ST. LOUIS — Brian Quick cradles the ball in the middle of a practice field,
the hope of a franchise resting in his hands. It’s the second session of a
rookie minicamp at Rams Park, and the St. Louis Rams’ future at wide receiver
wants to make an impression.
Quick searches for open space against defenders during drills. The pace is
light, but the man taken 33rd overall earns rave reviews for his potential from
coach Jeff Fisher after the workout. Before walking into the locker room at the
ContinuityX Training Center, Quick stops and addresses his first taste of NFL
life.
“Nothing caught me by surprise,” Quick said. “I expected this. It’s my job. I’m
supposed to handle my job and do the things to get better. Nothing really
surprised.”
With time, he answers questions about lessons gained from his first two
practices as a professional. He speaks with a confidence that will help him
when he manages expectations that come with being the first wide receiver taken
in the Fisher era. The position was the Rams’ greatest area of need after a
painful 2-14 season in 2011. The team’s new leadership envisions Quick growing
into a dynamic threat to aid Sam Bradford.
Questions for the former Appalachian State star continue before he walks off
the field. The answers show anticipation for his new life and the challenges
that will come with it.
Was the minicamp an eye-opener?
“I’ve got to come out here every day and work,” Quick said. “I want to play.
That will open your eyes.”
What does he think of coaches giving you one-on-one chances?
“They want to use me this year,” Quick said. “They’re trying to basically test
and see what I can do.”
Does he see his role as being a big-time wide receiver?
“I hope to,” Quick answered. “Whatever helps us win games.”
***
The Rams knew they had secured a possible star.
There was a moment late on April 26 when Fisher and general manager Les Snead
were confident that they had a chance to select a potential difference-maker to
fill the most gaping hole on the roster. It was shortly after they made LSU
defensive tackle Michael Brockers the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon had been a top Rams target, but
the Jacksonville Jaguars made a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move up
to the No. 5 slot and selected Blackmon one spot ahead of St. Louis.
Still, Snead and Fisher were optimistic about their position. They owned the
first pick of the second round, and Quick was available after four wide
receivers were taken on the draft’s opening night. Their interest in the
6-foot-4, 220-pound prospect piqued after watching his private workout the week
before in Boone, NC.
After the first round, Fisher was asked in a news conference if there were
still wide receivers available who excited the Rams. His response was pointed,
but coy.
“It’s safe to say, yes,” Fisher said.
As a member of a Football Championship Subdivision program at Appalachian State,
Quick didn’t carry the name recognition of Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill, South
Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery or LSU’s Rueben Randle — all wide receivers who went
unclaimed in the first round. But Rams coaches were convinced Quick would be a
strong fit because of physical traits that made backup Rams quarterbacks Kellen
Clemens and Tom Brandstater say, “Wow,” during the drive back to the airport
after the private workout in North Carolina.
Quick’s performance before Fisher and other members of the Rams’ traveling
party that day was an extension of the success he enjoyed in college. He set
Appalachian State's all-time records in receptions (202), receiving yards
(3,418) and touchdown catches (31). He also averaged 16.9 yards per catch and
earned first-round marks among some NFL scouts.
“What makes him unique is his combination of size and speed,” said Rick
Beasley, a former Appalachian State wide receiver who played from 1977 to 1980.
“He creates real matchup problems for every team that we played. There aren’t
many folks 6-5 who have the elevation and the strong hands and the long arms
that he has. He just gets better.”
The Rams need someone with high potential. Brandon Lloyd, who signed with the
New England Patriots as a free agent in March, led St. Louis with 683 yards
receiving and five touchdowns as the team’s lone deep threat. Meanwhile,
Brandon Gibson and Danario Alexander were the only other Rams to have more than
400 yards receiving last season, both finishing with 431.
The lack of depth at the position contributed to Bradford’s decline after a
strong rookie season. At times, the quarterback seemed to doubt his wide
receivers’ ability to find space within a system designed by then-coordinator
Josh McDaniels.
As a result, Quick arrives in St. Louis as a symbol of the Rams’
reconstruction. He offers promise that he can become the versatile weapon
Bradford has lacked throughout his first two years in the league.
For a franchise trying to remake itself under a veteran coach, Quick has become
a reason to hope for a more competitive future.
“First of all, you’ve got a big man,” Snead said. “He’s tall, 225 pounds, long
arms, can catch it. He’s got rare hand-eye coordination, so he can go snatch a
ball. He’ll get rebounds for us, but that same big man can cut on a dime, and
he can get off the ball really fast. I think we worked out a lot of receivers
and this guy was as good, or better, than all of them.”
***
Quick says all the right things after the recent rookie minicamp at Rams Park.
He knows this is a time for making a smooth transition between his former life
and what he’ll become as St. Louis’ primary deep option starting Week 1 at Ford
Field against the Detroit Lions.
Adjustment will take time, but he’s not focused on pressures that come with the
role. For now, he’s trying to grow in a healthy way before judgments about his
play begin.
“I feel like there’s no pressure, because if I come out here every day and work
and do what I’m supposed to do, there shouldn’t be pressure at all,” Quick
says. “As long as I come out here and do things I’m supposed to do, then I do
that on the field, it translates to the game what you do in practice.”
Still, expectations will never be far away. Performance of the Rams’ three
second-round picks will go a long way in determining the success or failure of
Snead and Fisher’s first draft class together.
Quick will be studied close because of it. To the Rams, he’s a second-round
steal. They view him as a player with first-round skill who can stretch
defenses in a way that hasn’t been seen at the Edward Jones Dome since Isaac
Bruce and Torry Holt broke huddles with Kurt Warner.
Until the fall, though, Quick represents little more than potential. Early
reviews are promising, and his showing at rookie minicamp offered a glimpse at
what he could become: A tall and agile talent capable of creating excitement on
Sundays in a city that hasn’t witnessed a team finish about .500 since 2003.
But Fisher sees Quick becoming so much more. The coach’s vision for the Rams
could hinge on his choice wide receiver meeting that ideal.
“It’s definitely exciting,” said rookie Rams wide receiver Chris Givens, who
was taken in the fourth round. “It’s a big opportunity – it’s all going to be
about what we make of it. We’ve got to put in the hard work this summer and get
in our playbook and get in the weight room and do things we need to do to take
care of our mind and body so that when training camp comes around, we can be
full speed. ...
“Just coming here with the receiving corps being wide open,
completely new coaching staff, it just makes everything that much more fun.”
Exciting. Fun. Both are words that have been absent when describing the Rams
throughout their lost decade.
Both are words that could be appropriate when Quick takes
the field as a face of a possible turnaround.
