Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today's installment covers:
But first, a look at one quarterback who deserves a lot more love ...
It is rare for a former No. 1 overall pick to be underrated, but that has become the case with Jared Goff. In fact, I think he's the most underrated quarterback in the game today. While the football world and NFL scouting community continue to search for the next megastar with the breathtaking playmaking talents of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, Goff has emerged as a true franchise QB who shreds defenses from the pocket.
By any metric, Goff has become the elite quarterback that he was expected to be when he was selected with the top pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. The 11th-year pro has compiled a 90-60-1 record while completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 39,622 yards (averaging 262.4 per game), with 256 touchdowns against 102 interceptions. Most importantly, he has transformed one of the league's most downtrodden franchises -- Detroit had one playoff win from 1958 through 2023 -- into a contender.
Although Goff's detractors will suggest that he has benefited from playing for some of the brightest offensive minds in football -- while also being flanked by some of the game's best playmakers and pass protectors -- Goff deserves great acclaim for helping the X's and O's come to life with his accuracy and decision-making.
As a young scout with the Seattle Seahawks, I worked under Mike Holmgren while he served as the franchise's executive vice president of football operations, general manager and head coach. During that time, I frequently heard the Super Bowl champion and quarterback guru discuss the importance of ball placement and judgment at the position. He drew that insight from his experiences in working with Joe Montana and Steve Young on the San Francisco 49ers, while also citing Brett Favre's growth to become a back-to-back-to-back MVP during their time together with the Green Bay Packers.
While Goff's talent does not jump off the screen like the electric dual-threat quarterbacks who have taken the NFL by storm, the veteran's numbers don't lie. Since 2022, he has started every game while comfortably leading the league in passing yards (18,206) and passing touchdowns (130). During that span, Goff also ranks top five in QB wins (45, T-third), completion percentage (68.1, fifth), yards per attempt (7.9, T-fifth) and passer rating (103.4, third). Operating like a pass-first point guard from the pocket, Goff has become a model of consistency at the position. It's quite an impressive development, considering many folks initially viewed him as something of a toss-in alongside the immense draft capital the Lions received from the Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade.
While Goff made two Pro Bowls during his five years in Los Angeles -- helping the Rams win a pair of NFC West titles and make a Super Bowl -- critics attributed the quarterback's success to the brilliance of Sean McVay and the potency of the surrounding talent. A Mike Shanahan disciple, McVay implemented an offensive attack that revolved around play-action, with a dynamic running back (2017 Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley) as the engine and a gifted group of well-rounded receivers (Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp) as complementary weapons. The combination of quarterback-friendly play designs and clever use of tempo helped Goff surgically pick apart defenses, with McVay exploiting the rules to at the line of scrimmage while the defense revealed its intentions.
The perception of the offensive genius holding his franchise quarterback's hand overshadowed Goff's performance, and skeptics repeatedly discredited his production as the result of McVay's wizardry. That narrative continued in Detroit, where Ben Johnson crafted a high-powered offense that blended physicality and pizzazz, with Goff serving as the conductor.
As a Lion, Goff has become good for 4,000-plus yards and 30-plus touchdowns on an annual basis. Although his performance in Detroit undoubtedly has been bolstered by his supporting cast -- featuring standouts like Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta and Penei Sewell, to name a few -- the signal-caller deserves credit for growing his game in the Motor City. After completing 63.4 percent of his passes in his five years with the Rams, Goff has boosted that figure to 67.9 over five seasons with the Lions. His passer rating has jumped from 91.5 in L.A. to 101.3 in The D. And the quarterback really proved his worth in 2025.
After Johnson left Detroit to take the head-coaching job in Chicago, Dan Campbell tapped John Morton to run the offense. That hiring proved flawed, leading Campbell to take over play-calling duties in November. And yet, amid that dysfunction and the deterioration of the Lions' offensive line, Goff might have provided the most impressive performance of his career, completing 68 percent of his passes for 4,564 yards and 34 touchdowns, while throwing just eight interceptions. Making his fifth Pro Bowl, Goff displayed the poise, patience and perseverance to keep the offense afloat despite facing a host of challenges that most quarterbacks could not overcome. He rose above schemes and shortcomings to produce at a supreme level, allowing Detroit to finish top five in points (28.3) and yards (373.2) per game.
Now, Goff heads toward the 2026 campaign with a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing. Not to mention, Detroit's offensive line has been overhauled. Despite those changes, I expect another year of prolific production from the 31-year-old passer -- and you should, too. It is time for everyone to stop overlooking what Goff has become: one of the truly elite quarterbacks in football today.
Is Justin Herbert overrated?
In a league where general managers, scouts and coaches covet big quarterbacks with arm talent, athleticism and pocket-passing skills, Justin Herbert is the prototype at the position. Standing 6-foot-6 and 236 pounds, Herbert is an imposing physical specimen with a golden arm and early in his NFL career. Showcasing the ability to surgically pick apart defenses with a flurry of pinpoint passes to every level, Herbert has exhibited "take over the game" ability in the regular season, prompting many evaluators to label him as elite. But this feels premature, considering he's yet to earn his stripes in the ultimate proving ground.
Although Herbert has amassed an impressive array of stats (163:58 TD-to-INT ratio, 66.5 percent completion rate, 261.3 passing ypg, 96.3 passer rating) and accolades (Offensive Rookie of the Year, two Pro Bowl nods) in half a dozen NFL seasons, he has been unable to convert that into playoff success. He's 0-3 in the postseason with a 54.7 completion percentage and a 64.7 passer rating. Additionally, his TD-to-INT ratio is upside-down at 2:4, while he's averaging just 224.7 passing yards per game.
Those playoff numbers are baffling for a talented playmaker with the natural ability to terrorize opponents inside and outside the pocket. I know he's suffered injuries and hasn't always had the best support from the coaching staff and surrounding cast. Still, if Herbert's truly elite, he needs to overcome those challenges to lift his team in a quarterback-driven league.
Patrick Mahomes is the current gold standard at the position, thanks in large part to his resplendent play in the postseason. Despite dealing with injuries and protection issues at times, Mahomes has guided the Chiefs to five Super Bowls, receiving MVP honors in each of their three wins. Meanwhile, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow have yet to lift the Lombardi Trophy, but both have acquitted themselves well in the playoffs, showing the ability to put their respective teams on their backs when needed in clutch moments.
For all of Herbert's regular-season heroics -- including 19 game-winning drives and 15 fourth-quarter comebacks -- he has repeatedly melted down in the postseason, with three gutting defeats on Wild Card Weekend. From the epic second-half collapse at Jacksonville to the four-pick nightmare in Houston to last January's three-point clunker at New England, Herbert just has not delivered when it matters most.
Perhaps new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel can help Herbert improve in the clutch with his spectacular scheming, but the seventh-year pro must quickly acclimate to the playbook and exotic motions without the attack taking a step back under the direction of a new play-caller. Most importantly, Herbert will need to elevate an offense that still lacks blue-chip playmakers on the perimeter.
On the Move The Sticks Podcast, we routinely discuss quarterbacks as "trucks" (QB carries team) and "trailers" (team carries QB). At present, Herbert is a lightweight pickup truck who needs to translate his regular-season excellence into postseason success. Until then, he is an overrated phenom who lacks the résumé to crack anyone's top-five list at the most important position in football.
