Jared Goff's first impression as the new leader of the Detroit Lions' offense has been a good one.
The way Goff has operated the offense in the first week of the offseason OTA workouts showed that he was prepared to handle the responsibilities that go with being the starting quarterback.
Head coach Dan Campbell stressed that it was only the first two practices, but he was clearly impressed with Goff's performance.
"It's been big," Campbell said Thursday before the start of the third workout of the OTA program.
"Any time you can get your quarterback here around all your guys -- the offensive line, the receivers, the running backs, tight ends and let him work the system – not only get used to the system itself, but how he's going to run the system for these players around it to get used to it.
"It's been huge. Look ... then again, we're only week one into it.
"I can tell you this: He throws a pretty ball, that's for sure."
This is a season of massive change for the Lions, and Goff is a central figure in it.
There's a new coaching staff, which isn't unusual for the Lions. Campbell is the fourth head coach since the start of the 2009 season.
But Goff is only the second starting quarterback in that period. Matthew Stafford was the starter for the previous 12 seasons after being drafted first overall in 2009.
Goff and Stafford were the key figures in one of the NFL's biggest trades of the 2021 offseason. On Jan. 30 the Lions agreed to trade Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Goff, first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and a third-round pick in 2021.
Goff already had some workouts in southern California with his new teammates before the start of the official offseason program at the team's Allen Park headquarters.
Such workouts are not unusual for starting quarterbacks. Goff is likely to have similar workouts after the mandatory minicamp in two weeks.
View photos from the third day of OTAs on Thursday, May 27.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) and Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift (32) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions safety Dean Marlowe (31) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions defensive end Julian Okwara (99) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions linebacker Tavante Beckett (59) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Mike Ford (2) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow (77) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow (77) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Kevin Strong (92) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions running back D'Andre Swift (32) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit lions defensive tackle Darrin Paulo (66) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow (77) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Corn Elder (29) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tyrell Williams (6) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Alex Brown (27) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back AJ Parker (41) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back AJ Parker (41) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Tyrell Williams (6) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Corn Elder (29) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Alex Brown (27) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions running back Jermar Jefferson (28 during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Jerry Jacobs (39) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions defensive back Tracy Walker (21) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Mike Ford (2) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit lions corner back Quinton Dunbar (1) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions tight end Hunter Thedford (49) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions corner back Mike Ford (2) Detroit Lions linebacker Jahlani Tavai (51) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit lions corner back Quinton Dunbar (1) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit lions corner back Quinton Dunbar (1) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
Detroit Lions safety Dean Marlowe (31) during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
during OTAs at Allen Park. (AP Photo)
"He had part of the system back in L.A.," Campbell said. "He had those come out. They'd already begun to implement it a little bit. It wasn't 100 percent starting from scratch (in the OTAs.)
"That, on top of the fact we've been doing those Zooms. It helps. It at least gives you a starting point into the first week. You're not coming in having to stop and literally teach just every small thing and go as slow as possible
"You can tell that they had some idea walking in of what it needed to look like or what we were calling things. That's a credit to him and those guys that they were willing to go out there and work with him on their own time.
"That says a lot about the guys we have on this team."
