St. Louis Rams: A Closer Look At Brian Quick

Brian Quick - to this point - has been a thorn in Rams' fans side. From the pre-draft hype of being compared to Terrell Owens, to the flashes of brilliance on the field, Brian Quick has routinely kept the hopes of the hopeful high as a kite.

Through his first two seasons Brian Quick has played sparingly, and his production has been even less than that:

Considering his reception total, his touchdown count is actually impressive. And that's with one called back. But his 29 rec and 458 rec yards over the course of two seasons leaves a lot to be desired, at first glance....

Quick has actually shown well in his limited opportunities. An impressive trait of his, is how hard it is to bring him down after catch. His size and strength translates very well. In fact, of his 458 yards, 139 came after the catch (4.8 ave). At that rate a 60 catch season, would give him 948 yards, and 288 after catch. For comparison's sake, A.J. Green career ypc is 4.4, Brandon Marshall 4.1, Alshon Jeffery 4.5, and just for fun, Terrell Owens 5.3. Quick has also averaged 15.8 yards per reception, showing more than enough ability to stretch the field. He also runs solid routes, and high points the ball very well.

As most of every one knows, Brian Quick's problem has never been the physical side of the game. And while an initial look at his stats do not reflect it, Brian Quick is actually a beast of a receiver. His best attribute, is his alleged work ethic. Maybe one of the best decisions he made in life - aside from picking up a football - is linking up with Terrell Owens. After the comparisons to Owens pre-draft, he began working out with him the following off-season. Owens and Quick have become friends and continue to workout with one another in the off-season. Say what you want about Terrell Owens, but there are two things that have always been true:

1. He is not only one of the best receivers to ever play, but one of the best players to ever play the game. His knowledge and tips cannot be overlooked.
2. He has always been known as one of the hardest workers in the NFL, and easily ranks near the top over the last 25 years. He can bring a lot out of Quick, especially considering the similar size and style of play.

I have notoriously called out Quick. But I now feel I am guilty of being premature with those claims. When taking a second look at both his stats and the tape, Quick has indeed shown tremendous promise. It is not hard to see why Jeff Fisher and Les Snead - more-so Snead than Fisher as he blushes when speaking about him - are so high on him.

With that being said, there is not enough tape in the world to explain why he was chosen as the 33rd pick in the 2012 NFL draft. There is no question he has a lot of potential, but his potential, college production, and testing combined, did not equate to the value of a borderline first round pick. But all signs do indeed point to Quick being a dominant player - at some point in his career - barring injury, and/or a poor scheme.