Jared Goff: 'These Fans Are Unbelievable'

The veteran passer has led the Lions to new heights.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been through multiple rebuilds in his football career. 

At California, he took over the program as a freshman and went 1-11 in his first season. However, two years later, he led the team to its first winning season in five years. 

After a rough first NFL season with the Rams, he took the team to the Super Bowl just two seasons later. 

Most recently, Goff went 3-13-1 in his first year with the Lions. Now, in his third season with the organization, he has the team one win shy of a Super Bowl appearance. 

The fact that he has led such turnarounds can certainly be tied to his level-headed personality and strong leadership abilities. Another quality he possesses is eternal optimism, which has helped guide he and his team to a level of success previously unprecedented in Lions history. 

"I don't know. I think all three of those situations has very much been about the people that were there," Goff said. "Certainly, I had a hand in it, but for me, I've always had a lot of pride in trying to be the same guy every day. Whether it's hard, whether it's great, whether it's fun, whether it's not, how do you show up every day and be that same guy? That certainly helped me get through it, and maybe it's rubbed off on some other guys along the way. But, yeah, that and optimism, eternal optimism. You're always knowing, thinking the best situation."  

The veteran passer has enjoyed a career renaissance since being traded to Detroit in 2021. He has endeared himself to the fanbase with his performance in the postseason. 

In fact, the fans are so appreciative of the veteran quarterback that his name rang out in chants during Thursday's Detroit Red Wings game at Little Caesars Arena. He admitted that he has never felt fan support to this magnitude in his career. 

"Not like this," Goff said. "No, this is a little different, and obviously, the circumstances of it all kind of feeds into that. But, these fans are unbelievable. Expect to see a lot of them this weekend as well. It'll be fun." 

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Goff's 'superpowers'

Another factor driving Goff's success is his competitiveness. This has made him a perfect match with Dan Campbell, the coach who has fully supported the passer through the highs and the lows. 

The veteran passer is very calm in appearance, but he has a fiery and competitive demeanor that comes out when he takes the field. 

"I think when you test his, when it comes time to read coverages, put the ball where it needs to be, identify what the type of look that we're seeing, the looks that he needs to make a check or get us into, I think everything that deals with what he does well, his superpowers, it really shows up," said Campbell. "I can tell you this, I found out how competitive he was the first spring we had him here, out here and it was raining, against our defense. 

"That's when I was like, 'Wow, that's good to see.' Just watching him throw the football and tight-window throws and it was heated. He was not gonna lose that day, and he just got better and better and better and his confidence was at an all-time high. You may not always see it outwardly. But, believe me, he's very competitive."

Campbell has consistently praised his veteran quarterback throughout the season. So much so, that he struggled to find a specific quality that he hadn't mentioned this season when asked what Goff's "superpower" was. 

"I'm trying to think of something else I haven't said. His ability to read a defense, his ability to stay calm, stay resilient, his ability to make an accurate throw, off-platform throws," Campbell explained. "To move in the pocket, to get us in the right play. I guess resiliency is the same thing as if things don't go well, you get in the second half, he's able to adjust and bounce back. That is his superpowers. He's not Lamar Jackson, he's not gonna take off and run for 50 if he needs to. He does other things that he really leans on to help him out, and he does them well."