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Rams mailbag: What to make of Brian Quick's progress
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...mailbag-what-to-make-of-brian-quicks-progress
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans kick off Sunday night as they reach the halfway point of the preseason.
Before we get there, let's take a few more of your questions in Part 2 of this week's mailbag.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can find your question.
RamsFan4Life @scothoffman
How is Brian Quick looking in practice?
@nwagoner: Brian Quick hasn't really been limited except for the yellow beanie he wears, which reminds his teammates to avoid contact with him. Other than that, to my eye, he's clearly been the team's best and most consistent receiver. He looks healthy, he sounds determined and he has a greater appreciation of the game after having it taken from him last year because of a devastating shoulder injury. Does that mean Quick will become the No. 1 type of dominant wideout many hope he can? I don't know if I'd go that far. But barring a setback, I expect him to be the team's most productive pass catcher in 2015.
Christopher Dowell @pikebishop
Is Rhaney a serious contender for the backup guard position if Jones gets the nod at center?
@nwagoner: The Rams seem open to at least tinkering with that idea but I'm not sure it's something that's really serious. Demetrius Rhaney is just too small to hold up at guard, in my opinion, and I'd tend to think if it came down to it, they'd simply flop Barrett Jones to guard and have Rhaney at center before they'd play Rhaney at guard. I will say this, though: One thing the Rams (and most teams) value in backup offensive linemen is versatility. So it wouldn't hurt Rhaney's status to prove he can handle the work at guard. Even if he's a backup, it would behoove him to learn guard because he could then at least be more likely to be active on game days.
Mayor Sengheiser (@Nicholas_John91)
Are Evan Mathis and Jake Long or any free agent lineman just completely out of the picture at this point?
@nwagoner: Pretty clear at this point that the Rams aren't in the market for another offensive lineman. They've invested heavily in the line via draft picks and if they want to keep all of those guys, they don't really have room for another. If there's a big injury along the way, perhaps that changes but for now they seem content with what they have.
Larry @Larry49er
Seems assuming two rookies on the OL is a winning strategy is soooo HIGH RISK. Are these rookies worthy?
@nwagoner: Of course it's a risk but the Rams look at it with these two things in mind: 1) Having young, healthy linemen is an automatic upgrade over having old, injured ones. 2) They want to run the ball and run it a lot. That allows for a lesser learning curve if they can have success doing that. Now, there's no question that the offensive line is the biggest question facing this team this year from a personnel standpoint. Whether the rookie linemen are "worthy" or not is besides the point. The question is how soon and to what extent they'll be ready to get the job done when the season starts.
Nick Ritson @skippyrit
Of course Fisher says the time in Oxnard was worth it but what's your assessment Nick?
@nwagoner: From a football standpoint, sure. The extra repetitions against another team over two days is a good thing and should help speed things up for the team to potentially start a bit faster. From a PR standpoint, probably not. And I'm not talking about the fighting. They may or may not care about the public perception in St. Louis right now and it wasn't all that good to begin with, but having what amounted to a pep rally in the city where the owner intends to relocate his team isn't a good look. That's not to say the fans in Los Angeles should be blamed. They turned out to support their team and should be commended for their dedication just like the fans in St. Louis who have stuck by the team. It's unfortunate that this whole situation has turned Rams fans in both cities against each other rather than focusing on their shared passion for the team. Such is the situation the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke have created.
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...mailbag-what-to-make-of-brian-quicks-progress
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans kick off Sunday night as they reach the halfway point of the preseason.
Before we get there, let's take a few more of your questions in Part 2 of this week's mailbag.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can find your question.
RamsFan4Life @scothoffman
How is Brian Quick looking in practice?
@nwagoner: Brian Quick hasn't really been limited except for the yellow beanie he wears, which reminds his teammates to avoid contact with him. Other than that, to my eye, he's clearly been the team's best and most consistent receiver. He looks healthy, he sounds determined and he has a greater appreciation of the game after having it taken from him last year because of a devastating shoulder injury. Does that mean Quick will become the No. 1 type of dominant wideout many hope he can? I don't know if I'd go that far. But barring a setback, I expect him to be the team's most productive pass catcher in 2015.
Christopher Dowell @pikebishop
Is Rhaney a serious contender for the backup guard position if Jones gets the nod at center?
@nwagoner: The Rams seem open to at least tinkering with that idea but I'm not sure it's something that's really serious. Demetrius Rhaney is just too small to hold up at guard, in my opinion, and I'd tend to think if it came down to it, they'd simply flop Barrett Jones to guard and have Rhaney at center before they'd play Rhaney at guard. I will say this, though: One thing the Rams (and most teams) value in backup offensive linemen is versatility. So it wouldn't hurt Rhaney's status to prove he can handle the work at guard. Even if he's a backup, it would behoove him to learn guard because he could then at least be more likely to be active on game days.
Mayor Sengheiser (@Nicholas_John91)
Are Evan Mathis and Jake Long or any free agent lineman just completely out of the picture at this point?
@nwagoner: Pretty clear at this point that the Rams aren't in the market for another offensive lineman. They've invested heavily in the line via draft picks and if they want to keep all of those guys, they don't really have room for another. If there's a big injury along the way, perhaps that changes but for now they seem content with what they have.
Larry @Larry49er
Seems assuming two rookies on the OL is a winning strategy is soooo HIGH RISK. Are these rookies worthy?
@nwagoner: Of course it's a risk but the Rams look at it with these two things in mind: 1) Having young, healthy linemen is an automatic upgrade over having old, injured ones. 2) They want to run the ball and run it a lot. That allows for a lesser learning curve if they can have success doing that. Now, there's no question that the offensive line is the biggest question facing this team this year from a personnel standpoint. Whether the rookie linemen are "worthy" or not is besides the point. The question is how soon and to what extent they'll be ready to get the job done when the season starts.
Nick Ritson @skippyrit
Of course Fisher says the time in Oxnard was worth it but what's your assessment Nick?
@nwagoner: From a football standpoint, sure. The extra repetitions against another team over two days is a good thing and should help speed things up for the team to potentially start a bit faster. From a PR standpoint, probably not. And I'm not talking about the fighting. They may or may not care about the public perception in St. Louis right now and it wasn't all that good to begin with, but having what amounted to a pep rally in the city where the owner intends to relocate his team isn't a good look. That's not to say the fans in Los Angeles should be blamed. They turned out to support their team and should be commended for their dedication just like the fans in St. Louis who have stuck by the team. It's unfortunate that this whole situation has turned Rams fans in both cities against each other rather than focusing on their shared passion for the team. Such is the situation the Rams and owner Stan Kroenke have created.
