For a guy that didn’t play a single snap last season, John Goodman certainly got plenty of attention this spring.
When the sophomore wasn’t getting praised by Charlie Weis for his work at wide receiver, he was getting high marks from the coach for his chances to potentially become the No. 3 quarterback.
Goodman worked out at two different wide receiver positions during spring ball – the slot spot left vacant by David Grimes, and also outside at times for an injured Michael Floyd.
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Goodman put himself squarely in the mix to see playing time as the No. 3 receiver in the fall.
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“I didn’t expect to work at both positions,” Goodman said. “But it really helped speed along the process of learning the offense. I know the offense a lot better, which has upped my confidence. When I’m running routes, I’m not thinking about it, I’m just running them to get open.”
What Goodman lacks in game in experience, he makes up for in self-confidence. Instead of just trying take his place alongside Floyd and Golden Tate as the No. 3 receiver, Goodman plans on becoming the feature target in the offense. Sound crazy? Just ask him.
“I feel like I’m doing really well. I’m just trying to get into that top three, behind maybe Golden and Mike, maybe even in front, there’s no reason I couldn’t,” Goodman said. “I just got to keep working hard. My confidence is really high right now. I have so much more confidence. I feel like people can’t really guard me anymore.”
In an effort to add a dual-threat wrinkle to the offense, Weis also gave Goodman an audition at quarterback the last week of spring ball. But both the player and coach agree that becoming a regular in the receiving rotation is top priority, so that’s where the focus stayed, though it’s nice to know there’s a potential secret weapon in place.
“He can throw the ball as far and as hard as the first two guys (Jimmy Clausen and Dayne Crist). This kid can sling the football,” Weis said. “But first I want to give him an opportunity to compete at wide receiver because I can see him in our two-deep at wide receiver. So first thing’s first. Before I get him ready to be the third quarterback, I want to see if I can get him into the two deep at wide receiver.”?
When asked where his greatest improvement came since last year, Goodman said it was in his strength and size, which has actually led to better speed. Goodman put on about six pounds – mainly in his legs – from last year, which he said has helped his burst off the line of scrimmage and his cuts in routes.
“I had no power. I had to get up to speed before I could get running, now it’s different,” Goodman said. “Now I can break fast and quick out of routes so my power and my speed have both improved. I was a little skinny guy last year…but I’m bigger, and I still have my speed now.”
Goodman was a standout all-purpose athlete at Bishop Dwenger in Fort Wayne, Ind., handling everything from punt duties, to quarterback and defensive back responsibilities. He has terrific hands and underrated speed. He averaged 24 yards per kickoff return, 14 yards per punt return and 28 yards per reception his senior year, while throwing for 1,697 yards and 16 touchdowns with just two interceptions at quarterback.
With Goodman, Duval Kamara, Deion Walker and Robby Parris all in the mix for playing time, the competition will be fierce at the No. 3 receiver position this fall, especially with talented freshman Shaquelle Evans joining the fray this summer.
This is truly a case of may the best man win, and Goodman believes he is that man.
“There’s no reason I can’t become a regular in the offense,” Goodman said. “Like I said, my confidence has never been higher. I’m just doing a great job of knowing what I am doing, which I wasn’t doing last season.”
What’s A Good Season?
For starters, a good season would obviously start with landing the No. 3 receiver spot and holding onto it. But even if Goodman doesn’t become the third starter, he should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself on game days.
Without knowing how much Goodman will play, it’s hard to project statistics…but we’ll give it a try anyway.
As essentially a first-year player, Goodman won’t have a bustout season, but he’ll get a handful of balls thrown his way, and what he does with those chances will help build the trust within the coaching staff for the future.
Golden Tate had six catches his first full-time season, and that’s probably a good estimate for Goodman, about a catch every other game. But a good season won’t be measured by raw statistics, but more by how much Goodman improves.
A good season is about preparing for future seasons.
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