How many times can you answer the same question, before the blood starts boiling beneath your skin? How many times can you turn down the noise before the noise becomes too much to bear? We're close to finding out with Jared Goff.
For the umpteenth time since taking over as quarterback of the Lions, Goff was asked Wednesday about outside doubts. He was asked, for starters, if there's any advantage to being an under-the-radar team entering his first season in Detroit.
"Sure, yeah," he said. "You can definitely sneak up on teams that may overlook you. It is Week 1 still, so everyone is 0-0. I don't know if there is quite a radar right now. Of course, I know the external expectations that we've talked about at length, you guys like to talk about all the time, but it will be interesting. It will be fun and whatever happens, happens."
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And then Goff was asked, again, whether he pays those expectations any mind. Spoiler: he doesn't.
"I've answered this question I don't know how many times since I've been here: we don't care," he said. "I don't want to swear here, but we don't care. We don't give an anything about what anyone says. It's the internal expectations that we've always had and those will remain the same.
"Obviously, there's been a lack of success around here for a long time. We hope to change that. We hope to change that quickly. We know it doesn't happen overnight, but every day is a new day to get better and keep doing the right things. Eventually, the tide will change. But no, we don't listen to it. It is out there, sure, but internally our expectations are just the same as everyone else."
Those expectations, as Goff declared last week, are to win the NFC North -- and then see what happens from there. Eight of last year's 14 playoff teams missed the playoffs the year prior. So to Goff, it doesn't matter that the Lions are coming off a five-win season and their third straight last-place finish in the division.
"Why not us?" said Goff. "Why can’t we be that (team) that wasn’t in last year that is this year? Again, it starts one week at a time, but internally, our expectations are as high as anyone else.”
Externally, Goff doesn't give a you-know-what. So in the words of Nick Saban, quit askin!