Pod-TST: J.T. O’Sullivan on Goff vs Stafford, Trey Lance in the NFC West, and more!

Former NFL quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan never played for the Rams ... and you could say that’s somewhat of a surprising statement. That’s because O’Sullivan did play for 12 different NFL organizations from 2002 to 2010, including eight starts for the 49ers in 2008.

In that way you might say, “J.T. O’Sullivan played for the enemy!” but surely the enemy of my enemy of my enemy of my enemy is my friend. And O’Sullivan played for many “enemies” but when you’ve occupied that many QB rooms you’re going to make a lot of friends.

And learn a lot about how to play quarterback in the NFL.

Today, J.T. is using that experience to analyze draft prospects for his excellent YouTube channel ‘The QB School’ and that’s where I learned a lot about the historic 2021 QB class prior to this year’s first round. He’s also getting an early start on the 2022 quarterbacks, a group that could be even better, and I’m partial to any analysis on Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall. Even if it wasn’t his best game. (He’s a work in progress! You gotta look beyond the mechanics and into his heart!)

I’m also partial to the times when J.T. O’Sullivan joins me on Pod-TST and he was kind enough to do so this week to discuss the all-important QB situation for the LA Rams: transitioning from the Jared Goff era to the Matthew Stafford one.

Listen to the full episode below. And subscribe to The QB School on YouTube!

A technical issue is keeping me from getting the exact timecodes right now but here’s some estimates of where we talk about certain topics:

3:45 - What J.T. O’Sullivan learned from being in the QB room for roughly one-third of the teams in the NFL in the 2000s

5:30 - Thoughts on how much draft QB evaluation has changed in the last 20 years, especially from “lower level” programs

“Everybody thinks that they’re going to go to the league and the reality is that if you’re good enough, they’ll find you.”

9:00 - Why J.T. O’Sullivan thinks that Trey Lance will have an immediate impact on the 49ers and be a dangerous quarterback in the NFC West for years to come

“It’s one of my favorite storylines of this upcoming season.”

12:00 - J.T.’s thoughts on Jared Goff’s career, from the highs to the lows

15:00 - The importance of matching the right QB to the right coach, and whether or not arm strength and deep passing ability is something that can be developed in the pros

“At the end of the day, you are what you are.”

17:00 - Any QB stats that should be held in higher regard than others and “Is winning a quarterback stat?”

20:00 - Comparing Goff to Matthew Stafford in terms of playing style and how much different the Rams could be on offense next season based on the change

“I probably see more similarities (between these QBs) than others do and this whole thing (the trade) has never made that much sense to me.”

25:00 - Can J.T. O’Sullivan imagine still playing in the NFL in his 40s, as some QBs in the league are now doing? Are teams panicking out of desperation because of Tom Brady’s immediate success with the Bucs and vice versa? How much time left is really left for Matthew Stafford?

32:00 - A look at Stafford’s last few years in Detroit and how Darrell Bevell’s offense compares to Sean McVay’s offense

“The essence of the offense will be similar (for Stafford)”

35:00 - How important is the center position and Stafford getting on the same page with Austin Corbett?

Thanks, J.T.!