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Rams quarterback Nick Foles enjoying working with Chris Weinke
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...nick-foles-enjoying-working-with-chris-weinke
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The thorough renovation that took place on the St. Louis Rams depth chart and the quarterback room this offseason brought nothing but new faces save for the return of Austin Davis.
At the top of the list is a new quarterbacks coach in Chris Weinke and a new starting quarterback in Nick Foles. Weinke came to the Rams from IMG Academy, where he spent time tutoring quarterbacks from teams all over the league.
When Weinke wasn't running the academy's program, he was coaching signal-callers ranging from Russell Wilson to Cam Newton to Ryan Tannehill, among others. One could make the argument that no quarterbacks coach in the league has a more diverse portfolio than Weinke even though he's never coached in the NFL before the Rams hired him in February.
"At the end of the day, I've been able to touch a lot of different guys with a lot of different skill sets coming from a lot of different backgrounds," Weinke said then. "You have to adapt and you've got to be able to understand the importance of every quarterback as an individual. You may be able to understand something visually or you may have to write it down. I need to know what my quarterbacks can handle. So I will coach every quarterback with certain fundamentals, let them have some flexibility within that but then understand how they learn because that's the most important thing."
Foles sits at the top of Weinke's to-do list and represents an interesting challenge that requires focus on more than fundamentals and footwork and expands to scheme and system. Foles is attempting to adjust to the Rams' more buttoned-down offensive approach after cutting his teeth under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia.
Part of that is re-learning how to go under center, something Weinke should have no problem helping with given his background tutoring quarterbacks attempting to transition from college spread-based systems to more traditional NFL schemes. Weinke also has the task of learning the Rams offense and helping implement it.
In many ways, Weinke is starting from scratch with the Rams' new quarterbacks given only a two or three month head start. Foles has been attached to Weinke's hip in the early organized team activities and has made himself a staple in the quarterback room as he learns the new scheme.
“Chris is doing a great job," Foles said. "He has a lot of knowledge. He played a lot of football and he played at a high level. I think for us quarterbacks, getting to tutor underneath him, just his knowledge -- what it was like under center when he played, he knows what we’re seeing when we drop back, so he can relate to it. So, that helps him with teaching us and relating to us. He’s been outstanding.”
There's no denying that the Rams need more from their quarterbacks if they are to take a step forward to playoff contender in 2015. To get there, it'll require Foles, Weinke and everyone in that new-look room to be on the same page.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...nick-foles-enjoying-working-with-chris-weinke
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The thorough renovation that took place on the St. Louis Rams depth chart and the quarterback room this offseason brought nothing but new faces save for the return of Austin Davis.
At the top of the list is a new quarterbacks coach in Chris Weinke and a new starting quarterback in Nick Foles. Weinke came to the Rams from IMG Academy, where he spent time tutoring quarterbacks from teams all over the league.
When Weinke wasn't running the academy's program, he was coaching signal-callers ranging from Russell Wilson to Cam Newton to Ryan Tannehill, among others. One could make the argument that no quarterbacks coach in the league has a more diverse portfolio than Weinke even though he's never coached in the NFL before the Rams hired him in February.
"At the end of the day, I've been able to touch a lot of different guys with a lot of different skill sets coming from a lot of different backgrounds," Weinke said then. "You have to adapt and you've got to be able to understand the importance of every quarterback as an individual. You may be able to understand something visually or you may have to write it down. I need to know what my quarterbacks can handle. So I will coach every quarterback with certain fundamentals, let them have some flexibility within that but then understand how they learn because that's the most important thing."
Foles sits at the top of Weinke's to-do list and represents an interesting challenge that requires focus on more than fundamentals and footwork and expands to scheme and system. Foles is attempting to adjust to the Rams' more buttoned-down offensive approach after cutting his teeth under Chip Kelly in Philadelphia.
Part of that is re-learning how to go under center, something Weinke should have no problem helping with given his background tutoring quarterbacks attempting to transition from college spread-based systems to more traditional NFL schemes. Weinke also has the task of learning the Rams offense and helping implement it.
In many ways, Weinke is starting from scratch with the Rams' new quarterbacks given only a two or three month head start. Foles has been attached to Weinke's hip in the early organized team activities and has made himself a staple in the quarterback room as he learns the new scheme.
“Chris is doing a great job," Foles said. "He has a lot of knowledge. He played a lot of football and he played at a high level. I think for us quarterbacks, getting to tutor underneath him, just his knowledge -- what it was like under center when he played, he knows what we’re seeing when we drop back, so he can relate to it. So, that helps him with teaching us and relating to us. He’s been outstanding.”
There's no denying that the Rams need more from their quarterbacks if they are to take a step forward to playoff contender in 2015. To get there, it'll require Foles, Weinke and everyone in that new-look room to be on the same page.
