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Gordon: Hill gets second chance with Rams
• By Jeff Gordon
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_e31e465a-d932-5b38-9c5b-1dbe046d239c.html
The first Shaun Hill Era lasted one half of one game with the Rams.
The well-traveled veteran quarterback was all set to replace injured starter Sam Bradford this season. His coaches and teammates expressed total confidence in his ability to take charge.
Then Hill suffered a strained thigh muscle against the Minnesota Vikings, threw a bad interception at the end of the first half, spent a couple weeks on the injury list and lost his starting job to the temporarily dynamic Austin Davis.
"Austin did a great job," Hill said. "He was playing very well. I understand why they did it."
Was it hard to lose that opportunity so quickly?
"It was a little bit," Hill said. "At the same time, I still had a job to do."
Now Hill's job gets a whole lot bigger. Rather than run the scout team offense this week, he is preparing to face the powerful Denver Broncos defense.
"Every NFL defense is very good," Hill said. "These guys are exceptional at it, though."
Oh, and pizza pitchman Peyton Manning is throwing for the other side. Manning is posting stupid numbers again this season, odds are the Rams will be playing catch-up in this game.
"For me, it's getting the ball dispersed to where it needs to go in a timely manner," Hill said.
He learned of this latest Rams quarterback switch from coach Jeff Fisher in a phone call. Or rather during a call back, after he missed the first one.
"Obviously, the excitement kicks in," Hill said. "Now it's back to business as usual."
Was he surprised to be back in the hot seat? The low-keyed Hill shrugged off the question.
"There is not a whole lot that surprises me any more, to be honest with you," Hill said.
After Davis hit some predictable turbulence at Kansas City, San Francisco and Arizona, Fisher opted to "lean on the experienced quarterback" as he put it after Wednesday's practice.
"It's never an easy decision when you make a change in the middle of the season," Fisher said.
This decision was easier than most. Davis threw five interceptions and just three TD passes in those three road games.
He posted passer ratings of 75.4, 44.6 and 62.6 in those games -- with more telling "QPR" ratings of 9.5, 13.7 and 3.4.
Against the Cardinals, Davis threw two interceptions — one that Arizona returned for a TD — and lost a fumble that also was returned for a TD.
Worse, he became indecisive under pressure and held on to the ball too long time after time. That was one reason why the Cardinals were able to sack him six times for 42 yards in losses.
After throwing for 702 yards in two games -- against Dallas and at Philadelphia -- he has averaged just 174.4 yards passing in his last five games.
"The last two weeks have been difficult for him," Fisher said. "The defenses he faced were especially good."
Now Hill will try to do better. "We're going to give Shaun an opportunity to do what we brought him in to do," Fisher said. "For all intents and purposes, he lost his job due to an injury."
While Hill lacks the mobility Davis brings to the offense, he has a deeper and more accurate arm.
Perhaps he can stretch defenses enough to open up some room for the run game. Lately the run game hasn't done much against loaded boxes that dared the Rams to throw over the top.
This is a huge opportunity for Hill. The Rams face an uncertain future at quarterback with Bradford recovering from a second knee operation.
If Hill can excel the rest of the way, he could factor into next year's plans or earn a good back-up gig elsewhere. Had he stayed on the bench the rest of this season, he might have struggled to find work next season.
Such is the fate of a seldom-seen veteran QB in the NFL.
As for Davis, he advanced his career this season while completing 180 of 286 passes for 2,0001 yards and 12 touchdowns. And he may yet get another shot with the Rams after using this quiet time to regroup.
At worst, Davis has made himself into a solid candidate for QB work down the road. That is a big step for a player who seemed close to getting cut before Bradford went down again.
"He is a much better quarterback now than when he started," Fisher said.
