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So every year I do spend some time on the QBs and I know many of you do as well. And generally there's a guy or two who I feel are fits for us. Leading into the 2019 draft was Minshew and Wilkins neither of which the Rams seemed interested in (although a McVay disciple did draft Manny Wilkins and yes I know I was wrong about TE being a need 
). This year it's the same deal where I'd like to see the Rams snap up a bargain who would come with team control and help insulate us against a QB injury. Gonna put up one guy I'm really intrigued with and interested in who you guys are trackin...
James (Captain) Morgan
Homey had a great Shrine week and game, has plenty of arm, some swag, and a good head on his shoulders. Really like this dude.
Morgan vs Miami
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMYpSpiPUZE
Morgan vs Old Dominion
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X7kGo3SNus
Post-Shrine Article
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- There's a story, it seems, behind every player's uniform number, but the one former Florida International quarterback James Morgan tells is a little more complicated than most.
"Up until eighth grade I was No. 4, then I was No. 12 in high school," Morgan said after finishing his third straight stellar practice at the East-West Shrine Bowl on Wednesday. "You can probably connect the dots with that one."
You can if you know more about where Morgan was raised. Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, just 33 days after the local team beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, Morgan was baptized by fire into Packers fandom. For the next decade, no one was bigger in the state than Brett Favre. Babies and streets were named after him, mayors gave him keys to their cities and jorts became fashionable again.
And every quarterback, from Pop Warner to high school, battled to wear No. 4.
Then came The Breakup in 2008, when Aaron Rodgers was handed the quarterback keys and Favre was sent packing. It was a split that divided the state, and even today, when Packers fans are asked to choose sides, the smart ones remain politically correct.
Morgan, who changed his number from 4 to 12 upon entering Ashwaubenon High School -- a school whose colors are green and gold and which lies less than two miles from Lambeau Field -- two years after Favre exited for the New York Jets, is no different.
"That's such a tough question," he replied when asked where his loyalties lie today. "I've loved watching both of them. Favre was my hero growing up. Just watching him being able to do his thing, the gunslinger mentality, I really tried to embrace that as a young quarterback.
"And everything Aaron has been doing is just phenomenal. There's so much to take away from his game when you watch his tape -- how he reads defenses, his technique, his quick release. Both of those guys were hugely inspirational to me."
Morgan has kept No. 12 since the jersey swap more than eight years ago. It's the same number he has been wearing in St. Pete's this week at practice and will sport in Saturday's game. It's the same number NFL scouts have been consistently using to identify the best quarterback here through the first three practice days.
"No. 12," one scout said. "And it's not even close."
View: https://twitter.com/Andy_Fenelon/status/1217477201643307008
Morgan's path, from Ashwaubenon to here in St. Pete's, is anything but a straight line. As a quarterback in high school, where he threw for 7,000 yards (fifth in the state) and 70 touchdowns (tied for seventh), he was a three-star recruit, but a top-20 pro-style quarterback prospect nationally and No. 1 in the state. However, he never got the call from his preferred school, Wisconsin, which at the time had Gary Andersen as its head coach and a run-first mentality as its offensive style.
So off he went to Bowling Green State to play the Air Raid for Dino Babers, whose work with Jimmy Garoppolo at Eastern Illinois and Robert Griffin III at Baylor was appealing to Morgan. But after Morgan redshirted his freshman year, Babers took off for Syracuse, with just two years under his belt at Bowling Green.
A new coach (Mike Jinks), a new system and new players recruited by Jinks all led to dissatisfaction for both sides, and the two amicably decided to go different ways. Morgan, who got his degree in pre-law before leaving Bowling Green, transferred to Florida International, where he played the last two seasons for former Dallas Cowboys assistant and Cleveland Browns head coach Butch Davis.
He had already endured one breakup (Favre and the Packers) that allowed him to gain perspective on this one: It doesn't always work out, even for the very best.
But it did finally work out for Morgan at FIU. After just 17 practices, he won the starting job, led the Panthers to a second-place Conference USA finish in his first year and helped beat Miami -- Davis' old school -- in 2019. In his two years combined, he threw for 5,312 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 61.5.
All the time borrowing from the games of his hometown heroes, Favre and Rodgers.
"I try to get the best of both worlds," he said. "You want the fearless mentality of Favre. He never was scared to make a throw. He knew he could make every throw on the field. That's the way I feel. Rodgers, on the other hand, has been very safe with the ball; he doesn't turn the ball over a lot. He makes good decisions. Never be afraid but take what they give me. That's very important for me."
). This year it's the same deal where I'd like to see the Rams snap up a bargain who would come with team control and help insulate us against a QB injury. Gonna put up one guy I'm really intrigued with and interested in who you guys are trackin...James (Captain) Morgan
Homey had a great Shrine week and game, has plenty of arm, some swag, and a good head on his shoulders. Really like this dude.
Morgan vs Miami
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMYpSpiPUZE
Morgan vs Old Dominion
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X7kGo3SNus
Post-Shrine Article
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- There's a story, it seems, behind every player's uniform number, but the one former Florida International quarterback James Morgan tells is a little more complicated than most.
"Up until eighth grade I was No. 4, then I was No. 12 in high school," Morgan said after finishing his third straight stellar practice at the East-West Shrine Bowl on Wednesday. "You can probably connect the dots with that one."
You can if you know more about where Morgan was raised. Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, just 33 days after the local team beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI, Morgan was baptized by fire into Packers fandom. For the next decade, no one was bigger in the state than Brett Favre. Babies and streets were named after him, mayors gave him keys to their cities and jorts became fashionable again.
And every quarterback, from Pop Warner to high school, battled to wear No. 4.
Then came The Breakup in 2008, when Aaron Rodgers was handed the quarterback keys and Favre was sent packing. It was a split that divided the state, and even today, when Packers fans are asked to choose sides, the smart ones remain politically correct.
Morgan, who changed his number from 4 to 12 upon entering Ashwaubenon High School -- a school whose colors are green and gold and which lies less than two miles from Lambeau Field -- two years after Favre exited for the New York Jets, is no different.
"That's such a tough question," he replied when asked where his loyalties lie today. "I've loved watching both of them. Favre was my hero growing up. Just watching him being able to do his thing, the gunslinger mentality, I really tried to embrace that as a young quarterback.
"And everything Aaron has been doing is just phenomenal. There's so much to take away from his game when you watch his tape -- how he reads defenses, his technique, his quick release. Both of those guys were hugely inspirational to me."
Morgan has kept No. 12 since the jersey swap more than eight years ago. It's the same number he has been wearing in St. Pete's this week at practice and will sport in Saturday's game. It's the same number NFL scouts have been consistently using to identify the best quarterback here through the first three practice days.
"No. 12," one scout said. "And it's not even close."
View: https://twitter.com/Andy_Fenelon/status/1217477201643307008
Morgan's path, from Ashwaubenon to here in St. Pete's, is anything but a straight line. As a quarterback in high school, where he threw for 7,000 yards (fifth in the state) and 70 touchdowns (tied for seventh), he was a three-star recruit, but a top-20 pro-style quarterback prospect nationally and No. 1 in the state. However, he never got the call from his preferred school, Wisconsin, which at the time had Gary Andersen as its head coach and a run-first mentality as its offensive style.
So off he went to Bowling Green State to play the Air Raid for Dino Babers, whose work with Jimmy Garoppolo at Eastern Illinois and Robert Griffin III at Baylor was appealing to Morgan. But after Morgan redshirted his freshman year, Babers took off for Syracuse, with just two years under his belt at Bowling Green.
A new coach (Mike Jinks), a new system and new players recruited by Jinks all led to dissatisfaction for both sides, and the two amicably decided to go different ways. Morgan, who got his degree in pre-law before leaving Bowling Green, transferred to Florida International, where he played the last two seasons for former Dallas Cowboys assistant and Cleveland Browns head coach Butch Davis.
He had already endured one breakup (Favre and the Packers) that allowed him to gain perspective on this one: It doesn't always work out, even for the very best.
But it did finally work out for Morgan at FIU. After just 17 practices, he won the starting job, led the Panthers to a second-place Conference USA finish in his first year and helped beat Miami -- Davis' old school -- in 2019. In his two years combined, he threw for 5,312 yards, 40 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 61.5.
All the time borrowing from the games of his hometown heroes, Favre and Rodgers.
"I try to get the best of both worlds," he said. "You want the fearless mentality of Favre. He never was scared to make a throw. He knew he could make every throw on the field. That's the way I feel. Rodgers, on the other hand, has been very safe with the ball; he doesn't turn the ball over a lot. He makes good decisions. Never be afraid but take what they give me. That's very important for me."
