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COMMENTARY | The St. Louis Rams have struggled throughout the past three years to build a solid receiving corps for quarterback Sam Bradford. New general manager Les Snead attempted to solve that problem during the offseason by drafting Brian Quick and Chris Givens and signing free agent Steve Smith.
The addition of the three players has created a logjam of wideouts on the Rams roster. Here’s a look at each receiver’s chances of making the team:
Danny Amendola
If there was one injury that completely derailed the Rams’ 2011 season, it was Danny Amendola’s dislocated elbow. Bradford struggled to lead the Rams’ offense without Amendola in the lineup because he was the one receiver who the quarterback could rely on. That hasn’t changed, as shown by Amendola’s three catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns last weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. Amendola remains Bradford’s go-to receiver and is a no-brainer to make the team.
Brian Quick
Rookie Brian Quick started off slowly in camp, but he seemed to have figured things out under the tutelage of former Rams receiver Torry Holt. Quick was advised to use his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame to his advantage and it worked during the Rams’ 31-17 victory over the Chiefs. His three catches for 20 yards might not seem like much, but he saved the Rams on one of those receptions with a huge fourth down play in the third quarter.
The question now becomes whether or not Quick can build off that progress as the season draws near. He’s going to make the team; that much is clear. The Rams would be foolish to release their second round pick, but we don’t know what his role on the team will be. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the Rams’ number one receiver by the end of the 2012 season.
Steve Smith
The Rams signed Steve Smith in hopes that he would return to his 2009 form when he caught 107 passes for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns. Thus far, Smith appears to have progressed well in camp, and he’s flashed some of his old route-running skills in both of the team’s preseason games. Moreover, Smith brings experience and a winning pedigree with him to the Rams. If he continues to progress in the last two weeks of training camp, Smith should make the team.
Chris Givens
A fourth round pick is not usually guaranteed to make the team, but Chris Givens has the one attribute the Rams need desperately: speed. The team has struggled to find a deep threat throughout the past four seasons, but if the Rams’ first two preseason games are any indication, Givens may be the answer. St. Louis quarterbacks have gone out of their way to target him in the passing game thus far, and while they’ve yet to connect with Givens on a deep ball, he has gotten behind opposing secondaries. It may take some time for him to adjust to the NFL, but he’s going to be extremely valuable to the Rams in 2012.
Austin Pettis
The Rams entered training camp with plenty of reasons to release Austin Pettis. He failed to stand out in one of the worst receiver corps in the league last season, during which Pettis tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The NFL responded by suspending him for four games, including the first two games of 2012. With Pettis unable to help the Rams early in the season, Snead would have been justified in releasing the young receiver.
However, Pettis went to training camp in shape and ready to contribute. His performances against both the Colts and the Chiefs have showcased his improved route-running and chemistry with Bradford. Pettis was particularly impressive against the Colts on August 12. In that game, he was the only Rams receiver who managed to get open on a regular basis in that game, and he led the team with three catches for 25 yards in limited duty. The race to make the roster may be close, but Pettis has certainly earned his spot on the Rams at the halfway mark of the preseason.
Greg Salas
This is where things start to get interesting. The Rams will probably keep six receivers, but the remaining candidates have done little to make the final roster. Greg Salas was just starting to find his niche in the team’s offense when he broke his leg last November, and many experts believed that he would recover and impress the coaches in training camp. That hasn’t happened. I think he’ll get the benefit of the doubt with head coach Jeff Fisher, but I wouldn’t put it past him to keep Danario Alexander instead of Salas.
Danario Alexander
It seems impossible that the Rams would keep a player like Alexander, who simply can’t stay healthy. Yet his size (6-foot-5 and 217 pounds) is enough to keep Snead and Fisher interested in giving Alexander a chance. The Rams have quite a few receivers who are mid-sized with decent possession skills, but they only have one other wide-out who can elevate like Alexander can in the endzone. The team would be foolish to ignore that. I’m not saying that the Rams will definitely keep Alexander and see if he can get healthy, but I wouldn’t but it past them.
Brandon Gibson
Brandon Gibson is the one incumbent receiver who I think definitely won’t make the team. There are too many other players on the roster who are similar to him, and he’s the one who has been injured throughout camp. Look for the Rams to release Gibson within the next two weeks.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, GatewayMMA.com and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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COMMENTARY | The St. Louis Rams have struggled throughout the past three years to build a solid receiving corps for quarterback Sam Bradford. New general manager Les Snead attempted to solve that problem during the offseason by drafting Brian Quick and Chris Givens and signing free agent Steve Smith.
The addition of the three players has created a logjam of wideouts on the Rams roster. Here’s a look at each receiver’s chances of making the team:
Danny Amendola
If there was one injury that completely derailed the Rams’ 2011 season, it was Danny Amendola’s dislocated elbow. Bradford struggled to lead the Rams’ offense without Amendola in the lineup because he was the one receiver who the quarterback could rely on. That hasn’t changed, as shown by Amendola’s three catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns last weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs. Amendola remains Bradford’s go-to receiver and is a no-brainer to make the team.
Brian Quick
Rookie Brian Quick started off slowly in camp, but he seemed to have figured things out under the tutelage of former Rams receiver Torry Holt. Quick was advised to use his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame to his advantage and it worked during the Rams’ 31-17 victory over the Chiefs. His three catches for 20 yards might not seem like much, but he saved the Rams on one of those receptions with a huge fourth down play in the third quarter.
The question now becomes whether or not Quick can build off that progress as the season draws near. He’s going to make the team; that much is clear. The Rams would be foolish to release their second round pick, but we don’t know what his role on the team will be. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the Rams’ number one receiver by the end of the 2012 season.
Steve Smith
The Rams signed Steve Smith in hopes that he would return to his 2009 form when he caught 107 passes for 1,220 yards and seven touchdowns. Thus far, Smith appears to have progressed well in camp, and he’s flashed some of his old route-running skills in both of the team’s preseason games. Moreover, Smith brings experience and a winning pedigree with him to the Rams. If he continues to progress in the last two weeks of training camp, Smith should make the team.
Chris Givens
A fourth round pick is not usually guaranteed to make the team, but Chris Givens has the one attribute the Rams need desperately: speed. The team has struggled to find a deep threat throughout the past four seasons, but if the Rams’ first two preseason games are any indication, Givens may be the answer. St. Louis quarterbacks have gone out of their way to target him in the passing game thus far, and while they’ve yet to connect with Givens on a deep ball, he has gotten behind opposing secondaries. It may take some time for him to adjust to the NFL, but he’s going to be extremely valuable to the Rams in 2012.
Austin Pettis
The Rams entered training camp with plenty of reasons to release Austin Pettis. He failed to stand out in one of the worst receiver corps in the league last season, during which Pettis tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The NFL responded by suspending him for four games, including the first two games of 2012. With Pettis unable to help the Rams early in the season, Snead would have been justified in releasing the young receiver.
However, Pettis went to training camp in shape and ready to contribute. His performances against both the Colts and the Chiefs have showcased his improved route-running and chemistry with Bradford. Pettis was particularly impressive against the Colts on August 12. In that game, he was the only Rams receiver who managed to get open on a regular basis in that game, and he led the team with three catches for 25 yards in limited duty. The race to make the roster may be close, but Pettis has certainly earned his spot on the Rams at the halfway mark of the preseason.
Greg Salas
This is where things start to get interesting. The Rams will probably keep six receivers, but the remaining candidates have done little to make the final roster. Greg Salas was just starting to find his niche in the team’s offense when he broke his leg last November, and many experts believed that he would recover and impress the coaches in training camp. That hasn’t happened. I think he’ll get the benefit of the doubt with head coach Jeff Fisher, but I wouldn’t put it past him to keep Danario Alexander instead of Salas.
Danario Alexander
It seems impossible that the Rams would keep a player like Alexander, who simply can’t stay healthy. Yet his size (6-foot-5 and 217 pounds) is enough to keep Snead and Fisher interested in giving Alexander a chance. The Rams have quite a few receivers who are mid-sized with decent possession skills, but they only have one other wide-out who can elevate like Alexander can in the endzone. The team would be foolish to ignore that. I’m not saying that the Rams will definitely keep Alexander and see if he can get healthy, but I wouldn’t but it past them.
Brandon Gibson
Brandon Gibson is the one incumbent receiver who I think definitely won’t make the team. There are too many other players on the roster who are similar to him, and he’s the one who has been injured throughout camp. Look for the Rams to release Gibson within the next two weeks.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, GatewayMMA.com and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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