Brian Quick's Shoulder Injury Almost Ended his Career

Fisher (On Quick): "He will need surgery. It is a significant injury to his shoulder."

— St. Louis Rams (@STLouisRams) October 27, 2014

I remember visibly cringing when I first saw this tweet last season. Something like that coming from Fisher - the man that repeatedly hitched his wagon to Sam Bradford - made my heart sink. Acknowledging that the injury was serious not only equaled a drastic dip in Quick's development, but was also a low-blow by the football gods. Quick's injury, paired with Jake Long's ACL injury that same game, essentially spelled the end of the Rams 2014 season.

It's well known by now that I have an affinity for Brian Quick. He's my favorite player on the Rams and I was ecstatic when he broke out early last season. I was also truly bummed when all of this went down. What we didn't know until yesterday was how extensive the damage really was. Fisher revealed more regarding the injury in his post-practice presser yesterday.

"Yeah, it is remarkable what he’s (Quick's) overcome. The damage he sustained to his shoulder was significant and there was some talk early on that it might’ve been career ending, and that he might not have been able to come back."

Wow. Football is a physical sport, but the words career ending aren't thrown around very frequently. Luckily for everyone involved, Dr. James Andrews is very, very good at what he does and Quick looks to be well on the road to recovery. Fisher continued to elaborate that there is still work to be done, but the team expects him back (although he failed to mention when).

He just kept fighting through each stage of the rehab, one week after the next, and he kept getting better. We sent him back down to see Dr. James Andrews and he was amazed at his progress. So he’s not there yet, you can tell. We’re keeping him off the ground, but he’s running. He’s still got a little bit of motion and flexibility to work on and some strength. But by all means, we expect him to be back. It was a pretty impressive offseason of rehab that he committed to and that he got from our medical staff."

That's what the military calls a compliment sandwich. Start by saying that what he's overcome, drop the career-ending bomb, and conclude with bit of good news to make everyone feel better about the turd dropped in the middle. That being said, it does seem that Fisher is genuinely impressed with Quick's rehab progress.

Personally, I think that fans expected a bit too much, too early from Quick - particularly when Fisher and Snead were trumpeting patience at every opportunity with his development. While his injury came at the most inopportune time (in the middle of a breakout season, Rams already riddled with injuries), it has given Quick another chip on his shoulder - no pun intended.

Some will read the bit about rehab not being complete and get discouraged - leading to further arguments about whether he is a bust. Me? I'm reassured that Quick had the determination and willpower to tough an injury like this -something Sam lacked. Reassured that he has what it takes to be a #1 WR.