As Jared Goff prepares to face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship this weekend, the Detroit Lions quarterback is under intense media scrutiny. Goff may not be under as much scrutiny as his quarterback counterpart, Brock Purdy, but he’s handling the questions with ease.
Goff abruptly cut a question regarding Skip Bayless as he joined 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit on Tuesday for his weekly spot with midday hosts Doug Karsch and Scott Anderson. Bayless’s name came up as the “bulletin board material” topic was brought up. And while Goff isn’t going to pay attention to what folks like Bayless have to say on daytime TV, he was perhaps presented with another piece of bulletin board material on Wednesday. However, this moment was a bit more lighthearted.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Goff was asked a question, though it was more so a statement.
“Jared, you guys got a lot of really good players, obviously,” said Bob Wojnowski, a columnist for the Detroit News.
Before he could finish asking the question, Goff interrupted with a mere, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Wojnowski added. “Maybe not viewed as the superstars like maybe the 49ers have, or other teams.”
“Alright, never mind,” said Goff.
Reporter: You guys have a lot of stars …
Jared Goff: "Thank you."
Reporter: … but maybe not as big of stars as they do …
Goff: "All right, never mind."
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 24, 2024
Wojnowski then alluded to the fact that guys like Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown don’t get the recognition that other stars in the league do, perhaps hinting at the likes of Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle. That was when the Detroit Lions quarterback offered a stark reminder that St. Brown was a First-Team All-Pro, and so was Penei Sewell.
Goff saw what the longtime columnist was getting at, making a point that this was a chance for a national audience to see the star power of the Lions on the biggest stage in sports.
“I do. I think we have a ton of great players who maybe haven’t had the national stage that up to this point that a lot of other guys have,” Goff said. “Obviously, they have a ton of good players as well, and a ton of Pro Bowlers and All-Pro players over there. Yeah, we feel like we have a lot of good players too — like you mentioned — and excited to play another national stage and be able to showcase that.”
With a roster full of underdogs and a quarterback who’s happy to let his play do the talking, the Lions are ready to prove that the national spotlight is nothing but another day at the park.
