Bernie Miklasz posted a good read on Brian Quick in the St Louis Post-Dispatch, saying that the Rams were too quick (pun intended) to name him "the next Terrell Owens." To date, Quick has earned a total of six snaps on offense, per Pro Football Focus, and was inactive for Week 3's game against Chicago.
Of course, Owens also got off to a slow start to his NFL career as a relatively highly-drafted rookie coming out of Division I-AA UT-Chattanooga. His first three games totaled three receptions for 32 yards, and he was similarly inactive in his third week as a professional, and didn't become an every-week starter until his second season.
Of course, in order to become a starter, first he has to get on the field, something Quick knows too well.
"Obviously, it's something I have to do to get on the field," he said in a conversation with the P-D's Jim Thomas. "So I need to work harder, I need to do things a little bit better. And we'll see what happens."
With all that said, where is your worry meter right now? The RamsHerd writers weigh in after the break.
Brennan (@BrennanJSmith): If I had to rate my worry meter on Quick, it would be a two out of 10.
I know the Rams need to get a playmaker on the field, especially with Gibson's continued inconsistency and an over reliance on DA, but rushing Quick isn't the answer.
I think the pervasive notion that this team can compete for the playoffs now is misguided, despite good showings against Detroit and the Redskins. Believe me, I'm as sick as anyone of waiting for the Rams to turn it around, but this isn't a microwaveable project.
Quick needs time to develop his skills at the next level and rushing him into action isn't the right answer. Rookie receivers already have a steep enough curve and Quick came from a smallish school.
There's no way this staff can put an onus on him this early to go out and emerge like T.O. did, it would stunt his growth even more.
I'm not worried as of now at all, but I do expect him to at least be catching a few balls for 50 or more yards by the last eight weeks of the season.
Paul (@therebirth):
I was worried when we drafted him. I wasn't against him because I thought he was terrible. In fact, I barely knew anything about him. I was upset because I knew one thing. He was going to be a project. There was no way a guy with his height, speed, and athleticism was NFL ready after playing at Appalachian state. He was so superior to most of the teams he played, that he did not need to know the fundamentals. I felt confident that he would have difficulty with an NFL playbook and running proper routes. I preferred Stephen Hill, Cordy Glenn and Alshon Jeffry (in that order). I thought all 3 could help us this year.
With that said, I am 3 on the worry meter. (1 being not worried at all and 10 being "guy standing on corner at all games with a sign saying Quick sucks"). I see his size and realize we do not have that guy. I see his athleticism and realize that we do not have that guy (superstar basketball player before football). I see his acceptable to good speed (with size) and again we do not have that guy. Certainly, Givens is faster. However, Givens is also 5'11" 200 pounds.
I trust Fisher, and I trust that he hired excellent coaches. I will wait until year two to see what we have in Brian Quick.
Tim (@Shields3L): Not worried at all. I'm actually thinking about writing a piece for thefootballeducator.com on this very topic.
Through 3 weeks, Blackmon, Floyd, AJ Jenkins, and Quick (the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th WRs off the board in 2012) combined have 5 catches between them. Jenkins was also a healthy inactive.
I think we look at Jenkins and Quick and treat the two differently. "Oh, well the Niners have Crabtree, Moss and Manningham and that's why he was inactive". This is not the correct way of thinking. We shouldn't hold Quick to a different standard than Jenkins because there is better talent on the 49ers. The problem is that mentally they are both not there yet, regardless, of the talent on the respective rosters.
They drafted him fully aware he was at mentally. Not only does have not have a traditional football background (being a bball player most of his life) he also came from an FCS program. His development is going to take time. Look how slow Miles Austin took to get to where he was at. His first couple of years in Dallas, he barely made that team.
Derek (@SportsbyWeeze): My level of worry here would be about half-way up the worry meter.
Not enough to panic but definitely more than enough to cause worry. Yes there is a rookie learning curve and yes his numbers are on par with TO's and other currently high profile WR's in regards to three games into a career.
My level of worry comes from the idea that you shouldn't have to "rush" a 2nd-round #33 overall pick onto the field. He should be ready, or at the very least close to it. Danario Alexander went undrafted, then recovered from yet another knee injury and made an impact almost immediately. Heck if it wasn't for said knee of DX, Quick might not even BE a Ram.
The Rams drafted to get better across the board at every position. So what does it say when your 2nd pick in the draft is still behind, well everyone, on the depth chart?
Will (@RamsHerd): I'm concerned, more than I thought I would be at this point. I suppose my worry meter is in the yellow, though not yet in the red (i.e. "bust" territory). This is certainly not a "win-now" team, but as young as we are, it should be a "play now" roster. It is concerning that he can't crack the rotation, particularly in the red zone where he appears to offer the most value.
I watched Brian Quick practice on several occasions, and he seemed to have a major breakthrough just before the third preseason game, where he not only understood his routes, but he felt the impact of his outsized frame. He was out-muscling players to balls, boxing out defenders on routes, and playing like a Justin Blackmon-type receiver.
He went on to have a strong game, but has since fallen off the radar. Why? Without the benefit of attending open practices, I can't say.
I have to believe that command of the offense is a major factor, as any west coast offense places a premium on precision and timing. And of course, it's the defense's primary goal to disrupt your timing. On Quick's one target of the year, he got badly jammed and appeared to turn the wrong way as the pass sailed past his outside shoulder.
Player comparisons are always a bit of creative fiction, but I was wiling to ride with the "Terrell Owens" comparison since it was coming from Ray Edwards, who coached Owens. Now, though, the team is bringing "Vincent Jackson" into the conversation – also a very good player, and one that Brian Schottenheimer had his hands on early in his career. But Jackson was much later to bloom than Owens was.
I had my over/under on his production this year pegged to Owens' rookie season: 35 catches, 520 yards, 4 TDs. Not eye-popping, but a harbinger of greater things to come. At this point, unless he can get on the field quickly, he has no shot at those numbers.
