Can Brian Quick Regain His Momentum From Last Season?

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https://www.numberfire.com/nfl/news...mentum-from-last-season-with-the-rams-in-2015

Can Brian Quick Regain His Momentum From Last Season With the Rams in 2015?
written byJoseph Juan

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Brian Quick was on the cusp of a career year in 2014 before a shoulder injury derailed his season.

First came fellow draft classmate Chris Givens in 2012. Then came Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey in 2013. And after a quiet year at the wide receiver department in the draft, the Rams continued their search in free agency by signing Kenny Britt in 2014.

Simply looking at the personnel moves made by the St. Louis Rams' front office evidences what they really thought about their 33rd overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, Brian Quick.

After failing to break out during his first two seasons in the league and with his inability to secure a starting wideout spot on the Rams' roster, many started to label Quick as an early-round bust. But then the first four weeks of the 2014 season happened. 81 yards per game and three total touchdowns later, the narrative of Quick's short career seemed like it was finally turning for the better.

There was suddenly optimism that Quick had finally put it all together in his third year and was on a trajectory to make good on the potential that made him such a highly coveted pick just two seasons before. Unfortunately, his sudden ascent was met with an unexpected stop, as a shoulder injury in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs would cost him the remainder of the season.

Now, as Quick rehabs his way back onto the football field for 2015, the question remains whether the flashes he displayed early last year were a hint of bigger things to come this upcoming season or if these performances were all merely a mirage.

A Promising Third Year
Quick was an incredibly productive receiver last season, averaging 0.81 Net Expected Points (NEP) per target -- which tied him for 18th amonst all wideouts receiving at least 30 targets last year -- just behind Calvin Johnson (0.82) and T.Y. Hilton (0.83). NEP is our signature metric which measures a player's production above (or below) expectation; to learn more about it check out our glossary.

Beyond this, his 96.0% success rate -- meaning that 24 out of his 25 receptions improved his team's chances of scoring -- ranked sixth in the league among qualifying receivers, again just behind Megatron's 98.6% and Marques Colston's 96.6%. How's that for efficiency? Quick was finally adding tangible value to this team, helping move the offense through the air, resulting in his swift ascent atop the depth chart as the team's number one receiver.

But just as fast as Quick's value shot up with the Rams, it all came crashing down almost as abruptly. In Week 7 against Kansas City, Quick suffered a dislocated left shoulder and torn rotator cuff, an injury that would later require season-ending surgery to repair.

As the 2015 offseason kicks off, and despite coming off a serious injury, things are once again looking bright for Quick's prospects this year.

The numbers Quick put up over the early part of the 2014 season were done with replacement-level talent Austin Davis under center, whose -0.04 Passing NEP per drop back ranked him as the fifth worst quarterback with over 200 drop backs last season. Now, following the trade of Sam Bradford to Philadelphia for Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles, the Rams might have a quarterback capable of taking full advantage of Quick's skills.

Reports also suggest that Quick's recovery from his shoulder injury last October is progressing quickly. This is particularly good news considering Quick is also entering his fourth season in the league at the age of 26, which is about the same age and experience level that elite wideouts peak.

So with some breaks finally falling his way, can he regain his momentum for 2015?

Fitting in with Foles
Standing at 6' 4" and 220 pounds and with impressive explosiveness to his game, Quick's biggest assets are his size, strong hands, and excellent ability to maintain his balance following contact. All this adds up to Quick being an outstanding weapon in the short-to-intermediate range, where his willingness to go over the middle, sure hands, and ability to out-muscle defenders makes him a quarterback's best friend.

Indeed, 23 of Quick's 25 receptions last season were caught within 20 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Beyond all this, Quick's size also makes him an excellent option in the red zone. Last year, he caught all three targets he received within the opponent's 20-yard line and converted two of these receptions into touchdowns.

This skill set complements perfectly with Nick Foles strengths and tendencies. When we look at this passing heat map produced byNFLsavant.com, we see that during the 2014 season, Foles' accuracy was markedly better on throws made within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage than on deep throws made beyond this same mark.



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Foles completed an impressive 67.0% of his passes that traveled fewer than 20 yards in the air (which also accounted for 84% of all his passes last season), while connecting on just 22.0% of his passes thrown 20 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage.

So given this significant overlap in strengths, it's certainly reasonable for us to expect Quick to become a favorite target of new St. Louis Ram Nick Foles and improve on the 6.2 targets per game he received in his six games prior to his season-ending injury.

The Bottom Line
Labeled an early-round bust in many circles prior to last season, Brian Quick started to flash the skills that made him the the fifth receiver taken in the 2012 NFL Draft, ahead of players such as Alshon Jeffery and T.Y. Hilton.

Now with a capable quarterback at the helm in Nick Foles, whose skill set complements his own strengths, I fully expect Quick to continue the pace he established over the first month of the 2014 season to have a truly breakout year for the Rams in 2015.
 

DaveFan'51

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I would be willing to bet Quick comes back with a vengeance!(y):D
 

Memento

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I hope that he does. I really do. We need our wide receivers to break out.
 

RaminExile

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I would be willing to bet Quick comes back with a vengeance!(y):D

Man I hope so. He was starting to look like a bit of a beast. Incredibly physical and started high pointing balls which is something he hadn't done regularly before. I just hope he's strong both physically and maybe even more importantly mentally to come back from such a setback and such a bad injury.
 

-X-

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Quick was an incredibly productive receiver last season, averaging 0.81 Net Expected Points (NEP) per target -- which tied him for 18th amonst all wideouts receiving at least 30 targets last year -- just behind Calvin Johnson (0.82) and T.Y. Hilton (0.83). NEP is our signature metric which measures a player's production above (or below) expectation; to learn more about it check out our glossary.

Beyond this, his 96.0% success rate -- meaning that 24 out of his 25 receptions improved his team's chances of scoring -- ranked sixth in the league among qualifying receivers, again just behind Megatron's 98.6% and Marques Colston's 96.6%. How's that for efficiency?
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So, he's good?
Is that what I'm to ascertain from all that Algebra?
 

Rmfnlt

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confused.gif


So, he's good?
Is that what I'm to ascertain from all that Algebra?
Joseph Juan
A cancer researcher by day, Joe writes about fantasy football and takes a scientific approach to spot the next big sleeper.
 
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Rmfnlt

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Certainly logical... of of those points.

I've said for a while now that my main concern is mental (will he be confident enough in that surgically repaired shoulder to play uninhibited?)

If he is (confident), he certainly has the physical attributes to be successful. None of that has changed.

Kinda ironic if he can't get over the confidence hurdle.
Until last year, my take is that it was mental (had a lot of difficulty grasping the playbook and NFL). If he struggles this year with confidence, it'll be mental again.

Ugh.

Hope he comes back 100%... physically... but perhaps moreso mentally.
 

LACHAMP46

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I saw this...I think Quick is still the best wr on this team...He and Britt will be dangerous and will help Foles (Mannion?) a bunch...Probably help Tavon & Gurley/Mason too...
 

Selassie I

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At least his injury wasn't to his legs, knees, or feet. His wheels are perfect!
 

CoachO

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Sounds to me that you still aren't a big fan of Quick.

As far as expectations, within this system, for me it is a matter of realistic expectations. If you are trying to say that his numbers might be less than spectacular, as compared to the FF pundits that only look at yards and TDs. For me, its more about being consistent, and using his athleticism. He showed last year that he can play at this level. Not sure why that will change.

I would venture a guess that this team won't attempt much more than 500 passes. Assuming that Foles completes 65%, there will be in the area of 325 completions. With the likes of Cook, Britt, Austin, Kendricks, Bailey, and include a combination of RBs all being in the mix..... I just don't see ANYONE having spectacular receiving numbers. Its going to be all about TDs, for me to say that they had productive seasons. And that includes Quick.
 

blackbart

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Wow that was so ummmm

Another FF "analyst" who doesn't seem to know anything about the game or development of players. I mean we all know WR especially jump to the league and kill it year 1.

I'm with you @CoachO ball distribution will limit any one guy from being a "True #1" whatever that is, that much has not changed on this team. It was an ugly injury but something that a hard working guy like Quick will return from, he didn't lose a knee, he'll still be confident once he takes a hit or two he should be back in the saddle. Really hope it all comes back for him, I always like rooting for the underdogs.
 

bwdenverram

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Personally I'm a big Quick fan and it's extremely unfortunate he got injured. As the article states he was looking really good with 2nd and 3rd string QB's to boot. If he can come back healthy (seems to be an unfortunate trend for us) I think he's the easy #1 receiver.

More importantly, with an above average QB, an improved and a run heavy OL you would think play action would really open things up for Quick, Britt, Austin and Bailey.

And when Gurley gets on the field and starts forcing more in the box help things should look even better.
 

CoachO

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not sure why you felt the need for the disclaimer. I never brought up location once. For you to somehow infer that makes you a superior fan. Well.....

My comments were to point out how you seemed to think that expectations should be low as far as production. I simply gave you my thoughts on why I think that anyone who thinks any WR in this roster will have "#1 WR" numbers might be setting themselves up for disappointment.

Brian Quick could very well be the best WR on the stat sheet most weeks and it won't compare favorably to the "ProBowl" receivers in other teams in other systems.
 

snackdaddy

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I'm not expecting any Rams receivers to play at a pro bowl level. But I do believe we're in better shape at the position than we were a couple years ago.

I expect the Rams to try to be the type of offense that imposes their will on the opponents. Ground and pound and hopefully play action passes can feed off of the run game.

The potential for play making is there. With big targets like Cook, Britt and Quick, Foles can be the quarterback we're hoping for if he can take advantage of the size and speed those guys possess.

Throw in speed and quickness in Austin and the makings of a good pass game is there. But will there be enough opportunities with a run first team?
 

…..

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........
I just don't see ANYONE having spectacular receiving numbers. Its going to be all about TDs, for me to say that they had productive seasons. And that includes Quick.

Very good point made here. With the discussions we've been having the last few days, particularly the "breakthrough player" thread, it became evident to me real fast that there is only one ball and several deserving recipients. I hope our recievers share the love. I dont see anyone outside maybe Jared Cook to get impassioned enough to be a sideline distraction.

I know one thing...If I'm a reciever that wants the attention of a QB named Foles, I'm out there playing catch with him right now and taking extra reps anytime its available.