Detroit Lions Jared Goff praised for arm talent, accuracy during spring

Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell has not heard what the outside world thinks about the arm talent of Jared Goff.

The former NFL quarterback expressed before Detroit’s final OTA practice of the spring that Goff’s ability to put the football wherever he needs to has not declined.

In fact, the 29-year-old made throws this spring that left the coaching staff scratching their heads.

“I don’t know what they say about Jared’s arm talent. I can tell you this, it’s the best I’ve ever been around. It’s the best I’ve seen,” said Brunell. “His accuracy and his ability to put the ball exactly where he wants it, I’ve never seen anything like it. I really have not. What’s being said and who he’s being compared to, I don’t know.”

Brunell continued, “I can speak from my experience, and it hasn’t dropped off at all. He’s made some throws this spring that the coaching staff, we’re looking and just scratching our head like, ‘How do you do that?’ I still tell him that I was a better thrower than he was, though, but I wasn’t even close. He can throw that football. He’s very impressive.”

For the Lions’ offense, protecting the football and avoiding turnovers have been key to the turnaround led by Goff and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.

“I think he’s a very good decision-maker. Our success as a team rises and falls on what he does with the football, how he takes care of the football,” said Brunell. “He doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions, he doesn’t fumble very often, but even what he has done is too many. So, at the top of the list of what we care about more than anything else is him taking care of the football. If he turns it over, we don’t have a chance. If we’re throwing interceptions, if we’re fumbling the ball, if we’re giving it away to our opponent, we do not have a chance to win the game. I think over the course of our time here, he has gotten better at decision-making, what to do in the passing game, has really helped us and hopefully it’ll continue. That can be better as well.”

Goff indicated that he is always seeking to improve, but he shared “nerdy” quarterback mechanics and fundamentals are always being worked on.

While other veteran quarterbacks skipped minicamp, Goff put in the work and continued to be among the first to arrive to meetings each and every day he was at the team’s practice facility.

“I think what jumps out to me the most about Jared Goff is every day we had an OTA, every OTA practice, I’d go down to the quarterback room, and he’s the first one in there,” said Brunell. “Looking at the install, looking at the plays, looking at what was going in that day, and I respect the heck out of that because he knows how to be a professional.

“Even with this contract and all his success and all the stuff that’s going on, he’s the first one in the building, and he’s just studying. We did some good things offensively that required some studying, and he did it and I’m really proud of him for that.”

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