Los Angeles Rams: Brian Quick A Top Receiving Threat

The Los Angeles Rams need someone to step up at wide receiver and Brian Quick is their man. He’s set to become LA’s top receiving threat in 2016.

Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

Call me crazy, but I am ready for Los Angeles Rams’ wide receiver Brian Quick to be a number-one threat in the new L.A. offense. The team is rightly most excited about Todd Gurley at running back and, of course, rookie quarterback Jared Goff. The entire wide receiving corps, but especially Quick, has been all but forgotten in both fantasy football and real-life circles. After missing roughly two half seasons with an injury (half of 2014 and half of 2015), Quick never got back into the offense in 2015, but 2016 could be his year.

Quick doesn’t have much of a baseline of performance. He has only been in the league for four seasons and only started 16 total games over that time frame. However, the Rams are looking for a top receiving threat this year for the new-look offense, and Quick had been trending into being that top guy before he went down.

Before succumbing to his season-ending injury in 2014, Brian got off to a very nice start; the best of his career in fact. He started all seven of the games he played in, accumulating nearly 400 yards and three touchdowns. Extrapolated over a full 16-game season, around 850 yards and seven touchdowns isn’t quite an elite level, but it is pretty darn good for a man getting his first real chance at full playing time. That was the player Los Angeles (then St. Louis) lost and the man who didn’t ever show up or get a chance last year.

Maybe Quick is irrevocably out of Jeff Fisher’s rotation. That is possible based on the chance, or lack thereof, he was given upon his return last year, as well as the fact that the Rams drafted two wide receivers this past draft (Pharoh Cooper in Round 4 and Mike Thomas in Round 6). But I’m a believer in Quick’s bounce back since there is little logic behind permanently giving up on him, and I see him becoming Jared Goff’s top option on the outside.

At 6’4″, Quick has the size and strength desired out of a top guy, especially when compared with the diminutive Tavon Austin, the likeliest option of the returning players to garner the most targets.

This offseason, the Rams wanted Quick to prove just what everyone else wants to see too: that he can be a contributor again. They gave him just a one-year deal worth $1.7 million to prove he is worth a long-term deal moving forward. I am sure Quick wants to prove the same thing.

DAN:

No one on the Los Angeles Rams asserted themselves as a bonafide number one receiving threat last season. Tavon Austin led the team in targets and receptions, yet Kenny Britt was the top receiver with 681 yards and an excellent 18.9 yards per catch average. Austin led the team with five touchdowns, but even Jared Cook beat him in the total yards category.

Much of this had to do with L.A.’s quarterback and the team’s new-found weapon in the running game. But to say the Rams are looking for anyone to break out in the passing game is obvious. Brian Quick will be their man.

On the surface it seems a little crazy to expect great things from Quick this season, yet there’s little indication such production is coming from anyone else in Los Angeles’ offense. The run game should be this team’s strength, but a healthy passing attack is a prerequisite for success. Quick averaged over ten yards per catch last season, despite having only ten catches and 32 targets because of injury.

In fact, his yards per catch average has been excellent throughout his career and leagues ahead of the Rams current receiving leader in Austin. He averaged 14.2 yards per catch in his rookie year, followed by 16.8 and 15.0 yards per catch up until last season.

Quick’s height and experience in the offense gives him a leg up on the incoming rookies. He’s going to steal receptions from both Britt and Austin early on, ultimately overshadowing one or both players by season’s end. Britt is the most likely casualty of this shift. He was most productive on deeper passes and that is unlikely to be where Goff looks to throw the football. As a rookie he’ll want to focus on the short passing game to compliment his offense’s running attack, minimize mistakes and build confidence. I expect him to test his arm strength, but not often. This is Quick’s gain.

More LA Rams: Good, Bad and More for Rams in 2016

A reliable target who’s easy to find is a quarterback’s best friend, especially as a rookie. Quick offers such a target and I love him to step up and seize control of the Rams’ passing attack. Austin got over 50 receptions last season and that is where I expect Quick to land in 2016. Finding the endzone may prove more difficult, but nevertheless he’s do for a real breakout.