New Rams QB coach Weinke offers unique combination of skill and experience

ST. LOUIS -- The Rams' new quarterbacks coach could provide just the right combination of energy and confidence needed to boost a floundering offense.

Chris Weinke offers coach Jeff Fisher and his staff a unique set of skill and experience, one cultivated through a long and winding road that included a six-year detour in minor league baseball. He won a Heisman and national championship as the quarterback at Florida State in 2000, and he already had future plans to coach before the end of a disappointing pro career in 2007.

"The first time I ever took a note playing quarterback in Pop Warner, I have that notebook," Weinke says. "I have the notebook from every college meeting, every game plan and every note I ever took in the National Football League as a player."

He took all of that information with him to Bradenton, Florida, where he became the first director of the IMG Football Academy in 2010. But even then, he says joining a staff in the NFL or major college football remained the ultimate goal.

After turning down multiple offers over the last couple years, Weinke found the perfect fit in St. Louis, where he finally arrived to get to work Wednesday afternoon. It wasn't easy to leave the elite facilities and a top-level high school coaching job in Florida, but Weinke liked everything he saw from the Rams organization.

That started with Fisher, who made it a priority to find a former NFL quarterback for the job. Even though Weinke won just once in 18 games for the Panthers, his experience should be a valuable asset that makes his players more likely to listen.

"I did not have a stellar NFL career and I think I'm the first to admit it, but that's why I think I'm a good football coach, because I had to learn how to deal with adversity," Weinke says. "I know what that feels like, OK, and I want to make sure that I instill all those things that I learned throughout that process."

He also spent three weeks in 2007 in San Francisco learning from 49ers quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti, the man he now replaces in St. Louis. Cignetti was promoted from Rams QB coach to offensive coordinator earlier this month, which means Weinke and Cignetti will be working together again.

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That should create a comfortable and more familiar environment for quarterback Sam Bradford as he tries to come back from injury with his fourth different offensive coordinator in six seasons. Clearly, Fisher has made a point to make the adjustment as easy as possible.

Part of that process included Cignetti and Weinke both sitting down with Bradford prior to Fisher making the two hires official. Weinke says Bradford turned in the best Pro Day performance he's ever seen, from a physical standpoint, and he's eager to begin teaching.

"My whole goal is to get my quarterbacks to play fast, not in a hurry," says Weinke, noting he spent three and a half hours at dinner with Bradford and Cignetti. "I started talking about the confidence I'm going to instill in our quarterbacks and what we're going to be able to do and accomplish simply because we're going to simplify the game, know where we're throwing the football and have some fun with it."

The Rams also expect to bring in a new quarterback either through free agency or the draft, and Weinke should be uniquely qualified to help make an evaluation. He worked with different kinds of quarterbacks at all levels from youth players to the pros, including Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill.

Weinke says that taught him each quarterback must be treated differently, and he's not interested in completely overhauling anyone's mechanics. Instead, his focus will be on making minor tweaks and helping them find the right rhythm and timing within the offense.

He'll have to do a lot of studying to learn the Rams' offense and the tendencies of their quarterbacks, although he does have a head start from his work evaluating virtually every pro prospect while he was at IMG. Weinke won't provide any sort of magic to suddenly elevate this offense from the bottom third of the league to the top, and he's fully aware of the importance of a strong supporting cast for any quarterback.

But it's an interesting, outside-the-box hire in a league where most coaches either already have experience at similar positions or are simply moving up from a slightly lower tier. Weinke clearly possesses an innovative approach, and the number of quality quarterbacks who have sought him out for training suggests a high degree of success.

St. Louis will just have to hope it translates to the highest level.

You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.