Rams DL Michael Brockers: Detroit Lions getting ‘tough individual’ in Jared Goff

It’ll be just over a week until Jared Goff officially becomes part of the Detroit Lions. He will be the team’s presumed starter in 2021 after the Lions agreed to trade Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and Goff in return.

And while we have to endure Lions coaches vaguely praising a player they can’t technically talk about directly, NFL players are not given that same restriction. So when Rams’ defensive end Michael Brocker joined NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Monday, he let Lions fans know what they’re getting in their new quarterback.

“They’re getting a tough individual that, like you said, he played in the game in Seattle with nine fingers,” Brockers said, referring to Goff leading the Rams to a playoff victory over the Seahawks just weeks removed from thumb surgery.

“I’ve seen this man get hit plenty of times and stand back up and go at it. Man, you’re getting a tough player—mentally tough player—that doesn’t let a lot of things get to him, and he has a lot of experience. You can’t take that away from him. The man has made it to the big game and played in big games, so he knows how to get it done when the time is needed. So the Lions should be very happy with what they have. They’ve got a guy with a lot of experience and knows how to get to the big game.”

Now to be completely fair, Brockers also told TMZ over the weekend that he believed Stafford was a “level up” for the Rams. He elaborated on those thoughts during his segment with “Good Morning Football.”

“We expect (him) to mesh well with what we do, and we feel like with this move this will be the turning point to where we can just win the big game,” Brockers said.

Still, this is now the second Rams teammate to come out and praise Goff publicly. A few weeks ago, Rams safety Jordan Fuller said Goff “helped me along tremendously.” Maybe they’re just being polite to the media. Maybe the Lions have something more than many are assuming.