Jared Goff at 14th? ESPN Just Disrespected Our Quarterback Again
We have officially reached that special time of year when national media outlets remind us exactly how little they think of the Detroit Lions. This week’s offender? ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Ben Solak, who decided to conduct a quarterback draft and somehow landed Jared Goff at 14th overall.
Yes, you read that right. Fourteenth.
Their draft was based on expectations for the next three seasons, ignoring contracts and supporting casts. Just pure talent evaluation, they claimed. And somehow, with those parameters, they slotted Goff behind NFC North quarterbacks Caleb Williams at eighth and Jordan Love at ninth.
The Pressure Problem That Isn’t Really a Problem
Ben Solak’s reasoning for dropping Goff so low? His supposed inability to handle pressure.
“When Goff was pressured [last season], he died,” Solak said. “When he was unpressured, he was pretty solid relative to what I thought he’d be post-Ben Johnson. Second-highest delta in terms of EPA per dropback from pressure to non-pressure.”
Here’s the thing about pressure statistics. Every quarterback performs worse under pressure. That’s why it’s called pressure. But context matters, and context is something national analysts seem allergic to when discussing Detroit.
Goff has produced arguably top-five numbers in most basic passing statistics. He has led this offense through back-to-back playoff appearances. He has shown up in the biggest moments when this franchise needed him most.
The Disrespect Continues
This is nothing new for Lions fans. We have watched Goff get overlooked and undervalued for years now, even as he continues to produce at an elite level. The national media seems determined to view him through the lens of his Rams tenure rather than acknowledging what he has become in Detroit.
Maybe it’s easier to stick with outdated narratives than admit you might have been wrong about a quarterback who has quietly become one of the most effective passers in the league. Maybe it’s just typical Detroit disrespect dressed up in analytical language.
Either way, Goff will do what he always does. Show up, produce, and let his play speak louder than whatever ranking some talking heads want to give him.
Do you think Goff belongs in the top 10, or are we just being homer fans who can’t see straight? Let me know in the comments below.
14th is absolutely insulting and it shows how little these national guys actually pay attention to what Jared does week in and week out. He’s leading this team to wins and making throws under pressure that most QBs can’t even dream of. ESPN needs to take off the blinders and stop sleeping on our guy.
Look I love Jared and I think he’s been great for us, but I’m not gonna act like top 5 is obvious either. There’s legit elite guys out there and the pressure thing Ben mentioned isn’t totally made up out of nowhere. I just want to see him prove it consistently before I’m ready to fight everyone who disagrees.
Man, I’ve watched this franchise suffer through some truly dark times and what we got going with Brad and Campbell right now feels different. Goff might not be perfect but he’s part of something real here, and it’s a million times better than the dysfunction we used to deal with. These analysts wouldn’t know a good thing if it bit them.
The funny part is that Goff is literally putting up numbers that would get any other QB ranked way higher if he had a bigger market or played for a team the national media actually cares about. It’s just Lions bias dressed up as analysis and everyone knows it.