Dan Orlovsky makes eye-opening revelation on Sean McVay hiring him to teach Jared Goff how to watch film

Sean McVay became the youngest coach for the LA Rams in franchise history when they hired him back in January 2017. At the time, Jared Goff was the Rams' starting quarterback, while Dan Orlovsky was also on the team's practice squad.

In an interview with The Athletic's Doug Farrar on Saturday, Orlovsky spilled the beans on how McVay hired him as QB just to teach Goff how to analyze games.

"Yeah, so, my last season (in the NFL) was in 2016," Orlovsky said (0:24). "I got done playing fall of 2016 in Detroit. It's now 2017, and I'm kinda in limbo. My contract was up and I get a call that spring from Sean McVay, sometime, let's call it May, 'Hey, are you retiring?' And I'm like, 'I don't know, Sean.'"

"Then, he's like, 'Listen, I've got the Rams job.'I've got this really young, talented player, Jared Goff. He doesn't know how to study tape. And, I want you to come, and you're gonna be our third quarterback. You're not gonna do anything in training camp, I just need you to teach him how to study tape, teach him about defenses.'So, I was like, great.'"

Orlovsky revealed that he spent time with Goff in meeting rooms before heading back to the then-Rams QB's house to teach him how to study tape. The ESPN analyst added that Goff also spent money to build a film study room in his house, just so he could improve his understanding of the game.

Orlovsky also explained how Goff didn't understand the basics of watching tape, including terms like "over front" and "under front," despite being the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft.

However, he did make a conscious effort to change.

In his rookie year, Goff posted a 0-7 record with the Rams as a starter. However, after Orlovsky taught the young QB how to watch film, he showed vast improvements in the following years under Sean McVay.

---

Jared Goff led Sean McVay's Rams to the playoffs in three separate seasons

In the 2017 season, Goff led LA to a 11-4 record across 15 starts, helping them to the playoffs. Sean McVay's Rams also reached the playoffs in the 2018 and 2020 seasons with Goff as their signal-caller.

LA Rams coach Sean McVay (L) with Jared Goff (R) - Source: Imagn

He was traded to the Detroit Lions in March 2021, after which the 30-year-old has guided the Lions to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

After learning how to watch tape from Orlovsky, Goff overturned his 0-7 record to an 81−52−1 record in the NFL. He has also earned four Pro Bowl honors along the way and established himself as one of the finest QBs currently in the league.