, ahem, suggestive song lyrics. Did you happen to read the story? Frank said he was trying like heck to get you on the phone.
Dickerson: Ohh, come on now. Man … [laughs]. No, I did not read the story. Whenever that subject comes up, I avoid it.
SDC: All the other guys loved talking about it! Well, kind of. There was some severe embarrassment for some.
Dickerson: Man, you know, I am going to tell you something. I told them when we did that … they had to talk me into it. I didn’t want to be there. I said, ‘Would you look at this? This is a bad idea.’ Then I looked at the actual song. I was like, ‘Man, are you kidding me?!’ I couldn’t believe they thought it was a good idea. Man …
SDC: So you don’t care to relive that song? Maybe sing your part for us?
Dickerson: Absolutely not. I know some of the other guys’ lines better than my own lines! But I try to put that thing as far out of my mind as possible.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
