Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101ESPN)

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ShaneG

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Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

Last season, the St. Louis Rams posted 18.7 points per game and bettered their 2011 output by more than six points per contest, but the improved final numbers were only good for 25th in the league.

In today’s NFL – an NFL with an ever-increasing offensive emphasis due to rules changes and a plethora of other factors – it may be tougher than ever to win without fielding an offense that consistently produces points at a proficient level.

With that understood, it was of little surprise to hear the Rams’ front office continually stress one predominant priority leading up to the recent draft and free-agency period : the need to add explosive playmakers. As we witnessed in the days thereafter, St. Louis did just that.

In free agency, the Rams reunited head coach Jeff Fisher with gifted former Tennessee Titans hybrid tight end Jared Cook. In Cook, the Rams added a target with arguably the best blend of size, speed, athleticism and big-play potential of any tight end in the league.

In the draft, the club aggressively traded up to select the rookie class’ most athletically explosive offensive talent – West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin. No other offensive weapon in the draft owned Austin’s multi-faceted combination of track-star speed, cat-like quickness and ankle-breaking elusiveness.

All in all, what the Rams did in the offseason to continue revamping and reformulating the passing game was no small feat. This was a makeover – as touched on in the camp and preseason preview – that was extreme. It was a continuation of a reconstruction that began in 2012 with the draft selections of receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick. It was one implemented, according to Fisher, to help quarterback Sam Bradford and his offense ascend.

“I’ve said this all the time, the better the people that are surrounding him (Bradford) are, the better chance he has of taking another step,” Fisher said. “I think we’ve done everything we can to this point doing that with (Jared) Cook and the young receivers from last year … Austin (Pettis) is improving, so it’s a good group around him.”

According to the aforementioned Quick, this is a special group.

(Hope you will enjoy the full piece here):

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bradford-and-quick-expecting-more-explosiveness-from-rams-passing-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bra ... sing-game/</a>
 

Rambitious1

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

ShaneG said:
Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

Last season, the St. Louis Rams posted 18.7 points per game and bettered their 2011 output by more than six points per contest, but the improved final numbers were only good for 25th in the league.

In today’s NFL – an NFL with an ever-increasing offensive emphasis due to rules changes and a plethora of other factors – it may be tougher than ever to win without fielding an offense that consistently produces points at a proficient level.

With that understood, it was of little surprise to hear the Rams’ front office continually stress one predominant priority leading up to the recent draft and free-agency period : the need to add explosive playmakers. As we witnessed in the days thereafter, St. Louis did just that.

In free agency, the Rams reunited head coach Jeff Fisher with gifted former Tennessee Titans hybrid tight end Jared Cook. In Cook, the Rams added a target with arguably the best blend of size, speed, athleticism and big-play potential of any tight end in the league.

In the draft, the club aggressively traded up to select the rookie class’ most athletically explosive offensive talent – West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin. No other offensive weapon in the draft owned Austin’s multi-faceted combination of track-star speed, cat-like quickness and ankle-breaking elusiveness.

All in all, what the Rams did in the offseason to continue revamping and reformulating the passing game was no small feat. This was a makeover – as touched on in the camp and preseason preview – that was extreme. It was a continuation of a reconstruction that began in 2012 with the draft selections of receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick. It was one implemented, according to Fisher, to help quarterback Sam Bradford and his offense ascend.

“I’ve said this all the time, the better the people that are surrounding him (Bradford) are, the better chance he has of taking another step,” Fisher said. “I think we’ve done everything we can to this point doing that with (Jared) Cook and the young receivers from last year … Austin (Pettis) is improving, so it’s a good group around him.”

According to the aforementioned Quick, this is a special group.

(Hope you will enjoy the full piece here):

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bradford-and-quick-expecting-more-explosiveness-from-rams-passing-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bra ... sing-game/</a>


Hi Shane,

Another good article.
Nice work.

I know its early but I have a question for you. What, if anything, do you see different than last year so far?

Meaning, what positives on the field and off are different? (i.e. attitude, performance to date, coaching etc.)
Also, have you seen any real negatives that were not there last year?


Thanks Shane.
 

-X-

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

lol. You said 'plethora.'
Love it!

Hey, was that you getting the collateral damage of the Finnegan cream pie today?
 

Tron

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

Great write up Shane as always. So happy football is back!!!
 

ShaneG

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

Rambitious1 said:
ShaneG said:
Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

Last season, the St. Louis Rams posted 18.7 points per game and bettered their 2011 output by more than six points per contest, but the improved final numbers were only good for 25th in the league.

In today’s NFL – an NFL with an ever-increasing offensive emphasis due to rules changes and a plethora of other factors – it may be tougher than ever to win without fielding an offense that consistently produces points at a proficient level.

With that understood, it was of little surprise to hear the Rams’ front office continually stress one predominant priority leading up to the recent draft and free-agency period : the need to add explosive playmakers. As we witnessed in the days thereafter, St. Louis did just that.

In free agency, the Rams reunited head coach Jeff Fisher with gifted former Tennessee Titans hybrid tight end Jared Cook. In Cook, the Rams added a target with arguably the best blend of size, speed, athleticism and big-play potential of any tight end in the league.

In the draft, the club aggressively traded up to select the rookie class’ most athletically explosive offensive talent – West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin. No other offensive weapon in the draft owned Austin’s multi-faceted combination of track-star speed, cat-like quickness and ankle-breaking elusiveness.

All in all, what the Rams did in the offseason to continue revamping and reformulating the passing game was no small feat. This was a makeover – as touched on in the camp and preseason preview – that was extreme. It was a continuation of a reconstruction that began in 2012 with the draft selections of receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick. It was one implemented, according to Fisher, to help quarterback Sam Bradford and his offense ascend.

“I’ve said this all the time, the better the people that are surrounding him (Bradford) are, the better chance he has of taking another step,” Fisher said. “I think we’ve done everything we can to this point doing that with (Jared) Cook and the young receivers from last year … Austin (Pettis) is improving, so it’s a good group around him.”

According to the aforementioned Quick, this is a special group.

(Hope you will enjoy the full piece here):

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bradford-and-quick-expecting-more-explosiveness-from-rams-passing-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bra ... sing-game/</a>


Hi Shane,

Another good article.
Nice work.

I know its early but I have a question for you. What, if anything, do you see different than last year so far?

Meaning, what positives on the field and off are different? (i.e. attitude, performance to date, coaching etc.)
Also, have you seen any real negatives that were not there last year?


Thanks Shane.

Thanks for the kind words.

As for what's different, the speed on offense is much improved and there just seems to be an aura around the team that something special is on the way. The energy was great at camp last year but is even better this year. There is an electricity about camp this year.

Haven't seen much if anything in the way of negatives. Both drafted defensive rookies are looking very good and the young WRS -- including the Lindenwood product -- have had a nice start.
 

ShaneG

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

X said:
lol. You said 'plethora.'
Love it!

Hey, was that you getting the collateral damage of the Finnegan cream pie today?

X, I love that word... after all, there are a plethora of ways to use it. :)

And yes, I caught the brunt of the onslaught!
 

ShaneG

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

Tron said:
Great write up Shane as always. So happy football is back!!!

Thanks a ton.
 

DR RAM

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

ShaneG said:
X said:
lol. You said 'plethora.'
Love it!

Hey, was that you getting the collateral damage of the Finnegan cream pie today?

X, I love that word... after all, there are a plethora of ways to use it. :)

And yes, I caught the brunt of the onslaught!
So, in summary, you got pelted by a plethora of pie parts, and pieces.
 

ShaneG

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

DR RAM said:
ShaneG said:
X said:
lol. You said 'plethora.'
Love it!

Hey, was that you getting the collateral damage of the Finnegan cream pie today?

X, I love that word... after all, there are a plethora of ways to use it. :)

And yes, I caught the brunt of the onslaught!
So, in summary, you got pelted by a plethora of pie parts, and pieces.

Essentially, Dr. Ram, yes. :)
 

RhodyRams

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

what I am hearing from other fans attending Rams Camp is that the offense is ahead of the defense at this point in time, which is the opposite of normal training camps. Is this due to Bradfords off season Oklahoma workouts?
 

Faceplant

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

Good article Shane. Quick sure seems confident fir a guy that has only caught a few passes in his career. Excited to see if he is right!!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
 

CGI_Ram

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

RhodyRams said:
what I am hearing from other fans attending Rams Camp is that the offense is ahead of the defense at this point in time, which is the opposite of normal training camps. Is this due to Bradfords off season Oklahoma workouts?

Probably more to do with lack of pads.
 

ReddingRam

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

ShaneG said:
Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

Last season, the St. Louis Rams posted 18.7 points per game and bettered their 2011 output by more than six points per contest, but the improved final numbers were only good for 25th in the league.

In today’s NFL – an NFL with an ever-increasing offensive emphasis due to rules changes and a plethora of other factors – it may be tougher than ever to win without fielding an offense that consistently produces points at a proficient level.

With that understood, it was of little surprise to hear the Rams’ front office continually stress one predominant priority leading up to the recent draft and free-agency period : the need to add explosive playmakers. As we witnessed in the days thereafter, St. Louis did just that.

In free agency, the Rams reunited head coach Jeff Fisher with gifted former Tennessee Titans hybrid tight end Jared Cook. In Cook, the Rams added a target with arguably the best blend of size, speed, athleticism and big-play potential of any tight end in the league.

In the draft, the club aggressively traded up to select the rookie class’ most athletically explosive offensive talent – West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin. No other offensive weapon in the draft owned Austin’s multi-faceted combination of track-star speed, cat-like quickness and ankle-breaking elusiveness.

All in all, what the Rams did in the offseason to continue revamping and reformulating the passing game was no small feat. This was a makeover – as touched on in the camp and preseason preview – that was extreme. It was a continuation of a reconstruction that began in 2012 with the draft selections of receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick. It was one implemented, according to Fisher, to help quarterback Sam Bradford and his offense ascend.

“I’ve said this all the time, the better the people that are surrounding him (Bradford) are, the better chance he has of taking another step,” Fisher said. “I think we’ve done everything we can to this point doing that with (Jared) Cook and the young receivers from last year … Austin (Pettis) is improving, so it’s a good group around him.”

According to the aforementioned Quick, this is a special group.

(Hope you will enjoy the full piece here):

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bradford-and-quick-expecting-more-explosiveness-from-rams-passing-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bra ... sing-game/</a>

I posted this on another thread, but I should have posted it here ....An advantage that I think we really have now on a team like Seattle is that with those BIG DB's they have, they are going to have trouble with guys like Givens, Austin and Bailey. Those three are so fast and quick in their movements, I don't think they will effectively be able to cover them. Not for 4 Qrt's at least. They are going to have to play "off" more and try and take away the deep threats ... but that will open up a lot of short to intermediate stuff ... and the jitter bugs can then still out move them in the open field.
 

ShaneG

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

RhodyRams said:
what I am hearing from other fans attending Rams Camp is that the offense is ahead of the defense at this point in time, which is the opposite of normal training camps. Is this due to Bradfords off season Oklahoma workouts?

Day one was a big day for the offense day 2 saw the O and D play much more even. D made a lot of nice plays in day 2 and made it much tougher on the offense.
 

ShaneG

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

Faceplant said:
Good article Shane. Quick sure seems confident fir a guy that has only caught a few passes in his career. Excited to see if he is right!!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

He looks improved from this time a year ago. Seems to be playing rather than thinking, for one.
 

LesBaker

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

ShaneG said:
RhodyRams said:
what I am hearing from other fans attending Rams Camp is that the offense is ahead of the defense at this point in time, which is the opposite of normal training camps. Is this due to Bradfords off season Oklahoma workouts?

Day one was a big day for the offense day 2 saw the O and D play much more even. D made a lot of nice plays in day 2 and made it much tougher on the offense.

A couple of brief comments from camp attendees I read were about the O struggling, which I expect to see for the first several games myself.

Who threw the INTs in the red zone drills. Please tell me it wasn't SB.
 

nighttrain

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

any sighting of Safety Cody Davis? havent heard a word, good or bad
train
 

tonyl711

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

with the additions of Cook, Austin and Bailey coupled with Givens and Quick having a year in the system and the way Pettis seems to be coming, on this Offense could be an Offense teams hate to play. Bradford finally will go into the season running the same Offense for two years in a row, that could be huge. if Quick can play up to expectations, you will have Quick and Givens out wide and Austin in the slot with Cook at TE, how are teams going to cover that? and with SJ gone and all the deep threats we have you wont be seeing to many 8 man fronts which will free the RBs up some. im thinking they will add another 6 points or so to their per game average, and the Defense should only get better.
 

Rambitious1

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

ShaneG said:
Rambitious1 said:
ShaneG said:
Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.

Last season, the St. Louis Rams posted 18.7 points per game and bettered their 2011 output by more than six points per contest, but the improved final numbers were only good for 25th in the league.

In today’s NFL – an NFL with an ever-increasing offensive emphasis due to rules changes and a plethora of other factors – it may be tougher than ever to win without fielding an offense that consistently produces points at a proficient level.

With that understood, it was of little surprise to hear the Rams’ front office continually stress one predominant priority leading up to the recent draft and free-agency period : the need to add explosive playmakers. As we witnessed in the days thereafter, St. Louis did just that.

In free agency, the Rams reunited head coach Jeff Fisher with gifted former Tennessee Titans hybrid tight end Jared Cook. In Cook, the Rams added a target with arguably the best blend of size, speed, athleticism and big-play potential of any tight end in the league.

In the draft, the club aggressively traded up to select the rookie class’ most athletically explosive offensive talent – West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin. No other offensive weapon in the draft owned Austin’s multi-faceted combination of track-star speed, cat-like quickness and ankle-breaking elusiveness.

All in all, what the Rams did in the offseason to continue revamping and reformulating the passing game was no small feat. This was a makeover – as touched on in the camp and preseason preview – that was extreme. It was a continuation of a reconstruction that began in 2012 with the draft selections of receivers Chris Givens and Brian Quick. It was one implemented, according to Fisher, to help quarterback Sam Bradford and his offense ascend.

“I’ve said this all the time, the better the people that are surrounding him (Bradford) are, the better chance he has of taking another step,” Fisher said. “I think we’ve done everything we can to this point doing that with (Jared) Cook and the young receivers from last year … Austin (Pettis) is improving, so it’s a good group around him.”

According to the aforementioned Quick, this is a special group.

(Hope you will enjoy the full piece here):

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bradford-and-quick-expecting-more-explosiveness-from-rams-passing-game/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/07/26/bra ... sing-game/</a>


Hi Shane,

Another good article.
Nice work.

I know its early but I have a question for you. What, if anything, do you see different than last year so far?

Meaning, what positives on the field and off are different? (i.e. attitude, performance to date, coaching etc.)
Also, have you seen any real negatives that were not there last year?


Thanks Shane.

Thanks for the kind words.

As for what's different, the speed on offense is much improved and there just seems to be an aura around the team that something special is on the way. The energy was great at camp last year but is even better this year. There is an electricity about camp this year.

Haven't seen much if anything in the way of negatives. Both drafted defensive rookies are looking very good and the young WRS -- including the Lindenwood product -- have had a nice start.

Hi Shane,

Thank you sir.

I appreciate your good response and your quality work.
 

DR RAM

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Re: Quick Expecting Special Things; Bradford Explosion (101E

ShaneG said:
Faceplant said:
Good article Shane. Quick sure seems confident fir a guy that has only caught a few passes in his career. Excited to see if he is right!!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

He looks improved from this time a year ago. Seems to be playing rather than thinking, for one.
Shane, he looks slimmer, a little lighter to me, which can result in a little more speed, and quickness. Do you think that is part of it, along with the mental part?