Jared Goff inexplicably takes a shot at media that covers the Lions

It's fair to say professional athletes remember negative coverage of themselves and/or their team more than any praise that may come. It's fuel to their motivational fire to be doubted and discounted, then go out and shut those detractors down on the playing field.

On that front, heading into the Wild Card Round game against his former team, Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff ultimately could not hide the chip he has on his shoulder after Rams head coach Sean McVay determined he was not good enough to win a Super Bowl with.

The Lions shut down their doubters on their way to making the NFC Championship Game last season. But a perceived media sentiment, rooted in an exchange he had with a reporter during the week before that game against the 49ers, seems to have stuck with quarterback Jared Goff.

Goff may have a general issue with anyone who ever doubts him, especially when he's all of a sudden not playing well and it's worth wondering why.

Jared Goff decides to take a shot at Detroit media

Goff appeared on the Willbo Trading Cards podcast, hosted by his college teammate Robbie McInerny and Robbie's brother Will, earlier this week,

Goff was asked about the aforementioned exchange with Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News, and used it as the launch point to criticize Detroit media.

"I have this like, and I need to drop it soon here because I’m gonna hopefully be in Detroit for a long time," Goff said. "But I have this thing with our local media where they almost relish in negativity at times. And maybe that’s what get clicks and that’s what sells. But it’s no longer what they need to live in. Hey guys, we have a good team, we’ve had success. We can be happy about that, we can celebrate that and not have to write about how we’re constantly the underdog. No, teams are gonna be gunning for us now, we’ve won the division. I’m probably over-thinking it in my head just because it’s the chip on my shoulder and the competitor in me, but in that moment I was just giving that guy a hard time.” 

Goff has to remember people covering the Lions had to cover a bad team, and at times major dysfunction, for a long time but remained fair. The fanbase has been conditioned to expect a negative shoe to drop, though if it doesn't happen often enough that conditioning will change.

That moment of (perceived) negative sentiment from a Detroit media member got some attention. When asked about it over two months later, Goff caveated what he was about to say with how he needs to drop it because he's "gonna hopefully be in Detroit for a long time". It's a reach to focus on the negative, and as expected some members of local media have reacted.

Asking fair questions and offering fair criticism when it's warranted does not mean those who cover the Lions want to "relish in negativity." It's not 2021, or the first half of the 2022 season, but Goff seems to be stuck there in his perception of how he and the Lions are covered.