Jared Goff went from really cool, to needing a stool. After dancing past Calais Campbell and waltzing into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown with the Lions in their Week 3 win over the Falcons, Goff tried his own version of the Lambeau Leap at Ford Field. He just didn't have the hops.
Not the first time, and not really the second time. When the Lions broke down the play in Monday's film review, Dan Campbell said it "happened to freeze right when he gets stuck on the wall and the fans are trying to pull him into the stands. Everybody got a nice little chuckle out of that."
Even Goff had to laugh at himself.
"I think I’m going to start doing a little bit more toward what Barry (Sanders) does, just hand it to the ref and get back to the sideline. I was a little excited there and didn’t really come with a plan that played out how I thought it would," he said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket.
Making matters worse, Goff had tried to hurl the ball into the stands before his ill-fated leap, only to have it slip out of his hands and wobble like a wounded duck. As for the jump that wasn't, Goff, who's 6'4 and played basketball in his day, will remind you, "That was my first time jumping into the crowd." So chalk it up to rookie mistakes.
"The thing I didn’t realize is when they all have their hands out like that, they kind of block you from jumping," he said. "I feel like I would have got up on the first try if everyone wasn’t leaning over the railing. They were so excited, as was I, but the second time I feel like I kind of crawled up there and gave them some love."
"It was really their fault," Goff quipped.
These are good problems to have. The Lions are 2-1, Goff is off to another strong start and who knows -- maybe he'll execute an actual Lambeau Leap this week on Thursday Night Football.
As for the touchdown itself, a zone-read from the three-yard line, Goff said Ben Johnson has called the play in the past "and it just wasn’t the look to pull it." In this case, it was.
"I’m just reading the (defensive) end, he crashed and I took it around the outside," said Goff. "Pretty simple stuff. We’ve called it before, it’s just the first time where I’ve been able to actually take it."
"Listen, that was great," said Campbell. "He did a heck of a job reading that, and it was a good call by Ben."
Other highlights from Goff's interview on 97.1 The Ticket:
On the growth of Jahmyr Gibbs: "He just continues to keep getting better, both in the run and pass, and that’s what’s exciting. I can go all the way back to April, how much better he’s gotten and how much he’s worked on his stuff. He is so freaking talented and so dang good, but when a guy continues to get better, that’s the exciting part, especially as a rookie. And you see it every day, he's working hard and getting himself prepared to do everything. Yeah man, the sky’s the limit for that kid. He’s doing a hell of a job."
On trusting Sam LaPorta like he does Amon-Ra St. Brown: St. Brown: "On our way. I’ve got a lot more reps with Saint, but trust them the same. Definitely on my way with Sam, he’s done a great job every week. … When you got a guy like Sam who understands coverage, can get himself open, has great hands, can run after the catch, it’s no surprise what he’s been able to do for us."